Jeremy Hill put a stranglehold on the starting RB job in Cincinnati after Sunday’s performance

Scott Ellinwood is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Scott, check out his archive and follow him @ScottEllinwood.

For most of us, Week 15 was the penultimate game of the season. If you win in Week 15, you get a shot to play for a championship. On semifinal Sunday, there were plot twists, surprises and disappointments for everyone. Those of you fortunate enough to play for a title next week without having to worry about Monday Night Football, here are 5 things we learned in Week 15.

1. Jeremy Hill has established himself as a must-start player

Hill was cited in this space a few weeks ago as a player who was primed to steal the Bengals starting RB job from Giovani Bernard. After Bernard returned to the lineup, it took a couple of games, but the Cincinnati coaching staff appears to have finally settled on Hill as a lead back. In Week 15, Hill carried the ball 25 times for 148 yards and two scores. This is exactly the sort of production that fantasy owners have been hoping for since Hill gave a glimpse of his feature back potential with a couple of huge games in November. Even though I’m bullish on Hill as a keeper prospect, the Bengals will face the second ranked Broncos run defense in Week 16, so temper your expectations in the short term.

2. Johnny Manziel has a long way to go

Johnny Football finally got his shot to lead the Browns on Sunday, but it was the Bengals flashing the “money” sign as Manziel endured a long afternoon of hard lessons. As bad as the stat line was – 10 of 18 for 80 yards and two picks – his performance was even uglier. The Browns were shut out 30-0 at home by arguably their fiercest rival. With no threat of a passing game, the Browns couldn’t run either and managed only 107 yards of offense. One day, Manziel may recapture his college glory at the NFL level, but on Sunday, he looked like a player with a long, long way to go.

3. Someone placed a curse on quarterbacks this week

You can just imagine a voodoo practitioner somewhere, sticking needles in little knit dolls of NFL quarterbacks. It was that kind of week for signal callers around the league. On Tuesday, Panthers QB Cam Newton was involved in a serious car accident that broke two bones in his back, forcing him into the hospital and out of Carolina’s Sunday game against Tampa Bay. Two days later, Cardinals QB Drew Stanton was carted off the field in Arizona’s win over St. Louis. Then came Sunday, when we watched 12 quarterbacks fail to throw for 200 yards. Yes, you read that right and we’re not talking about terrible passers either. Andrew Luck, Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford were among those failing to reach the 200 mark. If you started one of them in Week 15 and were somehow lucky enough to advance in your playoffs, consider yourself fortunate.

4. Odell Beckham Jr. has emerged as an elite WR1

We all saw the catch a few weeks ago and Beckham has had some nice stat lines in a strong rookie season. In Week 15, Beckham took his game to another level, catching 12 of his 15 targets for 143 yards and three scores. His fifteen targets were nearly four times as many as the Giants next most targeted pass catcher, Rueben Randle. Since Victor Cruz suffered a torn patellar tendon in October, Beckham has performed as a true WR1, notching double digit targets in six of seven games and surpassing 100 yards in five of those contests. Owners in keeper and dynasty leagues have to be salivating over the prospect of Beckham playing opposite a healthy Cruz in 2015.

5. Jamaal Charles owners should be concerned about Week 16

Look, I know Charles is a fantasy stud. He’s been great all season, but he’s also been nicked lately. What we learned from Chiefs coach Andy Reid in Week 15 is that he won’t hesitate to rest Charles and give Knile Davis more of the load. Charles had 13 touches against Oakland on Sunday, but Davis had 10 and two of them were touchdowns. The point isn’t that Davis will do this every week, it’s that he is a persistent threat to take touches away from Charles, especially when Charles is banged up. Charles, Davis and the Chiefs travel to Pittsburgh in Week 16.