Fantasy Football Big Board: Complete PPR Player Rankings for Week 15

The second season of fantasy football has arrived.

The good news is that if you're reading this, your fantasy football team has probably advanced to the postseason. Either that, or you are a hardcore reader of fantasy articles.

Kudos to you either way.

The bad news is that fantasy managers are officially out of margin for error. Take a loss, and that's it. Game over. Season over. See you next summer. Enjoy baseball.

Hint: No one enjoys baseball.

With no options left save to keep winning, every fantasy point becomes that much more important. Every lineup decision can be the difference between moving on or packing it in and transitioning to baseball.

This article aims to help you avoid the latter fate by offering position-by-position PPR rankings and some matchups to target and avoid.

It's the fantasy playoffs, and the bye weeks are in the rearview mirror. Sure, matchups play a part in the fantasy postseason, and it's always possible a matchup or streaming play can blow up for the sort of big game that spurs a team on to the next round. But for the most part, the teams that advance in the postseason are the ones with the top performers at each position.

For the most part, the top quarterbacks this year are the usual suspects. But there are a couple of quarterbacks conspicuously absent from the top-five, both for the season and this week.

The first is Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, who currently sits eighth in fantasy points per game among quarterbacks. The Chiefs are the hottest team in the league, and Mahomes has played a big part in that. But as last week's 258 passing yards and two scores demonstrated, Mahomes stats have been good, but not great of late.

The other absent name is due to injury. Like Mahomes, Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens hasn't met fantasy expectations this year. But after spraining his ankle last week against the Cleveland Browns, Jackson's status for Sunday's tilt with the Green Bay Packers is iffy at best.

Even if Jackson plays, he's at best a low-end QB1.

GOOD MATCHUPS

Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles (vs. WAS) [DK DFS VALUE: $6,600]

From all indications, Hurts will be back at quarterback for the Eagles when they return from their bye in Week 15. That's good news for fantasy mangers—there isn't a team in the league that has surrendered more fantasy points per game this year to quarterbacks than Washington.

Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers (at BAL) [DK DFS VALUE: $7,500]

Over the first four weeks of the 2021 season, Rodgers was 17th in fantasy points among quarterbacks. Over the last four weeks, he has three 300-yard games, 10 touchdowns, one interception and ranks first in fantasy points per game at the position. Ride the hot hand.

BAD MATCHUPS

Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals (at DEN) [DK DFS VALUE: $6,100]

Burrow took a while to get going last week, but by game's end he had thrown for 348 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He faces a tough fantasy matchup on the road in Week 15—the Broncos have allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season.

Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks (at LAR) [DK DFS VALUE: $6,400]

Wilson's first couple of games after his return from a broken finger were absolutely brutal, but he has shown signs of life the past couple of weeks. This week could bring regression though—the Rams have not been especially kind to opposing fantasy quarterbacks in 2021.

SLEEPER

Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. TEN) [DK DFS VALUE: $5,600]

Roethlisberger's first half last week was a nightmare, but he finished the game with 308 passing yards and three scores. A similar stat line is possible Sunday against a Titans team giving up the most fantasy points per game in the AFC to quarterbacks so far this season.

WEEK 15 QUARTERBACK RANKINGS

Fantasy managers were already left in quite the bind in a must-win Week 14 when Jonathan Taylor of the Indianapolis Colts took the week off on a bye. As if having the No. 1 running back in all of fantasy football unavailable wasn't bad enough, hearts leapt into throats when the No. 2 running back heading into Week 14 went down as well.

Austin Ekeler's 84 total yards and a touchdown before exiting against the New York Giants at least afforded fantasy managers a decent stat line. But when the Chargers running back limped off the field with an ankle injury, quite a few fantasy playoff runs were cast into doubt—especially with the Bolts playing on a short week.

That Ekeler was listed as a non-participant in Monday's estimated practice isn't exactly encouraging. But per Valentina Martinez of Yahoo Sports, Chargers head coach Brandon Staley indicated after Sunday's win over the Giants that Ekeler was "fine" and could have come back in had the game been closer.

Now, coaches say lots of things, and playing on Thursday on a bad wheel against a hot defense is far from an ideal situation. But if Ekeler is active, it would take one lulu of a Plan B to relegate him to the bench.

GOOD MATCHUPS

Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns (at LV) [DK DFS VALUE: $X,XXX]

Chubb has been quiet of late—he has just 75 rushing yards over the last two weeks combined and hasn't scored a rushing touchdown since Week 9. But with Kareem Hunt (ankle) unlikely to play this week, Chubb should see a heavy workload against a Raiders team allowing over 125 yards per game on the ground.

James Conner, Arizona Cardinals (at DET) [DK DFS VALUE: $6,400]

The return of Chase Edmonds could cost Conner some snaps (and touches). But the 26-year-old has been robotically consistent at finding the end zone in 2021, and the Lions have allowed the fourth-most PPR points per game to running backs so far this season.

BAD MATCHUPS

Leonard Fournette, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. NO) [DK DFS VALUE: $7,700]

Since Week 10, Jonathan Taylor is the only running back in the league with more PPR points than Fournette. But the Saints are sixth in run defense and have given up the fewest PPR points in the league to running backs this season. In their first meeting, Fournette had eight carries for 26 yards.

Damien Harris, New England Patriots (at IND) [DK DFS VALUE: $7,600]

Despite sharing carries most of the season, Harris has carved out low-end fantasy RB2 value for managers in 2021. But between the timeshare with Rhanondre Stevenson and a bad fantasy matchup with the Colts, he's more of a middling "flex" play in Week 15.

SLEEPER

D'Onta Foreman, Tennessee Titans (at PIT) [DK DFS VALUE $6,000]

He most assuredly is not Derrick Henry, but Foreman has emerged as the lead back for the Titans, gaining 47 yards with a score on 13 carries against Jacksonville last week. Pittsburgh's run defense is atrocious this season, having just been gashed for 200-plus yards by Dalvin Cook.

WEEK 15 RUNNING BACK RANKINGS

For the most part, the pool of talent at wide receiver is as deep as it has been all season. Yes, there are a few new injuries, like the concussion suffered by Washington's Terry McLaurin last week against Dallas. But the byes are over, and all in all fantasy managers should be glad to have the number of options at their disposal they do.

Especially if those fantasy managers spent a late-round pick on Las Vegas Raiders receiver Hunter Renfrow.

In terms of the Average Draft Position Data at Fantasy Pros, Renfrow was an afterthought—at WR84 he went undrafted in all but the deepest of leagues. But after 86 receptions, 877 yards and five touchdowns, Renfrow is a top-15 fantasy option for the season.

He's also on quite the tear. Over the past three weeks, Renfrow has hauled in at least eight passes and topped 100 yards in all three games. Over that span, the 25-year-old is the highest-scoring wide receiver in all of fantasy football.

GOOD MATCHUPS

Diontae Johnson, Pittsburgh Steelers (at TEN) [DK DFS VALUE: $7,500]

Johnson could have had a much bigger game in last week's loss to the Minnesota Vikings had he not had a couple of costly drops, including one in the end zone. He'll have a chance for redemption in another top-five fantasy matchup with the Titans.

DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles (vs. WAS) [DK DFS VALUE: $6,100]

Smith has had his ups and downs as a rookie, in no small part because the same can be said for the Eagles passing game as a whole. But this week's matchup with a soft Washington secondary sets up well for a post-bye bounce-back.

BAD MATCHUPS

D.J. Moore, Carolina Panthers (at BUF) [DK DFS VALUE: $6,000]

Moore has quite a bit working against him as the fantasy postseason begins. The Carolina passing attack is a two-headed mess, and this week the Panthers face an angry Bills team giving up the fewest PPR points per game to wide receivers.

Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts (vs. NE) [DK DFS VALUE: $5,600]

Pittman's last month has been underwhelming—the second-year pro hasn't had an 80-yard game or found the end zone since Week 9. Add in that he'll likely draw J.C. Jackson in coverage this week, and he's a risky WR2 play.

SLEEPER

Sterling Shepard, New York Giants (vs. DAL) [DK DFS VALUE $4,700]

Trusting Shepard feels a bit like treading on thin ice in the fantasy playoffs. But he draws a favorable fantasy matchup in Week 15 and has been the Giants lone reliable wide receiver this season on the rare occasions when he is actually healthy.

WEEK 15 WIDE RECEIVER RANKINGS

Sometimes, one position can be the difference between making the playoffs and watching a season end in disappointment.

That was hammered home at the tight end spot last week.

Fantasy managers who rolled out George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers last week were rewarded... handsomely. For the second week in a row, Kittle exceeded 150 receiving yards, hauling in 13 of 15 targets for 151 yards and a score.

That's almost 35 PPR fantasy points, for those keeping track.

Managers who started Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs looking for similar numbers, however, were not so pleased with the results. Despite the fact that Kansas City steamrolled the Raiders and scored 48 points, Kelce did very little in the blowout win—three catches on four targets for 27 yards.

The technical term for that is a dud.

Kelce is of course a no-brainer must-start. But given how incredibly hot Kittle is right now, he's the top option at his position for Week 15.

GOOD MATCHUPS

Mike Gesicki, Miami Dolphins (vs. NYJ) [DK DFS VALUE: $5,000]

Fantasy managers had to do without Gesicki last week thanks to a late bye, but he'll be back at it this week in a favorable fantasy matchup with a bad Jets defense that has surrendered the seventh-most PPR points per game to tight ends in 2021.

Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams (vs. SEA) [DK DFS VALUE $4,000]

Higbee sat out last week's game with the Cardinals on the COVID-19 list, but he's already been cleared ahead of this week's home date with the Seahawks. Only four NFL teams have been kinder to opposing tight ends from a fantasy perspective this season than the Seahawks.

BAD MATCHUPS

T.J. Hockenson, Detroit Lions (vs. ARI) [DK DFS VALUE $5,200]

There's optimism that Hockenson might be able to return this week after missing Week 14 with a hand injury. But a pass-catcher with a bad hand on a worse offense with a rotten matchup doesn't inspire a ton of confidence for fantasy managers.

Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons (at SF) [DK DFS VALUE: $5,500]

That Pitts hasn't met expectations as a rookie says more about the unreasonable nature of said expectations than it does about the young tight end. But a bottom-three fantasy matchup for his position in Week 15 isn't going to help matters.

SLEEPER

Ricky Seals-Jones, Washington Football Team (at PHI) [DK DFS VALUE: $3,400]

Seals-Jones was essentially invisible last week against the Cowboys. But he has shown the ability to be fantasy-relevant when Logan Thomas is out and he draws a Philadelphia Eagles team that leads the league in PPR points per game allowed to tight ends

WEEK 15 TE RANKINGS

With the fantasy playoffs now in full swing, it's a good week to have shares of the top fantasy defenses this season.

The Arizona Cardinals may have stumbled a bit this past week against the Los Angeles Rams, but the Redbirds will have the opportunity Sunday to take out their frustrations on a Detroit Lions team that was already a goldmine for opposing defenses before being beset by injuries and an outbreak of COVID-19.

The Dallas Cowboys may well have found the gem of the first round of the 2021 draft in linebacker Micah Parsons, who has a genuine opportunity to win both Defensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. Dallas should feast against a New York Giants team that was struggling offensively even before Daniel Jones got hurt.

The Buffalo Bills were just roasted by the Buccaneers in Tampa. But there's a fair bit of difference between facing the best to ever play at the position and facing the duo of a has-been Cam Newton and a never-was P.J. Walker and the Carolina Panthers.

Sorry. That was mean.

There could be some big stat lines from the position this week.

GOOD MATCHUPS

Matt Prater, Arizona Cardinals (at DET)

Speaking of mean, piling on the Lions seems a little cruel, but that doesn't change the fact that after 14 weeks this season no team has allowed more fantasy points per game to kickers than Detroit. The Cardinals are going to score a lot in this game.

Miami Dolphins Defense (vs. NYJ) [DK DFS VALUE: $3,700]

The Dolphins come out of their Week 14 bye as one of the hottest teams in the league, and the defense has played a massive part in that. This week that defense faces a Jets team that is chewed to pieces by injuries at wide receiver and running back.

BAD MATCHUPS

Younghoe Koo, Atlanta Falcons (at SFO)

It has been a rough year for the Atlanta offense as a whole, and Koo's production has suffered as a result. Now he faces a San Francisco defense that has given up the sixth-fewest fantasy points per game to kickers this season.

Los Angeles Rams Defense (vs. SEA)

Frankly, there aren't many higher-end defenses that actually have bad matchups in Week 15. The Rams are also coming off a huge win in Arizona. But Seattle has shown some signs of life offensively, and divisional games can be weird.

SLEEPER

Jacksonville Jaguars Defense (vs. HOU) [DK DFS VALUE: $2,800]

There is not enough tequila in all of Tijuana, Mexico, for me to start the Jaguars in a fantasy playoff situation. But as a dirt-cheap contrarian play at DraftKings in a top-four matchup with a terrible Houston offense is another story.

WEEK 15 KICKER RANKINGS

WEEK 15 DEFENSE RANKINGS

Before we unleash the top 100 players overall for Week 15 (a list meant to aid fantasy managers in making "flex" decisions) it's once again caveat time.

First, there are no quarterbacks listed in this top 100. If you're in the playoffs of a "superflex" fantasy league, then any flex spot you can fill with a quarterback should be. Even the lowest-end fantasy QB2 will outscore most backs and receivers that could be put in their place.

In superflex, Baker Mayfield is fantasy relevant. Enough said.

Second, in nearly every fantasy football league, the playoffs have begun. The next loss you suffer will be the last one until 2022. If you keep winning, you keep playing.

As such, making lineup calls can be maddening, Two quick tips for the sake of your sanity.

First, don't overthink things. Doing research is great. Changing your mind is fine. But if you waffle back on forth between which WR3 to start, you're just going to wind up with heartburn—and quite possibly make the wrong call in the process.

Most importantly, it's your lineup. Believe it or not, even the wisest of fantasy sages is occasionally wrong.

I know, it's shocking. I've learned to live with it.

If you're absolutely convinced that Leonard Fournette is going to outscore James Conner, then start Fournette. Where I have the pair ranked shouldn't change your decision.

I don't have to live with your lineup choices. You do.

WEEK 15 TOP 100 OVERALL "FLEX" RANKINGS