I'm coming to the realization that my fantasy season is a lot like the actual season for the Redskins. Both of us are getting some big wins down the stretch at the right time, but both are looking like the late surge just might fall short of the playoffs. We'll have to wait and see if the Skins keep winning or not, but even if they do, we still need some other teams to lose (like I did). It sucks not controlling your own destiny, but those games in the beginning of the season mean the same as the ones at the end. And once you get into the playoffs, everything pretty much resets. Last week was a bye for me, but I'm still playing for that consolation bracket and more balls in next year's lottery draft. My guys are still looking good, so hopefully I can still salvage something from this season, even if it's not money. If you happen to be in the fantasy playoffs, hopefully your guys are playing well at the right time in real life. Let's get into those Week 15 rankings!
QBs
1.Cam Newton
2.Drew Brees
3.Peyton Manning
4.Tom Brady
5.Aaron Rodgers
6.Matt Ryan
7.Matthew Stafford
8.Eli Manning
9.Josh Freeman
10.Andy Dalton
11.Ben Roethlisberger
12.Russell Wilson
13.Andrew Luck
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14.Colin Kaepernick
15.Carson Palmer
16.Matt Schaub
17.Philip Rivers
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18.Tony Romo
19. Jay Cutler
20.Joe Flacco
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Aaron Rodgers has been downright disappointing the last four weeks. I don't know why I continue to rank him so highly. I guess it's just a bad habit that I need to get rid of. It's the same reason I've been playing Ryan Mathews and Antonio Gates all season. I keep thinking they'll turn it around! Well, I'm sure Rodgers will get it together fantasy-wise, but I'm not going to keep him as my #1 or #2 guy the way he's playing right now. Cam Newton has been on a tear, so he deserves some consideration for the top spot, and I'm going to put him there this week.
I didn't have RGIII in my top 5 for the second week in a row, and he had an average game, but the Skins got the win (which is all I personally cared about). This week, I'm leaving RGIII off the board. I'm concerned about the knee, and I just don't know if he'll go or not. If he does, I think he's a top-10 QB (but not top-5).
Chad Henne has fallen off my radar, but Colin Kaepernick bounced back to finish at #12 for the week, and his legs should keep him near the top for the remaining weeks of the fantasy season. I had Andrew Luck in my top-5 again, and that turned out to be a bad call. The Titans have been playing some good defense lately, and I'm pretty shocked that Luck didn't have a better game last week. He has what would seem to be a tough matchup this week at Houston, but Brady made that Texans D look like the Saints, so I guess we'll see. I've moved him down the list though.
Andy Dalton is a big mover back up the board, as he gets the Eagles secondary, and Russell Wilson gets a big boost as the Seahawks travel to Buffalo. He's a guy available in a lot of leagues who could be a better option than what you might have for this key fantasy playoff game. I also like Josh Freeman a lot this week against that Saints defense I already mentioned above.
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RBs
1.Adrian Peterson
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2.Doug Martin
3.Arian Foster
4.Marshawn Lynch
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5.Trent Richardson
6.Jamaal Charles
7.Ray Rice
8.Chris Johnson
9.Alfred Morris
10.Matt Forte
11.CJ Spiller
12.Knowshown Moreno
13.Darren McFadden
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14.Frank Gore
15.Mikel LeShoure
16.Steven Jackson
17.DeMarco Murray
18.Darren Sproles
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19.Ryan Mathews
20.Benjarvis Green-Ellis
21.Stevan Ridley
22.David Wilson
23.Reggie Bush
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24.LeSean McCoy
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25.Shonn Greene
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26.Michael Turner
27.Beanie Wells
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28.Montell Owens
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29.DeAngelo Williams
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30.Jonathan Dwyer
31.Vick Ballard
32.Bryce Brown
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33.Mark Ingram
34.Joique Bell
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35.Bilal Powell
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36.Jacquizz Rodgers
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37.Alex Green
38.Daniel Thomas
39.DuJuan Harris
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40.Marcel Reece
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The top 7 guys are tough to put in order, but they have all been super consistent and I can't see having anyone else at the top for now. They're all matchup proof, and I'm ranking them all pretty much based on what matchup they have from week to week. This week I'm sticking with All Day, but Doug Martin could easily destroy the Saints defense and be the top RB for the week.
Two guys I liked a lot last week were Knowshown Moreno and Vick Ballard. Moreno had a great game against Oakland and finished as a top-5 RB, and Ballard finished inside the top-25 with a solid performance. This week I'm assuming a few things early in the week as far as injured guys. I think it's likely LeSean McCoy comes back this week and splits the workload with Bryce Brown, so I have both of those guys ranked but well outside of the top-10 (assuming that scenario happens). I'm also going to go out on a limb and say that Ahmad Bradshaw sits out this week and David Wilson gets a start. Again, this might not happen, so keep an eye on the injury news as the week progresses. But this gives you some rationale behind my rankings.
A few guys I like this week (probably more than others will) include:
Matt Forte-Inside my top 10 this week with Bush banged up I think he gets nearly all of the touches
Moreno-I like him to have another big game against a thin Ravens defense that got torched by the Skins
Mathews-I actually have him back in my top-20 with a good matchup and getting more touches lately
Ingram-At #33 not super high, but he has been getting more touches lately too. A TD is in order this week.
WRs
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1.AJ Green
2.Calvin Johnson
3.Andre Johnson
4.Vincent Jackson
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5.Demaryius Thomas
6.Julio Jones
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7.Brandon Marshall
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8.Victor Cruz
9.Marques Colston
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10.Roddie White
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11.Randall Cobb
12.Steve Smith
13.Wes Welker
14.Reggie Wayne
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15.Miles Austin
16.Pierre Garcon
17.Hakeem Nicks
18.Eric Decker
19.Danario Alexander
20.Sidney Rice
21.Mike Wallace
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22.Greg Jennings
23.Josh Gordon
24.Steve Johnson
25.Denarius Moore
26.Torrey Smith
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27.Antonio Brown
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28.Kenny Britt
29.Golden Tate
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30.Lance Moore
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31.Larry Fitzgerald
34.Michael Crabtree
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36.Mike Williams
37.Dwayne Bowe
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38.Brandon Lloyd
39.Darrius Heyward-Bey
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40.Donnie Avery
41.Brian Hartline
42.Anquan Boldin
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Well I talked about Mike Wallace, Jeremy Maclin and Brandon Lloyd being on the list of guys who are officially unstartable for the foreseeable future, so naturally they all finished in the top-10 WRs in Week 14. Of course, I would have ranked Wallace knowing Big Ben was back, and he's back on the list this week (as is Antonio Brown). I guess I'll include Lloyd and Maclin again too, though I wouldn't trust either if it was my fantasy playoff matchup.
I think AJ Green has the best chance to get the top spot this week, and I have Vincent Jackson well up there in the top-5 too. I moved Danario Alexander up a ton, as he has been on a tear lately. I also have Josh Gordon as a top-25 WR this week against the Redskins.
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TEs
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1.Jimmy Graham
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2.Tony Gonzalez
3.Aaron Hernandez
4.Jermaine Gresham
5.Jason Witten
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6.Brandon Myers
7.Greg Olsen
8.Kyle Rudolph
9.Heath Miller
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10.Dallas Clark
11.Martellus Bennett
12.Clay Harbor
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I stuck with Aaron Hernandez as a top-3 TE last week, and he finished in the top spot. Brandon Myers and Kyle Rudolph were a couple of surprising duds, but in a week that saw Graham/Gonzo/Witten all fail to get more than 62 yards each (and no TDs), I guess there were lots of disappointing tight ends to go around.
Antonio Gates got 31 yards receiving, and I'm refusing to put him back on the list this week. In fact, my list isn't changing too much. I have Gresham in my top-5 because I really think Dalton has a good game against the Eagles on Thursday night, and he should benefit a great deal from that. Owen Daniels and Vernon Davis have been MIA lately, so I'm taking them off the list for now. I think guys like Dallas Clark and even Clay Harbor have a better chance of getting you some much needed points from the tight end position in Week 15.
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DEF
1.Seahawks
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2.Rams
3.Jets
4.Bengals
5.Packers
6.Lions
7.Browns
8.Steelers
9.Broncos
10.Titans
11.Texans
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12.Dolphins
13.Jags
14.Panthers
Of course I knew that Seattle would drop 40+ points last week, which is why I ranked them so highly. Let's see if they can do that two weeks in a row! Keep in mind, I had the Cardinals in my top-10 too, and that didn't go quite as well in that same game. I also had the Bucs as my virtual plug and play (I had a bye), but I actually had the Jets on my team and higher in my rankings, so I'm not sure what I was talking about there (but the Bucs were solid). The Jets continue to play well on defense and are surprisingly still in the playoff hunt. They were a top-10 defense again in Week 14, and I like them to continue that for the remainder of the season.
You'll notice I don't have the Bears or Niners ranked this week, and I have the Texans pretty far down the list. None of them have been playing well lately, and at this point in your fantasy season I think you play the matchups. I have the Browns ranked again this week, and that's mostly because I think Kirk Cousins will get the start for the Redskins. That, and I'm trying not to be too optimistic about the small chance the Skins have of making the playoffs. I have to try to do everything I can, and in this case it's the reverse jinx. You'll also notice the Rams at the #2 spot. Along with the Seahawks (who had that HUGE game last week), they've been the highest scoring fantasy defense over the last four weeks, in case you hadn't noticed.
That's it for the rankings this week. Good luck in your stretch runs!
Cheers,
Bart
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