Fantasy studs and duds: Brees to rebound vs. Bears
If you've advanced to Week 15, the typical semifinals of fantasy football playoffs, there's only one more hurdle to clear before you're playing for a championship. Be prudent with your lineup decisions.
STUDS
QB Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints: There's a legitimate concern about how the suddenly erratic Brees will perform on the road, outdoors, in cold weather. But the Chicago Bears have allowed the most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season. In Brees' last open-air game, he threw for 257 yards and five scores at Pittsburgh, a comparably weak pass defense lately.
RB LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles: McCoy thrashed the Dallas Cowboys for 159 yards and a score on Thanksgiving. The Cowboys' ranking in the top 10 fantasy matchups for this position in the past five weeks more accurately represents their recent performance than their stronger season-long resume.
WR Golden Tate, Detroit Lions: Tate is coming off a mere five targets in Week 14; he also was largely ignored with two in Week 11. But he hasn't seen fewer than six in every other game this year, and he has garnered double-digit looks a whopping seven times. While the Minnesota VIkings focus their attention on a revived Calvin Johnson, Tate should take advantage.
TE Larry Donnell, New York Giants: Last time he faced the Washington Redskins, he scored three touchdowns on seven catches and 54 yards. It's becoming harder to rely on midrange tight ends, but his favorable history — plus Washington's continued ranking among the best fantasy matchups for the position — indicates he could revisit some of that Week 4 success.
D/ST Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks have the pleasure of facing Colin Kaepernick for the second time in three weeks. In Week 13, they sacked him four times and picked him off twice, holding San Francisco to three points.
DUDS
RB Tre Mason, St. Louis Rams: Mason has grabbed the baton as the Rams' top back, but he hasn't produced like one in two of the last three weeks. This will be one of his toughest tests, as the Arizona Cardinals have bent but not broken against backs not named Jamaal Charles in the last month-plus. Mason probably will catch a few passes to save face in point-per-reception leagues such as FantasyScore, but he's likely to come up short of RB2 production.
RB Ryan Mathews, San Diego Chargers: San Diego will need to go to the air often against the Denver Broncos, and Mathews, who has just nine receptions, won't benefit much from passing formations. Plus, Denver has been one of the toughest matchups on the ground this season.
WR Mike Wallace, Miami Dolphins: Revis Island is set to claim another victim, and Wallace will become its latest unfortunate visitor. Though he caught seven passes for 81 yards and a touchdown against New England in Week 1, he'll face a much better version of CB Darrelle Revis this time around. Wallace hasn't reached 100 receiving yards or caught more than seven passes in a game this season. There's no reason to expect he will on Sunday.
QB Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks: Wilson continues to pile up rushing yardage, having recorded no fewer than 31 yards in 10 of his last 11 games. But he hasn't topped two passing scores, and it's unlikely he'll have to chuck it much against a crumbling San Francisco 49ers club that's suddenly weak against the run. Of course, Wilson still makes for a solid QB2 in applicable formats because he can use his feet to rack up points.
SLEEPERS
RB Chris Ivory, New York Jets: The bruiser has only two 100-yard games all year and hasn't found the end zone since Week 8. But he and Chris Johnson should successfully carry the load against the Tennessee Titans, the league's second most favorable fantasy defense for running backs. They've allowed a tailback to accumulate at least 100 offensive yards and a touchdown in each of their last six outings. Ivory is more likely to take the lead and benefit.
RB Latavius Murray, Oakland Raiders: Murray technically falls back into sleeperhood after his disappointing Week 14 (23 carries, 76 yards), but that workload indicates Oakland should ride him the rest of the way. He'll enjoy a rematch with the same Kansas City Chiefs defense he decimated in his breakthrough Week 12 (4 carries, 112 yards, 2 touchdowns). The Chiefs have allowed a back to collect 100-plus offensive yards in each of their last six games.
RB Terrance West, Cleveland Browns: West should see more touches this week with backfield mate Isaiah Crowell (hip) dinged up. The last time West faced the Cincinnati Bengals, he ran for 94 yards and a score. Cincy has allowed the second most fantasy points to running backs this season. Johnny Manziel starting at quarterback should help open up the running game even more.
QB Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens: Quarterback streamers should give Flacco serious consideration. Not only has he totaled two passing scores and run for a score in each of the last two weeks, but he's thriving in Gary Kubiak's offense and has posted a completion rate of 75% of better in two of his last three games.
WR Donte Moncrief, Indianapolis Colts: Reggie Wayne is noticeably affected while playing hurt. Moncrief didn't face the Houston Texans in their first meeting, but on the year, Houston has allowed the most receptions, second most receiving yards, and second most fantasy points to wideouts. Moncrief's downfield prowess should lead to a nice chunk of yardage.