Fantasy takeaways: Week 15

By: Josh Frey-Sam

It always hurts more in the playoffs.

I was on the business end of a pair of career days for Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne this week, which ended one of my fantasy seasons a couple of weeks earlier than I thought my team deserved.

I know I wasn’t the only one, as TLaw shredded the Jets’ defence to the tune of six total touchdowns and 381 total yards. ETN caught three of those touchdown passes, as the pair combined for 74 points

Those were just two standout performances during what was a memorable Sunday — one of the best we’ve had in recent memory.

Hopefully, I can make it to the semifinals in my other four leagues.

Here were my takeaways from the first round of playoffs:

Falcons @ Bucs

Mike Evans is all the way back. Count me in the group of people who benched the future Hall of Famer. I didn’t think Evans would play much in this game, and I was right — he played just 51 per cent of snaps. The incredible part is he garnered 12 targets and popped off for 6-132 in that time — outstanding. The Bucs are still alive and well for the playoffs, and their matchups the next two weeks are juicy for Evans. He’s a must-start the rest of the way.

Bills @ Patriots

Still can’t believe the Patriots kept Treveyon Henderson on the sidelines for the first two months of the season. More than 150 total yards and a pair of touchdowns, which both came on explosives. The snap count still seems unreliable, but on this day, he out-touched Rhamondre Stevenson 16-9.

Ravens @ Bengals

An absolute face plant from the Bengals and Joe Burrow, who was under constant pressure. You probably lost if you started Burrow, but if you didn’t, I still encourage you to start him next week against Arizona.

Chargers @ Chiefs

Rashee Rice with another disappointing performance, and with Patrick Mahomes’ injury, you can’t trust him to be a WR1 going forward. He drops to a mid-range WR2. The same goes for Travis Kelce and every other player on the Chiefs. Meanwhile, Omarion Hampton outtouched Kimani Vidal 16-13. We should see that touch count grow for Hampton again next week.

Cardinals @ Texans

Woody Marks left this game with an ankle injury and was replaced by second-year pro Jawhar Jordan, who racked up 101 yards on 15 attempts while dominating the opportunities. Jordan becomes a priority pickup on waivers this week, and keep an eye on what the Texans are saying about Dare Ogunbowale, as well.

Browns @ Bears

Luther Burden III is going to be one of the most popular mid-round picks in drafts next season. He hasn’t fully broken out, but he’s had the makings of one for a few weeks now. He might break out before the regular season is over. Another six grabs for 84 yards on Sunday.

Commanders @ Giants

Tyrone Tracy Jr. returns from injury and dominates the Giants’ backfield. Eighteen opportunities (Devin Singletary only had six), 97 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns. He’s in flex/RB2 territory for each of the final two weeks.

Raiders @ Eagles

Saquon Barkley has found the end zone in consecutive weeks, but this Eagles offence continues to be inefficient running the ball. Lane Johnson could return next week — that could be the difference for Barkley owners.

Colts @ Seahawks

As expected, Jonathan Taylor should be able to volume his way to respectable performances going forward.

Packers @ Broncos

Bo Nix puts together an absolute gem in arguably his best performance of the season. It won’t be easy against Jacksonville and then Kansas City, but the second-year pro has regained the confidence of fantasy managers. Meanwhile, Courtland Sutton is emerging as a trustworthy high-floor WR2 again.

Titans @ Niners

Tony Pollard with another RB1-calibre outing as he dominates touches. He’s re-entered the RB2/flex conversation as a volume play. The Kansas City next week isn’t enticing, but perhaps he’s a play on championship weekend against the Saints.

Panthers @ Saints

Lots of takeaways from this game, but the most important one is to monitor the Saints’ running back situation. Devin Neal left this game with a hamstring injury. Evan Hull and Audric Estime split carries in his absence. Could Alvin Kamara come back? Further, Tyler Shough has entered streamer range, although it would take some balls to play him.

Lions @ Rams

Assuming he’s good to go himself, Puka Nacua might just be a league winner. Davante Adams is not going to play next week, and potentially not even in Week 17. It’s Puka’s time to score some touchdowns. Colby Parkinson must be rostered if he’s not already.

Vikings @ Cowboys

It was going so well for George Pickens…

Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Josh