When it’s sweltering in July and August, natural complainers yip about the heat. I’m thinking about December and January. In July, you don’t even have a fantasy roster. In December and January, you’re horrified to learn your fast-track offense is playing in Buffalo in January and the weather outside is frightful.
What separates good fantasy owners from really good ones is they take into account holiday season weather in July. When I’m on the clock and I have two players I could go either way on, I will go with the player in the more climate-controlled conditions when it comes to fantasy playoff time.
It stuns me that this isn’t a metric fantasy football management. It’s one-and-done in the playoffs. Don’t wake up Sunday morning and see snowplows on a field and straight flags and be caught unaware. That’s how fantasy seasons die.
I say this because there is currently a “superstorm” making its way across the country. A lot of people will be impacted. By the time it gets to the East Coast, it’s going to be all rain. On Sunday. It could be a lot of rain and, more importantly, a lot of wind – the bane of NFL offenses.
Just sayin’.
Here is the Week 15 Fantasy Football Market Report.
Fantasy Football Risers
Baltimore Ravens RB J.K. Dobbins – It seems as though injuries plague the Ravens’ running game every season, and 2022 has been no exception. After missing the last six games, Dobbins wasn’t on a pitch count in his return, rushing 15 times for 120 yards and a touchdown. At this time of year, anybody with fresh legs stands out and Dobbins looked outstanding.
Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff – The Lions are one of the hottest teams in the league, and Goff has been a big part of it. He has been explosive at home, throwing 20 touchdowns in seven home games. Over his last two games, he has thrown for 670 yards and five touchdowns, making him a guy fantasy owners are being forced to acknowledge.
Jacksonville Jaguars TE Evan Engram – Through his first 11 games, Engram had just 37 catches and one touchdown. In his last two games, he has scored three touchdowns and had a huge game on Sunday, catching 11 passes for 162 yards and two TDs. The Jaguars have the offensive weapons to be competitive, and if Engram steps forward, they could be a team to watch moving forward.
Kansas City Chiefs RB Jerick McKinnon – The loss of Clyde Edwards-Helaire helped skyrocket the production of Isiah Pacheco as the featured back but also has greatly elevated the role McKinnon plays in the Chiefs offense. In the first 11 games of the season, McKinnon was averaging 3.5 carries a game, 2.6 receptions a game, and scored one touchdown. In his last two games as the RB2 for the Chiefs, he has carried the ball 14 times for 73 yards, caught nine passes for 121 yards, and scored three touchdowns. Pacheco is the main man, but there are more RB fantasy points to be had.
Los Angeles Rams RB Cam Akers – In L.A. the fantasy lineup is starting to look like the last man standing. Akers is averaging only 3.5 yards a carry over the last two games but has rushed 29 times for 102 yards and three touchdowns. With so many injuries to the offense, Akers may end up being about the only show for fantasy owners and when the Rams get the goal line, the best option.
Fantasy Football Fallers
Miami Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle – Waddle has been dealing with a leg injury, and it has shown in his performance the last couple of weeks. After scoring six touchdowns in his first nine games, he hasn’t scored in his last four. In the last two games, he has been targeted just nine times, catching three passes for 40 yards. He may need to be monitored closely if he’s on your roster.
Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen – It may not be completely fair to put Allen on this list, because he is still providing fantasy points as a rusher, but the drop-off in the passing offense has been pronounced. In his first six games, he looked like a runaway MVP candidate, topping 295 passing yards five times and throwing 17 touchdowns. In his last six games, he has thrown for 223 yards or less four times and has just seven TD passes in those six games – hurting fantasy owners when they need him most.
Cincinnati Bengals WR Tyler Boyd – When Ja’Marr Chase missed four games, those with Boyd on their fantasy roster expected him to blow up. Just the opposite has happened. In his last six games, Boyd has caught just 16 passes for 200 yards, and his last touchdown catch was on Halloween. His disappearing act has made him difficult to keep in fantasy lineups, because producing little to nothing has become a trend that has gone on for a month and a half … and now he’s dealing with a finger injury.
Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson – Watson was supposed to be the savior when he returned to the field for the Browns. In two games, he has completed fewer than 60 percent of his passes – throwing for 407 yards and one touchdown and rushing 13 times for 54 yards and no TDs. Whoever has him on their roster clearly has other options, because they made it through the 11 games he was suspended, but it’s hard to endorse playing a guy posting these pee-wee numbers.
Carolina Panthers WR DJ Moore – On Sunday, despite playing 96 percent of the snaps, Moore didn’t catch a pass – the first time that has happened since the first game of his rookie season in 2018. It isn’t all his fault because there has been a revolving door at quarterback all season, but in four of his last five games, he has been held under 30 yards without a touchdown. The offensive issues in Carolina are bad all the way around, and Moore realistically shouldn’t be in anyone’s fantasy lineup now, much less after suffering an ankle injury Sunday.
