Fantasy Football Week 15 Rankings: Top Players and Matchups for All Positions
We've reached Week 15 of the 2022 NFL season, which means it's playoff time in virtually all season-long leagues. If you made it to your fantasy playoffs, congratulations. Now, it's time to buckle down and ensure you don't go home early.
injuries continue to loom large, the latest being a torn ACL suffered by Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray on Monday night.
"It's obviously unfortunate and tough to see and talking to him last night," Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury told reporters. "...It was a tough night
On a positive note for fantasy managers, no teams will be on bye this week.
Here, we'll dive into the latest rankings and the top matchups in Week 15 for each fantasy position. All picks and rankings are based on points-per-reception (PPR) scoring.
Quarterback
1. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
2. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
3. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
4. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
5. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
6. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
7. Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings
8. Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks
9. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
10. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Matchup to Love: Justin Herbert vs. Tennessee Titans
Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert continues to keep his team in playoff contention. He threw for 367 yards and a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday and has a spicy matchup against the Tennessee Titans in Week 15.
Tennessee has surrendered the second-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season.
The return of wideout Mike Williams helps in this matchup tremendously. With Williams, Keenan Allen, Gerald Everett and receiving back Austin Ekeler all in the fold, Herbert should be in store for a major fantasy outing.
Running Back
1. Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers
2. Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers
3. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans
4. Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders
5. Tony Pollard, Dallas Cowboys
6. Saquon Barkley, New York Giants
7. Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns
8. Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles
9. Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings
10. Travis Etienne Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars
11. Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys
12. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts
13. J.K. Dobbins, Baltimore Ravens
14. Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals
15. Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots
16. Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers
17. Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers
18. Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City Chiefs
19. Jamaal Williams, Detroit Lions
20. James Conner, Arizona Cardinals
Matchup to Love: Christian McCaffrey at Seattle Seahawks
The San Francisco 49ers continue to roll with rookie quarterback Brock Purdy under center.
The 22-year-old helped engineer a blowout win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, but running back Christian McCaffrey also played a big role.
The Stanford product finished Week 14 with 119 rushing yards, two receptions, 34 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Expect McCaffrey to open Week 15 with another excellent performance on Thursday night. He'll be facing the rival Seattle Seahawks, which have been atrocious against the run this season.
Seattle has surrendered an average of 4.9 yards per carry this season while giving up the second-most fantasy points to opposing running backs.
Wide Receiver
1. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
2. Davante Adams, Las Vegas Raiders
3. Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills
4. Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals
5. Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins
6. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
7. A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles
8. Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers
9. Mike Williams, Los Angeles Chargers
10. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys
11. Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins
12. DeAndre Hopkins, Arizona Cardinals
13. Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
14. Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks
15. DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks
16. Garrett Wilson, New York Jets
17. Amari Cooper, Cleveland Browns
18. DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles
19. Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers
20. Christian Kirk, Jacksonville Jaguars
Matchup to Love: Keenan Allen vs. Tennessee Titans
If you have the option of stacking Herbert with any of the Chargers' top pass-catchers, now is the week to do it. The Titans defense has been awful this season and ranks 31st in passing yards allowed and 25th in yards per attempt surrendered (6.6).
Of Los Angeles' group, Keenan Allen is the top receiver to play in Week 15. Williams returned to action on Sunday and immediately made a sizeable impact, finishing with six receptions, 116 yards and a touchdown. However, Allen was a PPR star with 12 receptions and 92 receiving yards.
The 30-year-old's PPR floor gives him a slight edge over Williams, though both are worth a play against Tennessee. No team has surrendered more fantasy points to opposing wide receivers than the Titans.
Tight End
1. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
2. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens
3. T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings
4. Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers
5. Dalton Schultz, Dallas Cowboys
6. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
7. Greg Dulcich, Denver Broncos
8. Gerald Everett, Los Angeles Chargers
9. David Njoku, Cleveland Browns
10. Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars
Matchup to Love: Greg Dulcich vs. Arizona Cardinals
Denver Broncos tight end Greg Dulcich is more of a boom-or-bust play than players like Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews in Week 15. There's no question about that. This is due, in part, to the fact that quarterback Russell Wilson remains in concussion protocol and may not feature.
However, it's hard not to love the matchup Dulcich has this week. Denver hosts the Cardinals, which have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing tight ends in 2022.
Even if it's Brett Rypien at quarterback for Denver this week, the rookie pass-catcher should have a solid outing. Since debuting in Week 6, the 22-year-old has become a regular contributor in the passing game.
On Sunday, Dulcich caught three passes for 42 yards, and managers should expect much more from him against Arizona.
Kicker
1. Harrison Butker, Kansas City Chiefs
2. Brett Maher, Dallas Cowboys
3. Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens
4. Tyler Bass, Buffalo Bills
5. Daniel Carlson, Las Vegas Raiders
6. Evan McPherson, Cincinnati Bengals
7. Nick Folk, New England Patriots
8. Jason Myers, Seattle Seahawks
9. Greg Joseph, Minnesota Vikings
10. Jake Elliott, Philadelphia Eagles
Matchup to Love: Harrison Butker at Houston Texans
Really, kicker rankings are based as much on consistency and offensive potency as on individual matchups. This is why Kansas City Chiefs specialist Harrison Butker tops our list for Week 15.
The Chiefs have little trouble moving the ball—they rank first in total offense and second in scoring—while Butker has been fairly reliable, making 77.8 percent of his field goals and 90.7 of his extra points.
Combine this with the fact that the Houston Texans have a lackluster defense, and managers should have a tremendous play in the 27-year-old.
Dallas Cowboys kicker Brett Maher made two field goals and three extra-point attempts last week (100 percent on both), and Butker should have a similar outing.
The Texans have surrendered the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing kickers in 2022.
Defense/Special Teams
1. Kansas City Chiefs
2. Dallas Cowboys
3. San Francisco 49ers
4. Denver Broncos
5. Philadelphia Eagles
6. Baltimore Ravens
7. Green Bay Packers
8. Buffalo Bills
9. New England Patriots
10. Pittsburgh Steelers
Matchup to Love: Denver Broncos vs. Arizona Cardinals
This pick is largely based around the fact that Kyler Murray is out for Arizona.
With all due respect to Colt McCoy, the Cardinals offense isn't as dangerous with him under center. He isn't as mobile, and the Arizona offensive line (37 sacks allowed) is shaky.
The Broncos defense, meanwhile, is quite good. Denver ranks seventh in yards allowed and fourth in points allowed. It has also notched 32 sacks and 11 interceptions on the season.
McCoy has been sacked 11 times and thrown two picks in three games with two starts.
This promises to be a matchup in which managers can take advantage.
*Fantasy scoring information via FantasyPros.