Koerner’s Fantasy Football Tiers: Week 15 Rankings for QB, RB, WR, TE & More

Week 14 showed us a budding QB-WR tandem with the Titans, a massive performance from a future Hall of Fame passer in New Orleans and a dominant dual-threat game for a Chargers running back. Here's hoping Week 15 brings more of the same.

Consider these tiers a visualization of my early-week rankings. There will be a ton of volatility in how I adjust my rankings up until kickoff, so as always, be sure to check my updated rankings before making final sit/start decisions.

And if you're looking for streaming advice, you can find my favorite streamers here.

Week 15 Fantasy Football Tiers & Rankings

Quarterbacks

Tier 1

Lamar Jackson (@ NYJ)

Jackson is a bit banged up heading into the Thursday Night Football matchup with a quad injury. On top of that he is facing a Jets defense that has been very strong against the run this season, allowing the lowest explosive run rate in the NFL at 6% (per Sharp Football).

Despite lowered expectations with his rushing stats this week, he still has Tier 1 all to himself as he is capable of putting up plenty of points via the pass if needed. That’s why his floor/ceiling combo has been so lethal this year.

Tier 2

Patrick Mahomes (vs. DEN)
Russell Wilson (@ CAR)

Mahomes is dealing with a hand issue that we will need to monitor this week. It appears he will be fine, but this is a spot at home where we could see the Chiefs lean on the run a bit more if they get up early. Wilson should bounce back this week against a Panthers defense that has almost no motivation this week after a 5 game losing streak, saw their HC get fired, and looking towards next season already.

Tier 3

Deshaun Watson (@ TEN)
Jameis Winston (@ DET)

Winston continues to drop eye-popping numbers for fantasy despite throwing three more interceptions last week. I urge you to continue to view him from the Bohemian Rhapsody lens: Is this the real life? Or is this just fantasy?

Real life: his turnovers are very detrimental to the Bucs' chances of winning and he's a QB to bet against. Fantasy: interceptions are just a minor tax you have to pay to get Winston’s QB1 stats week in and week out.

Leagues that only dock one point for an interception need to remember to separate the two and continue to plug him in. The only reason he isn’t in my top 3 with a plus matchup at Detroit is he is also dealing with a hand injury and just lost Mike Evans for the season. He is still a solid QB1 in my book.

Tier 4

Dak Prescott (vs. LAR)
Drew Brees (vs. IND)

Brees throwing for 350 yards and five touchdowns at home should never surprise us, but dropping that line on the 49ers was something none of us expected. The Colts just allowed Jameis Winston to put up 456 yards last week, so they will have their hands full trying to contain Brees this week.

Tier 5

Jimmy Garoppolo (vs. ATL)
Ryan Tannehill (vs. HOU)
Kyler Murray (vs. CLE)

If you told me back in August that I would be touting Tannehill as a top-10 QB heading into the fantasy playoffs, I would have found that to be one of the more surprising things of the 2019 season.

He is on fire and should keep it going against a Texans defense that just allowed 309 yards and three touchdowns to Drew Lock in his second career start.

Tannehill’s ceiling is elevated by his growing chemistry with talented second round rookie A.J. Brown and Derrick Henry’s hamstring issue. If Henry is limited in any way this week it would likely mean the Titans lean on Tannehill even more.

Tier 6

Aaron Rodgers (vs. CHI)
Ryan Fitzpatrick (@ NYG)
Baker Mayfield (@ ARI)

Rodgers is a high floor play that I would say you can start over any of the Tier 5 QBs this week given how critical Week 15 matchups are. It’s the fantasy playoffs so the most important thing is winning your matchup.

Going with a more trustworthy QB, that is unlikely to have a “dud” is why I would lean Rodgers in close sit/start calls this week. Baker Mayfield has a dream matchup at Arizona this week. He has been a complete bust as an ADP top five QB this year, but could easily put up QB1 type numbers this week.

Tier 7

Eli Manning (vs. MIA)
Carson Wentz (@ WAS)
Tom Brady (@ CIN)
Derek Carr (vs. JAX)
Kirk Cousins (@ LAC)

These veteran pocket passers are potential streaming options if you have someone like Jared Goff/Matt Ryan/Josh Allen and need to go with a safer option this week.

Cousins is a bit dicey this week as he is going up against a Chargers defense that has allowed seven of their past 10 opposing QBs to throw for fewer than 185 yards. They were able to have Derwin James return from the IR two games ago which has made this a passing defense you typically want to avoid, if possible.

Tier 8

Kyle Allen (vs. SEA)
Gardner Minshew (@ OAK)
Jared Goff (@ DAL)
David Blough (vs. TB)

I am low on Jared Goff this week despite back-to-back solid games where it looks like the offense has finally turned the corner. The truth is, the offensive line still has issues and the offense in general is not as effective as a result.

One of the keys for how Goff and the Rams will do is good the opposing defense is at applying pressure. His fantasy success has correlated highly with that metric and with the Cowboys ranking 10th in generating pressure at a rate of 25.7%.

Applying the strong line of best fit based on the regression test I ran it would indicate that we can expect Goff to have about four points fewer than his average this week. He is a bit of a trap play here.

David Blough looked like a sneaky 2QB league play this week against a Buccaneers defense that usually results in fantasy gold. However, with Marvin Jones sent to IR to go along with T.J. Hockenson, I’m afraid he doesn’t have the weapons to be trusted this week.

Tier 9

Philip Rivers (vs. MIN)
Jacoby Brissett (@ NO)
Mitchell Trubisky (@ GB)
Josh Allen (@ PIT)
Drew Lock (@ KC)
Matt Ryan (@ SF)

For a season that has seen very few injuries, relatively speaking, to players that were drafted in the first 10 rounds, Week 15 is presenting us with a ton we need to consider. Calvin Ridley has been ruled out for the remainder of the season.

Matt Ryan can’t be trusted this week and is nothing more than a low end QB2 option this week. What Drew Brees did to the 49ers last week was an anomaly and I don’t expect the depleted Falcons passing game to be able to generate much against them here.

Tier 10

Devlin Hodges (vs. BUF)
Sam Darnold (@ BAL)

Darnold has been trending up lately, but this is a matchup to stay far away from him. His only hope would be to put up some stats in garbage time, which isn’t out of the question given the Jets head into TNF as 15-point underdogs. You should be able to do much better than him this week though.

Tier 11

Dwayne Haskins (vs. PHI)
Andy Dalton (vs. NE)

Running Backs

Tier 1

Christian McCaffrey (vs. SEA)

The “CMC Tier” remains all his this week.

Tier 2

Saquon Barkley (vs. MIA)
Dalvin Cook (@ LAC)
Ezekiel Elliott (vs. LAR)
Derrick Henry (vs. HOU)
Leonard Fournette (@ OAK)

Barkley has been a huge disappointment in fantasy this year, but he can salvage a bit with a massive game this week. He has a cushy matchup against the Dolphins, so if he can’t hit here, it will only further solidify his “bust” label.

Tier 3

Nick Chubb (@ ARI)
Alvin Kamara (vs. IND)
Aaron Jones (vs. CHI)

Kamara has been struggling of late and hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 3. In fact, that has been the only game he has scored (two total in Week 3).

He was a touchdown regression candidate heading into this year, but it goes without saying that no player is more due for positive touchdown regression than Kamara right now. Keep plugging him in and hopefully he erupts for a timely ceiling game in the fantasy playoffs.

Tier 4

Chris Carson (@ CAR)
Mark Ingram (vs. NYJ)
Melvin Gordon (vs. MIN)
Todd Gurley (@ DAL)

Rashaad Penny is out for the season meaning Chris Carson’s job security is safe (despite the fumbling issues) and we could see massive workloads for him down the stretch now. Ingram could struggle against a stout Jets run defense, especially if Lamar is less than 100% and the defense can key in on Ingram.

Either way, he is always a threat for short range touchdowns and you could speculate that with Jackson banged up on the short week, they could make it a point to give Ingram even more work when in striking distance.

Tier 5

Devin Singletary (@ PIT)
James Conner (vs. BUF)
Le'Veon Bell (@ BAL)
Austin Ekeler (vs. MIN)

Last week I mentioned Singletary had massive potential in the passing game after seeing his routes run to 88% in Week 13. Unfortunately, Josh Allen doesn’t target his RB often because he tends to just pull the ball down and run as opposed to checking down.

Last week Allen appeared to hurt his leg and was seen limping at times. It sapped his rushing ability enough that he rushed for a season-low nine yards and Singletary ended up catches six passes.

It is likely Allen will be back to 100% this week, but if there are any reports that his leg is limiting him at practice I will be ramping up Singletary’s projected receptions.

Tier 6

Miles Sanders (@ WAS)
Joe Mixon (vs. NE)
Kareem Hunt (@ ARI)
Phillip Lindsay (@ KC)
Devonta Freeman (@ SF)
David Montgomery (@ GB)
Patrick Laird (@ NYG)
James White (@ CIN)
Josh Jacobs (vs. JAX)

Patrick Laird has become a bit of a meme on fantasy football twitter, but he is certainly a low end RB2 that we need to take seriously this week. His routes run have gone up 5 straight games now. With Kalen Ballage on the IR has become the workhorse back for the Dolphins.

While we can’t bank on a RB being efficient running behind this offensive line, we can bank on Laird’s potential in the passing game. This week sets up a matchup he could thrive in against a Giants defense that has allowed six different running backs to catch at least four passes in the past four games. We all saw Boston Scott go off against them on MNF, it’s not crazy to think Laird could put up solid numbers this week in a 15-20 touch role.

Josh Jacobs is in danger of being shut down with a shoulder injury he has been dealing with for weeks now. This is a fantastic matchup against a Jaguars defense that has completely given up.

The best way to handle him if he’s still a game-time decision this week is to keep his slot open after the morning games, if possible, and have backup options ready to go in case he can’t suit up.

All too often I find people making the mistake of inserting a RB ranked slightly lower to lock in points without even having the chance of finding out if Jacobs is active. If he’s active this week he will be a mid to high end RB2.

Tier 7

Adrian Peterson (vs. PHI)
Kenyan Drake (vs. CLE)
Raheem Mostert (vs. ATL)
Carlos Hyde (@ TEN)
Bo Scarbrough (vs. TB)
Marlon Mack (@ NO)
LeSean McCoy (vs. DEN)
Sony Michel (@ CIN)
Ronald Jones (@ DET)
Jamaal Williams (vs. CHI)

Kenyan Drake feels a bit risky this week. We have become accustomed to his 15 touch role as the Cardinals lead back ever since they acquired him in Week 9 from Miami. David Johnson has been dealing with a back injury and Chase Edmunds has been injured as well.

With both getting closer to 100% and DJ having a very efficient Week 14, we have to wonder if Drake could end up only getting up to 10 touches if this becomes more of an even 2-3 way timeshare.

Raheem Mostert is fairly similar to Drake in that he is the unlikely lead back of a three-man RB committee heading into this week. In Mostert’s case he has earned this role due to strong play over the past three games.

He’s a low end RB2/Flex play who we need to start in a pinch this week- if either Tevin Coleman or Matt Brieda outproduce him this week I wouldn’t be too surprised. Truth is, this range at the RB position consists of players with a wide range of outcomes and he is no different.

Tier 8

Tarik Cohen (@ GB)
Alexander Mattison (@ LAC)
Royce Freeman (@ KC)
Duke Johnson Jr. (@ TEN)
Darwin Thompson (vs. DEN)
David Johnson (vs. CLE)
Peyton Barber (@ DET)
DeAndre Washington (vs. JAX)

The safest play from this group is Tarik Cohen, especially in PPR formats, because you can guarantee around 10 points from him, but not much more. He’s an ideal type of Flex play if you are a huge favorite this week. The rest of the Tier is heavily dependent on game flow and health of their RB counterparts.

It’s best to just handle these sit/start decisions later in the week when we have more info. DeAndre Washington will shoot up my rankings if Josh Jacobs misses again this week. In fact, given the great matchup against the Jaguars, I wouldn’t be surprised if he shoots up closer to Tier 6 if Jacobs is ruled out.

Tier 9

Latavius Murray (vs. IND)
Nyheim Hines (@ NO)
Chris Thompson (vs. PHI)
Jalen Richard (vs. JAX)

Tevin Coleman (vs. ATL)
Matt Breida (vs. ATL)
Jordan Howard (@ WAS)
Rex Burkhead (@ CIN)

Wide Receivers

Tier 1

Michael Thomas (vs. IND)

The “MT Tier” remains all his this week.

Tier 2

Tyreek Hill (vs. DEN)
DeAndre Hopkins (@ TEN)
Chris Godwin (@ DET)
Julian Edelman (@ CIN)
Davante Adams (vs. CHI)
Kenny Golladay (vs. TB)

Chris Godwin and Kenny Golladay's target shares with their respective teams should be even greater with Mike Evans and Marvin Jones both likely to miss the remainder of the season. Both guys have great matchups this week and neither of their defenses are capable of defending the pass.

Tier 3

D.J. Moore (vs. SEA)
Jarvis Landry (@ ARI)
Amari Cooper (vs. LAR)
Robert Woods (@ DAL)
Courtland Sutton (@ KC)

Robert Woods has become the focal point of the Rams passing attack. After zero receiving touchdowns on the season, I looked closely at what could have been the cause (other than bad luck) and speculated that Gerald Everett was eating into his role a bit this season, especially in the red zone.

Therefore, I wasn’t too surprised that with Everett now having missed the past two contests that we saw Woods breakout the way he has. It’s something to keep in mind if Everett does return this week. Either way, he is going to be a high end WR2 this week at Jerry’s World.

Tier 4

Keenan Allen (vs. MIN)
DeVante Parker (@ NYG)
Allen Robinson (@ GB)
Stefon Diggs (@ LAC)
Julio Jones (@ SF)
Cooper Kupp (@ DAL)
Odell Beckham (@ ARI)
Emmanuel Sanders (vs. ATL)
Tyler Lockett (@ CAR)
D.K. Metcalf (@ CAR)
Deebo Samuel (vs. ATL)

Kupp managed to bail out his Week 14 with a touchdown. His underlying stats were not pretty though. For some reason he only played 29% of the snaps and ran a route on 52% of the dropbacks. There was no injury reported on him so this was apparently due to scheme.

Analyzing this closely it appeared that backup TE Johnny Mundt played 71% of the snaps and ran zero routes on those plays. They were clearly using a ton of 2-TE formations and Kupp was the odd man out. It’s the second straight game that Woods/Cooks out snapped him.

I still think we can trust him as a WR2 and his routes should increase this week but we can’t view him as the main weapon in their passing attack right now- it is clearly Robert Woods.

Odell Beckham has a mouth watering matchup at Arizona this week. To say he has been a bust this week is an understatement, but he could have a huge game here when it matters most in fantasy to salvage his season a bit. His injury coupled with apparent trade demands makes him a dicey play this week, but it’s impossible to sit him here.

Tier 5

Michael Gallup (vs. LAR)
Christian Kirk (vs. CLE)

The Browns have a solid secondary and in no way a plus-matchup for Kirk, but after a three-game stretch against the Niners, Rams and Steelers, this will be an easier matchup for Kirk by comparison. He is a high end WR3 this week, but will be in the WR2 range next week at Seattle.

Tier 6

Zach Pascal (@ NO)
Will Fuller (@ TEN)
Dede Westbrook (@ OAK)
John Brown (@ PIT)
Terry McLaurin (vs. PHI)
A.J. Brown (vs. HOU)
Golden Tate (vs. MIA)
Sterling Shepard (vs. MIA)
Robby Anderson (@ BAL)

D.J. Chark has been ruled out for the remainder of the season which means that Dede Westbrook has become a high floor WR3 this week at Oakland. Chris Conley will see a significant boost as well and is more of a boom/bust WR4. A.J. Brown had a breakout game in Week 14 and he should keep it rolling this week against the Texans.

His projection last week shot up a bit in my model when Adam Humphries was ruled out. I have Humphries penciled in for Week 15 with the questionable tag. If Humphries is ruled out again and/or Derrick Henry is going to be limited in any way it will only boost A.J. Brown’s rank for me this week.

I reminded all last week that Robby Anderson always comes through in the fantasy playoffs. He once again went ballistic with a 7/116/1 game in Week 14. He has either 100 yards and/or a touchdown in four straight.

The next two games against the Ravens and Steelers are going to be very tough tests and despite his Week 12-16 dominance over the years, I would not blame you if you sat him for any other WR in this Tier.

Tier 7

Mike Williams (vs. MIN)
Tyrell Williams (vs. JAX)+
Marquise Brown (vs. NYJ)+
Tyler Boyd (vs. NE)
Anthony Miller (@ GB)-
Juju Smith-Schuster (vs. BUF)
Curtis Samuel (vs. SEA)
Adam Thielen (@ LAC)
Sammy Watkins (vs. DEN)+
Breshad Perriman (@ DET)+
Larry Fitzgerald (vs. CLE)-
Chris Conley (@ OAK)+
Cole Beasley (@ PIT)-
Danny Amendola (vs. TB)-
Jamison Crowder (@ BAL)-
Darius Slayton (vs. MIA)+
Allen Hurns (@ NYG)-
Randall Cobb (vs. LAR)-

High ceiling (+)
High floor (-)

There is a ton of upside in this Tier for your WR3/Flex slot. As always, I think you should make your decisions in this range based on if you are a favorite/underdog. The idea behind going for high floor if you are a favorite is simply to avoid a dud (think of an NFL team up big switching to a conservative run-first game plan).

If you are an underdog, you want to take on more high risk/reward type players to give yourself a better chance (think of a no huddle offense throwing it deep). We are always at the mercy of variance, but these are strategies we can use it to our advantage.

Tier 8

Corey Davis (vs. HOU)
James Washington (vs. BUF)
Marcus Johnson (@ NO)
Greg Ward (@ WAS)
Nelson Agholor (@ WAS)
Russell Gage (@ SF)
John Ross (vs. NE)

Kendrick Bourne (vs. ATL)
Brandin Cooks (@ DAL)
Diontae Johnson (vs. BUF)

Tight Ends

Tier 1

Travis Kelce (vs. DEN)
George Kittle (vs. ATL)
Zach Ertz (@ WAS)

It’s pretty satisfying to see the “big 3” at TE heading into the season all be in Tier 1 heading into Week 15. The Eagles are incredibly thin at WR right now due to injury, so much so I have added Reggie Wayne to my model and looked into age curves of 41 year olds just in case.

In all seriousness though, Ertz/Goedert should see a ton of targets in this game as they will essentially be the Eagles passing game this week.

Tier 2

Darren Waller (vs. JAX)

I always like to point out Waller’s splits in Raiders wins vs. losses.

Six Wins: 7.8 average 0.5 PPR points
Seven Losses: 13.5 average 0.5 PPR points

This makes complete sense as Derek Carr uses him heavily in comeback mode. The Raiders are 6-point favorites in Week 15, so while I love the matchup against the Jaguars, I’m a bit hesitant to project too high of a target share given his start splits above. This is why he is in Tier 2 all to himself.

Tier 3

Hunter Henry (vs. MIN)
Evan Engram (vs. MIA)
Austin Hooper (@ SF)

Hopefully Engram is able to return for this plus matchup against the Dolphins. Hooper was able to return and run a route on 69% of drop backs last week. He should only see his playing time go up this week and his target share should increase with Calvin Ridley out for the rest of the season.

Tier 4

Mark Andrews (vs. NYJ)
Jared Cook (vs. IND)
Dallas Goedert (@ WAS)
Jack Doyle (@ NO)
Jacob Hollister (@ CAR)
Greg Olsen (vs. SEA)
Michael Gesicki (@ NYG)

There are a ton of injuries to the TEs in this tier, but also teammates of theirs that will impact their rank this week. This is going to be a very volatile tier this week and as always it’s important to treat my Tiers as my initial ranks, you will want to check my updated rankings before making any final sit/start decisions though.

Jacob Hollister has been a bit disappointing the past three games, but his underlying usage has been all positive. He’s averaged 82% routes run per dropback and six targets the past three games. You don’t need massive volume to thrive when Wilson is your QB and we should see him have a big game in the coming weeks so stick with him, if possible.

Tier 5

Kyle Rudolph (@ LAC)
Tyler Higbee (@ DAL)
Noah Fant (@ KC)
OJ Howard (@ DET)
Gerald Everett (@ DAL)

Tyler Higbee will shoot up a Tier if Gerald Everett is ruled out again this week. The Rams offense the past couple games has essentially ran through Todd Gurley, Robert Woods, and Tyler Higbee. Kupp has played a more complementary role. All of the underlying data supports Higbee will be able to keep this up if Everett is out again.

O.J. Howard could see a huge boost with Mike Evans out. He’s a TE that is worth stashing this week if you have Engram, Cook, Andrews, Olsen, Fant or Everett who are all questionable this week

Tier 6

Vance McDonald (vs. BUF)
Jonnu Smith (vs. HOU)
Jason Witten (vs. LAR)
Ryan Griffin (@ BAL)
David Njoku (@ ARI)

McDonald and Griffin are also questionable this week. It’s pretty remarkable just how much uncertainty the TE position has at the time of writing this. Another potential bench stash this week if needed is David Njoku.

He returned last week to run a route on 33% of dropbacks. I would expect that to go up a bit this week and he faces the premier matchup for TEs against the Cardinals.

We are at the point in the season where your bench needs to be much more about strategy than just hoarding a bunch of potential waiver wire gems. We have passed that point in the season and are in must win mode.

Therefore, if your opponent’s TE is questionable to start the week, look into adding the top waiver wire option to block access to them. You can apply this strategy to all positions as you see fit and do not let this happen to you!

Sometimes winning the championship is all about doing the little things that can give you even the slightest edge.

Kickers

Tier 1

Justin Tucker (vs. NYJ)

Tier 2

Harrison Butker (vs. DEN)
Wil Lutz (vs. IND)
Robbie Gould (vs. ATL)
Jason Myers (@ CAR)

Tier 3

Matt Gay (@ DET)
Ryan Succop (vs. HOU)
Daniel Carlson (vs. JAX)
Austin Seibert (@ ARI)

Tier 4

Aldrick Rosas (vs. MIA)
Dan Bailey (@ LAC)
Nick Folk (@ CIN)
Greg Zuerlein (@ DAL)
Jake Elliott (@ WAS)
Kai Forbath (vs. LAR)

Tier 5

Ka'imi Fairbairn (@ TEN)
Matt Prater (vs. TB)
Zane Gonzalez (vs. CLE)
Mason Crosby (vs. CHI)
Michael Badgley (vs. MIN)
Jason Sanders (@ NYG)
Joey Slye (vs. SEA)
Josh Lambo (@ OAK)

Tier 6

Chris Boswell (vs. BUF)
Chase McLaughlin (@ NO)
Brandon McManus (@ KC)
Dustin Hopkins (vs. PHI)
Eddy Pineiro (@ GB)
Steven Hauschka (@ PIT)
Younghoe Koo (@ SF)

Tier 7

Randy Bullock (vs. NE)
Sam Ficken (@ BAL)

Defenses

Tier 1

Baltimore Ravens (vs. NYJ)
Philadelphia Eagles (@ WAS)
New England Patriots (@ CIN)
San Francisco 49ers (vs. ATL)

Tier 2

Kansas City Chiefs (vs. DEN)
Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. BUF)
Green Bay Packers (vs. CHI)
Seattle Seahawks (@ CAR)

Tier 3

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@ DET)
New Orleans Saints (vs. IND)
Buffalo Bills (@ PIT)
Cleveland Browns (@ ARI)
New York Giants (vs. MIA)
Oakland Raiders (vs. JAX)

Tier 4

Minnesota Vikings (@ LAC)
Tennessee Titans (vs. HOU)
Detroit Lions (vs. TB)
Arizona Cardinals (vs. CLE)
Washington Redskins (vs. PHI)
Dallas Cowboys (vs. LAR)

Tier 5

Houston Texans (@ TEN)
Chicago Bears (@ GB)
Los Angeles Rams (@ DAL)
Jacksonville Jaguars (@ OAK)
Miami Dolphins (@ NYG)

Tier 6

Los Angeles Chargers (vs. MIN)
Carolina Panthers (vs. SEA)
Cincinnati Bengals (vs. NE)
Denver Broncos (@ KC)
Atlanta Falcons (@ SF)

Tier 7

Indianapolis Colts (@ NO)
New York Jets (@ BAL)