It’s hard to make 13-1 feel bad, but the Chiefs will keep trying. That was the case Sunday even before Patrick Mahomes suffered what is predictably being called the lowest high-ankle sprain of all time.
But this is where that patented “Chiefs luck” comes in. Despite first literally crawling before eventually hobbling his way to the sideline, Mahomes had all the appearances of a player who would have stayed in the game were it more important.
But it wasn’t and he didn’t. And this is where the “feel bad” comes back. The reality for the Chiefs is, the regular season no longer has any importance. Mahomes set his personal records his first few years in the league. The Chiefs are already a dynasty. The only thing that matters now is entrenching and expanding it, attempting to do the impossible and catching the Tom Brady Patriots.
That means Mahomes won’t be allowed to play against the Texans unless the Chiefs deem it absolutely necessary. With the No. 1 seed not yet assured and Kansas City looking like a team that could desperately use a bye and its attendant home-field advantage, that could still end up the calculus.
But then, even if Mahomes does play, we know stat-sheet stuffing won’t be the priority. Winning ugly is the greatest superpower a team can attain, and the Chiefs have perfected it. This leads to stats like DeAndre Hopkins posting 36 yards against the Browns and having it be his second best total of the past five weeks.
Most teams learn to win before going on to win with style. This was the formula for Brady and the Pats. The Chiefs have aged in reverse. They got their high-flying history book histrionics out of the way first. Now it’s all about stacking rings. For the Chiefs, not fantasy managers. Aside from a Travis Kelce floor case, no Chief is startable for the final two weeks of the fantasy playoffs, regardless of Mahomes’ status.
Five Week 15 Storylines
Saquon Barkley’s perfect season has first setback of any kind. But one sign you might be having a perfect season? When your “setback” is playing through injury as you post your second lowest rushing total. Barkley was mum afterward on what exactly happened in the first half — “thigh contusion” seems to be the best guess — but we saw what happened in the second: He played. That’s what Barkley will have to continue doing as the Eagles stare down the Lions for the NFC’s No. 1 seed. Riding Barkley to the fantasy playoffs only to have him potentially get you eliminated yesterday is a bitter pill to swallow, but if you survived, his Commanders and Cowboys matchups for the next two weeks are golden. Barkley ripped Week 16 opponent Washington for 26/146/2 five weeks ago.
Geno Smith (knee) fails to finish Seahawks loss. Patrick Mahomes didn’t return to a game the Chiefs were controlling. Saquon Barkley did return to a contest the Eagles needed to close out. Geno Smith? He put a wrap on his knee then wrapped himself up on the bench. It was an odd image as the Seahawks watched a must-win game slip away, but also clearly the correct course of action. For one thing: This cake was probably already baked. Although the Seahawks flirted with a comeback, their odds of victory were always low. For the other, we saw what Seattle looks like without its quarterback: Unwatchable. There was no point in Smith risking further injury and ending his season. Sit, get testing, get a grip on how to do move forward and do so. Provided he plays, Smith has a Week 16 Vikings date that is going to be painful but also be likely produce passing yards.
Alvin Kamara day to day as Saints’ offense somehow goes further off the rails. Kamara was the last Saint standing. Not anymore? Kamara’s groin issue doesn’t appear serious, but the Saints’ conundrum is. They’re down to the No. 3 quarterback with no pass catchers and an interim coach. Kamara remains part of the rebuilding team’s future thanks to his recent contract extension. Why risk his health … or the Saints’ ever-improving draft pick? There’s also incentive to evaluate Kendre Miller the final three weeks, perhaps finally giving Kamara his long-sought 1B back. If you survived Sunday’s latest meltdown, you probably need to be making post-Kamara plans for the fantasy semis.
Rico Dowdle has the Cowboys wondering what might have been. So, uhh, yeah. That thing that has been obvious all year? — Rico Dowdle is the best running back on the Cowboys’ roster — it remains obvious. The Cowboys’ commitment to Dowdle came too late for themselves. The same is not true for fantasy managers, who have picked up a late-season RB2 on the fly, one who has frankly been looking more like an RB1. Dowdle has been rocking plus matchups, but the Bucs remain one for Week 16. “@PHI” threatens to spoil the party for Week 17, but Dowdle is going to help you win your league even if he can’t quite seal the deal in the final.
Nick Chubb’s lost season ends with broken foot. One of the best pure runners of the 21st century injury washing out of the league is a tragedy. It is at least an opportunity in fantasy. Chubb had become unstartable amidst his inefficiency. He was also making things too predictable for the defense. When it’s this easy to stop the running back, you can zero in on the turnover-prone quarterback. If Jameis Winston can keep his job one more week, he will have a more lively running mate in Jerome Ford, one would offer RB2 appeal in a dream fantasy matchup with the Bengals. Although D’Onta Foreman will finally come off the healthy scratch list, Ford will be the first choice on every down that matters.
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Five More Week 15 Storylines
The Jameis Winston joy ride comes to a screeching halt. Which brings us to Winston. Yes, Winston deserves the lion’s share of the blame for his endless sacks and turnovers. But it’s not an excuse to say Chubb kept putting his quarterback in bad spots. When the running back is averaging barely three yards per carry, every second and third down becomes an eternity. And when it’s always 3rd-and-forever, the defense knows what you’re going to do: Pass. That’s a unique disadvantage for someone like Winston, who has elite arm talent but untamed aggression and questionable decision-making. He can’t have it being so easy for the defense. If Winston can manage to keep his job for this weekend’s smash spot with the Bengals, Ford’s presence between the tackles should make the down and distances more manageable, and Winston’s upside more achievable.
Will Levis fails one test too many heading into 2025. Fantasy managers want Winston to survive one more game because he gets the Bengals. That doesn’t mean facing Cincinnati is guaranteed to save your job. Just ask Will Levis. Struggling and in need of a pick-me-up, Levis got the matchup of a lifetime. He horribly botched it, in the process flunking his final audition. Levis was already unlikely to get another year under center for this rebuilding franchise. He decided to go ahead and put an exclamation point on it. Levis’ physical attributes, draft pedigree and experience means he will probably get to hang around the league as a backup, but the only genuinely-achievable upside outcome is now clear. He’s a Gardner Minshew-style backup who can win a game or two in a pinch but will quickly get overexposed if forced to start for months at a time. Levis’ superflex future is grim.
Mike Evans keeps quest for 11th straight 1,000-yard season alive. Evans was going to need a spiked week or two to keep his historic streak going. He got the first in his toughest remaining matchup. Now he needs “only” 251 yards across three games against the Cowboys, Panthers and Saints to keep making history. All three of those defenses are amongst the league’s most vulnerable against the pass, while Baker Mayfield and Todd Bowles have proven just as eager as previous Bucs quarterbacks and coaches to get Evans his numbers. That, coupled with the Bucs’ continued need to win to lock down the NFC South makes for a beautiful setup for fantasy managers hoping to bring home a title the next two weeks.
Not even Mac Jones can prevent Brian Thomas Jr. from looking like a burgeoning fantasy superstar. Jones is certifiably not a starting-caliber quarterback. He lacks the arm strength, athleticism and decision-making. So you could say it’s a pretty good sign BTJ is still posting new career highs each passing week. That’s especially true since the down-field maestro has been forced to win in the short-to-intermediate levels of the field. BTJ has nothing to prove deep. He had a lot to prove elsewhere, and he is doing so. Trevor Lawrence isn’t the best long-term wagon to be hitched to, but it would seem nothing can get in the way of Thomas becoming a multi-year WR1 for both the Jaguars and dynasty league managers.
Light looks more like it’s flickering instead of turning on for Anthony Richardson. For the eighth time in nine games, Richardson failed to complete 50 percent of his throws. For the fourth time in his past six starts, he didn’t clear 5.5 yards per attempt. Richardson has three passing scores in four games since returning under center. The rushing has been nice, but without throwing, you’re not a dual-threat. You’re a runner under center. With three straight plus matchups to end the year in vs. TEN, @NYG, vs. JAX, Richardson has to show something. If he doesn’t, well … that will be showing something, too: That he doesn’t have it.
Questions
1. Guest question from Baker Mayfield: What if Jameis Winston but good?
2. Guest question II from Mike Bloodworth: Has anyone ever been more of a future St. Louis Battlehawk than Carson Wentz?
3. Is there an argument to be made 49ers/Rams was the most disastrous game in fantasy football history?
Early Waivers Look (Players rostered in less than 50 percent of Yahoo leagues)
QB: Aaron Rodgers (vs. LAR), Russell Wilson (@BAL), Drake Maye (@BUF), Jameis Winston (@CIN), Cooper Rush (vs. TB), Mac Jones (@LV)
RB: Jerome Ford, Tyjae Spears, Sincere McCormick, Kimani Vidal, Kendre Miller, Ty Johnson, Isaiah Davis
WR: Romeo Doubs, Quentin Johnston, Hollywood Brown, Keon Coleman, Jalen McMillan, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Ray-Ray McCloud, Tim Patrick, Jalen Coker
TE: Hunter Henry, Brenton Strange, Stone Smartt, Cole Kmet, Noah Gray, Juwan Johnson, Chig Okonkwo, Tyler Higbee
DEF: Packers (vs. Saints), Falcons (vs. NYG), Colts (vs. TEN), Bucs (@DAL), Bengals (vs. CLE), Titans (@IND), Jaguars (@LV), Texans (@KC)
Stats of the Week
One. That’s the RB rank Jahmyr Gibbs will threaten for down the stretch with David Montgomery sidelined with a torn MCL.
21, 88, 10:29, and 0. The number of plays, yards, time and points accumulated on the Eagles’ game-ending final drive against the Steelers.
Awards Section
Week 15 Fantasy All-Pro Team: QB Josh Allen, RB James Conner, RB Jahmyr Gibbs, WR Davante Adams, WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR Mike Evans, TE Jonnu Smith
Week 15 All Bank Examiner Squad: QB Brock Purdy, RB Derrick Henry, RB Najee Harris, WR Cooper Kupp, WR Tyreek Hill, WR Amari Cooper, TE Travis Kelce
Tweet of the Week, from Clint Ward: “I probably thought of Cooper Kupp scoring 0 points in my playoff lineup 500 times between Thursday night and Sunday at 1:00. It was mental abuse.”
Play of the Week: Adonai Mitchell slow-pitch softballing his attempted cross-field pass to Anthony Richardson for a fumble-six.
The “That’s The Price You Pay” Award: Bengals EDGE Sam Hubbard apparently suffering a season-ending knee injury scoring a touchdown on a second quarter trick play.
The Maybe Don’t Literally Cost Your Team The Season Award?: Jonathan Taylor dropping the ball because he crossed the plane on his 41-yard touchdown and costing the Colts the game and quite possibly their season.
