Depth Chart Watch: Cam Newton's Understudy

Depth Chart Watch: Cam Newton's Understudy

This article is part of our Depth Chart Watch series.

Cardinals QB -- As the Cardinals continue in their quest to make the playoffs with the worst quarterback possible, Drew Stanton suffered a partial ACL tear and MCL strain Thursday night against the Rams, leaving the team with Ryan Lindley as its top quarterback. Lindley's 4-for-10, 30-yard performance after entering the game certainly didn't inspire any fantasy owners of Arizona's receivers, and with Stanton having been ruled out for "about four weeks," we may see both Lindley and Logan Thomas before the season's out as the team looks for answers at quarterback.

Cardinals RB -- Indeed, Kerwynn Williams held onto the greater share of Arizona's rushing load in Week 15, though just barely over Stepfan Taylor. Williams carried 15 times to Taylor's 14 and saw five targets in the pass game (though he caught only two) to Taylor's none, though both were effective rushers, with Kerwynn throwing down 5.0 YPC and Stepfan 4.4. Put Williams at the top of the depth chart going forward, and don't worry about owning Marion Grice at all. Another tough matchup is coming up for these guys in Week 16, as they'll have to face a Seahawks defense that has no reason to fear the pass.

Cardinals WR -- With the Cards' now-miserable pass game, it should come as no surprise that Larry Fitzgerald's team-high 10 targets resulted in only 30 yards on seven catches. John Brown also drew twice as many targets (six) as Michael Floyd, and though Floyd caught just two passes, his big 49-yard catch was good enough to give him the team lead in receiving for the day. For whatever that's worth.

Falcons WR -- Julio Jones' hip injury, suffered Monday night in Week 14, held him out of Sunday's game, which you'd figure would mean a lot more productivity for Roddy White. Well, as it turns out, no. White did turn in a competent 58 yards and a touchdown on seven catches (10 targets), but he was outgained by both Devin Hester (five catches on six targets, 85 yards and a score) and Harry Douglas (10 catches on a game-high 14 targets, 131 yards). Douglas seems to always blow up when one of White or Jones can't play, so that's a situation you'll want to monitor entering Week 16's matchup against the vulnerable Saints D.

Ravens WR -- Torrey Smith (knee) was back in there, sort of, in Week 15, but he still took a back seat to both Steve Smith and Marlon Brown, as well as tight end Owen Daniels, who blew all the wideouts away in terms of targets (nine). No Ravens wideout had more than five targets, which is how many Brown and Smith had, and both of them caught all five, with Brown delivering a team-best 66 yards while Smith put up a quiet 37. On the heels of last week's breakout, Kamar Aiken didn't catch his only target, but he did score a special-teams touchdown off a blocked punt.

Bills RB -- The Buffalo offense mostly spent Sunday's game managing things for the defense, which stunningly shut down Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, probably ending the fantasy seasons of a lot of people who own Rodgers and Jordy Nelson. That meant plenty of work for Fred Jackson, who easily dominated the rushing load with 20 carries, which resulted in only 71 yards (a modest 3.6 YPC), but with 27 yards through the air too, he nearly put together a 98-yard day. That'll do. Anthony Dixon (six carries, 26 yards and a five-yard catch) and Bryce Brown (four carries, 20 yards, plus a 40-yard catch) were effective when called upon, but as you'd expect, they weren't called upon often. It's looking possible, by the way, that C.J. Spiller could return in time for Week 16, and he could leap back into a timeshare with Jackson. Monitor the word in practice this week if you're invested in this situation.

Bills WR -- Kyle Orton had an atrocious day Sunday, and as a result, Sammy Watkins ended up falling back again, catching just one of six targets for 28 yards. That was enough for him to lead the Bills' wideout corps in yardage over Robert Woods, who caught two of five for 22 yards. Yeah, it was like that.

Panthers QB -- Cam Newton's Tuesday car accident and resultant back injury pressed Derek Anderson into service on Sunday, and Anderson did all we could have asked from him -- he didn't turn the ball over and he produced enough yardage to have three viable fantasy receivers. Cam's status for Week 16 is uncertain, so it's a situation to keep an eye on throughout the week if you're invested in the Panthers' quarterbacks. It's not impossible that Newton will return, but with the team having nothing to play for, why rush him?

Panthers RB -- DeAngelo Williams (finger) wasn't ready to return in Week 15, so Jonathan Stewart got another heavy rushing load, but things got back to their normal lack of value here, as his 22 carries were good for just 73 yards (3.3 YPC) and he fumbled twice, losing one. Williams seems like he's headed for active status in Week 16, though.

Panthers WR -- So far, the two times Anderson's started at quarterback for the Panthers, Kelvin Benjamin has turned productive games both times (including a 13-target, eight-catch, 104-yard performance Sunday), so it's good to know that you can seemingly count on Benjamin to produce even if Newton's not back. Jerricho Cotchery also delivered fantasy relevance, catching all five of his targets for 47 yards, including a short touchdown.

Bears WR -- With Brandon Marshall (ribs/lung) done for the year, I'll be looking/hoping/praying for Marquess Wilson to fill his shoes to some degree, as I'm counting on him in a PPR format where it looks like I'm gonna need some MNF magic. At 6-foot-4, 207 pounds, Wilson offers a sizeable target in the red zone - hint, hint, nudge, nudge, Jay Cutler.

Bengals RB -- The Bengals got to roll out a run-heavy plan thanks to their shutout of Cleveland on Sunday, and Jeremy Hill again led the way with an enormous game, running 25 times for 148 yards and two scores, which certainly helped many a fantasy owner to a final. Despite seeing far less work - 15 carries and three catches - Giovani Bernard turned in a solid game of his own, picking up 103 total yards. Bernard may own a bit more value next week, when the Bengals seem likely to need a pass-heavy approach against Denver.

Bengals WR -- On a day when Andy Dalton barely generated any yardage through the air, there wasn't much productivity to go around. A.J. Green turned in a dud against Joe Haden, catching only five out of 11 targets for 49 yards, and the next-most-productive Bengals wideout was Mohamed Sanu, who caught one pass for four yards. No joke.

Browns QB -- So, that didn't go well. Johnny Manziel's first NFL start was a largely unmitigated disaster, as he neither threw nor ran the ball effectively. But I don't think the Browns will say, "Oh well, never ye mind," and switch back to Brian Hoyer, especially now that they're out of the playoff picture, so look for them to make roll Manziel out there again next week, preferably with some adjustments.

Browns RB -- With Cleveland's offense failing in every measure Sunday, the running game was no exception, so although Terrance West was actually efficient at 4.6 YPC, he only carried five times. Isaiah Crowell was patently useless against one of the league's worst rushing defenses, gaining 17 yards on seven carries.

Browns WR -- Unsurprisingly, with Manziel throwing for all of 80 yards, there wasn't much production to be found here. Josh Gordon was the only one who could do anything at all, producing three catches on a meager four targets for 48 yards, and no other Browns wideout gained double-digit yardage. Seriously.

Cowboys WR -- Well, the good news is Terrance Williams got some use Sunday night, drawing four targets, but he was less efficient with them (catching two for 19 yards) than Cole Beasley, who caught all four of his own for a 42-yard total. Meanwhile, Dez Bryant did bad, bad things to the Eagles' secondary, ripping off 114 yards and three touchdowns. Why would you ever have him of all people in single coverage if you're the Eagles? Why?

Broncos RB -- C.J. Anderson turned in an inefficient game Sunday (96 total yards, but just 2.9 YPC - his second straight week under 3.0), which wasn't very good timing, as Ronnie Hillman is expected to return to the field in Week 16. We'll have to see how things play out in practice as far as that goes, but I fully expect Anderson to continue dominating the rushing load for at least one more week.

Broncos TE -- Julius Thomas (ankle) finally got back in the mix in Week 15, but not to a hugely impressive degree - he turned in a 30-yard catch and was otherwise targeted only one time. Still, it was enough to push Jacob Tamme from irrelevance to utter irrelevance.

Lions RB -- Joique Bell again dominated the work despite Reggie Bush's presence on Sunday, turning in 103 total yards to Reggie's 17. Honestly, it doesn't look like the Lions really have any strong desire to utilize Bush at all anymore. I'd bet on him playing for a different team next year. He might be a good fit in Cleveland, where they lack for a passing-down back. Or the Jets, who love signing up past-their-prime rushers. But that's pure speculation.

Texans QB -- Ryan Fitzpatrick's season is over after a leg fracture suffered Sunday, which left the Texans with an uninspiring performance from backup Tom Savage (10-for-19, 127 yards, no TDs, two turnovers). Worse yet, Savage himself was reportedly limping in the locker room following the game and has an MRI on tap. Thaddeus Lewis may be the only man left standing here, which would likely mean the Texans go out and sign another quarterback to at least assume backup duties for the last couple games.

Texans WR -- A concussion suffered in Week 14 kept Andre Johnson out Sunday, but that didn't create a lot of opportunity for anyone with the Texans' quarterback situation getting so ugly. DeAndre Hopkins accounted for 13 targets out of the 25 Houston pass attempts, but he was able to reel in just five of them for a relatively modest 77 yards. DeVier Posey drew just a single target, though he caught it for 30 yards, and Damaris Johnson caught two of three for 23, and everyone kind of wished for the "good" old days of Matt Schaub.

Colts RB -- While Dan Herron continues to see the bigger share of the duties and continues to outproduce Trent Richardson, the Colts just seem unwilling to fully commit to the back they call "Boom." Despite a 5.5 YPC to T-Rich's 3.6, Herron only saw a slight carry edge - 11 to nine. It seems like the Colts don't truly want to admit defeat on the Richardson trade. But come on, guys. He stinks. Just admit it and move on.

Colts WR -- Hakeem Nicks sort of remembered to show up to play in Week 15, as he fought his way to the end zone in impressive fashion on a 26-yard touchdown, but was targeted only one other time and finished with 44 yards. That's 20 more than Reggie Wayne, who made things worse by losing a fumble, and six less than T.Y. Hilton, who didn't show off last week's big-play ability at all on a rough day for Andrew Luck. Hilton also suffered a fourth-quarter hamstring injury that puts his Week 16 status in doubt pending test results.

Colts TE -- Dwayne Allen found his way back into the end zone Sunday, but Coby Fleener was targeted more (five to four) and doubled him up in crappy yardage totals (32 to 16). We're getting closer to a 50-50 split here as Allen gets fully healthy, though. There should be more work to go around against Dallas in Week 16.

Jaguars RB -- With Denard Robinson (foot) done for the year, Toby Gerhart took things over again in the Jacksonville backfield, delivering 63 total yards and no help for fantasy owners, as usual. Storm Johnson saw the second-most usage, carrying six times for 19 yards, so not much intrigue there either, nor in Jordan Todman (seven rush yards, 19 receiving yards).

Jaguars WR -- Cecil Shorts saw good action Sunday, getting a team-high 11 targets and reeling in a somewhat PPR-relevant six catches for 76 yards. Allen Hurns caught as many passes for just six fewer yards on two fewer targets, and Marquise Lee managed to turn his own nine targets into an opposite-of-impressive four catches for 14 yards. File this under non-news: Blake Bortles still can't support a consistently productive receiving crew.

Chiefs RB -- Jamaal Charles took a hit to the head in the second half Sunday that ended up severely limiting his fantasy performance, as he missed out on prime garbage-time rushing chances in a blowout of the Raiders. In his place, Knile Davis rushed for just 11 yards on nine carries, but punched in a three-yard touchdown and ended up taking a short pass 70 yards to the house, which was good enough for him to lead the team in receiving. The sound of things is that Charles avoided a concussion and was just kept out as a precaution, so he should be good to go for Week 16, but his owners have to be feeling a bit troubled - if they were even able to make it through without him this week.

Chiefs WR -- Now that we're 15 weeks into the season, I feel I should note that no Chiefs wide receiver has caught a touchdown all year long. As usual, it was only the running backs and tight ends who found the end zone. As usual, Dwayne Bowe served as the top receiver, but he got matched in production in this one by rookie Albert Wilson, who posted a career-high 69 yards on three catches. You're in a bad place if you're starting a KC receiver in fantasy. But you already knew that.

Chiefs TE -- For the second straight week, the Chiefs' pass game focused heavily on Travis Kelce, who lost another fumble Sunday, but still delivered five catches on six tries for 59 and a score. The guy frankly looks like a boss with the ball in his hands. Anthony Fasano was targeted only once, picking up a two-yard gainer. Kelce keeps growing into the full-time role and will, I predict, blow up big-time next season.

Dolphins WR -- Jarvis Landry led the team in targets again with 11 on Sunday, but although he delivered an eight-catch, 99-yard day, he got outshined by Mike Wallace, who edged him out with 104 yards and a touchdown despite being targeted seven times. It's pretty spectacular that the Dolphins managed to get those two receiving performances and still score 13 points. There should be a medal or something for that.

Vikings RB -- It was one of those weirdly valuable Matt Asiata days for Minnesota in Week 15, as he rumbled for only 36 rush yards thanks to a 3.3 YPC, but scored a short touchdown and helped out PPR owners by catching seven passes for 50 yards. You certainly could have done worse. Ben Tate rushed five times for eight yards, and it's amazing how quickly he's gone to looking like a guy on his way out of the league.

Vikings WR -- Charles Johnson keeps leading the way for the Vikings, pacing the team with five catches on seven targets for 72 yards on Sunday. Jarius Wright drew six targets of his own, but was notably less productive, gaining 49 yards on four catches, while Greg Jennings was targeted five times, picking up 43. And hey, Cordarrelle Patterson made an appearance! A two-catch, 16-yard appearance, sure - but hey, it's more than nothing.

Patriots RB -- LeGarrette Blount didn't produce a lot of mileage on the ground Sunday - he ended up with just 17 yards (but hey, a touchdown) on eight carries, which led to a heavy dose of … guess who? Jonas Gray! Bill Belichick remembered that Gray was alive in the second half Sunday, handing him the ball 11 times, and Gray produced 62 yards. And while Shane Vereen carried just six times for five yards and gained only 12 through the air, he punched in a short touchdown. As usual, you just can't trust any of Belichick's rushers.

Saints TE -- We'll be looking for a Monday night bounce back from Jimmy Graham, who just hasn't been himself lately. If you're a Graham owner, you don't even want to hear Josh Hill or Ben Watson's name.

Giants RB -- Rashad Jennings (ankle) was again unable to really play Sunday, as he suited up, but ended up being almost entirely uninvolved, touching the ball just one time and apparently aggravating his injury. So Andre Williams was left with a full complement again, but was unable to duplicate last week's success, as he managed just 44 rush yards on 18 carries and caught only one of his four targets for a nine-yard gain. With the Giants having nothing left to gain from rushing Jennings back after this latest setback, they may just let Williams play out the string as the starter for the last couple weeks.

Jets WR -- Percy Harvin (ankle) was in there for the Jets on Sunday, but was clearly not 100 percent, failing to reel in any of his three targets and contributing a single rush for 10 yards. Only Eric Decker did much for the team, catching seven out of 11 for 100 yards - and it would have been considerably more if not for him stepping out of bounds on what would have been an 81-yard touchdown. In other unintentionally hilarious news, remember how the Jets gave Jeremy Kerley a four-year contract extension earlier this season? Glad he's justified that by clearing 30 receiving yards exactly one time in his last 11 games. It's hard to hate being a fan of a team more than I hate being a Jets fan right now.

Eagles QB -- Another not-good day for Mark Sanchez (sure, 252 yards, but no touchdowns and two picks and several very bad throws) on Sunday led to the Eagles dropping a big home game to Dallas, and the rumblings are growing about a potential Nick Foles return in Week 16. It's no sure thing, but at this point, if this team wants to make the playoffs, it may be a risk Chip Kelly (and Foles himself) has to take.

Eagles WR -- Jordan Matthews pulled a disappearing act in Week 15, as he only drew a single target and didn't catch it. That's two quiet weeks in a row for Matthews, who had been targeted at least five times in 10 of the last 11 games entering Sunday's action. Jeremy Maclin still got his - four catches on six targets for 98 yards - but no one else did, though Josh Huff reeled in a nice 44-yarder. Riley Cooper had a second straight quiet week of his own - he now has just 30 yards over the last two games and hasn't exceeded 40 yards in a game since the end of October.

Steelers WR -- While Antonio Brown put on yet another star-powered performance Sunday, as he always does, Markus Wheaton played a slightly more distinct second fiddle than Martavis Bryant - both were targeted five times, but Wheaton caught all of his for 66 yards while Bryant caught three for just 31 - and no end-zone trip this time. It's worth noting that Bryant's turned in duds in three of the last four weeks now, and only his sort-of-fluky long touchdown against the Bengals in Week 14 separates it from being four of four.

Chargers WR -- The forecasted bounce-back didn't materialize for Keenan Allen on Sunday, as he managed to collect only three out of his team-high eight targets and gained only 18 yards. He now has 21 yards in the last two weeks after gaining 225 with three touchdowns over the two weeks prior. The guy's been inconsistent and untrustworthy in his sophomore campaign, and now he's picked up an ankle injury, which had him wearing a boot after Sunday's game. As has been the norm, no other Chargers receiver stepped up to the plate with Allen struggling, as Malcom Floyd caught only three of seven for 34 yards, Eddie Royal three of four for 27, and Seyi Ajirotutu one of four for 17.

49ers RB -- Frank Gore had a poor game going Sunday, and then it got poorer when he suffered a concussion that knocked him out of the loss to Seattle in the first half. The Niners simply didn't run a whole lot of offensive plays in this game, but when they turned to Carlos Hyde, he delivered impressively, rushing six times for 55 yards. With no reason to rush Gore back from such a tricky injury, the playoff-eliminated Niners may just let Hyde start for them over the last two weeks to aid in their evaluations for next year.

Seahawks WR -- Jermaine Kearse emerged to catch five of six targets for 78 yards Sunday, drawing as many targets as top dog Doug Baldwin, who caught three of his for 53 yards. Paul Richardson saw five looks of his own, which is interesting, but managed a meager three catches for 30 yards. That trio plus Marshawn Lynch accounted for all 12 of Russell Wilson's completed passes.

Rams WR -- Though the Rams did their level best to out-awful Arizona offensively Thursday, Stedman Bailey and Kenny Britt at least delivered somewhat credible performances, with both catching five passes, for 74 and 65 yards, respectively. Britt's nine targets were a season high and Bailey's eight were as many as he saw in the last two games combined, which is pretty promising on both counts, though Shaun Hill did a good amount of volume (39 pass attempts).

Buccaneers RB -- Doug Martin came alive Sunday, albeit really on one play, a big 63-yard run. To be fair, if you take that out, he ends up with 13 carries for 33 yards, which has essentially been the typical Martin game for the last two years - when he's managed to be on the field. For the fifth straight week, he finished with single-digit receiving yards. Charles Sims delivered a junior version of Martin's performance, as he picked up 18 yards on one of his carries and 16 yards on the other six combined. But he did catch all three of his pass targets for 45 yards, so that's nice for him.

Buccaneers WR -- It's interesting to see how Mike Evans gets labeled a superstar despite his numbers of late. Evans caught only two of his eight targets for all of 13 yards Sunday, but scored a touchdown - his 11th in the last 10 weeks. Evans has been horrendously inefficient lately - he has just 13 catches on 39 targets over the last four games - but he does get into the end zone, that's for sure. That's something Vincent Jackson can't say, as he led the team in receiving again with six catches for 70 yards, but remains without a touchdown since the end of September.

Titans QB -- The Titans worked through another quarterback in Week 15, as Jake Locker was sent to the sidelines with a shoulder injury, leaving Tennessee with ol' Charlie Whitehurst. Whitehurst's arguably been the best quarterback on this team this year, but he went just 10-for-24 after stepping in - though he managed to rack up 203 yards on those 10 completions, so that's a positive.

Titans WR -- Nate Washington saw by far the most attention on Sunday, turning 10 targets into six catches and a game-high 102 yards. The only other Tennessee wideout to catch a pass was Kris Durham, who reeled in a 14-yarder among three targets. Derek Hagan didn't reel in any of the five passes sent his way. That's ugly.

Redskins QB -- Colt McCoy got another start Sunday, but aggravated his neck injury, and though he claimed to be okay going forward, it seems like starting him is inevitably going to lead to him leaving another game upon taking a big hit. Robert Griffin looked - dare I say it - explosive after entering in his place, going 18-for-27 for 236 yards and a score, plus 46 rushing yards on five attempts. He was robbed of a second touchdown upon booth review just before the half, too.

Redskins WR -- DeSean Jackson (leg) came back in Week 15, but caught only three out of his eight targets for a meager 15-yard day, and Pierre Garcon's seven looks didn't yield much production either - just 36 yards on four grabs. The only man in this crew to do something for his fantasy owners (whoever they may be) was Andre Roberts, who caught just two balls, but gained 81 yards.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andrew Fiorentino
Managing hockey editor, talent wrangler, football columnist, FSWA's 2015 fantasy hockey writer of the year. Twitter: @akfiorentino
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