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Kipp looks at 5 juicy fantasy football playoffs matchups, schedules for Weeks 15-17 in 2025. His favorite fantasy football sleepers for the fantasy playoffs.
The fantasy football playoffs kick off this week, and we here at RotoBaller want to help you take down your league's championship by providing some fantasy players who have tremendous schedules down the stretch.
Even the best fantasy studs have difficult matchups in come playoff time, which can really put a damper on a strong season, otherwise. Considering that you have to win each playoff game that you play in, that matters a great deal, so it is always important to look at options that have better matchups this time of year.
If you're able to avoid players who have poor playoff schedules and instead target players who have excellent matchups, you can have the upside to win it all. With that being said, let's break down five players with juicy matchups and playoff schedules who you may not have considered to help you bring home your league's trophy.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings
- Running back (RB) rankings
- Wide receiver (WR) rankings
- Quarterback (QB) rankings
- Tight end (TE) rankings
- Defense (D/ST) rankings
- Kicker (K) rankings
- FLEX rankings
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Jordan Addison, WR, Minnesota Vikings
Week 15 @ DAL
Week 16 @ NYG
Week 17 vs. DET
I could have easily listed someone like Justin Jefferson here, but the theme of this week's article is players who fantasy managers may be debating whether or not to start, and Addison fits that bill based on the questions I have been receiving in our Discord chat.
Addison has the best schedule of any player in this article, and it is not even close. For some background on Addison, he has been heavily involved in the Vikings offense, as he has seen at least seven targets in three of his previous four games.
Now, for his amazing schedule. He will face the Dallas Cowboys in Week 15, who currently rank last in the league by allowing an average of over 40(!) fantasy points per game to wide receivers. They have allowed the most receiving yards at over 171 receiving yards per game. Additionally, they have allowed wide receivers to score 22 touchdowns, which also has them ranked last overall.
In Week 16, Addison will have his toughest matchup, which comes against the New York Giants. I say toughest in jest, as they currently rank third-worst in the league in terms of fantasy points per game allowed by allowing nearly 37 points per game.
Finally, in Week 17, Addison will go up against the Lions, who are even worse than the Giants. Overall, Detroit allows an average of over 28 fantasy points per game. It has also allowed the second-most touchdowns (20) to the position, ranking behind only the aforementioned Cowboys. Managers should be very excited if they have Addison on their roster for their playoff run.
It should be noted that Addison was limited at Wednesday's practice with an Achilles issue, so this is worth monitoring this week, however, I would not be overly concerned just yet.
Oh my... this angle of the Jordan Addison TD 🎥🔥 pic.twitter.com/0optsZlV8R
— NFL (@NFL) November 4, 2024
Isaiah Likely, TE, Baltimore Ravens
Week 15 @CIN
Week 16 vs. NE
Week 17 @GB
Last week, we mentioned Mark Andrews in this spot, and given Likely's presence in this offense, it only makes sense to note him and his schedule here as well. Likely has been especially involved in recent weeks as he has seen six targets in each of his previous two games and has seen at least three targets in every game since Week 9.
The matchups are especially strong in the fantasy playoffs, and that starts this week against the Bengals, who rank dead last in fantasy points allowed to the tight end position by allowing an average of over 24 fantasy points per game.
In Week 16, Likely will face the New England Patriots, who currently rank ninth-worst against the tight end position by allowing an average of over 14 fantasy points per game. While his matchup against the Packers in Week 17 could prove to be difficult, there is no denying the advantages of playing him in Weeks 15 and 16.
Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots
Week 15 vs. BUF
Week 16 @ BAL
Week 17 @NYJ
Although Stevenson has taken a bit of a backseat to TreVeyon Henderson recently, he still has double-digit carries in four of his previous five games, including a 12-carry performance last week against the Giants. If you need some help at the running back position, he could be your guy down the stretch.
He will open up the fantasy playoffs against the Bills, who have allowed a lackluster 25 fantasy points per game to the running back position, which ranks seventh-worst in the league. The Bills have also allowed a whopping 18 total touchdowns to running backs this season.
Next up in Week 16 is the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens rank in the bottom half of the league by allowing an average of nearly 24 fantasy points per game to running backs and have also allowed 13 total touchdowns to the position.
Week 17 will be Stevenson's best matchup when he faces the New York Jets. Overall, the Jets rank third-worst in the league by allowing an average of over 26 fantasy points per game to running backs. They have allowed 19 total touchdowns to running backs as well, which ranks last in the league.
Brock Purdy, QB, San Francisco 49ers
Week 15 vs. TEN
Week 16 @IND
Week 17 vs. CHI
While Brock Purdy has not looked great since returning from injury, having thrown for 200-plus yards just once in three games and having a three-interception game mixed in, he has a solid shot to right the ship in the coming weeks.
In Week 15, he will square off against the Tennessee Titans, who have allowed an average of nearly 19 fantasy points per game to the quarterback position, ranking them eighth-worst in the league. Additionally, they have allowed the eighth-most passing yards and ninth-most passing touchdowns to the position.
Week 16 could prove to be a bit tougher against the Colts, but they will be on the fast track in Indy, which could bode well for Purdy. The Colts have also allowed over 15.5 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, so they are not exactly top-tier here.
Finally, in Week 17, Purdy will get the Bears, who have allowed the second-most passing touchdowns to quarterbacks by allowing 27. The Bears also rank in the bottom 10 of the league in terms of fantasy points allowed per game to quarterbacks, allowing an average of over 18 fantasy points per game. Purdy will be at home in this contest as opposed to the frigid Soldier Field as well.
Darren Waller, TE, Miami Dolphins
Week 15 @ PIT
Week 16 vs. CIN
Week 17 vs. TB
Darren Waller has been solid for the Dolphins in the games he has played, as he has averaged over three targets in games he has played in full. He has turned those targets into four total touchdowns and has a solid schedule down the stretch if you need tight end help. If you are like most fantasy managers, you are in need of TE help.
Waller starts off Week 15 on Monday Night Football against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who rank sixth-worst in the league in terms of fantasy points allowed to the position. They have also allowed eight total touchdowns to tight ends, which ranks tied for third-worst in the league.
In Week 16, Waller gets his best matchup of the season against the Bengals, who allow a whopping 24 fantasy points per game to tight ends. They have allowed the most touchdowns to the position with 15, and also allow an average of nearly 97 receiving yards per game to the position.
Finally, in Week 17, Waller gets the Buccaneers, who will be his toughest matchup of the playoffs, but still allow an average of over 13 fantasy points per game to tight ends.
In the first half, Darren Waller has 5 catches for 78 yards along with this TD 🐬 pic.twitter.com/ieYkpBdlvQ
— NFL (@NFL) October 5, 2025
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