I’m going to start off just saying, WOW. We haven’t had that much fantasy action in a long time. Was great to see a lot of FFin60’s “Our Guys” with big days and hopefully you all are advancing in your season long and best ball leagues.

No sponsored advertisement today but instead I want to give a shoutout for my good friend who is crushing it in the BBQ world and just launched his own BBQ brand of rubs and more.

Give him a follow on Instagram if you want great BBQ tips or you can use code FFin60 to get a 10% discount on his Lifetime Membership Package (also a great holiday gift).

📝 Week 15 Key Takeaways

Unfortunately Week 15 saw quite a few injuries. We’ll be monitoring and updating you all throughout the week.

Cleveland Browns @ Chicago Bears

Browns: Judkins plays more, but Williams steals the money touches
Usage/what it means: With Ford and Sampson out, Judkins took almost all early-down snaps, but Trayveon Williams handled most third-down/two-minute work and all short-yardage and goal-line snaps.
Action: Treat Judkins as a volume-based, low-ceiling RB2/FLEX in bad matchups

Bears: Luther Burden breaks out without Odunze, but hurts ankle
Usage/what it means: Odunze was active but never played, and Burden was the clear focal point (6/84) before leaving with an ankle injury, after again rotating slot/outside with Zaccheaus.
Action: If reports on the ankle are positive, Burden should be a top-priority WR add if you need WR help this late - probably more noteworthy as an off-season target for dynasty

Quick hits
- Isaiah Bond turned limited snaps into two explosive catches (47 and 42 yards), putting himself firmly on the deep-league WR radar.
- Harold Fannin Jr. played essentially every snap and saw 13 targets; he should be treated as a rest-of-season TE1 even when Njoku is back.

Baltimore Ravens @ Cincinnati Bengals

Ravens: Keaton Mitchell turns this into a true three-back committee
Usage/what it means: Mitchell saw his most meaningful work in weeks (8 carries for 66 yards), eating into Henry’s early-down role while Ali remained involved as the receiving back.
Action: Henry is still a starter, but more of an RB2 with matchup risk; Mitchell is a boom/bust stash whose increased usage caps Henry’s ceiling.

Bengals: WR depth fails to capitalize on Higgins’ absence
Usage/what it means: With Higgins out, Iosivas and Tinsley combined for just one catch on a day when Cincinnati again rotated five tight ends.
Action: Outside of Chase and the RBs (and Higgins when healthy), this passing game remains too spread out; don’t get cute with the secondary guys

Quick hits
- Baltimore’s remaining schedule (NE, GB) is rough for RB fantasy production, making this committee especially tough to trust.
- Mark Andrews remained involved but quiet in an elite matchup, underscoring how concentrated this offense is around the backs and Lamar.

Arizona Cardinals @ Houston Texans

Cardinals: Michael Carter becomes the every-down back after Bam Knight’s injury
Usage/what it means: When Knight exited on the first play, Carter took over nearly all early-down and passing-down work, with a limited Demercado role behind him.
Action: Carter should be one of the top RB waiver claims unless Knight is quickly cleared; expect low-end RB2 volume with RB3-level efficiency.

Texans: Woody Marks dings an ankle but keeps lead-back status
Usage/what it means: Marks left early with an ankle issue but could have returned if needed, while Jawhar Jordan handled early-down mop-up work in a blowout.
Action: Treat Jordan as a contingency handcuff only; Marks remains the preferred starter in a very friendly Week 16 matchup if he’s active.

Quick hits
- Arizona’s WR injuries funneled targets heavily to McBride and Wilson again, reinforcing both as strong PPR options whenever the WR room is thinned out.

New York Jets @ Jacksonville Jaguars

Jets: WR rotation stays flat, limiting breakout potential
Usage/what it means: Mitchell (X), Metchie (Z) and Williams (slot) continued to rotate similarly to recent weeks, with TE usage also split more than usual.
Action: In standard-sized leagues, Jets pass catchers remain mostly matchup-based desperation plays until a clear target hog emerges with a stable QB.

Jaguars: Tuten injury sets up a small Etienne bump, not a full takeover
Usage/what it means: Before his finger injury, Tuten’s usage was slightly elevated, but after he left, Etienne still split some work with Allen in a blowout script.
Action: If Tuten misses time, Etienne is a mid-range RB1/strong RB2 on volume; Allen is a deeper-league stash, not an auto-start even with extra snaps.

Quick hits
- Brady Cook drew the start for New York with Fields and Tyrod out, further capping ceiling for all Jets pass catchers.
- With Mason Taylor sidelined, Ruckert led the TE group but still in a rotation, keeping Jets tight ends off the radar outside very deep formats.

Los Angeles Chargers @ Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs: Pacheco’s early-down role is all the way back
Usage/what it means: Pacheco reclaimed his pre-injury workload with close to 70% of early-down snaps while Hunt remained the passing-down and short-yardage complement.
Action: Pacheco returns to low-end RB2/strong FLEX status in most lineups, with Hunt downgraded to TD-dependent FLEX in favorable game scripts.

Chargers: Hampton gets the touches, Vidal gets the snaps
Usage/what it means: Vidal played roughly two-thirds of the RB snaps, but Hampton handled the majority of actual touches and was slightly more productive.
Action: Treat this as a true committee; Hampton has the slightly higher weekly upside, but both backs are volatile RB2/FLEXs tied to game script.

Quick hits
- With Hollywood Brown out, Thornton saw a spike in usage as the primary field-stretcher, but the pecking order still revolves around Rice and Kelce.
- Quentin Johnston’s absence pushed Tre Harris into a near every-down X role, making him a viable one-week fill-in if Johnston remains sidelined in a great WR matchup.

Buffalo Bills @ New England Patriots

Patriots: Henderson firmly leads the backfield in the best weeks to do it
Usage/what it means: Henderson resumed his primary early-down role post-bye, ripping off two long TD runs while Stevenson handled most passing-down and short-yardage work.
Action: Both backs can be FLEXed down the stretch, but Henderson is the priority start; Stevenson is a touchdown-and-game-script dependent play.

Bills: WR rotation gets messier with Palmer back, Shakir quietly wins
Usage/what it means: Palmer returned but was limited, while Shakir picked up extra 12-personnel snaps and led the WRs in production in another heavy-rotation game.
Action: Shakir is the only Bills WR you can consider as a FLEX in most formats; everyone else remains a volatile bench stash or best-ball-only piece.

Quick hits
- Knox is flashing production again, but with a brutal tight end schedule and Kincaid also involved, both are risky TE2 types rather than slam-dunk starters.

Washington Commanders @ New York Giants

Commanders: Croskey-Merritt shows feature-back upside in Rodriguez’s absence
Usage/what it means: With Rodriguez out, Croskey-Merritt dominated early-down work and turned 18 carries into 96 yards and a TD, while McNichols stayed in a pass-down role.
Action: Rodriguez remains the preferred hold if healthy, but Croskey-Merritt is a priority pickup where available as the clear early-down replacement if Rodriguez misses more time.

Giants: Tyrone Tracy consolidates the backfield
Usage/what it means: Tracy handled 80%+ of early downs and most third downs, owning roughly three-quarters of RB carries while Singletary stayed mostly in short-yardage.
Action: Tracy can be treated as a volume RB2 with strong touchdown and reception upside; Singletary is a TD-or-bust bench stash.

Quick hits
- Noah Brown’s early exit pushed Burks and Lane into larger roles, but neither drew targets; McLaurin and Deebo remain the only Commanders WRs worth starting.
_ With Ertz done for the year, Bates and Sinnott split routes enough to cancel each other out, making this a TE situation to avoid outside of deeper leagues.

Las Vegas Raiders @ Philadelphia Eagles

Raiders: Jack Bech keeps the X job, but the offense sinks everyone
Usage/what it means: Even with Thornton back, Bech handled nearly all X snaps in two- and three-WR sets, yet the Raiders managed just 64 passing yards.
Action: Bech is interesting as a dynasty hold, but in redraft this passing environment makes all Raiders WRs unstartable outside of the deepest formats.

Eagles: Run-heavy, multi-TE game plan dings DeVonta’s snap share
Usage/what it means: Philadelphia leaned into sets with one or fewer WRs on a chunk of early drives, and the specific personnel choices kept Smith off the field more than usual.
Action: It’s a usage yellow flag, but Smith’s talent and role in normal game scripts keep him in WR2 territory; just be aware of some added floor volatility.

Quick hits
- The Eagles emptied the bench for a long fourth-quarter drive, protecting starters and creating some misleading snap counts.

Green Bay Packers @ Denver Broncos

Broncos: Harvey injury boosts McLaughlin’s stash appeal
Usage/what it means: Harvey once again controlled early downs and all high-leverage goal-line work until leaving late with a rib issue, after which McLaughlin took over.
Action: McLaughlin should be a high-priority contingency add; if Harvey is ruled out, he immediately becomes a volume-based RB2 despite tough matchups.

Packers: Watson exit re-opens the door for Reed and the kids
Usage/what it means: Before Watson’s chest injury, Green Bay used a five-WR rotation; once he left, Doubs stayed full-time while Wicks and Golden rotated into his outside role and Reed led the team in receiving.
Action: If Watson misses time, Reed is a strong WR3/FLEX add/start, with Wicks and Golden becoming deep-league dart throws in plus matchups.

Quick hits
- With Bryant out, Denver leaned heavily on Lil’Jordan Humphrey in 11 personnel, pushing Franklin and Mims into more rotational roles.
- The Packers’ TE rotation tightened slightly after Whyle’s concussion, but it’s still too split to trust for consistent TE1 production.

Detroit Lions @ Los Angeles Rams

Rams: Blake Corum pushes this backfield toward a true timeshare
Usage/what it means: Corum played a career-high 46% of offensive snaps in a near drive-by-drive split with Williams, rather than just the old “give Kyren a breather” usage.
Action: Williams remains the preferred start, but he’s trending toward mid-RB2 usage; Corum is now a viable FLEX with upside if the split creeps closer to 50-50.

Lions: Jahmyr Gibbs becomes a true workhorse, Montgomery fades
Usage/what it means: Gibbs cleared 80% of snaps for just the second time in his career, while Montgomery dipped below 20%, losing most non-goal-line work.
Action: Gibbs is a locked-in RB1 going forward; Montgomery is now a TD-or-bust bench option who can’t be confidently started in typical leagues.

Quick hits
- Davante Adams’ aggravated hamstring plus the Rams’ extreme 13-personnel usage set up even more target consolidation to Nacua and the tight ends if he misses time.
- Colby Parkinson’s spike week came with a full complement of 13-personnel snaps and heavy red-zone usage, making him a priority TE streamer in Week 16.

Carolina Panthers @ New Orleans Saints

Panthers: Jalen Coker quietly stabilizes as the top WR in 11 personnel
Usage/what it means: Coker once again played every snap in three-WR sets and delivered another 4-catch, 60+ yard, 1-TD line.
Action: In deeper leagues, Coker is a viable WR3/FLEX, especially in matchups where Carolina is forced to throw; in standard leagues he’s a borderline streamer.

Saints: Devin Neal injury creates a low-upside Hull/Estime committee
Usage/what it means: Once Neal exited, Hull and Estime split snaps nearly 50/50, with Hull slightly favored as a runner and Estime grabbing most receiving work.
Action: If Neal sits, Hull is a fringe FLEX by volume only; Estime is a deeper-league PPR dart, but this split lacks the juice of a true feature-back role.

Quick hits
- The Saints’ upcoming matchups (NYJ, TEN) are rougher on WRs, so Olave remains the only New Orleans wideout you can start confidently.

Indianapolis Colts @ Seattle Seahawks

Colts: QB change tanks Alec Pierce’s outlook
Usage/what it means: With Philip Rivers starting, Pierce hit a season-low in production (1 catch for 16 yards on his only target) as the offense shifted away from his vertical role.
Action: Pierce can be dropped in most formats with Rivers under center; prioritize other WRs with clearer target volume and better QB play.

Seahawks: Shaheed’s role expands beyond pure 11 personnel
Usage/what it means: After weeks as mostly an 11-personnel-only WR, Shaheed started playing more in 12 personnel and turned the bump into a 5/74 line.
Action: Shaheed is back in the FLEX conversation, especially in deeper leagues and on TNF; Kupp becomes more volatile as Seattle spreads 12-personnel targets around.

Quick hits
- Barner’s TE usage ticked up slightly with Arroyo on IR, but not enough to make him more than a fringe TE2.
- Jonathan Taylor’s usage remains strong, but increased Ameer Abdullah snaps in multi-back sets slightly lower his margin for error in bad game scripts.

Tennessee Titans @ San Francisco 49ers

Titans: Van Jefferson’s injury leaves a muddled WR rotation
Usage/what it means: Jefferson finally hit a big play (43 yards) before leaving with a back injury, after which Proche and Dike rotated heavily in 11 personnel.
Action: With brutal remaining matchups and no clear beneficiary, Titans WRs remain off the fantasy radar outside of very deep leagues.

49ers: McCaffrey is back to his full-workhorse role
Usage/what it means: Despite a back issue, CMC played over 80% of snaps — his highest mark in weeks — reclaiming almost every high-leverage opportunity.
Action: Treat him as the overall RB1 whenever active; his usage suggests the team isn’t protecting him down the stretch.

Quick hits
- Jauan Jennings continues his TD heater with six scores in six games, but on limited targets he’s a boom/bust WR4 rather than a locked-in starter.
- Ricky Pearsall’s 6/96 line keeps him in the dynasty “arrow up” bucket and on the redraft watch list if injuries thin the WR room further.

If you want more detailed information on each game, including the full breakdown from the Vikings/Cowboys game, I highly recommend Nathan Jahnke’s weekly article which is the data source for much of this information.

📊 Poll of the Day

Interested in advertising with us? Email [email protected].

Forwarded this email? Join our mailing list.