Week 15 fantasy football recap: Kirk Cousins owners like that a lot
When I worked in Toledo, Ohio, the beat writer who covered the Toledo Mud Hens – John Wagner - had a simple, yet noteworthy section in the paper. He called it three-dot-data. They were little morsels of minutiae that also informed the masses. For Week 15, I present my fantasy football three-dot-data for every NFL matchup. Thanks to Wags for the inspiration.
Buccaneers at Rams (Thursday)
Case Keenum game managing, clean sheet 20+ fantasy points … Todd Gurley 2.3 yards per rush … Jared Cook 64 yards, most yards since Week 1 …Tavon Austin scores 20+ fantasy points for fourth time this season
Mike Evans sees 17 targets for the second time this season (19 season-high) … season-high nine receptions for 157 yards … yet only three TDs in 2015 … Doug Martin averages 5.1 yards or better per rush for seventh time in a game this season … first 300-yard passing game for Jameis Winston
Jets at Cowboys (Saturday)
Credit to Darren McFadden … he’s still healthy … and he rushed 16x for 100 yards … DMC’s fifth 100-yard rush performance this season … Dez Bryant seven games with 50 or fewer receiving yards this season
Said it before, Chris Ivory is a polarizing fantasy option … in Week 15, he averaged 2.8 YPR … Bilal Powell is averaging 16.9 fantasy points per game over past five games (PPR) … Eric Decker has scored double-digit fantasy points in every game this season with a floor of 11.7 … has a touchdown in six out of his last eight games … Ryan Fitzpatrick has been one of the most consistent, undervalued fantasy quarterbacks this season
Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Ravens
Buck Allen lost a fumble that was returned for a touchdown and was in Harbaugh doghouse rest of the game … finished with four carries … a bright spot in what has been forgettable year in Baltimore has been Kamar Aiken …caught eight passes (including Hail Mary) for 128 yards with the touchdown (26.8 FP) … has scored double-digit fantasy points in 11 out of 14 games for Ravens
Spencer Ware active, but didn’t play (ribs) … Travis Kelce’s 73 yards are the most since before Halloween … Jeremy Maclin a little disappointing in a great matchup, but had 50 yards with the touchdown …perceived ceiling 20 FP+ for Maclin … but Alex Smith 21-25 #gamemanaging at its finest … Chiefs DST two touchdowns because Jimmy Claussen / Allen
Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts
You will tell your grandkids about the day you watched Brandon Weeden vs. Charlie Whitehurst for first place in an NFL division … Alfred Blue – he of the four touches over the past two games – finished with 20 carries for 107 yards against the Colts … Blue’s best game since late-September … QB woes taking toll on DeAndre Hopkins owners with only one TD in last four games
Atlanta Falcons at Jacksonville Jaguars
Matt Ryan typically average against a poor pass defense (13.8 FP vs. JAX) … Julio Jones scored his first touchdown since November 1 … first 100-yard receiving game since before Thanksgiving … Devonta Freeman racks up 101 total yards … first touchdown since November 8 … his 25 carries the most since October 25 … Falcons phased out Jacob Tamme since Hankerson landed on IR … only one target Week 15
Denard Robinson eight receptions for 46 yards good for PPR owners, but 14 carries for 28 yards with no touchdowns two two fumbles (none lost) not doing any favors for standard scoring leagues … Allen Robinson has six touchdowns over his past four games … Julius Thomas failed to score for first time in five games … still led Jags in receiving with 79 yards
Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings
Teddy Bridgewater’s four touchdown passes (five total) is the first time the sophomore QB tossed for 3-or-more scores in a game … Stefon Diggs finishes with nine receptions (16 targets) for 150 yards with three touchdowns against the Bears … Adrian Peterson left the game due an ankle injury
Jeremy Langford co-existing with Matt Forte, but the veteran finished with six receptions for 57 yards with a touchdown … Alshon’s only reception was for six … Zach Miller six for 57 filling in nicely for Martellus Bennett owners
Buffalo Bills at Washington Redskins
Heading into Week 15, Kirk Cousins home/away TD:INT ratio was 12:2 (home) and 6:9 (away) … he added four more touchdowns to his home park resume along with 311 passing yards and a rush TD … it’s the third time this season Cousins has scored 35+ fantasy points … Alfred Morris with a sneaky 84 yards on the ground – third-most this season … DeSean Jackson (knee) burned me with his comments regarding his injured knee … finished with season-high 153 receiving yards with a touchdown … Jordan Reed remains a solid cog in the offense with seven receptions on seven targets with two more touchdowns
Sammy Watkins is averaging nearly 115 receiving yards per game over past four contests … LeSean McCoy left with a knee injury
Carolina Panthers at New York Giants
Cam Newton scored 53.6 fantasy points … he’s scored 30+ fantasy points in four games this season … he rushed eight times for 100 yards … has 19 total touchdowns in last five games … Cameron Artis-Payne managed 93 total yards on 16 touches (5.8 YPT) … Ted Ginn has scored two touchdowns in each of the three games and averaged 95 receiving yards in the process … the 14 targets he saw were the most since September 2009
What the heck … Rashad Jennings 16 carries for 107 yards … Will Tye has touchdowns in back-to-back games despite low targets … Odell will owe some dough for this gem (among others) against the Panthers
Why is he still in the game? RT @CharlesRobinson: Odell Beckham went after Josh Norman's head. This is pretty dirty. https://t.co/1JkD1zXZ3n
— Bruce Arthur (@bruce_arthur) December 20, 2015
Tennessee Titans at New England Patriots
Proof “The Hoodie” doesn’t care about your fantasy football team … Patriots sign Joey Iosefa off practice squad … proceeds to lead team in rushing with 51 yards on team-high 14 carries … James White had seven receptions for 71 yards with a touchdown in the first half … White didn't do anything in the second half … Danny Amendola aggravated his knee injury and was forced from the game
Delanie Walker had only two receptions, but posted 20.4 fantasy points in the process … for the second time in three games Dorial Green-Beckham racked up 110+ receiving yards … Marcus Mariota left the game with an MCL injury
Cleveland Browns at Seattle Seahawks
Terrelle Pryor had one rush for -1 yard … Dwayne Bowe had two receptions for 22 yards
After signing Bryce Brown and Christine Michael this past week, Seahawks lead back was … Michael with 16 carries for 84 yards … Doug Baldwin and Tyler Lockett combine for three more touchdowns … Baldwin now has 10 touchdowns in last four games … Lockett’s averaging 83 yards per game over past three … Jermaine Kearse led Seahawks in receiving with seven receptions for 110 yards
Miami Dolphins at San Diego Chargers
Danny Woodhead’s last four games = 24 fantasy points … Woodhead’s Week 15 after four touchdowns = 36 fantasy points … Donald Brown rushed 12 times for 90 yards
Green Bay Packers at Oakland Raiders
Eddie Lacy 11 carries for 23 yards a week after 25 touches for 148 yards … James Jones best game since before Thanksgiving (20.2 FP) … Aaron Rodgers 12.2 FP vs. Raiders … Blaine Gabbert scored more fantasy points against the Bengals
Amari Cooper showing promise for 2016 … after a relatively quiet five-game stretch (8.74 FPPG), Cooper posts six receptions for 120 yards with two touchdowns against the Packers
Cincinnati Bengals at San Francisco 49ers
A.J. Green hurt his back in Saturday’s practice and was limited during most of the game … Jeremy Hill rushed 19 times for 34 yards with a lost fumble against the same rush 49ers defense that allowed Isaiah Crowell to rush for 145 one week ago
I think San Francisco was trying to lose … very quiet two weeks for Shaun Draughn after averaging 15.6 fantasy points Weeks 9, 11-13
Denver Broncos at Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers score 24-unanswered points led by Antonio Brown’s 46.9 fantasy point performance … he caught 16 passes for 189 yards with two touchdowns … the 46.9 fantasy points were the second-most for Brown this season (17 for 284 yards vs. Raiders)
Emmanuel Sanders scores season-high 36.5 fantasy points … most of the damage in the first half (eight for 140 w/ TD), but finished with 10 receptions for 181 yards with a touchdown … the 181 yards are a career high for Sanders… Ronnie Hillman 14 carries to C.J. Anderson’s four … first time Broncos DST allowed 30+ points in a game this season
Arizona Cardinals at Philadelphia Eagles
David Johnson enters MNF ranked third in fantasy points scored in Week 15 (44.9) … he rushed for 187 yards on 29 carries with three scores … chipped in 42 receiving yards … now averaging 27.4 FPPG over past three … John Brown scored a touchdown, but dropped three big passes that could have added to his totals … Larry Fitzgerald with a quiet game of 43 yards despite the friendly matchup
DeMarco Murray carried the ball twice … twice … twice … Jordan Matthews and Zach Ertz combined for 16 receptions 237 yards with two touchdowns