Week 15 brought us the first round of fantasy playoffs. Many of the players who helped managers get their team to the playoffs showed up in a big way on Sunday, but not all. A few of the seasons top fantasy producers fell flat in week 15, costing their teams first round exits in the playoffs.
Let’s take a look at some of the boom-and-bust players for week 15.
Boom
Lamar Jackson QB BAL 36.1 Points
Lamar’s MVP-caliber season carried many teams to the fantasy playoffs and barring a colossal letdown from the rest of your team – he carried you through the first round as well.
Jackson threw 5 TDs in a route of the New York Giants on Sunday. He threw for 290 yards and rushed for an additional 65. He did lose a fumble, but it hardly put a dent in his 36.1-point performance.
The Giants were a lucky matchup for week 1 of the playoffs, but the next round won’t be so easy. Jackson faces the Steelers who held him to his lowest fantasy output of the season with 14.88 points.
AJ Brown PHI WR 24 Points
The squeaky wheel got its grease on Sunday as AJ Brown got his highest target share of the season with 11. He caught 8 of them for 110 yards and scored his first TD since week 12.
Brown was vocal about the Eagles‘ passing game needing improvement after last week’s game, despite the win against Carolina. Brown had only 4 targets in that victory.
All’s right in Philadelphia after Brown’s big squeaky wheel game. He should see plenty of looks next week against Washington in a massive division battle.
Brian Thomas Jr. JAX WR 27.5 Points
Thomas was the consensus 112th overall pick (10th round/12 team) in fantasy drafts this season. The rookie’s production was far greater than any imagined, helping many fantasy teams reach the playoffs this year as he claimed the WR1 spot in Jacksonville throughout the season.
Thomas’ production continued into the first round. He caught 10 passes for 105 yards and 2 TDs in his week 15 matchup against the New York Jets. The hot streak should continue as he faces a poor Raiders defense next week.
Bust
Thursday Night Football SF @ LA
With two of the best offensive minds in football (Shanahan/McVay) facing off, we expected a big offensive showing with plenty of fantasy points to kick off the first round of playoffs. What we got was a dull game with little to no fantasy production from our stars.
Sure, Puka Nacua managed a respectable 14.3 points, but this is the playoffs, and we’re looking for AJ Brown-type games from our WR1s. Kyren Williams finished with 12.2 points, but it took him 31 touches to get there.
Deebo Samuel’s “squeaky wheel” game didn’t go so well, as he finished with just 6.28 points. Kittle went for 8.1, Jennings had 4.1, and Guerendo led the way for the 49ers offense with 9.5
Nobody was worse than Rams WR Cooper Kupp, who finished with ZERO points on 3 targets. Kupp had produced double-digit fantasy games in all but one of his contests since returning from injury in week 8.
This can likely be chalked up as a dud of a game. I would expect many of these players to return to form in week 15.
Saquon Barkley PHI RB 8.4 Points
Barkley may be the Fantasy Football MVP this season as he was typically picked in the later part of the first round in drafts. He’s RB1 for the season and on pace to break the single season rushing record.
Until week 15. He faced a tough Steelers defense that shut him down. At least to Barkley’s standards. Barkley carried the ball 19 times but gained just 65 yards. He added 9 yards receiving on 2 catches and scored no TDs.
8.4 points is his lowest since week 6 and second lowest of the season. He should bounce back next week against Washington, who he amassed 32.8 points against in their week 11 matchup.
Derrick Henry BAL RB 6.7 Points
Much like Barkley, Henry was picked early in drafts but still outperformed his draft position. Scoring a TD in 10 of 13 games and achieving double-digit points in every game this season – there’s no model of fantasy RB consistency quite like King Henry.
Due to Lamar Jackson having his way with the Giants defense, Derrick Henry became second fiddle. He carried the ball just 14 times for 67 yards and was not targeted as a receiver. Week 15 marked the 3rd straight game Henry did not score a TD.
He draws a tough matchup next week against the Steelers, who limited him to 65 yards in their first affair, though Henry was able to reach the end zone he still only totaled 10.5 points. Derrick Henry and fantasy managers would look for more out of him next week, if they advanced under his poor week 14 showing.
All fantasy points totals from FanDuel Fantasy.
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