It’s officially playoff time in most season-long fantasy leagues, but if your team didn’t quite make the cut there are still plenty of opportunities to make some cash. It’s time to strap in for the homestretch as the final few weeks will be just as intriguing for your fantasy teams as it will your favorite NFL teams.
Before I delve into my Week 15 stacks, let’s review how last week went.
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WEEK 14 RECAP
Premium Stack
Russell Wilson – 32.28 points
Doug Baldwin – 29.2 points
Seattle Seahawks D/ST – 12 points
The Seahawks are on fire lately and they’re propelling themselves into the playoffs with plenty of momentum for a Super Bowl run (yes, they’re that good). The Wilson and Baldwin connection paid big dividends once again while the Seahawks put up a solid outing against a Ravens’ offense led by the mercurial Jimmy Claussen.
I’m so pleased with my Seahawks stack, I might just bank on them again this week. Stay tuned.
Value Stack
Jameis Winston – 13.68 points
Mike Evans – 5.4 points
Vincent Jackson – 1 point
Yikes. The Buccaneers could not take advantage of the worst pass defense in the league, which shows that the rookie struggle is still occurring for Winston. His sluggish performance drastically impacted Evans and Jackson, who simply have not clicked often this season.
Risky Stack
Blake Bortles – 25.7 points
Allen Robinson – 6.9 points
Allen Hurns – 18 points
The Jaguars lit up the Indianapolis Colts for 51 points without Robinson having a stellar game. That’s mighty impressive for an offense that has been awful for years. Bortles has become a reliable starting quarterback in all formats, and the Jaguars will be reappearing later in this piece as a result.
WEEK 15 PREDICTIONS
Let’s shift gears to Week 15. The week may change, but some of my stacks will stay the same. All prices come from FanDuel.
Premium Stack
Cleveland Browns @ Seattle Seahawks (3:05 p.m. ET kickoff)
Players of note
Russell Wilson ($8,800), Doug Baldwin ($7,400), Seattle Seahawks D/ST ($5,400)
Rationale
Yes, I know I’m using the same exact stack from a week ago. Sue me for sticking with a good thing. The Seahawks are playing another hapless AFC North opponent, this time at home. Johnny Manziel will not fare well against the Legion of Boom and it could be very ugly for Johnny Football this weekend.
The Browns’ pass defense is also in shambles and lost its best cornerback, Joe Haden, to a concussion. Cleveland will enter Sunday’s contest allowing 254 passing yards per game and 26 touchdown passes this season. Russell Wilson has scored at least 32 points in each of his last three games. That will continue against the left for dead Browns.
Value Stack
Atlanta Falcons @ Jacksonville Jaguars (1 p.m. ET kickoff)
Players of note
Blake Bortles ($7,900), Allen Robinson ($8,100), Denard Robinson ($6,200)
Rationale
T.J. Yeldon could miss Sunday’s game with a knee sprain, which means Robinson would likely see the most reps out of Jacksonville’s backfield. Robinson put up 15.2 points last week in relief of Yeldon and has proven to be a decent fantasy player in the past. Obviously, check on Yeldon’s status in case he is available on Sunday.
Bortles still comes at a modest price considering he’s put up at least 23 fantasy points in each of his last three games. Bortles and Robinson will face a solid matchup against the reeling Falcons, who have surrendered at least 200 passing yards and at least one touchdown pass in three of its last four games.
Risky Stack
Chicago Bears @ Minnesota Vikings (1 p.m. ET kickoff)
Players of note
Adrian Peterson ($8,600), Stefon Diggs ($5,700), Minnesota Vikings D/ST ($4,600)
Rationale
The Vikings desperately need a win after losing consecutive games to NFC contenders. Minnesota’s offense has been quite disappointing lately, but will face a Bears’ defense that has struggled to contain Blaine Gabbert and Kirk Cousins the past two weeks.
Peterson has not been tremendous this season, but he should feast against Chicago. The Bears rank 26th in the NFL with an average of 125.7 rushing yards allowed this season.
Teddy Bridgewater isn’t a reliable fantasy quarterback, but Diggs has a good opportunity against the Bears’ secondary. Diggs caught six passes for 95 yards and a touchdown against Chicago in a road win earlier this season.
Minnesota’s defense is its backbone and it should put up a strong effort against a streaky Bears offense. The Vikings could be a strong value play if you’re looking for a cheap defense this week.
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Matt Barbato is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Matt, you can view his archive or follow him @realmattbarbato.