Faux Football Preview - Week 15
Chew previews Week 15 in the NFL with some redraft and dynasty fantasy advice.
Week 14 is behind us, and we enter Week 15, the beginning of the fantasy playoffs. There were surprise boom weeks from Shedeur Sanders, Blake Corum, Michael Wilson, and Mike Gesicki; however, there were duds from Tua Tagovailoa, Breece Hall, Justin Jefferson, and Tyler Warren. Let’s look ahead to a healthy, fantasy-point-filled Week 15.
Check out last week’s preview here to see how things shook out. As a reminder, both redraft and dynasty are considered in this weekly roundup, so without further ado, let’s get to it.
DYNASTY BUY/SELL
Once the NFL season starts, the dynasty mindset can take a backseat to the redraft mindset. Each week, I will highlight two players to buy and two players to sell in dynasty, providing examples for each. As always, the trades are taken from the dynasty-daddy.com trade database.
Buy #1 - KIMANI VIDAL
Week 14 was Omarion Hampton’s long-awaited return, and Kimani Vidal was still very much involved. In Hampton’s absence, Vidal put up four 20+ fantasy point performances. The remainder of the 2025 season should offer plenty of opportunities for Vidal to show his ability to sustain a heavy workload when needed. Vidal is a free agent following the 2025 season, so wherever he ends up, it should be on a contract that makes him fantasy relevant in 2026.
Trade #1: Kimani Vidal ←→ ‘26 3rd
Trade #2: Kimani Vidal & Michael Wilson ←→ Jaylin Noel + ‘27 3rd
Sell #1 - TYLER SHOUGH
I was not high on Tyler Shough heading into the 2025 season, due to his college evaluation and the situation he was entering in the NFL. Shough took the reins, with his first start in Week 9, and is likely to finish the season as the Saints’ starting quarterback. Understandably, there have been ups and downs, but a bright spot has been his willingness to push the ball downfield and utilize his legs. The Saints invested a second-round pick in Shough, so he should at least compete to be the starter in 2026. Even if that is the case, Shough is not someone I am clamoring for on my dynasty rosters.
Trade #1: Tyler Shough ←→ ‘26 2nd
Trade #2: Tyler Shough + ‘26 2nd ←→ Chase Brown
Buy #2 - BRENTON STRANGE
Brenton Strange missed Weeks 6-11 with injury, and since Week 12, he has settled back into his early-season role as a reliable target able to churn out yards on five targets per game. Several pass-catchers in Jacksonville limit Strange’s upside, but he is on the upper end of a middling tier of tight ends that have fantasy value for different reasons. There is a clear connection with Trevor Lawrence, and at the most streamable position, Strange has weekly upside barring a stingy matchup. I am buying Strange in dynasty as a weekly startable option that is not touchdown dependent, with upside when the surrounding pass catchers are injured.
Trade #1: Brenton Strange ←→ Rhamondre Stevenson
Trade #2: Brenton Strange + Chris Olave ←→ Emeka Egbuka
Sell #2 - JERRY JEUDY
It has been a largely forgettable 2025 season for Jerry Jeudy, with only three double-digit fantasy performances via the carousel of Browns’ quarterbacks. With Shedeur Sanders under center, Jeudy was able to pull down his second touchdown of the year. That may entice someone enough to think they are buying low in Jeudy, but I am not so optimistic that the quarterback situation has been resolved in Cleveland. Jeudy is under contract through the 2027 season, albeit with an out following the 2026 season. As Jeudy enters what should be the prime of his career, it is difficult to get excited for the former first-round pick in dynasty.
Trade #1: Jerry Jeudy + ‘26 4th + ‘27 4th ←→ Terry McLaurin
Trade #2: Jerry Jeudy + Rome Odunze + Cam Ward ←→ Jaxson Dart + Woody Marks + Adonai Mitchell
HANDCUFF HIERARCHY
The running back position can be one of frustration in fantasy as we scour the bench and waiver wire to fill in when injuries and bye weeks strike. But since we are just now getting started with the NFL season, here is a look at the various tiers for all 32 backup running backs. As the season progresses, we will see players rise and fall amongst the tiers, so stay tuned!
*This list only includes each team’s RB-2; thus, if the RB-1 is injured, then the RB-3 will take the place of the RB-2 on this list.
STANDALONE VALUE
These players have flex appeal even with the RB-1 being healthy in Week 15.
David Montgomery and Zach Charbonnet continue to play second-fiddle to Jahmyr Gibbs and Kenneth Walker, respectively, but the former duo offer weekly touchdown upside. Somewhat surprisingly, Gibbs has gotten more short-yardage touches than in prior years.
Kyle Monangai, Tyjae Spears, Chuba Hubbard, and Kenneth Gainwell continue to get a near-even split of their team’s backfield snaps, with varied weekly results. Monangai and Hubbard do the bulk of their damage on the ground, while Spears and Gainwell have more of their value come from their pass-catching upside.
Tyler Allgeier, Kimani Vidal, and Blake Corum are working squarely behind their respective RB-1s, but each of the three backs has had their weeks to shine. Despite the return of Omarion Hampton, Vidal showed big-play upside in Week 14 that should continue going forward.
Rhamondre Stevenson and Jordan Mason have seen their playtime fluctuate due to injury and game flow, but they remain threats to put up a double-digit fantasy performance. Despite TreVeyon Henderson’s home run play upside, the Patriots refuse to diminish Stevenson’s role too much.
SPOT STARTER
The initial RB-1 is injured, and everyone moves up the depth chart, or the player has a specific role.
Jaylen Wright and Devin Singletary stepped up big for De’Von Achane and Tyrone Tracy, respectively, in Week 14. Both Achane and Tracy should be back for Week 15, and I would still expect Singletary to be more heavily involved than Wright.
Dylan Sampson, Michael Carter, and Ty Johnson offer steady PPR presences in their backfields. With no certainty that Trey Benson will return, I expect Carter’s role to remain steady, yet volatile.
Isiah Pacheco and Brian Robinson both play in strong offenses. Pacheco has lost the starting role throughout the season to plodding veteran Kareem Hunt. While Robinson has been minimally used with the RB King, Christian McCaffrey has been reigning supreme.
IN CASE OF EMERGENCY
If you are in a DEEP league, these are the rest of the bunch that you’re forced to pick from for Week 15.
This group is completely overshadowed by a bellcow back or limited by a woeful offense.
TIGHT END STREAMERS
Of all the fantasy-relevant positions, it’s the tight end that is my favorite to stream. If you were not fortunate enough to get one of the top few tight ends, it can be a futile process to find fantasy points at the tight end position. Here are three tight ends ranked outside the top 12 who are stream-worthy in Week 15.
A Look Back At Week 14 (If Top-12 ✅)
Darren Waller → 2.9 points ❌
Dallas Goedert → 15.8 points ✅
Colby Parkinson → 12.2 points ✅
Week 15
THEO JOHNSON v. WAS
The Giants are coming out of their Week 14 bye, and the matchup could not get much better. A division rival means anything could happen, but as far as defense is concerned, I am not expecting much from the Commanders. Further, Jaxson Dart is back in full form, and Johnson has served as a favorite target amidst a slew of injuries to the Giants’ pass catchers. Johnson has a real chance to slip into the top-12 in Week 15 without a touchdown, but he could still add to his five thus far.
HUNTER HENRY v. BUF
Hunter Henry had a brief cooling-off period after a hot start to the season, but he has settled in as a favorite target of sophomore quarterback Drake Maye. With the rushing attack leaving much to be desired, the passing volume allows Henry to carve out a consistent role. The first meeting between these two teams was not one to write home about for Henry, but the stakes could not be higher as these division rivals battle for supremacy in the AFC East. While the matchup is not a slam dunk, it is good enough for Henry to get his 6+ targets and creep into the back end of the top-12 for Week 15.
JUWAN JOHNSON v. CAR
The Saints trading away Rashid Shaheed meant more targets for both Chris Olave and Juwan Johnson. The emergence of Devaughn Vele in recent weeks has thrown a slight wrench into these plans, but given the weakness of the Panthers’ linebackers, I expect Johnson to be busy in Week 15. There are only so many reliable weapons left on this Saints offense, and Johnson is one of them. With seven top-12 fantasy finishes already, it would be no surprise to see Johnson make it eight in Week 15.
So you made it this far, and hopefully you enjoyed it (that’s what she said). If you wouldn’t mind sharing this in your group message with your fellow fantasy football degenerates, I would greatly appreciate it!
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