NFL Reactions: Week 15 Recap

A scoring bonanza in Detroit, Philly fixes their passing attack, the Buccaneers offense is a big deal, Denver has a wild blowout against the Colts and Miami falls flat at Houston. Let's talk about the biggest takeaways from the Week 15 action.

Reactions

Bills at Lions

The Bills jumped out to a lead on the Lions and never looked back. Going into this game, I thought that Buffalo would attack the decimated linebacker group of Detroit. That's exactly what they did. The team's leading pass catcher was backup running back Ty Johnson, who caught five passes for 114 yards. The lead RB, James Cook, torched Detroit by posting 133 scrimmage yards and two rushing scores. And of course, Josh Allen continued his rampage against the league. The star accounted for four TDs, 262 passing yards and 68 rushing yards. The maddening part is the receiving weapons. While watching five games in the late-afternoon time slot, I'm not sure why Amari Cooper didn't see a target with Allen throwing 34 passes. Also, Keon Coleman was targeted twice. Again, maybe the plan was to not veer from attacking the middle of the field. Ultimately, if that's what the Bills did, it worked. Still, those who advanced in the fantasy playoffs can't trust Cooper or Coleman, as they've both been inconsistent. Sure, Cooper had been dealing with a wrist injury, but there seems to be no commitment to him.

Detroit trailed the entire way. As a result, they were forced to have Jared Goff throw 59 passes. That led to Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta having excellent fantasy performances. Despite the great game script, David Montgomery was the big loser. The running back did catch four passes for 31 yards, but Montgomery rushed for just four yards. There's not much to add. The top players in this offense are in our fantasy lineups every week. There are occasional downside performances, but missing out on a ceiling game isn't worth the risk.

Steelers at Eagles

Over the past couple months, the Eagles have become a team that leans heavily on the rushing attack. After A.J. Brown complained about the problem in the offense being the passing attack, Philadelphia fixed that issue in a big way. Jalen Hurts  focused on getting the ball to Brown and DeVonta Smith, and the receivers both came through with big games. Unfortunately, Saquon Barkley was unable to get work around the goal line. As a result, the star ended up with one of his weaker fantasy performances of the season. I don't know if the Eagles will go back to the passing attack as heavily in their next game, but at least we know the offense may not be as broken as many had believed.

With no George Pickens, the Steelers had little chance to overcome the excellent defense of the Eagles. The rushing attack was ineffective in the first half. Then once Pittsburgh fell behind in the second half, they lost any ability to lean on their rushing attack. Lacking any pass catchers who could consistently threaten the Eagles' secondary, Russell Wilson didn't have the ability to overcome that disadvantage. Unless Pickens returns soon, this will not be an offense we can count on in fantasy.

Dolphins at Texans

Tua Tagovailoa was brutal against the Texans. The lefty tossed three interceptions while throwing for 196 yards. After featuring Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle last week,  the Miami game plan seemed out of sync. Although Waddle left the game with an injury, he was only targeted twice in almost a half of action. Hill saw just seven targets. In a game that Miami trailed the entire second half, it is unthinkable that Hill was not loaded up with all the targets he could handle. After showing signs of progress, we're back to the only two reliable fantasy options on this team being De'Von Achane and Jonnu Smith.

Yes, the Texans won, and that's all that matters. However, the team was a disaster for fantasy. Nico Collins salvaged his fantasy day with two touchdowns, though he only posted 17 yards. Also, Joe Mixon was only able to record 56 scrimmage yards, but five receptions at least gave him a modest floor in PPR leagues. Collins and Mixon Remain the two players who are must start options. 

Colts at Broncos

Through the third quarter, Bo Nix had thrown three interceptions and was having a miserable game. It certainly didn't help that the ineffective rushing attack of the Broncos remained poor against the Colts. Fortunately, late momentum helped the Broncos put together a pair of second-half touchdown drives. Although Courtland Sutton only caught three passes for 32 yards, a late touchdown salvaged his fantasy day. Also, NIx passed for 130 yards but added three passing touchdowns to give him a decent scoring floor. Sutton is the one player we'll have confidence in each week.

The  Colts were winning this game by six points in the third quarter.  Then, Jonathan Taylor broke off an apparent 41-yard touchdown run. However, as he entered the end zone, Taylor relaxed and fumbled the ball before crossing the goal line, which led to a touchback. Once that happened, the bottom fell out for the entire Indianapolis offense. Once Denver got momentum, they moved to a quick fourth-quarter lead. Anthony Richardson is not equipped to play from a deficit against an elite defense. Indy never had a chance. Although Taylor and Michael Pittman had solid floor performances for fantasy, there was nothing impressive about the Colts offensive attack. Aside from Taylor, Josh Downs will not have another matchup as difficult as this one, so both of them will remain weekly fantasy options.

Buccaneers at Chargers

This appeared to be a very challenging game for the Buccaneers offense. It was not. I didn't recommend Baker Mayfield as an elite fantasy option. He destroyed the excellent Chargers defense for 288 yards and four touchdowns. I was not worried about Bucky Irving, and he didn't disappoint with 117 rushing yards. Obviously, Mike Evans had no trouble, as he exploded for 159 yards and two scores. Aside from Mayfield being a surprise, I didn't see Jalen McMillan building on his breakout performance of last week against this defense. The rookie was the clear No. 2 receiver, and McMillan posted 75 yards and a TD. The lessons learned were to not bench Baker Mayfield, and also to consider McMillan as at least a flex option with upside, especially with defenses worried about the main weapons. Also, Cade Otton is just a streamer when Mike Evans is in the lineup.

Since the Chargers lost J.K. Dobbins (knee) to short-term injured reserve, the team has lacked a consistent rushing attack. There are weeks when Just Herbert and Ladd McConkey can overcome it. This week was not one of those. Despite facing a weaker Tampa Bay secondary, the Bucs sent the pressure as often as possible, and that was enough to hold Herbert to 195 yards on 33 pass attempts. The only must-start player for fantasy is McConkey. The other options can come up small at any time.

Chiefs at Browns

Kansas City got out to an early lead and coasted to victory. As a result, no Chiefs player had a big fantasy performance. Patrick Mahomes injured his ankle near the end of the game, and it was unclear as to whether he could have returned. Since Kansas City had a big lead, there was no need to force him back into the contest. Obviously, if the superstar has to miss time, this team may struggle to put points on the scoreboard regardless of opponent.

Usually, Jameis Winston is both Santa Claus and The Grinch. he'll put up big offensive numbers, but he'll also throw his share of interceptions. In this game, only the Grinch showed up. Winston was unable to move the football through the air while throwing three interceptions. He was benched in the fourth quarter while the game was still somewhat in question. My guess is that the Browns will go back to Winston next week. If they do, he'll continue to have upside potential with significant risk. Nick Chubb broke his foot. Jerome Ford then took advantage of a defense that was not looking for them to run, so Ford cashed in on a 62-yard touchdown run. With Chubb injured, Ford immediately becomes a startable fantasy option. Finally, Jerry Jeudy continued his excellent play. The veteran caught 11 passes for 108 yards while no other teammate posted more than 30 receiving yards. If Winston is benched, that would potentially take away significant upside from Jeudy.

Bengals at Titans

Joe Burrow tossed two interceptions and lost a fumble. It didn't matter, as Cincinnati easily handled the Titans.  Burrow ended the day with 271 passing yards and three touchdowns and remained hot in fantasy. Also, Chase Brown scored twice while posting 113 scrimmage yards, and he remains one of the best running back options each week. Although Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase didn't have massive games, both had strong fantasy performances. The Bengals remain one of the easiest teams to project for fantasy. Start the primary options, and leave everyone else on the bench.

Will Levis was benched after another rough performance. The two best players for fantasy for the Titans were Mason Rudolph and Tyjae Spears. Fantasy managers in deeper leagues may have started Spears, but otherwise, Tennessee was a massive disappointment on offense. At least Tony Pollard scored a touchdown, helping him to a 10-point fantasy performance. Pollard remains a high-floor fantasy option. Any other Titans player should be started at your own risk.

Ravens at Giants

The Ravens likely could have chosen any way to attack the Giants and have a great offensive performance.  Apparently, they chose to let Lamar Jackson do the heavy lifting, especially after he had not been posting excellent passing numbers in the weeks leading up to their bye week. Jackson passed for 290 yards and five touchdowns while rushing for an additional 65 yards. Surprisingly, the leading receivers were Rashod Bateman and Justice Hill. Both Mark Andrews and Zay Flowers had reasonable floor performances. The big loser for fantasy was Derrick Henry. He was not needed at all in this game. The superstar rushed 14 times for 67 yards. Even though the Giants defense did not present a challenge for Baltimore, this may have been the jump start that the offense needed for the stretch run. I'm expecting the Ravens to play at their peak as the season winds down.

After Tommy DeVito left this game with a concussion, Tim Boyle helped lead Malik Nabers to his best fantasy performance since early in the season. The rookie caught 10 passes for 82 yards and a touchdown. Tyrone Tracy lost a goal-line touchdown when Devin Singletary replaced him at the goal line. As a result, Tracy scored 4.5 PPR points. Nabers remains a solid weekly floor play in PPR. Meanwhile, Tracy is shaping up as a boom-or-bust running back option.

Patriots at Cardinals

Arizona had a stretch of three straight tough games. Each of those contests were losses that pushed Arizona to 6-7. This week, they were at home against a Patriots team that was unlikely to pose a serious challenge. Between James Conner posting 138 scrimmage yards with two touchdowns and Trey McBride catching nine passes for 87 yards, Arizona didn't need much else from the offense. Aside from Conner and McBride, I don't have confidence in Kyler Murray and Marvin Harrison for fantasy. Murray has spike potential, but there have been too many poor performances. Also, some of the bad games have come against easy opponents. In terms of Harrison, the team will need to figure out ways to optimize him during offseason planning.

The Patriots did not have a player score more than 10.1 PPR points from any non-QB. A number of New England players have potential for moderate-floor scoring. None of them can be counted on for big games.

Commanders at Saints

Washington took a 14-point lead against the Saints in the first half, but they were only able to connect on a pair of field goals the rest of the way. Jayden Daniels passed for two touchdowns and ran for 66 yards, as he continued his excellent rookie season. The only other Commanders player with a big game was Terry McLaurin. Although he scored a couple of short touchdowns, the veteran posted 73 hours. However, he mishandled an easy 60-yard touchdown in the second half that would have given him a monster fantasy day. In addition, he had one other deep pass that was broken up, but McLaurin had an excellent chance of catching the football. The key takeaway is that regardless of the opponent, it is not wise to bench McLaurin. Otherwise, Brian Robinson dominated the running back work, resulting in 87 scrimmage yards, though he was unable to find the end zone. This is pretty much a three-man show for fantasy.

Although Jake Haener started this game, Spencer Rattler took over and almost led the team to victory. Marquez Valdes-Scantling had a goose egg until Rattler came in. The QB change allowed the receiver to catch two passes for 64 yards. Also, Alvin Kamara posted 70 scrimmage yards and a touchdown before leaving the game with a groin injury. Once Kamara left, Kendre Miller looked excellent, as he handled nine carries for 46 yards. If Kamara misses time, Miller could be a solid fantasy option.

Cowboys at Panthers

The Cowboys were underdogs in this game. They must have taken it personally. This game was never in question as Dallas blew out Carolina. CeeDee Lamb was actually brought up in some lineup questions I answered this week. The lesson is simple. Never consider benching a player like Lamb. The veteran posted 119 yards and a touchdown  while catching nine passes. Unfortunately, Rico Dowdle had a great game for NFL purposes, but aside from 149 rushing yards, he didn't catch a pass or score a touchdown, so it was merely a very good, but not great, fantasy performance.  Aside from Lamb and Dowdle, Dallas players are not strong fantasy options, and that includes Jake Ferguson, who no longer has the upside he possessed when Dak Prescott was the QB.

Maybe the Panthers are better off being an underdog every week. Aside from an 83-yard touchdown to Jalen Coker, Carolina laid an egg on offense. Many expected Chuba Hubbard to be a week winner. Instead, the Dallas defense dominated the line of scrimmage, and Hubbard had very little room to operate. At least Adam Thielen showed a solid scoring floor by catching five passes for 51 yards. Hubbard and Thielen remain the two fantasy assets we can count on.

Jets at Jaguars

The Jets scored 25 points in the second half. In the first 30 minutes, they looked like the same bad team we watched all year. After the intermission, Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams put on possibly the best half he and Rodgers ever had together. Admas ended the game with 198 yards and two scores while Rodgers tossed three scoring strikes. Adams, Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall all scored touchdowns. Those who started any of the key Jets players were likely happy with each of those performances. New York has been very unpredictable all season. I will continue recommending the top players on this offense. Of course, Rodgers will be the one player of the group who is not a clear starter in typical leagues.

Brian Thomas remains a player we should never bench in fantasy football. The rookie recorded 105 yards and two touchdowns while being targeted 14 times. Imagine how good Thomas would be if he had a superstar quarterback? Fantasy managers who chose to start Brenton Strange had to be excited to see him catch 11 passes for 73 yards. Playing in an offense that features the tight end, Strange should continue to have a high PPR floor each week. Even though Mac Jones and Travis Etienne had solid fantasy performances, they will remain as risky weekly fantasy options. 

Injuries

• Patrick Mahomes suffered an ankle injury. Carson Wentz finished the game, but the Chiefs were leading by 14 points with five minutes left, so it's unclear as to whether Mahomes could have returned.
• Alvin Kamara sustained a groin injury.
• Jaylen Waddle injured his knee.
• Nick Chubb left with a broken foot.
• Xavier Legette injured his groin.
• Zach Ertz suffered a concussion.
• Jaleel McLaughlin injured his quadriceps.
• Braelon Allen injured his back.
• Trey Benson suffered an ankle injury.
• Tommy DeVito sustained a concussion.