RealTime DFS Strategy: Week 15

Fri Dec 12 10:17am ET
By MIKE BARNER
Contributing Writer

Didn’t make the playoffs in your season-long fantasy football league? Don’t worry, there is still plenty of fun to be had during Week 15 with a variety of DFS contests on RealTime Fantasy Sports. As you pour through the options, here are some players to consider at each position, as well as a few to possibly avoid.

Quarterbacks

Joe Burrow, CIN vs. BAL ($6,600): Burrow hasn’t skipped a beat since returning from injury. In his first game back, he threw for 261 yards and two touchdowns against the Ravens in Baltimore. Then, he had 284 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions in Buffalo last week against the Bills. Playing in his first home game since Week 2, Burrow comes with plenty of upside in his rematch with the Ravens, who have given up the seventh-most passing yards per game in the league.

Jaxson Dart, NYG vs. WAS ($5,600): The Giants had their bye in Week 14, so Dart is fresh heading into this matchup. In his return from a concussion, he had 139 passing yards, one touchdown and 20 rushing yards in a Week 13 matchup against the Patriots. This is a much more fantasy-friendly opponent, considering that the Commanders are tied for the fourth-most passing touchdowns allowed.

Player to Avoid

Jacoby Brissett, ARI at HOU ($5,500): Brissett has been one of the biggest pleasant surprises in the league. Since taking over as the Cardinals’ starting quarterback, he has thrown for 2,459 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions over eight games. The Cardinals should continue to deploy a pass-heavy scheme with all of their injuries at running back, but facing a Texans defense that has allowed the fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks is a reason to avoid Brissett.

Running Backs

Travis Etienne Jr., JAX vs. NYJ ($6,500): Etienne finished with 20 carries against the Colts last week, which was his second-most in a game this season. He came away with 74 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Over his last six games, he has 28 carries inside the red zone and five rushing touchdowns. The Jets are tied for the fourth-most rushing touchdowns allowed, so Etienne could receive multiple opportunities to reach the end zone again.

Chris Rodriguez Jr., WAS at NYG ($4,900): Target running backs against the Giants. They have allowed 6.10 yards per carry to the position. The next worst team behind them is the Bengals, who have given up 5.18 yards per carry to running backs. Rodriguez has dealt with a groin injury in practice, but as the new lead back for the Commanders, he could provide significant value if he is cleared to play. He looks to be trending towards playing after being a limited participant in practice on Thursday.

Player to Avoid

Jonathan Taylor, IND at SEA ($8,500): The Colts’ offense is in a state of flux now that Daniel Jones (Achilles) is out for the season. Their starting options this week are Riley Leonard, Brett Rypien and Philip Rivers, who hasn’t played in a game in nearly five years. The Seahawks, who have already allowed the fourth-fewest rushing yards per game, could focus their efforts on slowing down Taylor in this matchup.

Wide Receivers

Ja’Marr Chase, CIN vs. BAL ($8,100): Chase has been targeted 22 times over two games since Burrow returned. Tee Higgins is in the concussion protocol again, putting his status for Week 15 in question. If he’s out, Chase should receive even more targets. Even if he plays, Chase comes with a high floor because the Ravens have permitted the sixth-most yards per target to wide receivers.

Wan’Dale Robinson, NYG vs. WAS ($5,900): After seeing a lot of short passes thrown his way during his first three seasons in the league, Robinson has an average depth of target of 8.4 yards this year. He has already set a new career high with 828 receiving yards. He also has a 28.0% target share. The duo of Dart and Robinson is an appealing stack for DFS purposes, especially when you factor in their reasonable salaries.

Player to Avoid

Michael Pittman Jr., IND at SEA ($5,100): After three straight games with fewer than 30 receiving yards, Pittman registered nine receptions for 79 yards versus the Jaguars last week. As promising as that was, this is not the week to take a chance on anyone in the Colts’ offense. When you combine their quarterback situation with a bad matchup, they might have a difficult time mustering up yards and points.

Tight Ends

Harold Fannin Jr., CLE at CHI ($4,000): Shedeur Sanders taking over at quarterback has provided a boost for Fannin. Sanders targeted him 22 times over the last three games, which Fannin turned into 15 receptions for 197 yards and two touchdowns. The Bears are tied for the sixth-most receptions allowed to tight ends, so another hefty workload could be in the cards for Fannin.

Isaiah Likely, BAL at CIN ($3,400): It’s crazy how bad the Bengals have been at slowing down tight ends. They lead the NFL in receptions (97), receiving yards (1,258) and touchdowns (15) allowed to the position. No other team has allowed more than 933 yards and nine touchdowns to the position. When Likely faced them two weeks ago, he caught five of six targets for 95 yards. At his salary, Likely might be too good to pass up.

Player to Avoid

Dallas Goedert, PHI vs. LV ($3,800): Goedert entered Week 14 with three straight games with fewer than 30 receiving yards. He finally got back on track, catching eight passes for 78 yards versus the Chargers. As encouraging as that was, the Eagles might not need to throw a ton in this game, given that the Raiders are averaging 15.1 points per game and will be starting backup quarterback Kenny Pickett. It’s also worth noting that the Raiders have allowed the third-fewest receptions to tight ends.

Mike Barner has been covering fantasy sports since 2007. His work has appeared in Sports Illustrated, Yahoo, SportsLine and RotoWire. Mike was also a finalist for the 2018 FSWA Basketball Writer of the Year award. Follow Mike on Twitter @rotomikebarner.

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The Paur Report

Five Fantasy Takeaways: Week 15

Player Notes
Blake Corum Dec 15 9:10am CT
Blake Corum

Los Angeles Rams second-year back out of Michigan, Blake Corum, continues to impress in Week 15, as he scored for a third straight week, and had 11 carries for 71 yards (6.45 YPC) and one touchdown. Corum has now rushed for a ridiculous 280 yards and four touchdowns over the past three weeks. More impressively, he has done it on 30 carries, which is suitable for a 9.33 YPC. Corum is still the clear backup to Kyren Williams, who had 15 carries for 78 yards and two touchdowns in Week 15. Still, the Rams offense, led by MVP candidate Matthew Stafford, is potent enough to score so much that both running backs have fantasy value as we move into the final weeks of the season. At this point, Corum is the top handcuff option in fantasy football and has standalone RB3/flex value even with Williams taking a majority of the carries. The Rams will face stiff competition in Week 16 on Thursday Night Football against the Seattle Seahawks.

From RotoBaller

Jacory Croskey-Merritt Dec 15 9:00am CT
Jacory Croskey-Merritt

Washington Commanders rookie running back out of Arizona, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, is officially back on the fantasy football radar as Chris Rodriguez Jr. (groin) was a game-time decision in Week 15 and was eventually ruled out shortly before the game. Croskey-Merritt, aka Bill, earned 18 carries, which he turned into 98 yards (5.33 yards per tote) and a touchdown in the Commanders' 29-21 win over the New York Giants. JCM looked good running the football, and his score came from 16 yards out. All of a sudden, this Commanders backfield gets a bit shaky after it had finally cleared up for us the past few weeks, with Rodriguez being the only one worth rostering. After JCM's performance in Week 15, the Commanders may want to give JCM some more run after an impressive performance, so if Rodriguez Jr., who had been playing well, returns in Week 16, all of a sudden, we are back to the three-running-back committee of Rodriguez, JCM, and Jeremy McNichols. All of which would become desperate plays in Week 16 of the fantasy football season. Regardless, JCM would be worth a waiver-wire pickup in case Rodriguez can't suit up in Week 16.

From RotoBaller

Lil'Jordan Humphrey Dec 15 8:50am CT
Lil'Jordan Humphrey

Denver Broncos wide receiver Lil'Jordan Humphrey had his best game of the season in the 34-26 victory against the Green Bay Packers in Week 15. Since Broncos rookie wide receiver Pat Bryant (hamstring) was out for Week 15, Humphrey had more opportunities and filled in efficiently with three catches on four targets for 42 yards and a touchdown. This marks Humphrey's first touchdown of the season, as he has only seen the field for seven games so far in 2025. If Bryant is ruled out again, Humphrey might see more opportunities again, but will remain a dart-throw option as the Broncos host the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 16.

From RotoBaller

Teddye Buchanan Dec 15 8:50am CT
Teddye Buchanan

ESPN's senior NFL Insider Adam Schefter reported Monday morning, based on sources, that the belief is that Baltimore Ravens rookie linebacker Teddye Buchanan (knee), the team's second-leading tackler, tore his ACL during Sunday's 24-0 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Buchanan will undergo additional testing today to confirm the injury; however, it is not a great sign for the Ravens defense, which has been playing better of late since its Week 7 bye. Buchanan is a rookie who has played in all 14 games this season and has 85 tackles, 0.5 sacks, and one forced fumble. Trenton Simpson is his backup and is likely to see additional snaps moving forward. The Ravens (7-7) are sitting in second place in the AFC North and duking it out with the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6), who are currently sitting atop the division and play the Miami Dolphins (6-7) on Monday Night Football. Once confirmed, Buchanan will begin his rehab process and prepare for the 2026 season.

From RotoBaller

Michael Carter Dec 15 8:30am CT
Michael Carter

The Arizona Cardinals' running back room got a little thinner after their Week 15 loss to the Houston Texans 40-20 on Sunday, as running back Bam Knight (ankle) was carted off the field in Sunday's contest and did not return. Michael Carter stepped up as the team's primary running back, and after Knight's departure, he had 78% of the backfield carry share, a 10% target share, and got the only carry inside the 10-yard line. He finished the contest with 14 carries for 56 yards (4.0 YPC) and hauled in all four of his targets for an additional 38 yards, and will have fantasy value moving forward, as he appears to be their No. 1 running back option if Knight misses any extra time and would become a must-add off the waiver wire. The Cardinals take on the Atlanta Falcons in Week 16 and the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17. It will be important to monitor Knight's status, as that will determine Carter's overall value moving forward. Still, Trey Benson (knee) was not activated from the IR on December 10, and because of that, his season is over, leaving Carter as the only healthy option at this time.

From RotoBaller

Jawhar Jordan Dec 15 7:36am CT
Jawhar Jordan

Dynasty | Texans running back Jawhar Jordan had 101 rushing yards, two catches and 17 receiving yards in a win against the Cardinals. Dynasty Analysis: Woody Marks left the game with an apparent ankle injury, paving the way for an unlikely contributor in the form of Jordan. Should Marks' injury prove to be serious, he would be a waiver priority as a possible starting running back in the playoffs if Nick Chubb is out again. Jordan's dynasty value is about zero but dynasty managers should pay attention here.

Trey McBride Dec 15 7:35am CT
Trey McBride

Dynasty | Cardinals tight end Trey McBride had 12 catches for 134 yards and two touchdowns in a loss to the Texans. Dynasty Analysis: Remember that long touchdown-less streak McBride had a year ago? Well, that's long gone as the stud tight end has put it all together this year with 105 catches for 1,071 yards and ten scores on the season. You can split hairs on who you might want between McBride and Brock Bowers but McBride clearly has Hall of Fame talent and has put on a show this season. He'll remain an elite level target this off-season in dynasty leagues.

Philip Rivers Dec 15 7:35am CT
Philip Rivers

Dynasty | Colts quarterback Philip Rivers completed 18-of-27 passes for 120 yards with one touchdown and one interception in a loss to the Seahawks. Dynasty Analysis: Rivers did his best to pull off the impossible but fell short as Seattle beat the Colts via a late field goal. It's hard to watch this and believe Riley Leonard couldn't have at least done this much but that's beside the point. Rivers looks like a decent stopgap and emergency option but he's pretty far off the dynasty radar based on the fact the Colts don't seem to trust his arm strength.

Ja'Marr Chase Dec 15 7:35am CT
Ja'Marr Chase

Dynasty | Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase had ten catches for 132 yards in a loss against Baltimore. Dynasty Analysis: The Bengals were shut out in this one but at least Chase did his thing. This hasn't been near the season many dynasty managers hoped for but did post his third consecutive season with 100 catches and has done what he could with Joe Burrow out for most of the year. He'll be a WR1 moving forward and his dynasty value really hasn't taken much of a hit this season.

Adonai Mitchell Dec 15 7:34am CT
Adonai Mitchell

Dynasty | Jets wide receiver Adonai Mitchel had six catches for 58 yards and one touchdown in a loss to the Jaguars. Dynasty Analysis: The Jets were destroyed in this one but Mitchell has certainly looked like a different player since coming over in the Sauce Gardner trade. While not a weekly lineup consideration, Mitchell has re-established himself as a roster lock in dynasty leagues.

T.J. Hockenson Dec 15 7:30am CT
T.J. Hockenson

Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson caught four passes on five targets for 66 yards, which led the way for his team in a 34-26 victory against the Dallas Cowboys. The veteran tight end appears to be developing a rapport with young quarterback J.J. McCarthy, with whom he connected for a touchdown the week prior. As the Vikings have struggled massively throughout portions of the season, Hockenson has been a fantasy disappointment who still ranks outside the top-20 PPR tight ends. But with Minnesota prioritizing its running game and tight ends in recent weeks, Hockenson will look to continue his strong finish in Week 16 at the New York Giants.

From RotoBaller

Jalen Nailor Dec 15 7:20am CT
Jalen Nailor

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jalen Nailor found the end zone twice to help his team score a 34-26 victory against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night. Nailor caught three of five targets for 47 yards and was on the receiving end of both of quarterback J.J. McCarthy's passing touchdowns. The Michigan State product has developed a nice connection with his quarterback, with whom he also connected on a key fourth-down conversion that led to a touchdown later on the same drive. For fantasy purposes, however, Nailor remains a tough sell. The Vikings have raved about Nailor, but as a secondary pass catcher, he's still averaging fewer than two catches per game as Minnesota prepares to play the New York Giants in Week 16.

From RotoBaller

Justin Jefferson Dec 15 7:10am CT
Justin Jefferson

For the second straight week, the Minnesota Vikings put together an excellent offensive day with modest output from wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who was held to only two catches in his team's 34-26 victory against the Dallas Cowboys. The Vikings targeted Jefferson a team-high eight times, but the result was two catches for 22 yards. It was a hard-luck night for Jefferson, who caught a touchdown from quarterback J.J. McCarthy that was negated by an illegal formation penalty in the first half, missed out on a would-have-been big play when McCarthy overthrew him in the fourth quarter, and then dropped a touchdown later on the same drive. Managers who survived into Week 16 will see Jefferson in a favorable setting against the New York Giants, yet with just six catches in the past three games, it's getting more and more difficult to trust Minnesota's offense to get Jefferson the ball.

From RotoBaller

Shedeur Sanders Dec 15 5:30am CT
Shedeur Sanders

Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders completed 18 of his 35 pass attempts for 177 yards and threw three interceptions in Sunday's 31-3 loss to the Chicago Bears. Sanders, scoring just 3.48 fantasy points on Sunday, is building connections with fellow rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. and rookie wide receiver Isaiah Bond. That pass-catching duo accounted for 77.4% of Sanders' total passing yards and 50% of his completions for the day. Even though the rookie quarterback was under siege all afternoon in Chicago, he was able to complete five of his six passes when blitzed. However, his overall completion average was just 51.4% for the day, one of the worst in the league. Sanders draws the Buffalo Bills defense in Week 16, which is a tough matchup for quarterbacks despite their middling quarterback pressure rate of 34.4% and a 6.8% team sack rate. Looking ahead, Sanders is likely to remain a desperation deep-league Superflex option with an unreliable floor for fantasy managers.

From RotoBaller

Bo Nix Dec 15 5:30am CT
Bo Nix

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix led his team to an 11th straight win on the season in the Week 15 matchup versus the Green Bay Packers, defeating them 34-26. Despite playing against a difficult defense, Nix showed up for what was one of his best games of the season, completing 23 of 34 pass attempts for 302 yards, four touchdowns, zero interceptions, and added 10 yards rushing on seven carries. This is precisely what fantasy managers were hoping for in the first round of the playoffs from Nix, who had been struggling to reach QB1 output since Week 8. Getting hot at the right time, Nix will face the Jacksonville Jaguars at home in Week 16.

From RotoBaller

Troy Franklin Dec 15 5:30am CT
Troy Franklin

Denver Broncos wide receiver Troy Franklin provided an efficient day in the Week 15 34-26 win over the Green Bay Packers. With Broncos wide receiver Pat Bryant (hamstring) out this week, Franklin was able to reestablish himself as a force in the offense with six catches on six targets for 85 yards and a touchdown. The catches and yardage were second best on the team, trailing only Courtland Sutton. After seeing a dip in production and all-around involvement since the Broncos' bye week, this could be the game he needed to pry his way back onto the field. Keep an eye on Bryant's availability for Week 16, but Franklin could be a WR2 again against the Jacksonville Jaguars after this efficient performance.

From RotoBaller

RJ Harvey Dec 15 5:30am CT
RJ Harvey

Denver Broncos rookie running back RJ Harvey had another high-volume day in a 34-26 victory over the Green Bay Packers in Week 15. Knowing this would be a challenging matchup for Harvey to excel in, he still put up 65 yards on 19 carries, one touchdown, and one lost fumble. The most surprising statistic is that Harvey saw just one target in the passing game after averaging over four per game in the past five matchups. The Packers keyed heavily on Harvey in this game, but he still found a way to get into the endzone for the 10th touchdown of his rookie season. Harvey will try to find more efficiency against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 16.

From RotoBaller

Travis Etienne Dec 15 3:13am CT
Travis Etienne

Dynasty | Jags running back Travis Etienne had 32 rushing yards, three catches, 73 receiving yards and three touchdowns in a win against the Jets. Dynasty Analysis: In one of the strangest fantasy performances of recent memory, Etienne scored all three times through the air and did it on just three catches. It's been an odd season for Etienne, who has seen his workload fluctuate but also seen him average 4.5 yards per carry and post a career high with 12 touchdowns. Etienne will remain a solid option moving forward and while Bhayshul Tuten looks promising, Etienne has done enough to keep his dynasty ranking pretty static thus far.

From Dynasty League Fantasy

Patrick Mahomes Dec 15 3:13am CT
Patrick Mahomes

Dynasty | Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed 16-of-28 passes for 189 yards with no touchdowns and one interception before leaving with a torn ACL in a loss to the Chargers. Dynasty Analysis: Well, that'll cap off a disappointing season for the Chiefs, who will now miss the playoffs. Mahomes will obviously miss the rest of this season and his availability for the start of next year has to be in doubt considering we're in the middle of December here. This is a serious blow to Mahomes' dynasty value as he's now 30 years old. Mahomes will end a solid season with 22 touchdowns and 11 interceptions but there are now some doubts about his long-term dynasty value as he'll face a long recovery.

From Dynasty League Fantasy

Shedeur Sanders Dec 15 3:13am CT
Shedeur Sanders

Dynasty | Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders completed 18-of-35 passes for 177 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions. Dynasty Analysis: He added 24 rushing yards on the day. Sanders has been up and down since the start and today was certainly a down one. The Browns are currently 3-11 and their season is lost, so they'll still give him the rest of the year to showcase his skills. Sanders remains a highly volatile dynasty asset and one whose value decreased again today.

From Dynasty League Fantasy