Welcome to Week 15! I assume if you are reading this, you made the playoffs, so congratulations are in order! If you did not, I assure you that I still appreciate you coming here just as much. My apologies to you and to everyone else who faced down the greatest QB performance in fantasy ever. Last week saw the Saints deliver big for us, but we stumbled a bit with both the Dolphins allowing Rodgers’ first 300-yard passing game in three years and the Cardinals getting served a tall glass of Charbonnet. It’s time to lock it in and do better this week as we prepare for the first round. The last of the bye weeks have passed; as such, everyone should check their waivers to see who is available. Some notable defenses were off last week, so redemption could be waiting in a simple waiver claim. Let’s look into a few teams facing down backup quarterbacks rostered in around 50 percent of leagues or fewer.
Please note: there’s a decent chance that better teams above this 50 percent threshold are available in your league, but we can’t assume they’re out there for everyone. We have to draw the proverbial line somewhere, so stay active and monitor the league home page; someone might drop a desirable defense after waivers clear.
Washington Commanders
Opponent: @ New Orleans Saints
ESPN % Rostered: 30%
Yahoo % Rostered: 24%
Of the three defenses worth highlighting from the bye week, the Commanders are the only ones eligible to make the main section of this article. We lead off this week of higher floor options for the playoffs, as you’ll notice all three selections here are playing against second-string backups at quarterback. For this one, half of the Saints offense is on IR, and Derek Carr has been labeled ‘week-to-week’ for his hand fracture in addition to starting the week off in concussion protocol. Alvin Kamara had a 2.6 yards per carry average last week, and I think that trend will continue here as Washington will look to stack the box and challenge the Saints to air it out against them and their third-lowest yards after catch allowed. With a week off to rest and some extra time to prepare, they will bring their seventh-highest blitz rate against whichever of the two backup quarterbacks they choose to start.
New York Jets
Opponent: @ Jacksonville Jaguars
ESPN % Rostered: 42%
Yahoo % Rostered: 43%
The Jets stay in the state of Florida for another week as they will travel north from Miami to Jacksonville for this game. Despite the shootout last week, New York still has the fourth fewest total yards of offense allowed all season. They boast a very strong top-five secondary with the least yards allowed after the catch in the entire league. Their rushing yards allowed are middle of the pack, but it’s more due to volume, as when you stack that against the attempts faced, they have one of the lowest yards per-rush average in the league as well. The Jets will bring their sixth-highest QB Hurry rating against Mac Jones in this one. The Jaguars have been averaging two turnovers per game on offense since their last turnover-free game all the way back in Week 7. They have been generous to opposing defenses of late, averaging over 9 fantasy points per game over their last five games. Last week, they failed to combine for 300 total yards of offense and were held to under 100 yards rushing.
Atlanta Falcons
Opponent: @ Las Vegas Raiders
ESPN % Rostered: 9%
Yahoo % Rostered: 10%
For my deeper league consideration, I present the Falcons. Head coach Antonio Pierce said he expects Desmond Ridder to start in this game. While we may have a revenge game at hand, I think it’s going to be more of a reminder game instead. Ridder has only been with the Raiders a little over a month and will now look to face his former team on MNF. Since their bye week, the Falcons have averaged 4.5 sacks per game and have one of the lowest average depth of target against the passing game in the league. The Raiders have allowed 13 sacks and turned the ball over 6 times in the four games since their bye week. Las Vegas was held to under 300 total yards last week with under 200 yards passing. If the Falcons serve us well here, they will be a strong hold candidate as they play the Giants next week.
Honorable Mentions
Baltimore Ravens (E:48% Y!:67%) – It’s too bad Yahoo leagues didn’t follow suit with ESPN ones to set me up for the slam dunk of the year to headline for this week. Ravens are top overall defense to pick up on waivers as they face the Giants!
Kansas City Chiefs (E:68% Y!:85%) – ESPN leagues can check for the Chiefs as they play the slot machine that is the Cleveland offense. Which Jameis will show up this week? Either way, the interview will be gold.
Arizona Cardinals (E:60% Y!:36%) – Arizona had been amazing at home until they played their rival Seattle for the second time this season. Look for them to get back on track at home against New England.
Denver Broncos (E:75% Y!:69%) – Not as many managers were willing to let Denver go through their bye week as was hoped. And you can’t blame them too much. Look to see if the Broncos are available as they host the Colts in the battle of horse teams.
Cincinnati Bengals (E:28% Y!:34%) – My trust issues with the Bengals defense aside, I must acknowledge they are playing the offense ranked last in terms of fantasy as they take on the Titans.
If you see something I don’t, leave a comment or hit me up with feedback @MikeoftheFF on Twitter or find me on Reddit!
Feature image by Michael Packard (@CollectingPack on Twitter) / Photography by Charles Brock / Icon Sportswire