Every week we’ll bring you The Primer, a deep dive into every fantasy-relevant player from every NFL game of the week. You can find the full weekly Primer here. Below we dive into a few notable players ahead of this weekend’s games.
- Fantasy Football Start/Sit Advice
- Waiver Wire Picks
- Weekly Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
Fantasy Football Outlook
Michael Pittman: Pittman has been a volume vacuuming monster with Minshew under center. He’s essentially been Indy’s Keenan Allen, gobbling up targets weekly with reckless abandon. Since Week 6, he has had a 29.8% target share, a 34.9% air-yard share, 2.30 YPRR, and a 37.4% first-read share. He has at least 11 targets in six of his last eight games while also amassing 13 red zone targets in the same timeframe. Pittman is the WR12 in fantasy points per game this season, with at least 19.5 PPR points in each of his last three games. This week could be a different story, though. Since Week 8, Pittsburgh has utilized Joey Porter Jr. (42.5% catch rate and 61.8 passer rating) five times as he’s followed Calvin Ridley, DeAndre Hopkins, Amari Cooper, Ja’Marr Chase, and Marquise Brown on 50-89.5% of their routes. Only Chase managed to surpass 50 receiving yards in Porter’s coverage, and none of these receivers scored a touchdown. Pittman will be tested early and often my Porter Jr. Week 15 Positional Value: WR2
Amari Cooper: Cooper is the WR35 in fantasy points per game, ranking 17th in deep targets and 33rd among wide receivers in red zone targets. Last week with Flacco, he had a 31.1% target share, a 51.2% air-yard share, 1.88 YPRR, and a 39.4% first-read share. He was fed volume in a smash matchup and walked away with an okay but not amazing day with 77 receiving yards and zero touchdowns. Cooper will walk a more difficult path this week. Since Week 9, Chicago has allowed the seventh-fewest PPR points per target and second-fewest receiving yards per game to perimeter wide receivers. Week 15 Positional Value: WR3
Tucker Kraft: Kraft has fulfilled the hope that man had for Luke Musgrave this season. Since assuming the starting spot in Week 12, he has finished as a TE1 twice (TE11, TE12). Over the last two weeks, he has played 95-100% of the snaps, seeing a 13.3% target share and 14% first-read share with 1.80 YPRR. Kraft should turn in another TE1 week to open the fantasy playoffs, facing off against a defense that has allowed the ninth-most fantasy points per game and the fifth-most receiving yards per game to tight ends. Week 15 Positional Value: TE1
Trey McBride: Since Week 8, McBride has been the TE3 in fantasy points per game, ranking first in target share (28.3%), fourth in air-yard share (28.3%), third in YPRR (2.42), and first in first-read share (33.3%). McBride is one of the emerging elite tight ends in fantasy who will be a middle-round pick next year (or should be). Since Week 12, the 49ers have utilized two-high at the sixth-highest rate (58.1%). Since Week 8, among 51 qualifying tight ends, McBride ranks fifth in fantasy points per route run against two-high. San Francisco has been tough on tight ends all season, allowing the fourth-fewest fantasy points per game and receiving yards per game. Week 15 Positional Value: TE1
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