Fantasy
12/17/23
6 min read
2023 Fantasy Football: Takeaways From Every Week 15 Game
The article below details one need-to-know takeaway from each NFL Week 15 contest, aimed at providing readers with actionable fantasy football information.
Top 4 Takeaways
Mullens Stabilizes Vikings’ Passing Offense
Minnesota Vikings QB Nick Mullens completed 78.8 percent of his 33 passing attempts while totaling 303 yards passing, two touchdowns passing, two interceptions and 10 yards rushing.
Mullens facilitated excellent per-route efficiency averages for his top-four pass catchers: WR Justin Jefferson (2.21 yards per route run (YPRR)), WR Jordan Addison (3.08 YPRR), TE T.J. Hockenson (1.97 YPRR) and RB Ty Chandler (1.47 YPRR), which bodes well for the group’s fantasy-scoring odds against the division-rival Detroit Lions in Week 16.
What to Expect With Chase's Injury
Cincinnati Bengals No. 1 WR Ja’Marr Chase suffered a separated shoulder in Week 15, likely sidelining him for the fantasy playoffs, per Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Jeff Mueller. Slot WR Tyler Boyd’s 1.18 YPRR is his lowest per-route efficiency average since 2017, and No. 2 WR Tee Higgins is due for a contract extension this offseason.
Fantasy managers should expect coach Zac Taylor to prioritize evaluating Higgins and 2023 rookies WR Andrei Iosivas and WR Charlie Jones over featuring Boyd.
Rice Relegates Kelce To No. 2 Pass-Catcher Role
Kansas City Chiefs rookie WR Rashee Rice has supplanted TE Travis Kelce as the team’s No. 1 pass-catcher, out-earning Kelce in targets 43 to 38 and out-scoring him 17.9 PPR points per game to 12.9 PPR points per game since the team’s Week 10 bye.
Rice’s per-game PPR average ranks 11th among NFL wide receivers during that span. He gets a winnable matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 16.
Flacco Remains Fantasy-Friendly
Among 39 NFL quarterbacks with at least 125 passing attempts, Cleveland Browns QB Joe Flacco’s 44.3 passing attempts and 313.0 yards passing per game both rank No. 1, and his 17.8 PPR points per game rank No. 10.
Fantasy managers can count on Flacco as a QB1 streamer against a Houston Texans defense that has allowed 300-plus-yard passing sums in three of its last six games.
Cleveland WR Amari Cooper and TE David Njoku are locked-in starters. In the past three weeks, Flacco has facilitated one WR1 finish, four WR3 finishes, two top-two TE1 finishes and one top-five TE1 finish.
Remaining Storylines
White Leads Backfield In Dual-Threat Role
Las Vegas Raiders RB Zamir White started in Josh Jacobs’ (quadriceps strain) stead, producing 85 yards from scrimmage, one touchdown and three receptions on four targets en route to 17.5 points-per-reception (PPR) points.
White’s moderate rushing efficiency (4.1 yards per rushing attempt on 17 rushing attempts) was offset by an encouraging 50 percent share of the backfield’s two-minute-drill snaps.
Per DPT Adam Hutchison's Injury Report, running backs who suffer quadriceps strains average 1.8 games missed and struggle to perform well in their return. White is a volume-based RB2 if Jacobs sits in Week 16.
Colts’ Moss, Pittman Jr. Injured In Win
Indianapolis Colts fill-in RB Zack Moss re-injured his right forearm in Week 15, although X-ray imaging showed no fracture. No. 1 WR Michael Pittman Jr. entered the NFL’s concussion protocol. No. 1 RB Jonathan Taylor is theoretically scheduled to return from his late-November thumb surgery.
Still, RB Trey Sermon could handle a featured Week 16 role against a banged-up Atlanta Falcons’ defensive front. Atlanta’s 12.8 yards allowed per slot wide receiver reception tie for sixth-most in the NFL, boding well for Indianapolis’ slot WR Josh Downs.
Williams Ascends To No. 2 WR Role
Detroit Lions WR Jameson Williams ran a season-high 26 routes in Week 15, leapfrogging WR Josh Reynolds (19) and closely trailing No. 1 WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (34) and TE Sam LaPorta (28). Williams’ increased usage adds needed stability to his inherently volatile downfield role.
Detroit faces the Minnesota Vikings’ blitz-happy defense in Week 16; its 11.9 percent 20-plus-yard pass play rate allowed to opposing wide receivers is the league’s 15th-highest.
Mingo Relegated To No. 2 WR Role, Thielen Inefficient
Carolina Panthers rookie WR Jonathan Mingo (four receptions on five targets for 32 yards receiving) fell behind veteran WR Adam Thielen (four receptions on seven targets for 43 yards) after leading the team in targets in Weeks 12-14.
Mingo averaged just 1.44 YPRR in the prior three weeks, forcing the team to return to Thielen as its No. 1 pass-catcher. Thielen failed to provide a difference-making PPR sum despite the return to the No. 1 role, though, and cannot be trusted to return WR3 PPR value against the Green Bay Packers in Week 16.
Packers’ Target Competition Shrinks Ahead of Week 16
Green Bay Packers WR Jayden Reed (17.2 PPR points in Week 15) logged just one fourth-quarter snap after suffering a Week 15 toe injury. No. 1 WR Christian Watson (hamstring) and TE Luke Musgrave (lacerated kidney, injured reserve) remain sidelined.
WR Dontayvion Wicks (15.7 PPR points in Week 15), WR Romeo Doubs (6.0 PPR points in Week 15) and TE Tucker Kraft (15.7 PPR points in Week 15) would have access to significant target shares against the Carolina Panthers in Week 16, should Reed and Watson sit.
Stash Jets' Abanikanda
The New York Jets fell to 5-9 following their 30-0 loss to the Miami Dolphins. QB Zach Wilson was forced from the game after suffering a concussion.
The circumstances resulted in 16 fourth-quarter snaps, including 13 routes run, for rookie RB Israel Abanikanda. Fantasy managers should consider stashing Abanikanda with a potential late- and lost-season audition inbound.
Waller Plays Efficiently In Return
New York Giants TE Darren Waller ran a route on 50 percent of team dropbacks in his return from injured reserve, promisingly catching four of six targets for 40 yards receiving (1.74 YPRR).
New York faces a Philadelphia Eagles defense that is allowing 0.71 adjusted YPRR to opposing tight ends (No. 17) and that is potentially missing primary coverage LB Zach Cunningham (knee).
Brown Wins Replacement No. 1 WR Role
The Houston Texans were without Nos. 1 and 2 wide receivers WR Nico Collins (calf strain) and Tank Dell (injured reserve) this week. No. 3 WR Noah Brown answered the call after two straight games without a catch.
He totaled eight receptions on 11 targets for 82 yards receiving and one touchdown. Collins failed to practice last week, and a Week 16 return is hardly guaranteed.
Target 49ers' Run Defense in Future Weeks
The Arizona Cardinals fell to the San Francisco 49ers, 45-29, but exposed San Francisco’s injury-weakened run defense. Arizona’s 234 yards rushing beat San Francisco’s prior allowed rushing sum by 74 yards. It was also the first time San Francisco’s defense surrendered more than one rushing touchdown all season. San Francisco faces Baltimore’s third-ranked rushing attack (4.9 yards per rushing attempt) in Week 16.
Don't RUle Out Brissett Starting Next Week
Washington Commanders backup QB Jacoby Brissett replaced starting QB Sam Howell early in the fourth quarter. But coach Ron Rivera told reporters Howell remains the starter.
Despite playing for less than one quarter, Brissett totaled 123 yards passing and two touchdowns passing while completing 80 percent of passes en route to a near-perfect 157.9 NFL passer rating. He also added nine yards rushing on two rushing attempts.
Howell finished with 102 yards passing, one touchdown passing, one interception, a 42.3 percent completion rate, a 50.5 NFL passer rating and 22 yards rushing on three rushing attempts.
Fantasy managers should monitor the situation closely to see if Rivera wavers.
Bills' Ground Game Is Just Getting Started
The Buffalo Bills’ offense totaled a season-high 49 rushing attempts in its 31-10 victory against the Dallas Cowboys. That neutralized Dallas’ juggernaut offense by dominating the time of position (35:05 vs. 24:55).
Buffalo’s 38.8 rushing attempts per game since replacing OC Ken Dorsey with quarterbacks coach Joe Brady in Week 11 lead the NFL by more than four. The Bills face a Los Angeles Chargers defense allowing 113.9 yards rushing per game, the 15th-most in the NFL, in Week 16.
Gus Edwards' Ceiling Rises After Mitchell Injury
The Baltimore Ravens lost explosive rookie RB Keaton Mitchell to a season-ending knee injury, significantly increasing No. 1 RB Gus Edwards’ week-winning potential. Mitchell tallied exactly nine rushing attempts and two targets in each of Baltimore’s last three games.
