Yahoo DFS Football: Week 15 Picks

Yahoo DFS Football: Week 15 Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Football series.

The NFL's Week 15 docket features 14 games scheduled for the Sunday main slate beginning at 1:00 PM Eastern time. Additionally, the Jets and Ravens will face off on Thursday Night Football, while the Colts and Saints play Monday. There are plenty of enticing options to choose from with bye weeks no longer taking talent off the table, and the guys that stand out from the pack include a pair of running backs who have recently grabbed commanding roles in platoons and a wide receiver searching for his fourth multi-score game of the season against a team that's had trouble keeping wideouts out of the end zone.

TOURNAMENTS (GPP – GUARANTEED PRIZE POOL)

QB: Jameis Winston, TB at DET ($33): Winston is battling through thumb and knee injuries and isn't even guaranteed to dress for this one, but owners who look Winston's way in spite of the injuries could be handsomely rewarded against a Lions secondary that's allowing 276.5 passing yards per game -- third most in the league. The Buccaneers are expected to be without top receiver Mike Evans, who hurt his hamstring while scoring a 61-yard touchdown on his lone catch last week, but Winston showed he can get by just fine without Evans, throwing for 395 yards and three touchdowns excluding that 61-yard score. Winston's injuries and turnover-prone tendencies make him a risky option, but his massive ceiling is all the more appealing since most people won't dare look his way.

RB: Raheem Mostert, SF vs. ATL ($20): With three healthy and effective running backs at San Francisco's disposal, it's hard to trust that you'll pick the right one on any given week. That said, Mostert has established himself as the top pick from the group over the past two weeks, leading the backfield in touches both times while totaling 215 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries in addition to 48 yards and a touchdown on four catches. Mostert also found the end zone in the game prior to this strong stretch, so he'll bring a three-game touchdown streak into this home matchup against a Falcons defense that's allowing 26.4 points per game -- seventh most in the league.

WR: Darius Slayton, NYG vs. MIA ($16): Slayton has shown tremendous upside in his rookie season, as Monday's 154-yard, two-touchdown performance was his third multi-score game of the season. This one came with Eli Manning under center after the first two happened with Daniel Jones, so Slayton's ceiling will be high regardless of which quarterback starts for New York against a Dolphins team that's allowing a league-high 30.7 points per game. Miami's 22 touchdowns allowed to wide receivers are the most in the league as well.

Other Against-the-Grainers

QB: David Blough (DET, $26), Aaron Rodgers (GB, $31)

RB: Phillip Lindsay (DEN, $20), Patrick Laird (MIA, $12), Kareem Hunt (CLE, $18)

WR: Kenny Golladay (DET, $28), Breshad Perriman (TB, $12), Tyreek Hill (KC, $30)

TE: Hunter Henry (LAC, $18), David Njoku (CLE, $13)

DST: Buffalo Bills (at PIT, $17), Los Angeles Rams (at DAL, $16)

CASH GAMES (H2H, 50/50s and DOUBLE UPS)

QUARTERBACK

Ryan Tannehill, TEN vs. HOU ($30): Tannehill has looked like an elite quarterback ever since taking over the starting job in Tennessee, and he's showing no signs of slowing down. He has a 15:4 TD:INT through seven starts and three rushing touchdowns over that span. Coming off a season-high 391-yard performance in last week's win over Oakland, Tannehill should carve up a Houston secondary that just allowed over 300 yards and three touchdowns to Broncos rookie Drew Lock in only his second NFL start.

RUNNING BACK

James White, NE at CIN ($18): White has established himself as New England's go-to running back over the past two weeks, totaling 112 rushing yards and 125 receiving yards on 20 carries and 13 catches while finding the end zone twice. His increased volume on the ground of late has come just in time to capitalize on facing a Bengals run defense that's surrendering a league-high 156.7 yards per game, and White's always a premier receiving threat out of the backfield.

Chris Carson, SEA at CAR ($34): With Rashaad Penny tearing his ACL just as he had started to siphon a significant number of carries away from Carson, the latter will go back to being Seattle's bell cow running back against the most vulnerable run defense in the league. Carolina's 1,571 rushing yards allowed to running backs are 23 fewer than Miami's league-worst total, but the Panthers have surrendered a whopping 21 rushing touchdowns to the position while the Dolphins have given up just eight, and no other team has allowed more than 14. Carson ranks seventh in the league with 1,057 rushing yards and has 14 rushing touchdowns since the start of last season, so he has the skills to capitalize on this favorable matchup.

WIDE RECEIVER

Robert Woods, LAR at DAL ($18): Woods has put together a terrific stretch over the past four games, totaling 33 catches for 462 yards and a touchdown while logging no fewer than 95 yards in each game. With the Rams' entire offense starting to resemble last year's dominant unit in recent weeks, Woods should keep rolling against a Cowboys team that's been outscored 70-48 in losing its past three games.

Isaiah Ford, MIA vs. NYG ($12): Ford's perfect for those who are looking to clear cap space for some big names elsewhere in the lineup, especially if both DeVante Parker and Albert Wilson are forced to sit out due to concussions. The unheralded receiver became Ryan Fitzpatrick's favorite target after Parker exited last week's loss to the Jets, finishing with team highs in targets (nine), catches (six) and yards (92). Ford should put on a nice encore performance if given the opportunity to do so against a Giants secondary that has allowed the second-most yards (2,417) and third-most touchdowns (18) to the wide receiver position this season.

Michael Thomas, NO vs. IND ($35): If you're doing a contest that involves Monday's game, Thomas needs to be in your lineup. He's been the league's best receiver by far this season, and Thomas takes his game to another level at home, where he has 75 catches for 899 yards and five touchdowns in seven games. The sky's the limit for him against a reeling Colts secondary that was just ravaged for 456 yards and four touchdowns through the air by Jameis Winston last week in Tampa Bay.

TIGHT END

Zach Ertz, PHI at WAS ($20): Ertz was quiet against the Dolphins two weeks ago after nearly sitting out entirely due to a hamstring injury, but he's been sensational of late otherwise, with 39 catches for 379 yards and four touchdowns in his last four games besides that one. The star tight end hasn't recorded fewer than nine catches or 91 yards in any of those four games, yet five other tight ends in the Sunday slate cost at least as much, even with Ertz set to face a Redskins team that's allowed more catches, yards and touchdowns than league average to the position.

DEFENSE

Cleveland Browns, CLE at ARI ($13): The Browns remain an affordable yet effective option, having scored 39.0 fantasy points over their past four games. Even without the suspended Myles Garrett, Cleveland's pass rush should rack up some sacks considering Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray has been sacked a league-high 46 times this season. All those hits might be wearing out the rookie quarterback, who threw a career-worst three interceptions in last week's loss to the Steelers and has now been picked off five times in his past four games after totaling only four interceptions in his first nine.

Honorable Mentions

QB: Tom Brady (NE, $30), Jimmy Garoppolo (SF, $31)

RB: Saquon Barkley (NYG, $26), Ronald Jones (TB, $17), Josh Jacobs (OAK, $30)

WR: A.J. Brown (TEN, $15), Emmanuel Sanders (SF, $19), Jarvis Landry (CLE, $23)

TE: Travis Kelce (KC, $27), O.J. Howard (TB, $11)

DST: New England Patriots (at CIN, $22), Seattle Seahawks (at CAR, $16)

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Sasha Yodashkin plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: Youngsash, DraftKings: Yashdogg,Yahoo: Sasha, Fanball: Yashdogg.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sasha Yodashkin
Sasha has been contributing NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB and Tennis content to RotoWire since 2015, with an emphasis on DFS. He is a huge New York sports fan who has been playing fantasy sports since middle school.
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