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Mike Fanelli gives his fantasy football bold predictions for Week 15 of the 2024 NFL season. Should you start or sit Jameis Winston, Rico Dowdle, DJ Moore?
Week 15 is here, and I’m back with another edition of fantasy football bold predictions. This week’s list of bold predictions will include Jameis Winston, Rico Dowdle, DJ Moore, Amari Cooper, and Stone Smartt.
Every week, I will provide some fun and bold fantasy football predictions. While these bold predictions aren’t the most likely outcomes, they are things I believe could happen this week.
Let’s look at my five bold predictions for Week 15 of the 2024 NFL season.
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Jameis Winston…
Scores over 20 fantasy points in Week 15
Everyone knows Winston is arguably the biggest boom-or-bust player in fantasy football. The veteran is the QB9 since making his first start this season in Week 8, averaging 20.3 fantasy points per game. He has had some poor performances, totaling 15.3 or fewer fantasy points in half of his six starts.
However, Winston is capable of winning fantasy players their weekly matchup. The former No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick has scored 23.6 or more fantasy points in half of his starts, including 26.6 or more in two of the past four games. The veteran quarterback struggled in Week 13 against the Denver Broncos. Yet, he had a massive fantasy performance.
Winston completed 58.6% of his pass attempts, totaling three interceptions, with two resulting in a pick-six for the Broncos defense. However, the veteran finished the game with 497 passing yards, four touchdowns, and 33 fantasy points. Meanwhile, he is also a capable runner, making the occasional highlight-reel play with his legs.
TAKES IT HIMSELF#PITvsCLE on @NFLonPrime pic.twitter.com/DaiDcUOc1H
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) November 22, 2024
More importantly, Winston faces the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. The Chiefs have surrendered 16.9 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, the 10th-most in the NFL. They have given up 1.6 passing touchdowns per game to quarterbacks over the past seven weeks, allowing two or more in four contests, including to Aidan O'Connell two weeks ago.
Rico Dowdle…
Ends the week as the highest-scoring running back
The Dallas Cowboys used a running back by committee to start the season. Dowdle had 12 or fewer rushing attempts in all but one game over the first 11 weeks. However, the Cowboys finally turned to the former South Carolina star as their featured running back.
Dowdle has averaged 19.7 rushing attempts per game over the past three weeks, totaling 18 or more in every contest. More importantly, he has been the RB9 over the past three weeks, averaging 109.7 rushing yards and 14.6 half-point PPR fantasy points per game, posting a higher average than Derrick Henry (13.3) despite having only one touchdown.
Last week, the veteran running back scored 14.6 fantasy points against the Cincinnati Bengals. While Dowdle had only one reception, he finished with 131 rushing yards and a 7.3 yards per attempt average, setting season-highs in both categories. More importantly, Dowdle faces the Carolina Panthers in Week 15.
Carolina has the league’s worst rushing defense. They have surrendered the most rushing yards (138.6), touchdowns (1.2), and fantasy points per game (27) to running backs in the NFL. The Panthers have allowed 154.8 rushing yards per game to running backs over their past five contests.
DJ Moore…
Has a top-five finish against the Minnesota Vikings
Last week, Moore had a quiet performance against the San Francisco 49ers, totaling six receptions on eight targets for 49 receiving yards and 7.9 half-point PPR fantasy points. However, he has played well since Thomas Brown took over as the Chicago Bears’ play-caller.
The star wide receiver averaged 7.3 receptions on 10 targets for 88.3 receiving yards over the previous three contests, totaling two receiving touchdowns. Furthermore, Moore was the WR2 over those three weeks, averaging 17.8 fantasy points per game, totaling 19.7 or more twice despite facing three talented NFC North defenses.
More importantly, the former Maryland star had arguably his best fantasy performance of 2024 against the Vikings in Week 12. Moore finished the game catching all seven targets for 106 receiving yards, a touchdown, and 23.4 fantasy points, setting a season-high in receiving yards.
DJ Moore with blockers ahead for a Bears TD #DaBears
📺: #MINvsCHI on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/zMOPWdXAUV— NFL (@NFL) November 24, 2024
While Minnesota has a talented defense, they’ve struggled against opposing wide receivers. They have surrendered 33.4 fantasy points per game to wide receivers, the most in the NFL. Furthermore, the Vikings have given up 224.8 receiving yards, one touchdown, and 36.2 fantasy points per game to wide receivers over the past four weeks.
Amari Cooper…
Posts his second consecutive top-24 finish
Cooper had an impressive Buffalo Bills team debut in Week 7 against the Tennessee Titans. He had four receptions on five targets for 66 receiving yards, a touchdown, and 14.6 half-point PPR fantasy points despite playing only 35% of the snaps. Furthermore, the veteran was productive despite barely knowing the playbook.
Unfortunately, Cooper has struggled since that performance. While he missed two games with a wrist injury, the star wide receiver struggled in the other three contests, averaging two receptions on 2.7 targets for 23.3 receiving yards and 3.3 fantasy points per outing, totaling 6.5 or fewer in every matchup. Thankfully, Cooper bounced back last week.
The former Alabama star was the WR24 last week, totaling six receptions on 14 targets for 95 receiving yards and 12.5 fantasy points in the loss to the Los Angeles Rams. While Khalil Shakir finished with more fantasy points (19.1) than Cooper, the third-year pro had six fewer targets (eight). However, both are borderline must-start wide receivers in Week 15 against the Detroit Lions.
Detroit has surrendered 29.7 fantasy points per game to wide receivers, the eighth-most in the NFL this season. They have given up 176.7 receiving yards and a touchdown per game to wide receivers over the past three weeks. This matchup has the highest over/under total in Week 15. Therefore, expect the game to be full of fantasy production.
Stone Smartt…
Finishes the week as a TE1
Most fantasy players have never heard of Smartt. The third-year pro has had limited success in the NFL, totaling 15 receptions on 26 targets for 172 receiving yards and a touchdown entering this season. However, the former Old Dominion quarterback is about to become relevant for fantasy players during the playoffs.
Smart is the Los Angeles Chargers’ new starting tight end with Hayden Hurst (hip) on injured reserve and Will Dissly expected to miss a few weeks with a shoulder injury. The third-year tight end had only three receptions on five targets for 44 receiving yards and 5.9 half-point PPR fantasy points before last week’s matchup.
However, the former Old Dominion quarterback caught all three targets for 54 receiving yards, totaling 6.9 fantasy points in Week 14 against the Kansas City Chiefs. Furthermore, Smartt made some impressive catches against the AFC West division rivals. More importantly, he faces a struggling Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense this week.
stone cole smartt pic.twitter.com/DthCNpvUMM
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) December 10, 2024
Tampa Bay has surrendered 12.2 fantasy points per game to tight ends this year, the sixth-most in the NFL. They have struggled to stop tight ends lately, giving up 6.6 receptions for 84.6 receiving yards and 15.3 fantasy points per game over their past eight contests, allowing five receiving touchdowns.
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