Chasing Upside in Week 15
Welcome to our team’s weekly article on Fantasy Football Upside in player performance for the upcoming week!
Each week we’re going to list players that we believe will outperform their Fantasy Pros half-PPR Expert Consensus Rankings, thereby giving you the advantage in setting your lineups for each week’s slate of games. So sit back, relax, and enjoy reading our article on Fantasy Football Upside in Week 15!
Quarterback
Matt Ryan, Indianapolis Colts
Follow @JorgeBEdwardsCurrently, my OB10 heading into the week (rankings can be found here), Matt Ryan has an advantageous matchup versus the Vikings this week. Minnesota, on the season, has allowed 20.4 PPG to the QB position, which ranks 4th most in the NFL. The past three QBs to face the Vikings (Jared Goff, Mike White, and Mac Jones) posted 26.2, 19.7, and 23.3 points, respectively. Yes, MAC JONES put up 20+ against the Vikings. Put Matt Ryan into your lineups, and let him help advance you to the second round of the fantasy football playoffs!
Running Back
Jerick McKinnon, Kansas City Chiefs
Follow @FFChalupaBatmanPLAYOFFS?!?! It is now crunch time. We are in a must-win time to advance. Hopefully, you dominated this season and have a first-round bye, but only some are fortunate. If you are facing a strong opponent, you should chase upside on your roster to pull off that upset win in the first round of the playoffs. This week I am chasing the FantasyPros ECR RB35, Jerick McKinnon.
Jerick McKinnon was THE RB1 in Week 14 thanks to 112 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns. You can not expect the same performance this week, obviously. However, it was encouraging to see McKinnon get his second-highest snap share of the season, 57%, while Isiah Pacheco has been sub-50% the last two weeks. McKinnon is the clear passing downs running back and has at least six targets in four of the last six games.
The Kanas City Chiefs play the Houston Texans this week, which is the best matchup for running backs. Most people are excited about Pacheco because they expect him to get a lot of carries. He probably will get plenty of carries, but that does not mean McKinnon will be left out. There should be plenty of snaps to go around and McKinnon can get enough touches to out-perform his projection. Last week, the Texans played against the Dallas Cowboys. Ezekiel Elliott had 18 touches from a 49% snap share and scored 15.6 fantasy points. Tony Pollard had 14 touches from a 58% snap share and scored 20.2 fantasy points. The Texans gave up 35.8 fantasy points from 32 touches to running backs in Week 14. McKinnon is attached to a dominant offense in a great matchup. If you need more upside on your roster this week then put McKinnon in your flex spot!
Jerick McKinnon and Patrick Mahomes did what???pic.twitter.com/wjGE0wucWh
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) December 11, 2022
Wide Receiver
Michael Gallup
Follow @bill_mustafa
Dallas Cowboys receiver Michael Gallup hasn’t really moved the needle as a fantasy asset yet this season. He’s only managed one top-15 WR finish in his ten appearances, and that week 13 game vs Indianapolis was also the only double-digit point haul for him.
The fifth-year veteran has a chance to post what would be only his second top-24 finish of the season against a Jacksonville Jaguars defense that ranks 20th in fantasy points allowed to the WR position this season.* Despite Gallup’s lowly fantasy returns, he has been a big part of the offense. He has six or more targets in five of his last six games, so Dak is looking his way, and at some point, the big game is coming.
Gallup typically lines up to the left of the formation. If this holds true on Sunday, he’ll likely see Jags corner Tyson Campbell for the majority of the contest. Campbell is one of the more underrated young cornerbacks in the NFL, and the former Georgia Bulldog has put together a quietly strong sophomore season so far. His four touchdowns allowed when targeted have him inside the top-10 for TDs allowed, which will be something to watch when Dallas is in clear passing downs, especially with Campbell’s Safety help likely coming down into the box to help combat the effective Dallas run game or helping to bracket CeeDee Lamb on the other side.
Tight End
Gerald Everett, The Los Angeles Chargers
Follow @JorgeBEdwardsAgainst 3rd most friendly defense towards tight ends, Gerald Everett has a fantastic matchup versus the Titans this week. The Titans let Evan Engram look like the greatest tight end in the history of tight ends last week. Everett’s fantasy output should be just fine this week!