Quarterback
Aaron Rodgers, Jets (Rostered in 35% of Yahoo leagues)
We got our first taste of vintage Rodgers in Week 15 and it was beautiful.
DAVANTE ADAMS. 71-YARD TD. JETS LEAD.
— NFL (@NFL) December 15, 2024
📺: #NYJvsJAX on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/CwGfbTtbpF
Rodgers threw for 289 yards and three scores while adding 45 yards on the ground. It was his first 30-point day in over three years. The Jags matchup is one of the best in the league for opposing quarterbacks. While his next opponent, LA, doesn’t give up as many fantasy points, the Rams still allow the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks.
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Drake Maye, Patriots (13%)
Maye has at least one passing touchdown in every game he has started and finished this year. He is averaging 17.2 fantasy points per game in those contests. That would be good for the QB9 in points per game. Maye’s weekly rushing output of 39 yards and .2 touchdowns helps him maintain a QB2 floor while the occasional multi-score game gives him a QB1 ceiling.
Cooper Rush, Cowboys (8%)
Rush was a disaster in his first start but has since stabilized as a high-end QB2. He is averaging 239 yards, 1.8 touchdowns, and 16 fantasy points per game since his Week 10 implosion. He has finished as a QB1 in half of his starts (pending Monday’s double-header). Rush gets a Tampa Bay defense in Week 16 that has allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. Rush has proven more than capable of taking advantage of an easy matchup and will push for a top-15 ranking this week.
Others receiving votes: Mac Jones and Russell Wilson
Running Back
Kendre Miller, Saints (11%)
Miller returned from injured reserve and immediately forced a backfield split with Alvin Kamara. In Week 14, Miller earned 10 carries to Kamara’s 17 and scored a touchdown. Kamara then left at the top of the fourth quarter of Week 15’s game against the Commanders. Miller earned seven of his nine carries after Kamara’s final snap. Jamaal Williams played five snaps but did not see a touch. Kamara was eventually listed as questionable to return with a groin injury and missed the remainder of the game. He is considered day to day. The Saints play on Monday, giving the veteran back an extra day to recover. Kamara should be able to suit up, but Miller would vault to the top of the RB2 ranks if Kamara sits.
Jerome Ford, Browns (42%)
The Browns lost Nick Chubb to a broken foot for the remainder of the season. Ford was the only other back to see a carry for the Browns. He ran seven times for 84 yards and a score on the back of a 62-yard house call in the third quarter. Ford also added two catches for 20 yards. He should see the bulk of the Browns’ running back touches to close the year.
Tyjae Spears, Titans (44%)
Spears has only been used as a change-of-pace back since returning from a concussion. That hadn’t resulted in a usable fantasy day heading into Week 15, but the explosive back made the most of his 10 touches on Sunday, totaling 92 yards and two touchdowns. The bulk of his production predictably came through the air. Spears caught six passes for 87 yards and a score. He ran a route on 68 percent of the team’s passing plays and earned a 17 percent target share. Spears isn’t much of a threat to cut into Tony Pollard’s touches, but his role on passing downs could see him close out the year as a boom/bust RB3.
Ty Johnson, Bills (2%)
Johnson tied his season-high in route rate (42 percent) and set a new high-water mark in target share (17 percent). He caught five passes for 114 yards a week after catching two for 55 and a touchdown. The Bills are favored by a dozen points over the Patriots next week, meaning the team won’t need to use Johnson much if at all. His best shot at posting an RB3 performance might be via some garbage time attempts.
Others receiving votes: Devin Singletary and Justice Hill
Wide Receiver
Jalen Coker, Panthers (2%)
Coke missed three games with a quad injury before Week 15. You wouldn’t know that by looking at his box score. He caught four balls for 110 yards and a touchdown, fueled by an 83-yard score in the first half.
BRYCE YOUNG TO JALEN COKER. 83-YARD TD.
— NFL (@NFL) December 15, 2024
📺: #DALvsCAR on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/9DdQnhGIEP
Coker had a 20 percent target share and a 36 percent air yards share in three games leading up to his absence. He earned 23 percent of the targets last week and Xavier Legette went down with a groin injury. Coker should be a mainstay of the three-receiver rotation no matter who is healthy and Legette getting banged up leaves no room for a rug pull.
Jalen McMillan, Bucs (8%)
There was a bit of a lag, but the post-bye rookie bump is hitting for McMillan. He set a season-high in target share (27 percent) two weeks ago and earned his second-highest mark (23 percent) on Sunday. He has earned 29 percent of the team’s air yards and a third of their end zone targets over the past two weeks. Most importantly, McMillan has nine catches, 134 yards, and three scores in his two-game breakout. His touchdown totals will regress, but the role is real and the talent is evident.
Romeo Doubs, Packers (19%)
Week 15 was business as usual for Doubs, who returned from a multi-week absence because of a concussion to face the Seahawks. He earned a middling 19 percent target share but saw both of Jordan Love’s end zone throws. Doubs reeled in the looks for a pair of touchdowns. He finished the day with three grabs and 40 yards. Doubs isn’t a high-volume player, but he runs all of the routes for a team that passes with elite efficiency when they choose to do so.
Rashod Bateman, Ravens (25%)
Bateman left Week 13 with a knee injury but returned to his normal role and then some in following the bye. His five targets were good for a 23 percent target share. He converted on three of his looks for a total of 80 yards and two scores. Bateman’s big-play potential has resulted in three WR1 performances this season and a handful of other useful games. He remains a risky bet going forward, but Week 15 serves as a reminder of his single-week upside.
Quentin Johnston, Chargers (41%)
He keeps getting away with it. Johnston scored his eighth touchdown of the year in Week 15. I would normally object to this as an affront to the natural order of math. His touchdown rate is unsustainably high and I’m still betting on it falling over the final month of the season. However, Johnston earned 10 targets and a 31 percent target share in Week 15, marrying his touchdown total with an elite role for nearly the first time this year.
Malik Washington, Dolphins (0%)
Jaylen Waddle left Week 15’s game early with a knee issue and did not return. With Odell Beckham cut earlier in the week, Washington stepped up as the team’s No. 2 receiver. He ran a route on 70 percent of Tua Tagovailoa’s dropbacks and saw 15 percent of the targets. Washington’s Swiss Army Knife skill set—he returns punts and kicks while earning the occasional rush attempt—is a perfect match for Miami’s checkdown-heavy style. If Waddle misses time, Washington could close out his rookie season as a fantasy WR3.
Tim Patrick, Lions (3%)
Patrick ran a route on 88 percent of Jared Goff’s dropbacks in Week 15. He earned 15 percent of the targets and scored for the second week in a row. Patrick’s biggest draw for fantasy purposes is the fact that he plays a lot of snaps on an elite offense. That makes him a touchdown-or-bust WR4 for Week 16.
Others receiving votes: Wan’Dale Robinson and Marquez Valdes-Scantling
Tight End
Brenton Strange, Jaguars (2%)
Evan Engram is done for the year, granting Strange a starting role for Week 15 and the rest of the season. Strange didn’t waste any time posting TE1 numbers, racking up 11 catches for 73 yards on a dozen targets. He was a borderline TE1 when Engram missed time earlier in the season as well.
He finished inside the top 10 at his position in three of his four starts and will push for a TE1 rank in Week 16.
Noah Gray, Chiefs (19%)
Gray was held under four catches for the first time in five weeks but still found the end zone on one of his five looks. He has a five-target floor over his past five games and has converted his modest role into five touchdowns during that stretch. Gray remains a touchdown-dependent TE2 for Week 16.
Stone Smartt, Chargers (6%)
Smartt made his first career start in Week 15. He ran a route on 65 percent of the team’s dropbacks and earned a 19 percent target share. Smartt is a former quarterback who converted to wide receiver for his final season of college football at Old Dominion. He then converted to tight end in the NFL. With Will Dissly likely out again this week, Smartt has a chance to cement himself as the team’s starting tight end while putting up TE2 numbers in the process.
Others receiving votes: Chig Okonkwo, Hunter Henry, and Juwan Johnson
