One week of the fantasy playoffs is in the books, and as expected, there were some big days across the board. The good news is there are just as many points out there for fantasy owners in week 15. Follow my rankings and I’ll see you in the next round.
Quarterbacks
Could Impress: Matt Ryan. I was hard on Matty Ice early in the season for some really subpar play. But since the bye week, he’s averaging 300 yards and 2+ scores a game. Expect even better numbers against a Jacksonville squad that is pretty banged up in the secondary.
Could Disappoint: Carson Palmer. His numbers are trending in the wrong direction, despite playing against some usually porous fantasy defenses. If you’ve put your faith in him the past few weeks, you’re probably not still alive in the fantasy playoffs. If you’re thinking about taking a flyer this week, don’t.
Injury Replacement: Jake Locker. If you’re really desperate, or in a two quarterback league, you have to be impressed with what Locker did filling in for the injured Matt Hasselbeck, throwing for 280 yards and scoring twice. He likely earns his first start against a Colts team that is completely falling apart. It’s a risky move, but it very well could pay off.
QB Rankings
1. Aaron Rodgers GB (@ Kansas City)
2. Drew Brees NO (@ Minnesota)
3. Tom Brady NE (@ Denver)
4. Matthew Stafford DET (@ Oakland)
5. Tony Romo DAL (@ Tampa Bay)
6. Eli Manning NYG (vs. Washington)
7. Cam Newton CAR (@ Houston)
8. Matt Ryan ATL (vs. Jacksonville)
9. Tim Tebow DEN (vs. New England)
10. Philip Rivers SD (vs. Baltimore)
11. Michael Vick PHI (vs. New York Jets)
12. Ben Roethlisberger PIT (@ San Francisco)
13. Andy Dalton CIN (@ St. Louis)
14. Joe Flacco BAL (@ San Diego)
15. Rex Grossman WAS (@ New York Giants)
16. Carson Palmer OAK (vs. Detroit)
17. Mark Sanchez NYJ (@ Philadelphia)
18. Matt Moore MIA (@ Buffalo)
19. Ryan Fitzpatrick BUF (vs. Miami)
20. Josh Freeman TB (vs. Dallas)
21. T.J. Yates HOU (vs. Carolina)
22. Jake Locker TEN (@ Indianapolis)
23. Alex Smith SF (vs. Pittsburgh)
24. Christian Ponder MIN (vs. New Orleans)
25. Sam Bradford STL (vs. Cincinnati)
Running Backs
Could Impress: Chris Johnson. Indy’s run defense is giving up more than 21 points a game to fantasy backs, including an impressive 14 touchdowns. Johnson has been running like a man possessed against some of the weaker run defenses this year, and there’s no reason to expect anything but a big game against the Colts.
Could Disappoint: Frank Gore. It’s not that he won’t do well and it’s not even the matchup that is most concerning. San Fran has already started to scale back Gore’s work, giving him just 10 carries last week against Arizona, despite Gore posting an impressive 7.2 yards per carry. On the flipside, Kendall Hunter got 8 carries despite his 2.5 yards per carry. The 49ers want a healthy Gore for the playoffs, so expect the split listed above to continue.
Injury Replacement: Felix Jones. That was the player everyone expected to see this season. Jones ran extremely well against the Giants, putting up 106 yards. With DeMarco Murray on the shelf for the rest of the season, Jones should see plenty of work from here on out. He was still available in 30% of leagues. If it was yours, pick him up immediately.
RB Rankings
1. Arian Foster HOU (vs. Carolina)
2. Ray Rice BAL (@ San Diego)
3. Adrian Peterson MIN (vs. New Orleans)
4. Chris Johnson TEN (@ Indianapolis)
5. Maurice Jones-Drew JAX (@ Atlanta)
6. LeSean McCoy PHI (vs. New York Jets)
7. Marshawn Lynch SEA (@ Chicago)
8. Michael Bush OAK (vs. Detroit)
9. Michael Turner ATL (vs. Jacksonville)
10. Felix Jones DAL (@ Tampa Bay)
11. Shonn Greene NYJ (@ Philadelphia)
12. Ryan Mathews SD (vs. Baltimore)
13. Roy Helu WAS (@ New York Giants)
14. Beanie Wells AZ (vs. Cleveland)
15. Frank Gore SF (vs. Pittsburgh)
16. Reggie Bush MIA (@ Buffalo)
17. Cedric Benson CIN (@ St. Louis)
18. Steven Jackson STL (vs. Cincinnati)
19. Willis McGahee DEN (vs. New England)
20. Darren Sproles NO (@ Minnesota)
21. LeGarrette Blount TB (vs. Dallas)
22. Marion Barber CHI (vs. Seattle)
23. Rashard Mendenhall PIT (@ San Francisco)
24. C.J. Spiller BUF (vs. Miami)
25. BenJarvus Green-Ellis NE (@ Denver)
26. Ahmad Bradshaw NYG (vs. Washington)
27. Ryan Grant GB (@ Kansas City)
28. Jonathan Stewart CAR (@ Houston)
29. Brandon Jacobs NYG (vs. Washington)
30. Ben Tate HOU (vs. Carolina)
31. DeAngelo Williams CAR (@ Houston)
32. Peyton Hillis CLE (@ Arizona)
33. Donald Brown IND (vs. Tennessee)
34. Kevin Smith DET (@ Oakland)
35. Mike Tolbert SD (vs. Baltimore)
36. Pierre Thomas NO (@ Minnesota)
37. Kahlil Bell CHI (vs. Seattle)
38. Maurice Morris DET (@ Oakland)
39. Mark Ingram NO (@ Minnesota)
40. Toby Gerhart MIN (vs. New Orleans)
41. Daniel Thomas MIA (@ Buffalo)
42. Kendall Hunter SF (vs. Pittsburgh)
43. Jackie Battle KC (vs. Green Bay)
44. LaDainian Tomlinson NYJ (@ Philadelphia)
45. Dexter McCluster KC (vs. Green Bay)
46. Chris Ivory NO (@ Minnesota)
47. Montario Hardesty CLE (@ Arizona)
48. Thomas Jones KC (vs. Green Bay)
49. James Starks GB (@ Kansas City)
50. Brandon Saine GB (@ Kansas City)
Stephen Kelley is a contributor at The Sports Bank where he covers Fantasy Sports and Pro Drafts. You can follow him on Twitter @stephen_tsb.