Phinsider Week 15 Fantasy Football Rankings

The fantasy football semi-finals have arrived! Luckily, your favorite friendly neighborhood writer has advanced to the next round of the fantasy football playoffs and is ready to give you all of the insights on who to start to reach championship week. We’ve got some serious movement in our rankings folks, so let’s get right down to it.

Each week of the NFL season, I’ll be giving an updated look at where the top players at each fantasy football position stand, with matchups and injury concerns taken into account. For the sake of continuity, I’ll only be using standard scoring when constructing the rankings, so be sure to consider that when setting your lineups.

Quarterback

1. Tom Brady - @ Pit
2. Ben Roethlisberger - vs NE
3. Aaron Rodgers - @ Car
4. Russell Wilson - vs LAR
5. Drew Brees - vs NYJ
6. Philip Rivers - @ KC
7. Matthew Stafford - vs Chi
8. Cam Newton - vs GB
9. Jared Goff - @ Sea
10. Matt Ryan - @ TB
11. Case Keenum - vs Cin
12. Kirk Cousins - vs Ari
13. Dak Prescott - @ Oak
14. Jimmy Garoppolo - vs Ten
15. Derek Carr - vs Dal
16. Alex Smith - vs LAC
17. Jameis Winston - vs Atl
18. Blake Bortles - vs Hou
19. Jay Cutler - @ Buf
20. Eli Manning - vs Phi

The quarterback position is boasting two extremely prominent headlines heading into week 15. Most notable is the season ending knee injury sustained by Carson Wentz, one that has the potential to derail the Eagles’ Super Bowl aspirations, and partially even hinder their ability to compete at the beginning of next season. The former MVP front runner was having a spectacular year, and it’s a darn shame he won’t be able to see it through.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is the return of another magical passer, Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers is reentering Green Bay’s starting lineup just in time for the stretch run of the season in the hopes of giving the Packers the final push they need to reach the postseason. What does this mean for fantasy purposes? Those who stashed Rodgers in their IR spot when he went down months ago can finally reap the benefits of being patient.

Running Back

1. Le’Veon Bell - vs NE
2. Todd Gurley - @ Sea
3. LeSean McCoy - vs Mia
4. Alvin Kamara - vs NYJ
5. Leonard Fournette - vs Hou
6. Mark Ingram - vs NYJ
7. Kareem Hunt - vs LAC
8. Melvin Gordon - @ KC
9. Carlos Hyde - vs Ten
10. Devonta Freeman - @ TB
11. Jordan Howard - @ Det
12. Alex Collins - @ Cle
13. Kenyan Drake - @ Buf
14. Lamar Miller - @ Jax
15. Rex Burkhead - @ Pit
16. Jamaal Williams - @ Car
17. Latavius Murray - vs Cin
18. Christian McCaffrey - vs GB
19. Duke Johnson Jr. - vs Bal
20. Marshawn Lynch - vs Dal

Alvin Kamara’s position on this list is pending his availability for Sunday’s game, while Kenyan Drake’s is contingent on the health of Damien Williams. If Williams suits up, Drake would be knocked down a few spots. Some good matchup based plays for this week include Latavius Murray against Cincinnati, Drake against Buffalo, and Jordan Howard against Tennessee.

Wide Receiver

1. Antonio Brown - vs NE
2. Julio Jones - @ TB
3. Michael Thomas - vs NYJ
4. DeAndre Hopkins - @ Jax
5. Keenan Allen - @ KC
6. Jordy Nelson - @ Car
7. Adam Thielen - vs Cin
8. A.J. Green - @ Min
9. Doug Baldwin - vs LAR
10. Davante Adams - @ Car
11. Jarvis Landry - @ Buf
12. Tyreek Hill - vs LAC
13. Devin Funchess - vs GB
14. Larry Fitzgerald - @ Was
15. Brandin Cooks - @ Pit
16. Mike Evans - vs Atl
17. Marvin Jones Jr. - vs Chi
18. Dez Bryant - @ Oak
19. Michael Crabtree - vs Dal
20. Alshon Jeffery - vs NYG

The return of Aaron Rodgers under center for Green Bay significantly raises the stock of his primary pass catchers, Jordy Nelson and Davante Adams. Despite the difficult matchup with Carolina, both should be counted on for solid fantasy performances. Keenan Allen and Devin Funchess have fantastic matchups this week and should be in all starting lineups, so fire them up confidently as a WR1 and WR2, respectively.

Tight End

1. Travis Kelce - vs LAC
2. Rob Gronwkoski - @ Pit
3. Zach Ertz - @ NYG
4. Delanie Walker - @ SF
5. Kyle Rudolph - vs Cin
6. Jimmy Graham - vs LAR
7. Evan Engram - vs Phi
8. Jared Cook - vs Dal
9. Hunter Henry - @ KC
10. Jack Doyle - vs Den
11. Eric Ebron - vs Chi
12. O.J. Howard - vs Atl
13. Jason Witten - @ Oak
14. Jesse James - vs NE
15. Austin Hooper - @ TB
16. Vernon Davis - vs Ari
17. Julius Thomas - @ Buf
18. Garrett Celek - vs Ten
19. Ricky Seals-Jones - @ Was
20. David Njoku - vs Bal

Kyle Rudolph is highly questionable with an ankle injury, so owners need to be monitoring his status closely as the week progresses. Rudolph owners without a backup plan should look for O.J. Howard and Jesse James on the waiver wire. Both have been increasing their snap counts over their respective teammates as of late and are playing in games that are likely to be of the high scoring variety.

Defense/Special Teams

1. Jacksonville - vs Hou
2. Baltimore - @ Cle
3. New Orleans - vs NYJ
4. Philadelphia - @ NYG
5. Los Angeles (Rams) - @ Sea
6. Denver - @ Ind
7. Minnesota - vs Cin
8. Los Angeles (Chargers) - @ KC
9. Detroit - vs Chi
10. Tennessee - @ SF
11. Carolina - vs GB
12. Arizona - @ Was
13. Buffalo - vs Mia
14. Pittsburgh - vs NE
15. Seattle - vs LAR
16. Chicago - @ Det
17. New England - @ Pit
18. Washington - vs Ari
19. Dallas - @ Oak
20. Miami - @ Buf

New Orleans’ defense is my favorite pickup of the week, as the Saints have a juicy matchup with the Josh McCown-less New York Jets. With Bryce Petty expected to take over the starting role, owners can expect very few points and a great deal of turnovers from the Jets offense. Other teams with positive matchups this week include Denver, Detroit, and Arizona.

Kicker

1. Greg Zuerlein - @ Sea
2. Stephen Gostkowski - @ Pit
3. Chris Boswell - vs NE
4. Justin Tucker - @ Cle
5. Mason Crosby - @ Car
6. Will Lutz - vs NYJ
7. Matt Prater - vs Chi
8. Matt Bryant - @ TB
9. Robbie Gould - vs Ten
10. Ryan Succop - @ SF
11. Kai Forbath - @ Cin
12. Harrison Butker - vs LAC
13. Phil Dawson - @ Was
14. Jake Elliott - vs NYG
15. Graham Gano - vs GB
16. Josh Lambo - vs Hou
17. Stephen Hauschka - vs Mia
18. Adam Vinatieri - vs Den
19. Blair Walsh - vs LAR
20. Cody Parkey - @ Buf

Philadelphia kicker Jake Elliott’s stock takes a hit with the loss of Carson Wentz, while Mason Crosby’s value increases significantly with the return of Aaron Rodgers. If you’re somehow in need of a kicker this late in the season (maybe you own Elliot), pick up Crosby if he’s on the wire in your league.