The Rundown: Week 15

Dec 16, 2020

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Ideally, your fantasy team had a first-round bye and this is the first playoff week. However, just being alive in the playoffs is the goal at this point, so however you got there, that’s all that matters. It’s now about thinking not just about Week 15, but the championship week as well. That’s why it is important to approach any waiver moves with both weeks in mind, potentially stashing some key matchup options now rather than waiting for this week’s games to finish. Now is the time to use those bottom roster spots to stash a few matchup gambles in case injury or other issues plague your current starting lineup.

Week 14 saw Baker Mayfield hit big once again, rewarding any remaining faith fantasy players had in the youngster. Cam Akers and David Montgomery were also potential winners for playoff teams that started them, with Mike Gesicki another player who had a huge week as well. The Vikings' receivers disappointed, and an unfortunate injury to Matthew Stafford likely sunk some teams as well.

This article leverages the wide array of 4for4’s data library including snaps, touches, targets, fantasy scoring, and red zone information. Lucky for you, this article will put everything in one place in time for those weekly matchup decisions.

Quarterbacks Trending Up

Mitch Trubisky, Chicago Bears

In six starts this season, Trubisky has four games with multiple touchdown passes and is pacing with a career-high in touchdown rate (6.5%) that is just behind Patrick Mahomes (6.6%). It has also led to a trio of top-12 fantasy weeks including two of the past three games, and Trubisky is doing this despite averaging less than three rushes per start. Now, he gets a pair of matchups in Minnesota and Jacksonville that rank in the bottom 10 in pass defense and bottom five in passing touchdowns allowed. Trubisky could be the guy who helps teams lacking an elite quarterback option to a fantasy championship.

Philip Rivers, Indianapolis Colts

It is a tale of two seasons for Rivers. He started the year with five straight games as the QB24 or worse, making the Week 7 bye critical to readjust the offense. Since that break, he has been the QB16 or better in six of the past seven games with just one instance under 16 fantasy points. He also has four straight games with multiple touchdown passes and hasn’t thrown multiple interceptions since Week 5. His 2.8% sack rate is a career-low as a starter, and that Colts offensive line proving its worth, a sign that he’s dealing with less pressure than his time with the Chargers. The Week 15 game against the Texans should be a plus matchup, they rank bottom 10 in passing yards allowed and have picked off just three passes this season, the lowest in the league. He’s likely not a starter against the Steelers in Week 16 but he should have one more strong week for playoff teams.

Quarterbacks Trending Down

Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals

This isn’t an entry to advise you to sit Murray, don’t do that, but more of a reminder that even he is human. The streak of 10 straight games with a QB1 finish was an insane stretch of consistency and spoiled anyone who rostered Murray this year. The last three weeks have been less encouraging, as they account for his three worst weeks of the season and his only games under 20 fantasy points. He hasn’t hit 250 passing yards in any of those games with fewer than 50 rushing yards in each, after hitting the mark seven times in the first 10 games. Murray gets Philadelphia and San Francisco over the next two weeks, a pair of top-10 pass defenses that will be difficult to penetrate. Kyler Murray is good enough to crack these defenses but he may be closer to last week’s QB13 finish than the QB3 rank he has on the season.

Cam Newton, New England Patriots

Unlike Murray, Cam Newton hasn’t had anywhere near the consistency this season. While he has yet to throw for multiple touchdowns in a game, he has four games with multiple rushing touchdowns. He also has seven top-12 finishes this year, just three fewer than Murray, a shock considering he is averaging under 200 passing yards per game with just five passing touchdowns on the year. Cam’s performance has been extraordinary in the truest sense of the word. He gets Miami and Buffalo over the next two weeks, both below average run defenses who are better against the pass. That means there is upside for Cam, but it’s hard to bet on his rushing numbers after three straight games throwing for less than 120 yards.