By Winsto (12/10/2024)
The Bye weeks are no more. We are in the final stretch/playoff time. There are a few names here to consider for Week 15 and beyond.
(The following players are rostered by less than 50% according to Yahoo Fantasy.)
QUARTERBACK
Jameis Winston (QB-Cleveland)–I mentioned him last week, and I will double-down. If I were to open a roller coaster ride, I would name it the Jameis Winston Experience. There will be ups and downs here. You have to factor in 2+ turnovers a game, but the upside is still there, as we saw two weeks ago on Monday Night (497 passing yards and 4 passing TDs). Of course, the turnovers (plural) are almost inevitable, BUT Cleveland winning or losing is irrelevant to your fantasy team. Points are what matters, and Winston can almost single-handedly win you a week. Since Cleveland’s Bye week, his last 4 opponents were all top 10 defenses versus the quarterback position in fantasy (NO, Pit, Den, Pit), and he still managed 330 passing yards, 2 TDs, 1.5 INTs, 13.5 rushing yards, 0.3 rushing TDs, and 0.3 fumbles lost. That’s solid stuff. The flip side, however, is he could also almost single-handedly lose you a week. Ah, the risk versus reward dilemma. His Week 15 opponent, Kansas City, is solid, but its secondary does have some holes. Then two of his remaining three games are against Cincinnati and Baltimore: I like the sound of typing that! If you feel like you are in need of a boost this week or down the stretch and are willing to roll the dice, it sounds like the Jameis Winston Experience is for you.
Bryce Young (QB-Carlina)???–Yes, I am as surprised typing this as you are reading this, but since Young took over as starter in Week 08, he is averaging 212 passing yards, 1.2 passing TDs, 0.7 INTs, and 18.5 rushing yards. He also has 1 rushing TD over that stretch, and has had at least 1 passing TD in each of the games since his return. I know those numbers don’t jump, but three of his remaining four games are against Dallas (this week), Tampa Bay, and Atlanta. Those are some very generous defenses to the QB in fantasy football. In addition, Young really looks better than he did earlier in his career.
Other QBs to consider (I guess?) include Aaron Rodgers (QB-NYJ), who faces Jacksonville (a team that gives up the most fantasy points to the QB position) in Week 15, and Cooper Rush (QB-Dal), who faces Carolina (gives up the 7th most fantasy points to the QB) in Week 15.
RUNNING BACK
Patrick Taylor Jr. (San Francisco) –As the SF RB Room Turns. Seriously? After advising everyone to go all in for Isaac Guerendo last week, he hurts his foot? So far, the good news is that it may be a minor injury, but given the short week—SF plays LAR Thursday night, he may not dress. That means recently added from the practice squad, 4th year player Patrick Taylor Jr., is in line for the start. If you are looking for a 1 week starter, Taylor Jr. is not a bad option. This is not apples to apples with Guerendo, though, as Taylor (6”2’ 217) is more of a between the tackles guy with less pass catching ability (15 career receptions). Still, as I have stated before, this offense is going to run the ball, and he should serve as the main guy. He should probably be viewed as a borderline RB2/3 against a solid Rams defense in Week 15.
Sincere McCormick (RB-Las Vegas)–If you are looking for someone to spice up your roster down the stretch, McCormick should be the right seasoning. (Get it? McCormick? Seasonings?) Averaging about 5.25 yards per carry over the last two games, McCormick has looked good. Zamir White (RB) has been put on IR, so he has no real competition in terms of the between the tackles back on the team. In Weeks 16 and 17, he will face Jacksonville and New Orleans, who have given up the 3rd and 4th most fantasy points to the RB position. The only issue here is he plays for the Raiders, who could fall behind rather quickly in games, thus giving him fewer rushing opportunities.
Tank Bigsby (Jacksonville)–Once again, I am mentioning Bigsby here. Interestingly, Bigsby’s ownership has fallen below 50%. He had seen 7 or more carries in every full game he has played since Week 4. Last week, he saw 19 touches (18 rushes, 1 reception) for 62 total yards and 1 TD compared to Travis Etienne Jr.’s 8 touches (4 rushes, 4 receptions) for 70 yards. He also out-snapped Travis Etienne (53% v. 47%) this past week. He has a 5.0 YPC (compared to Travis Etienne’s 3.9 YPC) on the season. Though Etienne is not going anywhere, I do suspect this time-share will continue in the coming weeks. He is a decent Flex play down the stretch, particularly in Weeks 16-18, as the opponents, Las Vegas, Tennessee, and Indianapolis, are all bottom half defenses against the rush.
Kimani Vidal (Los Angeles Chargers)–Anyone else notice that Vidal out snapped Edwards (53% v. 43%) in Week 14, and he had 8 touches to Edwards’s 10? At some point, the coaching staff has to realize that Vidal needs more playing time until J.K. Dobbins returns, right? Gus Edwards is a solid player, but he really has little ceiling. He is averaging 3.5 YPC on the season and only has 2 TDs. Vidal has the look of a play maker, which is something this offense is in need of. He is a grab that could provide some help to RB needy teams down the stretch.
Handcuffs—These are players, rostered in less than 50% of Yahoo, who I would grab if I had the space. They have little to no standalone value, but each could be a legitimate RB1 or RB2 if the opportunity presented itself. This is the order I would rank them as of now.
Blake Corum (LAR)
Trey Benson (Ari)
Kenny Gainwell (Phi)–Bucky Irving would probably be involved as well, so I would not expect a workload like Barkley receives.
Ray Davis (Buf)–Ty Johnson would probably be involved as well if something were to happen to Cook.
Kendre Miller (NO)–He found the endzone in his 1st game back from injury. The ceiling here is limited, as injuries have hampered New Orleans’s offense.
WIDE RECEIVER
Adam Thielen (Carolina)–He has finally reached over 50% ownership. About time!
Keon Coleman (Buffalo)–He was showing signs of life (14 targets, 195 receiving yards, and 1 TD) in the two games prior to the Miami game in Week 09 and has missed the last several weeks. Once he returns, I would expect him to function as decent WR3 down the stretch.
Cedric Tillman (Cleveland)–Remember him? He had the look of the WR1 on the team before Jerry Jeudy said “not so fast,” and went all kinds of fantasy point crazy. Tillman has missed the last 2 games after leaving Week 12’s game with a concussion. When he returns, I do not necessarily expect him to usurp the WR1 position from Jeudy, but he could serve as the WR2 on the team. And, considering how much Jameis Winston throws it and how aggressive Winston is, that sounds like value.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (Tennessee) and Marquez Valdes-Scantling (New Orleans)–I suppose all good things must come to an end. Both of their scoring streaks came to an end in Week 14. Neither are trustworthy to start, but in deeper leagues, maybe you feel lucky and believe either/both could start a new streak.
TIGHT END
Hunter Henry (New England)–Is he scoring a plethora of TDs? No, no he is not—he has 1 TD on the season. Is he 6th amongst all TEs in receiving yards? Yes! Drake Maye has shown a solid connection with Henry, as Henry has seen no fewer than 4 targets since Week 04. He has a Bye this week, and his remaining schedule afterwards is not too kind to the TE. Still, his floor is about as safe as can be. Just understand that he does not offer much of a ceiling.
Stone Smartt (Los Angeles Chargers)–With Will Dissly probably missing the next few games, Smartt looks to be the beneficiary. He saw a bump in playing time when Dissly went down in Week 14, and he made the most of that with 3 catches for 54 yards. Week 15 sees Smartt go up against the 7th worst defense (Tampa Bay) against the TE position, so there is opportunity for fantasy success.
Grant Calcaterra (Philadelphia)–With Dallas Goedert (TE) going on IR, Calcaterra will see some targets. He did score in Week 14, though he only saw 3 targets (3 receptions, 16 yards, 1 TD). He has a pretty neutral remaining schedule for TEs, and he should see 3-5 targets per game.
IDP
I am not on a good streak here. Two weeks ago, I mentioned Nazeeh Johnson (DB-Kansas City) in this section, and it looked like good advice, until he was benched in the early part of the game. Then last week, I discussed adding Tyler Nubin (DB-NYG). He was having fantasy success until he injured his ankle midway through the game.
So…, let’s try this again:
Luke Gifford (LB-Tennessee) –With both Kenneth Murray (LB) and Jerome Baker (LB) missing Week 14, Gifford stepped up, accumulating 12 total tackles (9 solo, 3 assists). If both Murray and Baker miss Week 15, Gifford is a solid play.
Micah McFadden (LB-New York Giants)–With Bobby Okereke (LB) missing Week 14, McFadden stepped into a full-time role and finished with 11 total tackles (8 solo, 3 assists). If Okereke misses week 15, McFadden is also a solid play.