Fantasy Football Week 15: Identifying Stars Who Will Struggle Most

It's definitely a rarity but sometimes the stars do struggle to perform well. We have to remember that since this is pro football and it's the best of the best, playing at an extremely high level each week is insanely difficult.

And as human beings, no one is perfect and mistakes do occur. That being said, here are the stars who will struggle the most in Week 15.

Philip Rivers: QB, Chargers (vs. Ravens)

As you can see by the picture, the troubles have already started with Philip Rivers once again. Technically it happens this week against the 10-3 Ravens, but you get the idea.

After throwing just 15 TDs compared to 17 INTs throughout the first 10 games, Rivers has thrown seven TDs to zero picks in his previous three games. So, he's clearly gotten back on track and San Diego has won two straight.

Unfortunately he takes a step back against Baltimore who will be the best defense he's faced all season. The Ravens are ranked No. 5 and No. 2 against the pass and rush, respectively and Rivers is all the Bolts can honestly rely on each week.

Not having a ground game took its toll early on but because Rivers is legit, he was able to bounce back. But against arguably the NFL's best defense with a barely one-dimensional offense, Rivers will struggle.

Expect the Ravens to double-cover WR Vincent Jackson and play real physical with TE Antonio Gates and WR Malcom Floyd. Also, with no rushing threat, Baltimore will blitz quite often from the outside forcing Rivers to look over the middle of the field.

There, safety Ed Reed awaits.

Frank Gore: RB, 49ers (vs. Steelers)

The San Francisco offense may have solid playmakers in TE Vernon Davis, WRs Braylon Edwards, Michael Crabtree, and Ted Ginn.

However, RB Frank Gore is the man keeping everything together.

As Arizona proved last week though, if you can minimize the damage from Gore and force Alex Smith to beat you, the odds decrease for the 49ers. Smith is a game-managing QB with some decent mobility. Without a ground game to rely on, however, he's not the guy you want under center.

This week San Fran hosts the Pittsburgh Steelers who rank No. 1 against the pass and No. 6 against the rush. And with a weak pass offense, Frisco has no choice but to try their luck on the ground.

So to that end, Pittsburgh will stack the box to shutdown Gore and prevent him from taking over the game. Thereafter, the 49ers will have to throw the ball, which only plays into Pittsburgh's strength.

None of San Fran's receiving targets are good enough to beat the Steelers in single coverage and Pittsburgh also plays physical. Let's put it this way: The Ravens kept Gore under wraps and the Steelers are virtually an exact replica of Baltimore.

Hence, Gore becomes obsolete thanks to The Steel Curtain. 

Cam Newton: QB, Panthers (at Texans)

Although Panthers rookie QB Cam Newton has had a great season and immediately became an NFL star from Week 1, he will get the goose-egg this week from the Houston Texans.

Currently Houston ranks No. 3 against the pass and No. 4 against the rush and allows a total of just 275 yards per game. Carolina, on the other hand, does have a Top 10 offense in passing and rushing. However, they have yet to face a complete defense like the Texans.

For starters, expect WR Steve Smith to get double-teamed all game long to limit Newton's options to TE Greg Olsen, scrambling, or throwing the ball away. Also, Houston has a great pass rush (36 sacks on the year) and will keep Cam under much duress for 60 minutes.

Houston's best bet also is to allow Newton to scramble. Yes he'll get yards and move the ball occasionally, but he won't win the game by himself and that'll just wear him down even more as the game progresses.

The Texans are a suffocating bunch and can attack you multiple ways. In pass defense though, they'll be more focused on blanking Newton's options as he has become a proven pocket-passer. So not much blitzing, but a lot of confusing looks.

DeSean Jackson: WR, Eagles (vs. Jets)

To say that it's been a disappointing season for the Eagles and WR DeSean Jackson wouldn't do justice to how much hope there was at the beginning of this season for The City of Brotherly Love.

As for Jackson, he's only caught 47 passes for 757 yards and has scored just three TDs. In short, he had much more production in each of his first three seasons.

That said, Philadelphia hosts the Jets this week and although the Eagles still rank No. 11 in pass offense, New York's pass defense will shut 'em down. With DBs Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie, the Jets have one of the best secondaries in the NFL.

Jackson is Philly's most explosive WR but because of his lack of production there's not much to hope for him in Week 15. Whether he's double or singled-up, the Jets will either play physical at the line of scrimmage or gear the zone coverage into isolating him from the play.

In turn, they will force Philly's other targets to make plays. Also, if the Eagles really want success in this game, they will run the football. The Jets' weakness is defending the run so feeding RB LeSean McCoy early and often is crucial.

That will then also limit Jackson's opportunities to produce on top of suffocating coverage. So for Jackson's sake, here's to hoping he can do some damage as a punt returner.

Follow John Rozum on Twitter @ Sportswriter27