Fantasy Football Week 15: 4 Things to Expect for the Week Ahead

Sometimes it's surprising and other times it's not so surprising, but not everything we believe will happen actually happens in fantasy football, no matter how consistent one team or player has been this season.

It's what makes fantasy football a lot of fun. However, it can drive you insane at the same time. That being said, here are four things to expect when Week 15 kicks off.

Packers Run the Ball a Bit More

Last week, the Green Bay Packers ran the ball for 136 yards on just 24 carries against the Raiders, 85 coming from RB Ryan Grant, as well as two TDs.

The Packers definitely need to improve their ground game because although they usually have success at will, they still only average just under 100 rush yards per game. Now, with much of that thanks to their stellar pass offense, a solid ground game will only make them more dangerous.

With that in mind, the Packers play at Kansas City this week, who rank 26th against the run and allows over 130 rush yards per game. We know Aaron Rodgers will have success through the air, however, establishing the run will make K.C.'s solid pass defense that much more vulnerable.

Also, you can expect the Chiefs dropping quite a few players into coverage, so getting Ryan Grant going will be key early on. In turn, this is a great momentum builder for the playoffs.

Texans Continue to Develop TJ Yates

TJ Yates may be a third string QB but for Houston to maintain a shot at the AFC's No. 1 seed, his production in the passing game is vital.

On the road in Cincinnati last week, Yates had a great performance, going 26-of-44 for 300 yards and two TDs (including the game-winner) and a pick. Not too shabby considering the Texans were also without star WR Andre Johnson.

This week, Houston hosts the 4-9 Panthers, who rank No. 19 against the pass and No. 24 against the rush. So, despite Carolina being worse than the Bengals, the Texans still need to establish the run to get Yates comfortable.

Then he can sling the rock around and begin to develop and gain confidence. Houston desperately needs him to play well and not feel any pressure, so there's no reason to not give him the green light.

Hence, this may affect some of Arian Foster's numbers on the ground but he should earn more receiving targets.

Cardinals Take Flight vs Browns

It finally appears that the Arizona Cardinals have figured out how to get WR Larry Fitzgerald the rock. And with a somewhat respectable ground game, the passing game has been solid with John Skelton under center.

Playing against Cleveland this week, the Browns do have one of the NFL's worst rush defenses but their pass defense only ranks so high because no one bothers to throw against them. If you can gain 150-plus rushing yards, well, there's no real reason to throw the rock.

Arizona, however, has Fitzgerald and despite CB Joe Haden being a solid defender, he has no chance against Larry. A few veteran double-moves, fade routes, and hitch-n-goes will put Haden in  susceptible positions against arguably the NFL's best WR.

The passing game is the Cardinals best option to move the ball, as evidence by the 49ers game, so expect them to attack Cleveland's strength and demoralize the Browns' confidence. They know Cleveland lacks the explosiveness to keep pace, so with nothing to lose, might as well go big or go home.

Fitzgerald has a field day and the Cardinals split the Cleveland secondary for 225-plus yards and three TDs.

Dirty Birds Stack Numbers Against MJD

If there's any hope for the Atlanta Falcons defense to shutdown the Jacksonville offense, it's stacking the box against RB Maurice Jones-Drew and forcing Blaine Gabbert to win a shootout against Matt Ryan.

The Falcons have a good enough front-seven to isolate MJD, however, they can completely prevent him from doing any damage by putting eight defenders in the box. The Falcons may have a weak pass defense (rank No. 22) but they're definitely good enough to cover the Jags one-on-one (NFL's worst passing offense).

None of Jacksonville's WRs are any good to beat single coverage and if Atlanta gets pressure on Gabbert, he won't be patient enough to fire the rock in a tight window. With Atlanta needing a win to keep their playoff hopes alive, they'll try to score early and often.

The Jaguars may have the NFL's leading rusher, but he won't produce against a constant blitz. And with the game in Gabbert's hands while throwing to sub-par targets, the odds significantly increase in Atlanta's favor.

The Dirty Birds need to improve in man-coverage anyway, so this game will be a good test. As for MJD, he should still get decent numbers but he's gonna have to work for it even more than usual.

Follow John Rozum on Twitter @ Sportswriter27