Analysis
12/14/22
6 min read
Kickers, D/STs to Stream for NFL Week 15 Fantasy Football
It’s finally fantasy football playoff time. Best of luck to those competing in them in Week 15, or to those still duking it out for a spot.
As the season winds down, it’ll become harder for teams to find good kickers and D/STs to stream. Smart fantasy football managers tend to hoard the positions as they plan ahead for upcoming matchups.
Still, good streaming options always present themselves, especially for defenses. These are the kickers and D/STs I like best to stream in Week 15, along with advice on how to handle them.
As a reminder, kickers and defenses for this column tend not to be rostered in more than 50% of leagues, per FantasyPros’ rostership data. All stats are credited to TruMedia unless stated otherwise.
Top Kickers to Stream for Week 15
Too Many Fantasy Managers Dropped Younghoe Koo
- Koo is rostered in 42.4% of leagues.
- He’s averaged the 10th-most fantasy points among kickers.
- In his three games prior to his Week 14 bye, Koo scored 12, eight and 14 fantasy points, respectively.
- Atlanta faces New Orleans in Week 15.
- Only four teams have allowed more fantasy points to kickers than the Saints.
- New Orleans has allowed more than eight fantasy points in four of their last seven games.
- It’s also nice to see that Koo scored 18 points against the Saints in Week 1.
- This is an indoor game.
- Of course, no one knows for sure how the Falcons will play with Desmond Ridder at the helm. But, even if Ridder plays at Marcus Mariota’s level, it could still lead to plenty of opportunities for Koo.
- The Falcons are tied for averaging the third-most field goal attempts in the last three games.
- They’re fourth in field goal attempts per game for the entire season.
Eddy Piñeiro Is a Sneaky Start
- Piñeiro is rostered in 1.3% of leagues.
- Piñeiro has averaged the fourth-most fantasy points among kickers since Week 10.
- Carolina had their bye in Week 13 His performances: 16, three, 12 and 13 fantasy points, respectively.
- Piñeiro has been money this season; he’s 25/27 on field goals and 21/23 on extra points.
- In Week 15, he faces a Pittsburgh defense that’s allowed the 12th-most fantasy points to kickers this season.
- Look at how many fantasy points they’ve allowed since Week 11: 17, six, 14 and 11.
- Purely based on low name recognition and availability, Piñeiro is my favorite stream in Week 15.
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Chase McLaughlin Has a Phenomenal Matchup.
- McLaughlin is rostered in 2.4% of leagues
- The Colts travel to Minnesota in Week 15.
- No team has allowed more fantasy points to kickers than the Vikings.
- Seriously, look at what kickers have done to Minnesota in their last five games: 13, 22, 15, 19 and 11 fantasy points.
- Only the Bengals have allowed more field goal attempts per game than the Vikings.
- That makes sense since the Vikings have allowed the most yards per play this season yet just the eighth-most points per game.
- Now, McLaughlin hasn’t exactly been a great fantasy kicker.
- He has just four games with more than 10 fantasy points all season.
- Although, he only has two games of less than four points.
- If you stream him, you’re hoping he capitalizes on a horrendous Minnesota defense.
Top D/STs to Stream for Week 15
Broncos Could Bounce Back
- They’re rostered in 26.3% of leagues.
- They host Colt McCoy and the Cardinals.
- Despite being the ninth-highest scoring D/ST in fantasy, Denver has not been too hot lately.
- Their fantasy production during the last five games: four, negative two, two, 13 and four fantasy points.
- They lost two points to the Raiders and scored just two points against the Panthers.
- Still, the Broncos have five interceptions and six sacks in the last two games.
- Arizona has allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing D/STs this season.
- But since Week 8, they’ve allowed more than nine fantasy points in four of their six games.
- Streaming Denver is banking on the Broncos’ stellar defense and the Cardinals’ banged-up offense.
Panthers Are Also a Sneaky Start.
- They’re rostered in just 4.6% of leagues.
- They host the Steelers.
- Carolina is the 10th-highest-scoring D/ST in fantasy.
- They’ve scored more than eight fantasy points in each of their last four games.
- They’ve averaged the seventh-most points in that span.
- That includes eight fantasy points against Lamar Jackson and Baltimore in Week 11.
- Carolina also has more than three sacks in each game since Week 10.
- The Steelers have allowed 2.6 sacks per game this season, including more than two sacks in three of their last four games.
- Pittsburgh has allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing D/STs this season.
- As of Wednesday, Kenny Pickett is questionable with a concussion.
- Mitch Trubisky has four touchdown passes and five interceptions in six games, though he played half of two of them.
- I expect the Panthers to force a turnover or two while keeping the Steelers to a low score.
Packers Could Thrive Off Turnovers.
- They’re rostered in 64.7% of leagues… yet they’re rostered in just 37.5% of ESPN leagues.Â
- They host the Rams on Monday night.
- Green Bay hasn’t scored more than five fantasy points since Week 8.
- In that span, they’ve scored five fantasy points three times.
- In the other three games, they've scored two, two and negative five fantasy points.
- However, the Packers have recorded a turnover in every game since Week 7.
- That includes a whopping nine interceptions in their last seven games, after previously snagging just one in their first six games.
- So, they’re not the best D/ST to roll with…but they get a good-looking matchup.
- No team has allowed more fantasy points to opposing D/STs than the Rams.
- They’ve allowed more than eight fantasy points to D/STs in five of their last six games and more than nine fantasy points in four of the six.
- Los Angeles has also allowed three or four sacks in every game since Week 9.
- Not to mention, the Rams have five turnovers in the last three games and seven turnovers in the last five games.
- We still don’t know how good Baker Mayfield actually is as a Ram.
- Remember, he played Las Vegas in Week 14, who have allowed the fourth-most passing yards per game.
- This may not be an option to win your matchup, but I can’t see it being one to cost you it, either.
WATCH: Josh Fewster Names His D/STs to Stream
