- Week 15 Sunday Preview for Start/Sit | THE FULL SLATE
- Positional Matchups | Week 15 CheatChart | Find the Best Fantasy Performers
- Quarterback Start/Sit Advice | Week 15 of THE AUDIBLE
- Running Back Start/Sit Advice | Week 15 of THE CUTBACK
- Wide Receiver Start/Sit Advice | Week 15 of The SLANT PATTERN
- Tight End Start/Sit Advice | Week 15 of THE 12 FORMATION
- IDP Fantasy Start/Sit Advice | Week 15 of THE BLINDSIDE
Welcome to the Week 15 CheatChart. In this article, I provide an easy-to-use positional matchups table and highlight potentially exploitable matchups. If you’re curious about the process you can find a full introduction HERE where I lay out the methodology.
How to Use the Week 15 CheatChart
First, find YOUR PLAYER’S TEAM in the first column. Next, follow that line to THEIR POSITION’S column. That percentage is how much better or worse you can expect them to do compared to what they typically score.
Example: Let’s say you’re deciding between Tyrone Tracy (RB-NYG) and Jameson Williams (WR-DET). For Tracy, find NYG in the first column. Follow that row over to the RB column, and you’ll see his positional matchup is -13%. That’s a moderately negative matchup. Next, for Williams, find DET in the first column. Follow that row over to the WR column, and you’ll see his positional matchup is 7%, which is a mildly positive matchup. Given both players are averaging about 13 points per game, I’d lean Williams.
Win Your Week 15 | QB | RB | WR | TE | IDP | CheatChart | Full Slate
Offensive Players to Target | Week 15 CheatChart
Big Potential for Kyler
Kyler Murray has been good but not great for fantasy lately. He’s been averaging 15.4 FPPG which is okay, but not what you’d expect from a quarterback with rushing upside. This week, he gets the Patriots, who have been a good matchup for opposing QBs. Their run defense has been neutral, so there is a chance we see Murray capitalize on his rushing upside, though it likely won’t be massive. The over/under is middling and they’re expected to play from ahead so it’s not all roses, but the upside potential is still there.
No Better Thielen
For quite some time now, Adam Thielen’s main selling point was his touchdown upside. I even pointed to that in this article last week. Well, in Week 14 he put up a 19-point game without a touchdown. Currently, he is the clear WR1 in Carolina, and Bryce Young trusts him. Not only is he getting a monster target share, but that touchdown upside hasn’t disappeared. If your league doesn’t have a trade deadline and you’re in the playoffs, make an offer on Thielen. He is exactly the kind of short-term upside player you want to target when making a playoff push. His matchup next week isn’t great, but it’s good both this week (Week 15) and in Week 17.
RB Touchdowns Galore
David Montgomery has 12 rushing touchdowns so far this season, and Jahmyr Gibbs has 10. That places them both within the top 10. This week will be no different as they get the Bills, who have been bleeding points to opposing running backs. With a very generous 55-point over/under on the game, which is expected to be very close, both players could put up week-winning performances. If your opponent is starting one of them aim for ceiling in your lineup.
Njoku Heating Up
David Njoku looks to be heading towards another end-of-season hot streak. Not only has he averaged 14.9 FPPG over the last six weeks, but his schedule over the playoffs is extremely enticing. This week, he has the Chiefs, followed by the Bengals and Dolphins. All three have been top-six matchups for tight ends.
Offensive Players to Avoid | Week 15 CheatChart
May or May Not
In four of his last five games, Baker Mayfield has finished outside the top 12. Before that, he’d done so just once this year. Now he goes against the Chargers, who are the fourth-toughest matchup for opposing QBs. He’s still worth starting over backup-tier quarterbacks, but consider him a risky play this week.
Hurting for Targets
Jalen Hurts has averaged just 22.3 pass attempts per game over the last six weeks, by far the lowest in the league. That’s left his receivers very little to work with for receptions. This week, they go against the Steelers, who have been exceptional against the pass game. A.J. Brown is averaging a 32% target share, but that translates into just 7 targets a game. Doing the same for Devonta Smith’s 25% target share and you’re looking at 5.5 targets a game. While sitting A.J. Brown likely isn’t an option, it’s hard to put either into your lineup and feel good about it with such a small amount of volume on top of a bad positional matchup.
Browns Blah Backfield
The Browns have split their backfield between Nick Chubb and Jerome Ford leaving neither with enough volume for guaranteed fantasy relevance. That means you should avoid them given their usage and the bad positional matchup they’ve got in Week 15. If forced, you might be able to use Ford as a desperation flex given his receiving work, but that should be a last resort.
Cade in Waiting
Cade Otton was a solid play in Week 14 but should be kept on the bench in Week 15. The Buccaneers face the Chargers who have been shutting down tight ends. He will be entirely touchdown dependent and the game has only a middling over/under.
IDP | Week 15 CheatChart
IDP Targets | Week 15 CheatChart
Primed Panthers Linemen
Last week I wrote about Jadeveon Clowney and A’Shawn Robinson. While Clowney ended up inactive due to injury, he’s still worth a pick up if he’s made his way to waivers. I said Robinson had 20+ point potential and he delivered right on the money. They have a great positional matchup again this week against the Cowboys. If he can snag another sack, he’ll put you in a good spot to win. But even if he doesn’t, he won’t sink you considering his high floor.
Bengals Linebacker Changes
With the loss of Logan Wilson to injury several weeks ago, several Bengals linebackers have seen their role grow. None have grown more than Akeem Davis-Gaither. Davis-Gaither went from peaking at 30% of defensive snaps to over 90% in the last two weeks. He put up a solid fantasy performance in both games, and neither was as good a positional matchup as he gets in Week 15. Germaine Pratt saw a bump in snaps, though he was already on the field more often than not.
Bonus: Myles Murphy and Joseph Ossai have seen their snap shares increase and they both carry a dual designation, meaning they should benefit from the positional matchup. It’s worth keeping an eye on Murphy to see if he can capitalize on this increased opportunity. Ossai can be started as a flex option given he’s been on a hot streak, with sacks over the last several games.
Patriots Secondary Packs A Punch
Jabrill Peppers is back in action for the Patriots and looking true to form. He played 100% of snaps in Week 13 before their bye. Kyle Dugger has been hot and cold this season, but should do well in in this favorable positional matchup. Cornerbacks Marcus Jones and Christian Gonzalez are worth streaming consideration, but keep an eye on practice reports. Gonzalez was reported as having a shoulder injury which he did not have going into their bye week.
Team Trends | Week 15 CheatChart
Notable Rush Funnel Teams: The Cardinals, Bills, Bears, Colts, Saints, Giants, Steelers, and 49ers are all rush funnels.
Pass Funnel Teams: The Cowboys, Lions, Texans, Chiefs, Raiders, and Seahawks are the biggest pass funnels in the league.
IDP Targets: The Buccaneers are the best matchup for defensive linemen, followed by the Steelers and Bears. The Bears are also a good target for linebackers, as are the Cowboys and Commanders. The Browns and Bengals are the top two DB targets, followed by the Falcons, Patriots, and Seahawks.
Final Word | Week 15 CheatChart
Now that bye weeks are behind us and we’re in the final stretch of the playoffs, it’s time to focus on your lineup as well as your opponents. Check your opponents’ rosters to see whether to focus more on floor or ceiling. If you’re a sixth seed, chances are you’ll need to aim high, as your opponent likely has the better roster. If you’re a first or second seed and your opponent barely scraped into the playoffs, you might be safer playing to floor, forcing them to make riskier picks.
