Fantasy Stat Pack: Week 15

If you follow me on Twitter, you’ve probably noticed a series of tweets I share on a weekly basis regarding player and team defensive performances, all from a fantasy lens. I’m going to be sharing some of that same information with you here.

I use this each week as I am making my own lineup and waiver wire decisions and thought you might find this valuable as well.

Note: The scoring system used for this data is always PPR with four points for passing touchdowns.

All year to date fantasy ranks are based on total points.

Quarterbacks

Week Fifteen QB1s (top 12 scorers)

For the second straight week, Eagles rookie Jalen Hurts highlighted the quarterback position, passing for 338 yards and three scores, along with 63 yards and another touchdown. Over the past two weeks, Hurts is the QB2 behind only Lamar Jackson, averaging over 32 fantasy points per game. The most surprising name on this QB1 list is Raiders’ backup Marcus Mariota, who took over for an injured Derek Carr and rushed for 88 yards on his way to a top-ten finish.

Year to Date QB1s

There was little movement among this group over the past week. Bills quarterback Josh Allen dominated the Broncos with four total touchdowns and moved from QB5 to QB3 for the season. Russell Wilson continues to steadily slide down the list after his hot start to the year.

QB1 Games this Season

Most QB1 Games Allowed

The Falcons, Jaguars, and Eagles have each allowed nine QB1 games this season. Patrick Mahomes doesn’t need a primo matchup to find a spot in fantasy lineups, but it doesn’t hurt. Mahomes and the Chiefs host the Falcons this week. The Jaguars face Mitchell Trubisky, who has been a top-ten fantasy scorer since returning to the starting lineup. Finally, the Eagles will meet Andy Dalton and the Cowboys in an NFC East battle. Dalton has yet to post a QB1 game this season.

The Steelers have been struggling lately, yet still have no allowed a QB1 game all year. It will be up to veteran Philip Rivers to break that streak in week 16. Only one opponent has kept Russell Wilson out of the end zone this season and that is the Rams, who hope to repeat that effort this week. Finally, the Texans (vs. Ryan Finley) and Patriots (vs. Josh Allen) have limited QB1 performances to just three this season. With the loss of some key defenders for New England, Allen still belongs in title game lineups.

Running Backs

Week Fifteen RB1s (top 12 scorers)

Struggling Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott was a late scratch on Sunday morning, vaulting Tony Pollard into the starting role. He responded with a huge performance, totaling 132 yards and two scores on his way to the overall RB1 rank. David Montgomery stayed hot with his fourth straight game with at least 24 fantasy points and Salvon Ahmed and Leonard Fournette took advantage of injuries to their team’s respective starters to post RB1 games of their own.

Year to Date RB1s

Montgomery’s career-high of 146 rushing yards helped him to continue to climb, moving from RB9 to RB6 for the year. Josh Jacobs enjoyed his best game in over a month, moving him from RB11 to RB7. Both Elliott and Antonio Gibson missed week 15, nearly causing them to lose their spot in the top-12 backs.

RB1 Games this Season

Most RB1 Games Allowed

The Broncos, Lions, and Texans have each surrendered ten RB1 games this season. Denver faces the Chargers, which sets up Austin Ekeler for a potential title-winning matchup. The Lions host the Buccaneers and starter Ronald Jones is expected to miss the game, meaning veteran Leonard Fournette will have another chance for an RB1 game. Another starter who won’t see the field this week is Joe Mixon, who has endured a lost season. Veteran Giovani Bernard will try to build on his two-score performance against the Steelers as he faces the Texans.

The Saints have allowed only one RB1 game all season and while that’s not good news for Minnesota’s Dalvin Cook, it is not enough of a reason to bench the superstar on Christmas Day. The Rams have only given up two top-12 performances and Chris Carson will attempt to add to that total.

Wide Receivers

Week Fifteen WR1s (top 12 scorers)

It was another week without veteran Julio Jones for fantasy managers and the Falcons, but Calvin Ridley has clearly become the top option in the Atlanta offense. On his birthday, Ridley set new career-high marks with 14 targets, ten receptions, and 163 receiving yards. Rookie Brandon Aiyuk stayed hot with Deebo Samuel and George Kittle out of action while Diontae Johnson bounced back from last week’s benching.

Year to Date WR1s

The red-hot Ridley moved from WR8 to WR6 with his career-best game while WR DeAndre Hopkins is finally looking like his early-season self again. He climbed from WR6 up to WR4. Keenan Allen was hardly able to play, which pushed him down two spots. Allen Robinson also slid a pair, while Amari Cooper was replaced in the top-12 by Robert Woods.

WR1 Games this Season

Most WR1 Games Allowed

The Seahawks and Texans sit at the top of the wide receiver list, though Seattle has been much stronger lately against opposing wideouts. Seattle faces the Rams, making for difficult decisions regarding Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods. The Texans face the Bengals, though it is unclear if Cincinnati will have the quarterback to help Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins take advantage of the matchup.

The Rams have allowed just one WR1 game all season, though it would be difficult to bench either DK Metcalf or Tyler Lockett in the championship game.

Tight Ends

Week Fifteen TE1s (top 12 scorers)

Veterans Darren Waller and Travis Kelce continue to dominate and thanks to the injury to George Kittle, they are clearly the best two players at their position this year. It will be interesting to follow the pair this off-season as dynasty managers are typically worried about investing in “older” players. I expect both to present reasonable value in the coming months.

Year to Date TE1s

Washington’s Logan Thomas has now climbed into the top-five and is drawing comparisons to Waller thanks to his late-career breakout. Mike Gesicki and Eric Ebron each fell three spots in the season-long rankings while Rob Gronkowski fell out of the list altogether, replaced by Noah Fant.

TE1 Games this Season

Most TE1 Games Allowed

The Bills and Buccaneers have been the most forgiving to opposing tight ends. That’s good news for TJ Hockenson, who squares off against Tampa Bay to kick off Saturday’s slate of game. Buffalo faces the Patriots on Monday night, though New England doesn’t have a fantasy-relevant tight end.

The Cardinals, Dolphins, and 49ers have each given up just two TE1 games all year. The Cardinals and 49ers face each other and unless George Kittle returns to the field, the tight end position simply won’t matter much in this game. The Dolphins face the ultimate test against Darren Waller, the hottest player at the position.

Finally, here is the chart summarizing how teams have fared against each position. I’ve also included the schedule for this week for reference.

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Ryan McDowell

Contributor at Dynasty League Football

In addition to his senior leadership role here at DLF, Ryan is also a husband, father of three and PE teacher. Ryan is the commissioner of multiple dynasty leagues, most notably the Kitchen Sink Dynasty Leagues. Here at DLF, Ryan’s focus is on identifying, monitoring and analyzing player value.

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