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Week 15 Dynasty Matchup Preview

Dynasty owners don’t play week to week, they play long term. However, dynasty owners still need to analyze different aspects of weekly matchups to determine the best time to sell or buy a player.

Make sure you don’t buy that hot rookie too soon and don’t sell the aging veteran too late. Each week, I will analyze different matchups across fantasy football with a dynasty frame of mind.

Let's take some time to see what matchups might pique the interest of dynasty league owners for Week 14 of the 2017 season. Here are some Week 15 matchup previews for dynasty league owners to monitor.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

Patriots at Steelers

Rex Burkhead vs Dion Lewis vs James White vs Mike Gillislee

For the second straight week, I preview a matchup between several teammates at the same positon. The running back positon can be a frustrating thing to analyze sometimes, especially if the team has more than one player they like to utilize. So if I told you a player had four touchdowns and 114 yards in the first two weeks of the season, you would assume they would still be playing, right? Well, when you are the New England Patriots, things can change from week to week. Mike Gillislee was one of the hottest additions this offseason after averaging 5.7 yards per carry in Buffalo last year. A part time role with Buffalo, spelling LeSean McCoy, led to 577 yards and eight touchdowns. It was short lived though as Gillislee hasn’t seen a snap since Week 8.

My pick to be the most impactful back for the Patriots this season was James White, who was the benefactor during the middle portion of the season. White was most impactful during Weeks 4-8, totaling 31 receptions for 239 yards and a touchdown. White had never been mistaken for a traditional smash mouth back. He lives off receptions and after an epic Super Bowl performance, I thought his breakout season was right around the corner. Unfortunately, it appears White was only a placeholder until Dion Lewis was healthy. In fact, when you look at the snap counts, you can see a well-executed Bill Belichick plan that left us guessing as usual.

Player 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
James White 43 30 32 43 35 29 23 20 bye 11 17 18 28 35
Dion Lewis 6 14 12 14 18 29 26 30 bye 21 26 28 26 18
Rex Burkhead 10 8 0 0 0 0 13 27 bye 36 19 28 22 17
Mike Gillislee 24 30 21 18 24 13 13 13 bye 0 0 0 0 0

The one outlier was last week against the Dolphins when New England was trying to play catchup for a majority of the second half. Now though, Rex Burkhead and Dion Lewis run the backfield and they have done a great job as a one two punch the last few weeks. Both have worked their way into at least flex play consideration the rest of the season, especially in PPR leagues. Lewis has become an all-around threat again. After dealing with injuries the last couple of years, Lewis is back to being healthy and looks like it. Since Week 6, when Lewis saw his snap count jump, he has 98 carries for 508 yards, good for 5.18 yards per carry. He’s made an impact in the return game as well. Having a healthy Lewis is exactly what the Patriots need and want for the playoffs.

Burkhead found little success early on but has exploded recently due to his ability to find the end zone. Burkhead has five touchdowns in the last three weeks. Burkhead has scored three times on six attempts inside the five yard line this year. When they get down to the goal line, Burkhead is the guy who gets the ball. The thing I am most surprised about, is Burkheads contributions in the passing game. Since Week 10, he has 24 receptions for 189 yards, really becoming a total back for the Patriots. The reason for this week’s matchup analysis though, is because it may be one of the best games we seen in 2017.

After the Patriots surprising loss to the Dolphins last week, the Steelers sit alone in the race for home field advantage. Are the Steelers peaking at the wrong time? You could make a case they are the hottest team in football right now, especially on offense. The Pittsburg defense is having issues with health right now, but momentum is carrying this team. The key to beating the Patriots this weekend will be their ability to stop the passing game to running backs.

Patriots running backs have totaled 807 receiving yards on 103 receptions this year, good for 7.83 yards per reception. New England running backs also average 7.92 receptions per game and have seven receiving TDs this season. The Steelers have done a good job of stopping running backs who excel in the passing game. In three games this year, the Steelers were able to hold Dalvin Cook, Duke Johnson and Gio Bernard to five receptions for 20 yards and no touchdowns. The numbers against the Steelers are inflated because they take away the run game so early from opponents and force opposing teams to pass the ball more often. Pittsburg has faced 311 rushing attempts this season, fourth fewest in the NFL.

The Steelers have given up 612 receiving yards to running backs all season while they average 8.74 yards per reception. But even with the receiving yards, they have only given up two receiving touchdowns to running backs. This is an important week for fantasy owners who are still setting a lineup and some of them who have made it to this point, probably have had either Lewis or Burkhead in their lineup at some point. If you are expecting more from these two, I only foresee one having a big week.

What to Watch For

This is going to be one heck of a shootout. These two teams are likely to put up a lot of points this weekend. In fact, the over/under is set at 54.5 right now, so expect there to be some fantasy stars in this one. The star from the Patriots backfield this week will be Burkhead. They will want someone in the backfield that can run the ball or catch it out of the backfield. The Patriots will try to even out the backfield snaps as usual, but game flow and scoring will lead to Burkhead being the top running back for the Patriots this week. As for dynasty owners, the one guy you will want to target this offseason is Burkhead. Lewis is an unrestricted free agent after the season and while Gillislee and White will be around for another season, it has become apparent the Patriots feel Burkhead can handle a large load. Burkhead will show that skillset in this game as the Patriots will need to put up points in order to win. Outside of Rob Gronkowski, I expect Burkhead will have the highest fantasy total in PPR leagues for the Patriots this year.

 

More 2017 Dynasty League Strategy




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REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Kyle Schwarber

has Historic Performance in Rout of Braves
Boston Red Sox

Payton Tolle Expected to Make Debut on Friday
Green Bay Packers

Packers Acquire Micah Parsons, Sign him to Four-Year Extension
Jauan Jennings

Remains Sidelined at Practice
Corey Seager

Undergoing Appendectomy on Thursday
Chris Godwin

to Miss First Month of Season, Possibly More
Quinshon Judkins

Not Considering Return to College
A.J. Brown

Returns to Practice, Expected to Play in Week 1
Jaylen Wright

Undergoes Surgery, Could be Back "Septemberish"
Tyreek Hill

on Track to Play in Week 1
Kyren Williams

to See Reduced Workload?
Jayden Reed

Dealing with Jones Fracture in Left Foot
Lauri Markkanen

Torches Sweden
Neemias Queta

Dominates in EuroBasket Opener
Kawhi Leonard

Clippers Not Allowing Kawhi Leonard to Play Back-to-Backs
Olivier-Maxence Prosper

Mavericks Looking to Trade Olivier-Maxence Prosper
Tyrese Haliburton

Expects to Return in 15 Months
Malik Nabers

Expected to be Full-Go for Week 1
Freddie Freeman

Out Wednesday With Neck Stinger
Alejandro Kirk

Avoids Major Injury, Remains Out on Wednesday
Travis Hunter

Back at Practice, Will be Ready for Week 1
Luis Robert Jr.

Could Miss the Rest of the Season
De'Von Achane

Not Practicing on Wednesday
Trevor Megill

Brewers Place Trevor Megill on Injured List With Flexor Strain
Luis Robert Jr.

Placed on Injured List With Hamstring Strain
Rashee Rice

Accepting Six-Game Suspension to Begin the Year
Kyle Hamilton

Ravens, Kyle Hamilton Finalizing Four-Year Extension
Rashee Rice

NFL Aiming to Place Six-Game Suspension on Rashee Rice
De'Von Achane

Dolphins GM Says De'Von Achane Will be Ready for Week 1
Joe Mixon

Texans GM: "We'll See" if Joe Mixon Plays in 2025
Adam Thielen

Traded to the Vikings
Nick Lodolo

Expected to Return Wednesday Against the Dodgers
Terance Mann

Confident About Having a Big Year in Brooklyn
Zaccharie Risacher

Aims to Improve Ball-Handling Skills
NBA

Pistons And Timberwolves Join Race for Malik Beasley
John Tonje

Signs Two-Way Deal With Jazz
Max Strus

to Miss 3-4 Months After Surgery
Blake Snell

Activated From Paternity List Tuesday
Dallas Cowboys

Cowboys Still Expect Micah Parsons to Play in Week 1
Luis Robert Jr.

Exits Early With Hamstring Soreness
Chris Godwin

Passes Physical, Will be Activated From PUP List
Willson Contreras

Issued Six-Game Suspension
Randy Rodríguez

Randy Rodriguez Placed on Injured List
Brandon Aiyuk

49ers Officially Place Brandon Aiyuk on PUP List
Nathan Eovaldi

Likely Done for the Season
Yordan Alvarez

Activated and Starting on Tuesday
Oneil Cruz

Back From Injured List
New York Mets

Jonah Tong Promoted to Major Leagues
Nikola Jović

Heat Have High Hopes for Nikola Jovic
Golden State Warriors

Cody Martin Drawing Interest From Warriors
Minnesota Timberwolves

Timberwolves Interested in Reunion With Bones Hyland
Kylor Kelley

Joins Lakers
Colin Castleton

Links Up With Magic
Malik Monk

Kings "Not Actively Engaged" in Trade Discussions Involving Malik Monk
P.J. Washington

Mavs Likely to Offer P.J. Washington a Contract Extension
NHL

Jan Rutta Lands in Switzerland
Kirby Dach

Skates on Monday
COL

Tyson Barrie Retires From NHL
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Back in Toronto's Lineup
Zhang Mingyang

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Johnny Walker

Gets Back In The Win Column
Brian Ortega

Loses Back-To-Back Fights
Aljamain Sterling

Proves Too Much For Brian Ortega
Chris Sale

Penciled in to Start on Saturday
Waldo Cortes-Acosta

Suffers Unanimous-Decision Loss
Sergei Pavlovich

Wins Decision At UFC Shanghai
Kevin Borjas

Drops Decision At UFC Shanghai
Sumudaerji

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Kiefer Crosbie

Still Winless In The UFC
Taiyilake Nueraji

Gets His First UFC Win
Ryan Blaney

Earns his Second Daytona Cup Series Win
Tyler Reddick

Locks Into the 2025 Playoffs Despite Underwhelming Daytona Performance
Erik Jones

Misses the 2025 Playoffs Despite Top-Five Run at Daytona
Justin Haley

Best Performance of 2025 Falls Short of Victory at Daytona
Chase Burns

To Throw Bullpen on Tuesday
Kyle Larson

Enters Playoffs As Co-Points Leader
Alex Bowman

Advances to Playoffs Despite Crashing at Daytona
Cole Custer

Finally Shows Signs of Life at Daytona
Daniel Suarez

Lame-Duck Daniel Suarez Delivers Clutch Second-Place Finish
Logan Gilbert

Punches Out 13 in Victory
Chase Elliott

Despite Being Winless at Daytona, Chase Elliott is Probably the Best DFS Option
Ryan Blaney

Will Likely Lead a Lot at Daytona
Kyle Larson

a Poor DFS Option at Daytona
Christopher Bell

Consistent Enough to Consider for DFS
Chris Buescher

Now Must Win His Way Into Playoffs
Ryan Preece

Being One of the Slowest-Starting Fords Makes Ryan Preece a Strong DFS Option
Ross Chastain

Leads a Lot on Drafting Tracks
Daniel Suarez

Now in Desperation Mode With his Career on the Line
Chase Briscoe

Tendency to Finish Better Than He Runs May Reap Dividends at Daytona
Carson Hocevar

Hard to Forecast Since He's Rarely Given 100 Percent at Daytona
Michael McDowell

has a Solid Drafting Record
AJ Allmendinger

A.J. Allmendinger Arguably Starting Too Well for Place-Differential Points
Austin Dillon

Will Likely Be Too Conservative for DFS Consideration
Moses Moody

Warriors Not Interested in Trading Moses Moody
Kevin Durant

Rockets Expected to Agree on New Contract
Trey Murphy III

Warriors, Spurs Interested in Trey Murphy III

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP