Fantasy Football

Whether you’re trying to finish your fantasy regular season strong or stay alive in the playoffs, your flex position can make or break your team. 

Fantasy owners are finding two things to be true as we approach the end of the season. The first is that for many, their quarterback situation is in serious flux. Multiple starters became injured in Week 14 or were already out for the season. 

The second fact is that many starting-caliber skill position players have also exited the season due to injury, making those players on your bench more important than ever.

Who knew that, for example, Philadelphia’s Darren Sproles would outscore DeMarco Murray with 12.5 points in Week 14 or Seattle’s Doug Baldwin would be the highest-scoring fantasy wideout with 32.20 points?

Let’s break down the best flex plays for Week 15, with projected point totals rounded to the nearest half-point.  

Week 15: Top 100 Flex Projections 

Golden Tate, WR, Detroit Lions

Detroit’s Golden Tate has quietly put together a very effective fantasy season, and if you handcuffed him with Calvin Johnson, in many weeks you’ve been more impressed with Tate’s performance in your flex slot than Johnson’s in your WR1 or WR2 slot.

That was certainly the case in Week 14 against the St. Louis Rams.

Tate was Matthew Stafford‘s favorite target on Sunday, catching nine passes on 10 targets for 60 yards and two touchdowns, which made him a good play in both standard and PPR leagues. 

His teammate Johnson, on the other hand, had an extremely disappointing outing on Sunday, as he was held in check by the Rams defense throughout the game. Johnson only managed 2.6 points in standard leagues on Sunday. 

Tate is not only a smart flex play for the playoffs, but he could even earn justification as a WR2 in some leagues.

The only question is how much he will score; although Tate has had at least 50 yards in every game since Week 8, he has only scored in two games through that period of time. 

In PPR leagues, Tate is a must-play for flex. In standard leagues, he’s worth heavy consideration. 

DeAngelo Williams, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers are getting hot at exactly the right time as they make a late-season playoff push, and while Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown have got things covered through the air, DeAngelo Williams is providing the support on the ground. 

Williams was the fourth-highest scoring fantasy running back in Week 14, but given his average draft position, he is likely at least the third running back on many rosters. 

That makes him a perfect flex play in Week 15. 

Williams had 76 yards on 23 carries Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals run defense and found the end zone twice. This was just one week after Williams recorded the 21st 100-yard game of his career:

To say those who drafted Williams this year, or even acquired him on waivers, have set themselves up for success is an understatement. 

After a shaky middle of the season, the veteran has been remarkably productive in the final half, with four games of 70 yards or more since Week 8. If you have Williams on your roster, he’s a must-play at the flex slot. 

Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England Patriots

Sorry, owners who picked up Scott Chandler on the waiver wire; Tom Brady’s favorite weapon, Rob Gronkowski, is back in the lineup and ready to produce in the final few games of the season.

Gronkowski was reportedly only supposed to have a “limited role” in Sunday night’s game against the Houston Texans, as FanDuel’s Will Carroll reported, the end result was anything but. 

True, the tight end only had four receptions, but he gained 87 yards off them to match his jersey number and connected with Brady on a touchdown, as well. 

Of course, you may be asking yourself why anyone in his or her right mind would play Gronkowski in the flex slot.

But if you happened to pick up another well-performing tight end when Gronkowski was out injured (think Jacob Tamme or Zach Miller), playing two tight ends in Week 15 could be a good strategy, especially if your receiving or running back corps have been decimated by injuries. 

Scoring stats courtesy of Yahoo Sports. 

Read more Fantasy Football news on NerdyFootball.com

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As Christopher Dabe of NOLA.com details, new Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen received plenty of praise from head coach Sean Payton this week after the team’s win over the Buccaneers, in which New Orleans held Tampa Bay to just 17 points.

Since Payton’s future remains uncertain, it’s hard to say for sure that Allen’s job as Saints DC is safe next season — a new head coach may want to bring his own assistants. Still, if Allen finishes the season strong after taking over the NFL’s worst defense, he shouldn’t have any trouble finding work for 2016.

Here’s more from around the NFC South:

• With the Falcons in the midst of a six-game losing streak, it’s looking more and more like owner Arthur Blank will make changes to the front office in the offseason, writes Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. According to La Canfora, there have been rumblings since before training camp that Seahawks executive Trent Kirchner could end up in Atlanta, working with ex-Seahawk Dan Quinn, and it wouldn’t be surprising if Kirchner replaces Thomas Dimitroff as the Falcons’ general manager.
• Buccaneers running back Doug Martin only got 11 carries on Sunday against the Saints’ league-worst rushing defense, despite racking up 81 yards on those 11 attempts. While the Bucs’ usage of Martin was questionable, the conspiracy theory that the team is trying to limit his yardage totals to make him easier to re-sign doesn’t make sense, as Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times writes.
• Rookie Panthers linebacker David Mayo will miss at least the next two weeks with a hamstring issue, tweets Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. Mayo hasn’t played much for Carolina this season, so we’ll see if the club decides to place him on injured reserve or keep him on its roster for the playoffs.

Eliminated fantasy football managers woke up Tuesday realizing the cruelty of this chaotic game.

Ben Roethlisberger, Devonta Freeman, Calvin Johnson, DeAndre Hopkins and Travis Kelce all delivered Week 14 duds during a crucial first-round matchup. Andy Dalton and Thomas Rawls didn’t get a fair shake at helping owners persevere through the playoffs.

Meanwhile, some of those jilted gamers watched as Ryan Fitzpatrick, Isaiah Crowell, Tim Hightower and Ted Ginn Jr. burned their season to ashes. Out of habit and stubbornness, these fallen contestants will keep clawing in hopes of winning the fifth-place game, which amounts to no more than receiving a mental participation trophy.

For luckier owners—and players in leagues commencing the postseason bracket during Week 15—the stakes are higher than ever during a make-or-break weekend. The upcoming 16 games will certainly contain their star vanishing acts and plug-in superstars, but let’s go back to the top-50 board to identify top bets for standard and point-per-reception (PPR) formats.

Has anyone seen a missing Megatron? He’s about 6’5″, 235-240 pounds and was in line to secure his sixth straight 1,000-yard season on Sunday. 

After a sluggish start for his lofty standards, Johnson began to look like himself again for the Detroit Lions. Over the last seven games before Week 14, he averaged 91.9 yards and collected six of his season’s seven touchdowns. Upon restoring everyone’s trust as a stud wideout, he vanished for 16 yards against the St. Louis Rams.

Game flow didn’t remove him from the equation. During a 21-14 loss, Matthew Stafford attempted 46 passes, his highest tally since Week 2. Yet Theo Riddick, Golden Tate and TJ Jones—a rookie targeted six times this season before Sunday—all received more looks than Johnson:

Per MLive.com’s Kyle Meinke, head coach Jim Caldwell didn’t offer a satisfying explanation for his star receiver’s limited role:

This one was certainly different, marking the second time in five years he registered only one reception. Don’t count on a repeat against the New Orleans Saints, who also strayed from their norm by playing solid defense against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Mike Evans’ owners expected the moon against the Saints’ atrocious secondary, but they instead got three catches for 36 yards. Rather than overreact to one bizarre week, trust the star receiver to torch the No. 30 passing defense.

Jeremy Hill strikes again. Banking on a touchdown-dependent running back who scores in bunches will infuriate the calmest of fantasy managers. Yet he finally maintained some stability in volume and efficiency, setting a season-high 98 rushing yards on 22 carries in Week 13.

Everyone knows where this is going. Riding a wave of momentum into Week 14’s division showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Cincinnati Bengals back gained 24 total yards on nine touches. Before declaring this the last straw for the third time, anyone who survived his inactivity or astutely benched Hill must start him on Sunday.

Pittsburgh didn’t present the brightest matchup, yielding the third-fewest NFL.com fantasy points to running backs. Now, however, he gets a San Francisco 49ers defense which just turned Crowell into an unlikely fantasy hero.

It’s no accident San that Francisco was at the forefront of a rushing outburst. They have surrendered the most fantasy points to the position after coughing up 145 rushing yards and two scores to the Cleveland Browns back.

If that didn’t provide the Bengals enough motivation to run the ball, they’ll play without their starting quarterback. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Dalton will likely miss the remainder of the regular season, and possibly the playoffs, after injuring his hand against the Steelers:

This could be the rare game where both Hill and Giovani Bernard are fed enough to symbiotically flourish. Look for the bell cow to get 15-20 carries and goal-line work, making him a borderline top-10 back under standard scoring.

Should Hill make amends with perturbed investors who drafted him in the opening round, he’d follow Eddie Lacy’s Week 14 storyline. A week after gaining one total yard and getting benched, the Green Bay Packers running back gutted the Dallas Cowboys for 148 yards and a touchdown on 25 touches.

No high-caliber player contains such a drastic range of outcomes. The third-year pro has gained 10 or fewer rushing yards in four separate games this season, taking a back seat to James Starks each time. Yet he is averaging 76.9 rushing yards on 16.8 carries during the other eight bouts.

After his worst game of the season, Lacy responded with his best. Pro Football Focus noted his tough running against Dallas:

He has now recorded 100 rushing yards in three of Green Bay’s last four contests, registering 6.9 yards per handoff. His Week 15 opponent, the Oakland Raiders, have relinquished 4.2 yards per rush.

Following his inspiring bounce-back performance in front of the admiring home fans, it’s hard to see Lacy again falling behind Starks. Better late than never, he’s once again a must-start option. 

Read more Fantasy Football news on NerdyFootball.com

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Texans concerned after his second head injury in a month

Ed Werder (@Edwerderespn) on Twitter: “#Texans worried Brian Hoyer’s latest concussion and other injuries could cause QB to be out for a while. I’m told player is concerned.” (Twitter)

Nerdy Football Analysis: This is Hoyer second concussion inside of a month, and it appears that T.J. Yates will assume duties under center for the foreseeable future in Houston. Considering the favorable matchup in Indy, Yates might not be a terrible option in Week 15.

TUESDAY, 7:39am: According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), Mallett’s deal with the Ravens keeps him under contract for 2016. If Baltimore hangs onto him through the offseason, Mallett can earn up to about $2.5MM next year.

MONDAY, 2:26pm: The Ravens are set to sign quarterback Ryan Mallett, per Dianna Marie Russini of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Mallett was released on Oct. 28 by the Texans, days after he missed a team flight for a road trip against the Dolphins.

The Ravens lost starting quarterback Joe Flacco to a season-ending knee injury and injuries to Matt Schaub led them all the way down to Jimmy Clausen. Mallett will likely be No. 3 on the depth chart behind Clausen and Bryn Renner, but we’ll have to wait for word from head coach John Harbaugh to find out for certain.

A 2011 third-round pick of the Patriots, Mallett started six games in Houston over the last two years but slowly found his way into Bill O’Brien‘s doghouse. Mallett completed 53.1 percent of his throws this year for 770 yards, three touchdowns, and four interceptions for a 63.6 passer rating.