I’ve been kicking myself for ignoring the signs of a potential Kyle Pitts breakout game. The fifth-year Falcons tight end has been Kirk Cousins’s favorite target for a few weeks now with star receiver Drake London sidelined.
Pitts had productive stat lines against the Jets and Seahawks before exploding for a three-touchdown performance in Thursday night’s comeback win over the Buccaneers. I wonder how many fantasy managers kept Pitts in their starting lineups throughout the season, regardless of the ups and downs. He’s been a decent start and came through in a big way for the start of the fantasy football playoffs.
If you were a part of the 57% of Sleeper users who started Pitts on Thursday night, congrats, because you’re most likely headed to the second round of the fantasy playoffs. If you benched Pitts this week, well, shame on you. Just kidding, because I didn’t even bother picking him up on the wire due to stubbornness and refusing to believe the 2021 first-round pick is still capable of reaching his high potential. As it turned out, Pitts can still meet all of those expectations that were placed on him coming out of Florida and will now likely cash in for free agency in March.
But I didn’t ignore the signs of a different 2021 top-five pick playing well in recent weeks. Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence went off for me in Sunday’s dominant win over the Jets. The first-round picks from ’21 have gotten plenty of flak over the years, but they were clutch when it mattered most this fantasy season.
This story will be updated throughout the day. Points from Sleeper PPR standard
scoring format.
Here are the studs and duds from NFL Week 15.
Studs
Puka Nacua, WR, Rams
Fantasy points: 27.90
Stats: 11 targets, nine catches, 181 yards; two carries, eight yards
Nacua put on a show during the Rams’ thrilling victory over the Lions. He answered the call whenever his team needed a play, especially when they trailed by 10 points in the first half.
Bo Nix, QB, Broncos
Fantasy points: 37.12
Stats: 23-of-34, 302 yards, 4 TDs; seven carries, 10 yards
Nix had a signature performance against a dominant Packers defense. It’s time to take Nix seriously when it comes to real football because he’s been clutch all season for his fantasy managers.
Amon-Ra. St. Brown, WR, Lions
Fantasy points: 41.30
Stats: 18 targets, 13 catches, 163 yards, 2 TDs
The Lions couldn’t keep pace with the Rams, but St. Brown had plenty of success against Los Angeles’s secondary. St. Brown had a 52-yard catch and two touchdowns in the shootout.
Nico Collins, WR, Texans
Fantasy points: 26.50
Stats: Four targets, three catches, 85 yards, 2 TDs
Collins has been sensational in his past three games, recording at least 16 points against the Colts, Chiefs and Cardinals. He and C.J. Stroud have the Texans’ offense peaking at the right time.
James Cook, RB, Bills
Fantasy points: 31.10
Stats: 22 carries, 107 yards, 2 TDs; three targets, two catches, four yards, TD
Cook was instrumental in the Bills’ comeback win over the Patriots. He had the game-winning score with an 11-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter. He cracked 30 points for the first time since Week 8 against the Panthers.
Travis Etienne Jr., RB, Jaguars
Fantasy points: 32.50
Stats: 12 carries, 32 yards; four targets, three catches, 73 yards, 3 TDs
It was the Lawrence and Etienne show in the dominant win over the Jets. Etienne struggled on the ground, but made up for it with three touchdown catches.
Dallas Goedert, TE, Eagles
Fantasy points: 25.00
Stats: Seven targets, six catches, 70 yards, 2 TDs
Goedert set the tone in the Eagles’ shutout win over the Raiders. The veteran tight end got the rout started with a four-yard touchdown in the first quarter before adding a second four-yard score in the final quarter.
TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Patriots
Fantasy points: 36.10
Stats: 14 carries, 148 yards, 2 TDs; three targets, two catches, 13 yards
The rookie Henderson recorded two rushing touchdowns that went for more than 50 yards against the Bills. Not many running backs are as explosive as the 2025 second-round pick out of Ohio State. And shoutout to Drake Maye for sprinting downfield to be Henderson’s lead blocker on the 65-yard scamper in the fourth quarter.
Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jaguars
Fantasy points: 54.30
Stats: 20-of-32, 330 yards, 5 TDs; five carries, 51 yards, TD
Lawrence is finally playing up to the high expectations that were placed on him as the No. 1 pick in 2021. He’s been on a heater the past three weeks, going over 23 points against the Titans, Colts and Jets. He came through for his fantasy managers to open the fantasy playoffs. Lawrence and first-year coach Liam Coen have something special developing in Jacksonville.
Trey McBride, TE, Cardinals
Fantasy points: 37.40
Stats: 13 targets, 12 catches, 134 yards, 2 TDs
The Cardinals are very bad, and McBride is very good. What else is new in Arizona? McBride is having the season many expected to see from Brock Bowers, who has gotten lost with the Raiders. McBride would be a No. 1 wideout on most teams in the NFL.
Kirk Cousins, QB, Falcons
Fantasy points: 32.92
Stats: 30-of-44, 373 yards, 3 TDs
Cousins had a vintage performance in the Falcons’ comeback win vs. the Buccaneers. The 37-year-old Cousins carved up Tampa Bay’s defense with Pitts and veteran wide receiver David Sills V, a development that no one would have believed a few months ago. Cousins was only started by 4% of Sleeper users this week.
Kyle Pitts, TE, Falcons
Fantasy points: 45.60
Stats: 12 targets, 11 catches, 166 yards, 3 TDs
Pitts rewarded all his faithful fantasy managers. I’m sure even the ones who recently gave up on the 2021 first-round pick shed a tear or two out of happiness for the player, and frustration that this took so long. Pitts finally flashed his upside in the final month of his five-year rookie deal.
Bijan Robinson, RB, Falcons
Fantasy points: 29.50
Stats: 19 carries, 93 yards, TD; 11 targets, eight catches, 82 yards
Robinson got lost a bit behind the sensational performances of Pitts and Cousins, but he kept the Falcons in the game by moving the chains despite seeing several defenders on every play that went his way. He’s the rare kind of running back who makes something out of nothing.
Duds
Kenneth Walker III, RB, Seahawks
Fantasy points: 2.90
Stats: Nine carries, 17 yards; one catch, two yards
Walker contributed to the ugly offense that occurred in the Seahawks’ win vs. the Colts. Walker has scored less than four points in back-to-back games. Stay away from Seattle’s running game because even Zach Charbonnet has struggled as of late.
Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Lions
Fantasy points: 9.80
Stats: 13 carries, 38 yards; seven targets, four catches, 20 yards
Gibbs couldn’t establish a rhythm in the Lions’ high-scoring loss against the Rams. Los Angeles did a solid job of not letting Gibbs break tackles for long gains. This is Gibbs’s first single-digit game since Week 9 against the Vikings.
Tyler Warren, TE, Colts
Fantasy points: 4.90
Stats: Six targets, three catches, 19 yards
Warren didn’t have much hope with Philip Rivers’s lack of arm strength facing the Seahawks’ stout defense. The Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate has cooled off, recording less than five points in back-to-back games.
Christian Watson, WR, Packers
Fantasy points: 5.90
Stats: Five targets, three catches, 29 yards
Watson struggled in his tough matchup against the Broncos’ stout defense before sustaining a chest injury in the second half. Watson was red hot before the Week 15 dud, scoring more than 20 points in the prior two games.
Brock Bowers, TE, Raiders
Fantasy points: 8.80
Stats: Eight targets, six catches, 28 yards
It’s been a nightmare season for Bowers, who was drafted in the first two rounds of most fantasy leagues. The second-year tight end has only topped 20 points twice this season. To compare, McBride has done that six times since Week 6.
Joe Burrow, QB, Bengals
Fantasy points: 5.50
Stats: 25-of-39, 225 yards, 2 INTs; two carries, five yards
It’s fitting that the Bengals were officially eliminated from playoff contention because Burrow’s horrendous performance vs. Baltimore likely got many of his fantasy managers bounced from the postseason. Burrow had an ugly dud after the star quarterback reached at least 23 points in his prior two outings.
Isaiah Likely, TE, Ravens
Fantasy points: 0.00
Stats: Zilch
Likely was viewed as a sleeper starter this week. Welp, he might have been asleep for this game because he was nowhere to be found in the Ravens’ shutout victory over the Bengals. Likely had consecutive games with at least 12 points before the dud against Cincinnati.
Woody Marks, RB, Texans
Fantasy points: 10.80
Stats: Seven carries, 30 yards; one target, eight yards
I should probably cut Marks some slack because he did pick up a fumble recovery for a one-yard touchdown in the win vs. Houston. But the rookie running back was a nonfactor as a playmaker and sustained an ankle injury. Running back Jawhar Jordan had a decent showing, recording 15 carries for 101 yards.
Deebo Samuel Sr., WR, Commanders
Fantasy points: 7.30
Stats: Five targets, three catches, 43 yards
Washington ended an eight-game losing streak on Sunday against the Giants, but Samuel didn’t contribute much to that. The versatile receiver had more than 15 points in his prior two games.
Shedeur Sanders, QB, Browns
Fantasy points: 6.48
Stats: 18-of-35, 177 yards, 3 INTs
Sanders did not face the Titans’ defense this week, struggling mightily in the loss against the Bears. Sanders went from dropping 40-plus points on Tennessee to a turnover feast against Chicago.
Bucky Irving, RB, Buccaneers
Fantasy points: 8.10
Stats: 16 carries, 60 yards; three targets, one catch, 11 yards
Irving only averaged 3.8 yards per carry in the loss against the Falcons. To make matters worse, Irving has lost some goal-line carries to Sean Tucker, who had a one-yard rushing score on Thursday night.
More NFL on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Studs and Duds NFL Week 15: Trevor Lawrence Delivers With Six-Touchdown Rout.
