Week 15 DraftKings Main Slate – Optimal Lineup Plays
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There are more misses for Week 14 than I would have liked. I still had a successful week because I used Fields and Browning at QB, Likely at TE in all my lineups. The alpha WRs really let us down in Week 14, as all of them missed. If you tune into the Sunday Start/Sit show you saw that I filled in and made my debut on the show. We didn’t get to discuss as much DFS as I would have liked, as time didn’t permit, but it was still fun!
Hit: Justin Fields, Jake Browning, Austin Ekeler, Bijan Robinson, Jerome Ford, Jerrick McKinnon, DK Metcalf, Courtland Sutton, Zay Flowers, Rashee Rice, Parker Washington, Xavier Gipson, TJ Hockenson, Kyle Pitts, Isaiah Likely, Tyler Conklin, Saints, Browns, Broncos
Miss: Josh Dobbs, Russell Wilson, Gardner Minshew, Alvin Kamara, David Montgomery, Keaton Mitchell, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Keenan Allen, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Ja’Marr Chase, Elijah Moore, JSN, Khalil Shakir, Jonathan Mingo, Brevin Jordan, Ravens
N/A: Justin Jefferson, Dalton Schultz
Week 15, the first week of the season-long fantasy football playoffs, means that we could have an even bigger audience for those who were knocked out last week. We are here to satisfy that fantasy football itch and keep it going once your season-long leagues are complete. Worth mentioning for Week 15 is that there are three Saturday games to go with: a Thursday, Sunday, and Monday night game. So, while we are done with byes, there will be 12 teams missing from the main slate in Week 15.
We also have quite a few injuries we need to keep an eye on that could impact lineup decisions and give us bargains or pivot away from certain players. I will be paying down at the QB position this week and will not pay up for the six highest-priced options. This is a spot where you could justify using CMC, but he would need a repeat performance like his last outing against Arizona to justify his price. His game vs. ARI earlier this year was 51.7 points, btw. Tyreek Hill is an easy fade for me at $9900 with an ankle injury.
My favorite stack this week is Matthew Stafford with Cooper Kupp, which comes from one of my favorite games to target this week. If you prefer to save $500, you could slide Puka in. I may even stack Stafford/Kyren Williams/Kupp. I also really like using players from the TB/GB game too.
For reference, I found a way to create a lineup with Stafford, Bijan, Lamb, and Kupp! And here we go into Week 15!
QB
Matthew Stafford $6000 (vs. WAS) – Matthew Stafford went out in the rain in Baltimore last week and threw for 294 yards with three touchdowns. He has a 10:1 TD/INT ratio over the last three weeks and gets the Commanders at home.
Brock Purdy $6800 (@ ARI) – I don’t think the Cardinals will be able to keep up, but with his offensive weapons, Purdy should do enough before they take their foot off the gas.
Contrarian/GPP Play: Jordan Love $6200 (vs. TB) – Jordan Love did not play well on MNF against the Giants. This recency bias could have people weary about using him this week. Don’t be. He gets the unit Tampa Bay tries to call a defense at home.
Sam Howell $6300 (@ LAR) – Sam Howell will need to continue throwing the ball at a record pace in Week 15 to keep up with the Rams. In addition to that, the Commanders will likely be without Brian Robinson Jr. on offense. Howell has shown an ability to use his legs, and we saw what Lamar just did to the Rams defense.
RB
Christian McCaffrey $9300 (@ ARI) – If there was a week to use CMC, this is one of those weeks. He was left out of the TD party last week so I believe that will correct itself in Week 15.
Kyren Williams $7500 (vs. WAS) – The Commanders have not done anything well on the defensive side of the ball. Kyren Williams’ usage/volume has been robust since coming off IR. This is an instance where volume and matchup could create an explosion.
Rachaad White $7000 (@ GB) – Has there been a hotter, more consistent fantasy RB over the past month? White has a workhorse role at a lower price and has been on a tear since Week 7. The Green Bay defense does struggle with the run, so this is a great chance for White to continue his dominance.
Bijan Robinson $6800 (@ CAR) – Bijan Robinson gets the Carolina Panthers this week. And I’m playing against him in multiple first-round playoff matchups, which means he’s guaranteed to go off. Half kidding about the last part, kind of.
Ezekiel Elliott $5800 (vs. KC) – What a time to be alive. It’s December of 2023, and Zeke finished as an RB1. It is a tough matchup, but you aren’t going to find many RBs for this price getting 30 opportunities in a game.
If Brian Robinson is out, Antonio Gibson $5200 (@ LAR) – This matchup profiles more as a “Gibson game” to begin with, but if he doesn’t have to leave the field much, he could be in for a big game.
Lineup Filler/GPP Play: Michael Carter $4200 (vs. SF) – The Cardinals are going to be point-chasing at home. Michael Carter hopefully utilized the bye to become more familiar with the offense and playbook. He was already stealing and passing down work from Conner before the bye, too. Or this game could become a blowout, and he gets garbage time points. Either way, the opportunity should be there for Carter.
WR
CeeDee Lamb $9200 (@ BUF) – I don’t think this game ends up being quite the shootout everyone believes it will be. But CeeDee Lamb has been on absolute fire since Week 6. I’d be more excited about this play if the game was in Dallas, but Lamb will still produce.
Start of the Week: Cooper Kupp $7800 (vs. WAS) – The demise of Cooper Kupp has been greatly exaggerated. Or was last week the outlier? I believe the former and fully expect a vintage Cooper Kupp game here.
Puka Nacua $7300 (vs. WAS) – Last week, the Rams showed us that there is enough room for both Puka and Kupp to produce in the same game. If you want to pay down $500 for Puka, go for it.
Brandon Aiyuk $7200 (@ ARI) – I have been using and recommending Deebo the last few weeks because he was cheaper and had lower ownership. After a few spike weeks, the script has flipped, and Deebo is now more expensive than Aiyuk. I will take the lower-priced, lower-ownership player again.
DeAndre Hopkins $6200 (vs. HOU) – DeAndre Hopkins revenge game! Dhop is coming off a monster MNF performance, so his ownership may be high and may be better suited for cash game lineups.
Garrett Wilson $5800 (@ MIA) – Zach Wilson is back! I had been saying that Zach Wilson’s return to the lineup was good for Wilson and Hall, but, I was hesitant to use both last week with the weather. OOPS! An alpha WR for under $6K is good value.
Contrarian/GPP Play: Terry McLaurin $5600 (@ LAR) – After his Week 13 goose egg, McLaurin was quoted as saying he got his cardio in. This feels like a squeaky wheel situation in a good matchup where the Rams’ secondary just got torched by OBJ and Zay Flowers.
If CJ Stroud plays: Noah Brown $5000 (@ TEN) – If CJ Stroud plays, Noah Brown is a solid value at this price. There is also a strong chance that Nico Collins will miss this game, too. That puts Robert Woods $4200 in play too. If Stroud sits, I’d probably avoid both.
Jayden Reed $4900 (vs. TB) – Arguably the best, most consistent Packers WR, is also the lowest-priced. Now, he gets the Bucs atrocious defense. The Packers have shown they want to get the ball in his hands, whether it be in the passing game or gadget rushing plays.
Christian Watson $4800 (vs. TB) – still isn’t practicing, but could be worth using if he suits up.
GPP Dart Throws/Lineup Filler/Cheaper Options: DeMario Douglas $3900 (vs. KC), WanDale Robinson $3700 (@ NO), DeMarcus Robinson (If Tutu sits) $3600 (vs. WAS), Xavier Gipson $3200 (@ MIA)
TE
Logan Thomas $3700 (@ LAR) – Logan Thomas didn’t record a catch in Week 13 but managed to escape a goose egg thanks to a two-point conversion. He will be lowly owned, but Washington will need to throw, and the Rams rank 29th vs. TEs.
If Higbee is out again, Davis Allen $3300 (vs. WAS) – Davis Allen came out of nowhere in Week 14 for a 4/50/1 performance vs. Baltimore. If Higbee is out again, I like using Allen here.
Tucker Kraft $3000 (vs. TB) – Tucker Kraft has been improving each week since taking over for an injured Luke Musgrave. His price point, coupled with the matchup, makes him a great option this week.
Chig Okonkwo $2900 (vs. HOU) – Chig Okonkwo has been steadily involved in the offense over the past few weeks and now gets the Texans’ defense, which ranks 27th vs. TEs. If I’m looking to save money at the TE position, I’m likely going to use Kraft or Okonkwo.
D/ST
Titans $3700 (vs. HOU) – If Stroud is out, I would use the Titans.
Falcons $3600 (@ CAR) – The Falcons are playing Bryce Young and the Panthers.
Giants $2700 (@ NO) – The Giants’ defense has been playing well since Week 11 and now gets to face a banged-up Derek Carr.
For the brave and the bold: Jets $2500 (@ MIA) – I think this a pretty sound play as the Jets’ defense has been pretty solid against good offenses. Also, Tyreek is dealing with an ankle injury and Tua did not look like the same guy without Tyreek. The reason this could be risky is the Dolphins are coming off an embarrassing home loss against the Titans on MNF and will likely be angry, so this could backfire. But they are a solid defense at a very low price.
Don’t forget to bring all your start/sit questions to our Sunday Live Start/Sit show starting at 8 a.m. PST on the Razzball Fantasy YouTube Channel!
For more from TJ and his Razzball content, find him on Twitter @T_Redding28 for lineup updates and additional plays based on weekend updates/injuries.
