RADIO
Nicklaus Gaut looks at the most added and dropped players of the week on Fleaflicker's waiver wire transactions list to help fantasy football owners evaluate player values and who to stream in Week 15.
Week 14 was a boring one on Tank Street, with all of the crowd favorites managing to take care of business and keep on losing. We did have another early contender fizzle out after Atlanta won their third game out of five, after starting the season a near-perfect 1-7. With two of their three remaining games against Jacksonville and Tampa Bay - two teams who know how to give up properly - the Falcons could cruise themselves right out of the top-10 of next year's draft. Welcome to the muck in the middle, dirty birds.
Last week may have lacked sizzle but we have a monster matchup in Week 15, with the Miami Dolphins (3-10) visiting the New York Giants (2-11) in a rarely seen "winner leaves town"-match. If the Giants can upset the visiting Dolphins by losing to them at home this week, not only would Miami be virtually locked out of the top pick, but the Giants would themselves have a strong path to number-one, needing only the Dolphins to bounce back with a loss to Cincinnati at home in Week 16 in order to move us into a loser-takes-all showdown in the final week of the season. Business is about to pick up.
All the possible scenarios have my head spinning with excitement. Let's take a breath and take a look back at last week's action before taking a glance at some of the biggest risers and fallers in Fleaflicker leagues entering Week 15.
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Last Week's Recap
Nostalgia and mystery reigned again in Week 14, as Drew Brees turned back the clock to lead all scorers in standard leagues, putting up a vintage 40-point performance in an inexplicable shootout with San Francisco, ultimately losing to the 49ers 48-46. Even facing one of the NFL's best defenses, Brees managed to hang 349 yards on the visitors, throwing for five touchdowns and rushing for another. In the face of the supposed tough matchup, there were likely many now-eliminated owners who left Brees on their bench, only to rent their clothes in despair upon seeing the old man's final line.
Trickster quarterback Jameis Winston continued to reel in unsuspecting owners, throwing for 456 yards and scoring 37 points in a 38-35 win over the Colts. Near 500 yards, with five total touchdowns and three picks? Behold! Watch as the fantasy cobra hypnotizes his prey with the alluring sway of his movements, waiting for the perfect moment to strike out at his victim. Will it be next week in a matchup that looks strong on paper, with Tampa Bay traveling to Detroit to face a Lions Defense that's allowing the eighth-most points to quarterbacks this year? Or will he bide his time, setting up those poor suckers who decide to start him in the fantasy championships of Week 16, when the Buccaneers will have an even better matchup at home against Houston Texans, who are allowing the sixth-most points to quarterbacks? Last warning.
We also apparently now live in a world where Mitchell Trubisky is good, with the formerly considered noodle-armed quarterback scoring 31 standard league points by throwing for 244 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for another. With Trubisky averaging 24 points over his last three games, everyone can definitely count on a guy named Mitch in Week 15, right? I'm sure he'll be fine going on the road to Green Bay to face a Packers team that's allowing the 6th-fewest points to opposing quarterbacks this season. It's all going to be fine.
The running back position was paced by a trio of recently wayward souls, as Austin Ekeler (31 points), Joe Mixon (26 points), and Aaron Jones (26 points) led the field in Week 14. Even Ezekiel Elliott managed to be more than mediocre, with the 21 points he scored (in yet another Cowboys loss) his highest total since Week 8. Speaking of disappointing backs, Todd Gurley had another strong week, scoring at least 16 points for the third time in four weeks, with Todd McVay continuing to reassert himself as an offensive wunderkind by continuing to remember to give Gurley the ball more than six times a game.
And then there was Boston Scott. No, not the leathery-skinned "Survivor" legend Boston Rob; I'm talking about the five-foot-six Boston Scott, who totaled 128 yards and a touchdown in Philadelphia's win over the Giants, coming on in relief of a cramping Miles Sanders. He may have earned a bigger role going forward, but unfortunately for the pint-sized disrupter, he'll still likely be voted off the island with Sanders and Jordan Howard both likely to play in Week 15. The tribe has spoken, bring me your torch.
Now, let's take a look at three of this week's biggest risers and fallers on Fleaflicker.com. A full list of the most added and dropped players on Fleaflicker can be found here.
Most Added in Fleaflicker - Week 15
Deandre Washington (RB, OAK vs. JAC), 589 Adds – 34% Owned
Washington had a solid performance in Week 14, rushing for 53 yards and a touchdown in relief of starter Josh Jacobs, who missed the game with a fractured shoulder. He also caught six of his seven targets for 43 yards in the 42-21 loss to the Titans and was the biggest add on Fleaflicker.com this week, with owners anticipating a prime matchup against the almost non-existent defense of the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars have allowed the second-most points to running backs this season and since the trade of Jalen Ramsey, they seem to have packed away all of their cares and tries, potentially putting Washington in a great spot. Then Ian Rappaport reported that Jacobs was now likely to play in Week 15 after his MRI results came back positive and he was subsequentially a limited participant in practice on Wednesday and Thursday, making it increasingly likely that Jacobs will play. He may play but it could be a game-time decision, making for some tough decisions for his owners given that Oakland plays an afternoon game. If a starter isn't announced by Sunday morning, then Washington (and Jacobs) owners will have to decide if they're willing to gamble on who will actually play.
A.J. Brown (WR, TEN vs. HOU), 963 Adds – 66% Owned
Don't anyone mind Titans receiver A.J. Brown; he's just busy winning leagues for any owner who was able to scoop him up in these past few weeks. Brown went absolutely off in Week 14, catching five of his seven targets for 157 yards and two touchdowns in a 42-21 blowout win over the Raiders. Scoring 32 standard league points, Brown led all skill-position players and in Week 15 gets a home matchup in a big game against division rival Houston. The Texans have allowed the 14th-most points to wide receivers this season and Brown also has the advantage of Ryan Tannehill continuing to play well, putting him in another good spot this week. Brown is a WR3 but has the kind of top-end athleticism that makes him capable of taking it to the house on any given play, as most recently evidenced by his 91-yard touchdown reception against the Raiders, where he showed off both his top-end speed and tackle-breaking ability.
Darius Slayton (WR, NYG vs. MIA), 1,043 Adds – 58% Owned
Boom or bust all season, Slayton saved his biggest boom of the season for Week 14, scoring 31 fantasy points on 154 yards and two touchdowns in a 23-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Making cornerback Ronald Darby his own personal turnstile, Slayton caught all five of his balls in the first half, burning Darby for 56- and 34-yard touchdowns before the Giants entire offense was stopped to a halt in the second half. Week 15 might be another good spot to bet on a boom from Slayton, as New York will face a Miami Dolphins team that is allowing the second-most points to wide receivers this season and has allowed double-digit performances to four receivers in the past three weeks, including two receivers that scored over 20 points. Things are never certain when relying on Eli Manning but Slayton should be a strong choice this week as a WR3.
Most Dropped in Fleaflicker - Week 14
Calvin Ridley (WR, ATL @ SF), 443 Drops – 82% Owned
Oof, this one's is a punch in the gut for fantasy owners around the world counting on Ridley to continue carrying them to playoff success, as the second-year receiver was placed on season-ending IR after suffering an abdominal injury in last week's 40-20 victory over Carolina. Ridley managed to score 13 points in standard leagues before leaving the game prior to the first half, catching all five of his targets for 76 yards and a touchdown. That was his third double-digit performance in his last four games, with Ridley scoring nine points in the other. Right in the thick of the fantasy playoffs, Ridley goes down while on an absolute heater, having scored 58 points in the last four weeks, totaling 395 yards receiving with three touchdowns. 2019 may be over but Ridley remains a prime dynasty asset and should be a top-40 pick in 2020 redraft leagues.
Ryan Griffin (TE, NYJ @ BAL), 483 Drops – 38% Owned
Another week and another tight end goes down, making the position that much thinner as the fantasy playoffs march on. Griffin flared up briefly on the fantasy landscape earlier this season, after scoring 20 points in Week 8 and 18 points in Week 12 in the absence of starter Chris Herndon and impressed the Jets enough to reward the 29-year-old with a new three-year contract. Griffin had mostly disappeared the last three weeks - only catching nine balls for 51 yards and a touchdown - but beggars can't be choosers in a rough 2019, and many owners were likely hoping that they'd be able to drag Griffin over the finish line of a fantasy championship.
Rashaad Penny (RB, SEA @ CAR), 304 Drops – 64% Owned
Bad pennies may have a habit of always turning up but won't be the case for Seattle running back Rashaad Penny after he suffered a torn ACL in a 28-12 loss the Rams last week. Just a brutal loss for Penny owners, but a boon for Chris Carson owners who hadn't handcuffed him with his copper teammate. Carson has remained the starter but has seen his carries significantly eaten into these last two weeks, with Penny logging 29 carries compared to his own 36. Scoring over 20 points in the last two games, Penny had caught on fire just in time for the fantasy playoffs but will be now sidelined until 2020, with coach Pete Carroll unwilling to commit to whether he thought Penny would be ready for the start of the regular season.
