December 23, 2016

Nathan Powell analyzes fantasy football lineup sleepers and avoids for Week 15 of the 2016 NFL season. These are boom or bust plays for DFS and seasonal leagues.

Welcome back, RotoBallers. In this article, I will cover five of my favorite boom or bust plays for Week 15 of the fantasy football season.

The Boom or Bust play is one of the most talked about aspects of fantasy football each week. Boom or Bust players can be used as lineup options in deeper leagues, when it appears you are a heavy underdog in your head-to-head matchup or even in Guaranteed Prize Pool Tournaments in DFS. Let's get rolling.

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Quarterback

Jameis Winston, Buccaneers QB at NO

Winston is coming off of one of his worst games of the season with 3 interceptions on the road against the Dallas Cowboys. This week, the Buccaneers are back on the road facing a division opponent that they faced at home just two weeks ago. The Saints have allowed the 7th most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season. However, Winston was unable to capitalize in the plus matchup in Week 14 when he scored only 10.8 fantasy points, good for a QB26 finish on the week.

In Week 16, Winston becomes one of the riskier boom/bust plays on the slate as we could see Winston play as well as other quarterbacks have against the Saints, or we could see a repeat of week 14. With the Buccaneers continuing to try and establish a consistent running game late in the season, I think it is more likely that Doug Martin takes advantage of the plus matchup against a rush defense that has allowed the 3rd most fantasy points to running backs this season.
Verdict: Bust

Running Back

Kenneth Farrow, Chargers RB at CLE

Farrow dashed the hopes of many in week 15 with only 7.3 PPR points, for those who were relying on a big performance with Melvin Gordon out of the lineup. For Farrow owners who are still alive in Championship week, fret not, the Cleveland defense heals all wounds. The Browns have allowed the 2nd most fantasy points to running backs this season.

The Chargers are the 3rd biggest favorite of the week as -6 point favorites on the road with a team total of 24.5. The Chargers don't have anything of note in the backfield behind Farrow which means he should get the bulk of the work for a team who should be ahead early.

Verdict: Boom

Wide Receiver

Kenny Britt, Rams WR vs SF

Britt has quietly had one of the most surprising resurgences in fantasy football this season. Despite poor play from the quarterback position and overall bad play from the rest of the offense, Britt sits at WR17 through Week 15 of the 2016 NFL season. Despite being a top 20 wide receiver, Britt is rarely mentioned as a must start each week.

In Week 16, Britt faces a 49ers defense that has rivaled the Browns for woefulness, allowing the most fantasy points to wide receivers this season. Britt has been a reliable fantasy performer with 7 PPR points in each game this season, including 7 games of 14 PPR points or more. Britt is a safe option for playoff week and has the upside to score the 32 points he did in Week 6 against the Lions.

Verdict: Boom

Tight End

Jason Witten, Cowboys TE vs DET

Witten has been known as one of the most reliable tight ends week to week throughout his career. However, he has become more of a boom/bust play in 2016. Witten has five games of 10 or more PPR points along with four games of 6 PPR points or fewer.

The Lions defense has been solid against running backs and wide receivers, ranking top 10 in fewest points allowed against both positions. The position teams have used to exploit the Lions defense has been the tight end as they have allowed the 4th most fantasy points to tight ends so far this season. Prescott and the Cowboys will rely on Witten similarly as they did last week when Witten saw 10 targets for only the third time this season.

Verdict: Boom

Hail Mary of the Week

In the Hail Mary of the Week, I will choose a Boom/Bust candidate who is available on the waiver wire or at the end of benches in most fantasy football leagues and could have a big week:

Travis Benjamin, Chargers WR at CLE

Travis Benjamin became an early season fantasy favorite after his 29 PPR point performance in week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, after that performance, he has only eclipsed 14 PPR points once, including 8 games of fewer than 10 PPR points. His recent struggles have landed him on the waiver wire in most redraft leagues. However, last week Benjamin had his most points since Week 9 with a 13.90 point performance against the Raiders.

The Chargers are expected to score early and often and when looking for a boom/bust play in the playoff, Benjamin serves as a deep threat on a good offense against a poor defense, a formula that could result in a big touchdown that could help you win your fantasy matchup.