No one wants to hear about someone else’s fantasy team, but I have to believe that you’re a fantasy addict if you’re reading this. Therefore, I hope you’ll indulge me. Everyone has one league that means more to them than any other. For Zach and me, it’s an auction league with a bunch of old college friends. I started 0-5 in that league despite being fourth in scoring at the time. I finished on a 6-2 run to sneak into the last playoff spot, which saw me matched up against my co-author here. A disappointment to say the least, as we had arguably the two best teams. I lost. I outscored every playoff team except the one that mattered. A teensy-tiny bit of luck in that first month of the season would have made the difference. Starting 1-4 instead of 0-5 would have seen me moving on, but that’s how it goes. Sometimes luck is not on your side and the only consolation is that you gave yourself the best chance to negate that luck. Craft the greatest team ever seen and you can still get run over by a WR4 having a career day. So I have two things to say to our faithful readers in one of our last columns of the season. First, I hope our words helped you craft the best team you could. Second, I hope luck is on your side.
Zach’s Week 15 Hype – T.J. Hockenson
Hockenson is TE3 on the year in half-point PPR and has been a consistent fantasy asset all season. Hockenson’s floor is very high and he has an average ceiling as well. Week 15 brings a matchup against a very mediocre Titans defense. The Titans’ offense, on the other hand, is elite. I envision this game getting a bit ugly early which could lead to even more junk time points for Hockenson. You are never not starting Hockenson, but Week 15 projects as a potential monster week for him in your lineup. Additionally, if you play dynasty, Hockenson projects as at worst a top-five option at the position moving forward. He is an elite option both in the 2020 fantasy playoffs and moving forward.
Will’s Week 15 Hype – Jalen Hurts
I decided to go with someone who you might have just picked up on waivers, just to shake things up a bit. Hurts looked inconsistent but electric last week, which is exactly what you’d expect from a rookie getting his first start against a tough New Orleans defense. He should be able to improve his accuracy this week against Arizona and then he gets a great matchup against Dallas in Week 16. Even if he remains inconsistent through the air, he’s shown that he can be a monster on the ground. Eighteen carries for 106 yards on the ground is hard to ignore for a quarterback. In any regard, Jalen Hurts vs Kyler Murray is appointment viewing this week. We should all be excited that the league added another dynamic young quarterback. I love football.
Zach’s Week 15 Fade – Clyde Edwards-Helaire
Outside of a two-touchdown performance that saved his fantasy week in Week 11, he has not been spectacular. CEH has not had 70 yards rushing since Week 6 and has averaged under ten carries a game in that same span. While his passing game usage was quite high through his first six games, since then he has averaged about three catches per game. It has really been a tale of two halves of the season for him and in Week 15 he goes up against a stout New Orleans defense. It is going to be hard to trust CEH in any capacity throughout your fantasy playoffs.
Will’s Week 15 Fade – Chris Godwin
What a disappointing season for Chris Godwin. Injuries and competition for targets tanked the value of this young and exciting playmaker. And just when he started coming along in the last few weeks before his bye, he gets three targets and two catches for 25 yards in Week 14. The Bucs have a great matchup against Atlanta this week, so why is Godwin still a fade? It’s all about that competition I mentioned earlier. Even when Godwin is good this year, he’s still not great. He has two touchdowns all year and hasn’t broken 100 yards this season. At this point, he’s a guy you are starting on name recognition only. That’s a potential mistake with all the marbles on the line. Godwin just hasn’t shown a consistent floor or any type of a ceiling this year. Is that really a guy you want to trust in the playoffs?
Zach’s Dynasty Target – Bryan Edwards
I had much higher expectations for his rookie year than what he has produced. However, I do not believe Nelson Agholor is the answer in Las Vegas and I still think that Edwards projects as the type of receiver that should be the alpha for that team. The hype was outrageous before the season started and has now gone the opposite direction. He is still the same caliber of player he was before the year started except his value has plummeted. This represents a nice buy-low opportunity this offseason.
Will’s Dynasty Target – Brandon Aiyuk
Count this one as a Week 15 playoff hype as well, seeing as Aiyuk has a plus matchup against Dallas and Deebo Samuel won’t be playing. Speaking of Deebo, Zach asked me an interesting question this week: would you trade Deebo for Aiyuk straight up? I was a big Deebo fan in the offseason, but I’d rather have Aiyuk at this point. Is this a fair comparison, considering the fact that Samuel’s season has been an injury bust? Maybe not, but Aiyuk has the chance to be the WR1 in this offense going forward. The Niners spent a first-rounder on him this year and he’s been surprisingly consistent. He’s played in ten games this year and he’s put up double-digit points in all but three of those outings. His per-game average puts him at WR15 in half-PPR scoring. Will that consistency remain once Samuel and George Kittle return to full health next season? Maybe not, but I still believe that Aiyuk will remain the most valuable wide receiver in San Francisco moving forward.
Best of luck this week! Sometimes luck is all you need. Will (@Dynastywalrus) and Zach (@DFF_Ztrain) would love to hear from you on Twitter to discuss buys, sells, and anything else fantasy!
