Fantasy & Betting

12/12/23

6 min read

2023 NFL Week 15 Fantasy Football Rankings

By Josh Larky, Kev Wheeler & Matthew Hill

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Below, you’ll find 2023 Week 15 fantasy rankings for points per reception (PPR) and half-PPR leagues. There are 32 ranked quarterbacks, 52 running backs, 66 wide receivers and 25 tight ends.

On Thursday, Matthew Hill and Kev Wheeler’s rankings will be added, and positional rankings will then be ordered by averaging the rankings from the three of us.

There also are the top-12 defense rankings from Ryan Reynolds.

For each player, you can view their ranking, matchup and implied team total according to Las Vegas sportsbooks. Starting in Week 13, you can view the adjusted fantasy points of each player’s upcoming matchup.

For example, WR Cooper Kupp faces a Washington Commanders defense ranking second in fantasy points allowed. When adjusting for schedule, wide receiver rooms average 9.2 more fantasy points against the Commanders than they do in a typical matchup.

Meanwhile, xPPR (expected PPR points) looks strictly at usage rather than a player’s ability. Think of this as each player’s average expected fantasy points per game based on the touches they get.

The Proj. column in the table (projected fantasy points, added Wednesday) is courtesy of our data scientist, Ahaan Rungta. His projections won’t fully align with my fantasy rankings, but they're another good piece of the puzzle to consider.

Detailed player write-ups appear below each set of positional rankings for additional context and will be updated throughout the week as injuries and other news come out.

Be sure to check out our Week 15 Waiver Wire article here.

Join our FREE Discord for help with start-sits, trades and general fantasy advice each week. We’ll also drop player prop bets and DFS strategy throughout the season.

Week 15 Fantasy Rankings

Top 32 Quarterbacks

• Matthew Stafford is an elite fantasy start this week against the Commanders. To his credit, Stafford has reached 23 fantasy points in three straight games. In the past 10 games, the Commanders have allowed 66 more passing yards per game to quarterbacks compared to each quarterback's season-long average. Stafford has averaged 255 passing yards per game, and if we add 66 to that number, we reach 321 passing yards. Expect 300 yards and multiple scores from Stafford this week.
• Three straight QBs have thrown for at least 300 yards against the Jaguars. Overall, the Jaguars have allowed the fourth-most passing touchdowns this season (22). Lamar Jackson just shredded the Rams’ secondary in Week 14. He has a good chance to do the same against Jacksonville this week.
• Russell Wilson faces a Lions team that’s allowed at least 26 points in five straight games, despite four of those opponents being Chicago (twice), Green Bay and New Orleans. Playing in a dome, with the third-highest game total of Week 15, Wilson is in a good spot to build on his solid 2023 fantasy season (17.8 fantasy points per game).
• Joe Flacco is a decent streaming option against the Bears. Flacco has at least 250 passing yards and two touchdowns in both his starts this year. Also, Jerome Ford’s hand injury makes this Browns backfield murkier for Week 15. The team could rely heavily on the veteran signal-caller.
• Jake Browning has topped 24 fantasy points in back-to-back games, though that came against the Colts and Jaguars, two top-six matchups for fantasy QBs. This week, he faces a stingier Vikings defense, and his Linsanity run probably ends. Browning’s passes have traveled an average of 4.5 yards downfield during his two starts. The lowest-qualified QB this year is Bryce Young at 5.9 yards. The Vikings blitz often, so Browning’s ability to get the ball out quickly in the short area of the field is needed. Still, I’d rather bet on a talented defense against a limited backup QB for fantasy purposes.

Top 52 Running Backs

• The Lions have leaned on David Montgomery when leading and Jahmyr Gibbs when trailing. The Lions are four-point favorites against the Broncos (the easiest matchup for fantasy RBs). This smells like a monstrous Montgomery game, where he has 20 carries and one or two rushing touchdowns.
• Zack Moss has averaged 16 carries and 5.5 targets per game since taking over again for the injured Jonathan Taylor. During this two-game span, he’s only averaged 8.6 fantasy points per game. My expected fantasy points model thinks he should have more than 15 fantasy points per game during this stretch. Moss is a great candidate for fantasy points regression against the Steelers in Week 15.
• Ezekiel Elliott handled every single running back snap for the Patriots on Thursday Night. Now, he gets 10 days of rest before his Week 15 matchup against the Chiefs. Elliott ran 22 times for 68 yards and caught seven of eight targets (31 percent target share) for 72 yards and a score. The Chiefs have struggled against running backs while shutting down opposing passers this year. The Patriots likely feature the veteran RB once again on Sunday.
• Joe Mixon out-snapped, out-carried and out-targeted Chase Brown by a roughly 2:1 margin in Week 14. While Brown was more efficient, the touch split is still firmly in Mixon’s favor. It’s unlikely the rookie can take over this backfield before the season ends, so he’s mostly just a low-end flex option for the fantasy football playoffs.
• Former Panthers coach Frank Reich was fired before Week 13. In Week 13, Chuba Hubbard had 25 carries, and in Week 14 he had 23 carries. These are the only two instances of a Panthers RB reaching 20 carries in a game this year.
• Alexander Mattison has a high ankle sprain, which opens the door for significant touches to Ty Chandler. The only other RB on the active roster is Kene Nwangwu, who is primarily a special teamer. The Vikings practice squad contains veteran RB Myles Gaskin and rookie RB DeWayne McBride. One of them will likely be called up to the active roster ahead of Week 15’s matchup. Chandler is a smaller back who likely has a 15-touch cap per game, but he has sub-4.40 speed and should have three to five targets.
• The Eagles are the toughest matchup for fantasy RBs. Last week, Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet split touches 12-10. It’s tough to see much upside for either of them this week.
• Learn why Tyler Allgeier has sneaky flex appeal this week in our Ultimate Guide to the Fantasy Football Playoffs.
• D’Onta Foreman led the Bears RBs in snaps, carries, routes run and targets in Week 14. Khalil Herbert registered three touches, and Roschon Johnson had one. Prior to the Week 13 bye, Foreman was injured, and Johnson was the bell cow for the team in Week 12, with Herbert playing second fiddle. It’s unclear how sturdy Foreman’s grasp of the starting job is, and the matchup against Cleveland is tough. But Foreman is a decent bet to reach 15 touches for desperate fantasy managers.
• Zamir White should handle most of the early down touches for the Raiders against the Chargers, with Josh Jacobs (knee/quad) unlikely to suit up. White should handle 15-20 carries along with goal-line work. Veteran Ameer Abdullah should be active in the passing game.

Top 66 Wide Receivers

• Stefon Diggs has less than seven fantasy points in three of his past four games. The Bills will need his help to compete with the Cowboys’ offense, and the team could try funneling targets his way to get him back on track. Diggs hasn’t reached 100 yards since Week 6.
• Amari Cooper’s 14 targets (33 percent target share) and 172 air yards hint at a fantasy points explosion. He only caught half of them for 77 scoreless yards in Week 14, a trend Cooper’s seen most of this year. He has 57 receptions but only two touchdowns. Positive regression should hit him soon.
• Davante Adams has topped 15 fantasy points just once since Week 4. He’s no longer a clear must-start, even against a Chargers defense allowing the fifth-most receiving yards per game (174) to wide receivers.
• Rashee Rice now has at least nine targets, seven receptions and 64 yards in three straight games. He’s averaged 19.8 PPR points per game during this period. With the Patriots likely focusing on Travis Kelce, Rice could have another big game.
• In the first full game without WR Christian Kirk, targets were heavily consolidated to WR Zay Jones (14), WR Calvin Ridley (13) and TE Evan Engram (12). Engram had 11 receptions, 95 yards and two touchdowns compared to nine catches and 82 combined yards from Jones and Ridley. Expect the production to even out this week, which should benefit the WRs.
• Odell Beckham Jr. has led the Ravens in targets in two of the past three weeks, with at least 97 yards in two of those games. He’s on a snap count and only running about 60 percent of the team’s routes. However, he’s been incredibly efficient and still warrants starting consideration against a pass-funnel Jaguars defense.
• With Tank Dell out for the season (broken leg) and Nico Collins likely to miss this week’s game (calf strain), Noah Brown is the WR1 by default. Unfortunately, he’ll be catching passes from backup QB Davis Mills since C.J. Stroud is in the concussion protocol.

Top 25 Tight Ends

• George Kittle has at least 68 yards in six of his past seven games.
• Despite Dawson Knox’s return in Week 14, Dalton Kincaid maintained a strong role. Kincaid led the team in routes (42) and was second in targets (eight).

Top 12 Fantasy Defenses

• The Tennessee Titans’ defense succeeding is contingent on Davis Mills stepping in for the injured C.J. Stroud. If Stroud starts, Tennessee’s defense would fall off this list.
• Choosing the Las Vegas Raiders’ defense is primarily a play against Easton Stick.
• You can stream virtually anyone against Mitchell Trubisky, but the Indianapolis Colts are the fourth-best scoring defense in fantasy this year.
• The Cleveland Browns are this far down with the expectation this will be a low-scoring, conservatively played contest from both teams.
• We expect the Los Angeles Rams to play with a lead, creating more sack and turnover opportunities against Sam Howell. That’s why Los Angeles edges out either side of the Minnesota Vikings matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals, which looks like a low-scoring game.

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Josh Larky

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Josh Larky is the Director of Fantasy and Gambling at The 33rd Team.  He joins us with a unique blend of educational and professional experience.

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Kev Wheeler

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Kev Wheeler is a former high school baseball and football coach who has been a fantasy football addict for more than 25 years. As a coach, Wheeler's teams accomplished five county and two regional championships. Wheeler has translated his on-field success to the fantasy football arena.

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Matthew Hill

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Writing and providing draft and in-season rankings since 2014, Matthew Hill was chosen FantasyPro's “Most Accurate Expert” for 2018. In addition to his 2018 first place in-season accuracy finish, Matthew’s draft rankings are among the industry's most accurate, finishing in the top 12 for 2019 to 2021.