When it comes to competition, one of the best ways to get an edge on the opposition is through prior preparation. In fantasy football, that way of thinking certainly applies. Here at Bet For The Win, we’re doing the preparation for you.
The fantasy football playoffs are here, and as you try to survive the (likely) single elimination rounds, please ensure you are starting and sitting the correct players.
With no more NFL byes, all players who aren’t injured should be active and ready to go for the fantasy football playoffs.
Here are our projected studs, duds and sleepers ahead of Week 15.
Studs
QB Jalen Hurts – Philadelphia Eagles
Running, passing and scoring touchdowns — three things that Jalen Hurts does extremely well. With a potential MVP and a first-round bye within reach, don’t expect the Hurts to let his foot off the gas against the Bears this weekend.
RB Christian McCaffrey – San Francisco 49ers
No Jimmy G. No Deebo. No Elijah Mitchell. The Niners might use CMC the way the Carolina Panthers did for all those years, which is great for those fantasy football managers with McCaffrey on their team.
WR Stefon Diggs – Buffalo Bills
The Dolphins don’t have the most reliable secondary in the world, and Stefon Diggs is one of the best receivers in football. When you put two and two together and then consider the chip on the shoulders of the Bills players that dates back to their Week 3 loss to Miami, Diggs seems like he’ll be in for a big game.
TE Travis Kelce – Kansas City Chiefs
Kelce’s the only tight end in fantasy football that managers should trust to produce on a week-to-week basis.
Duds
QB Geno Smith – Seattle Seahawks
There are weeks where Smith looks like a really good starting NFL quarterback and others where he looks like a backup. Having a short week to prepare for arguably the league’s best defense, the San Francisco 49ers, should lead to some uninspiring results. I’d stay away this week if possible.
RB Nick Chubb – Cleveland Browns
Common sense suggests that Nick Chubb, one of the league’s best running backs, will bounce back from his 14-rush, 34-yard performance against the Bengals in Week 14. However, no opposing running back since Chubb back in Week 7 has rushed for more than 47 yards against the Ravens’ defense.
WR Tee Higgins – Cincinnati Bengals
We’ll see what the final injury report says, but even if Tee Higgins suits up, there’s no guarantee he’ll play. In fact, twice this season Higgins has played the first few snaps of the game before missing the rest with some sort of soreness related to a prior injury — resulting in two doughnuts. He’s a baller, so you probably have to play him and take the chance. But if you have better options, that might be the move.
TE Mark Andrews – Baltimore Ravens
It’s time to be worried. Although, his recent lows probably are more of a result of the bad Ravens offense than anything else.
Sleepers
QB Justin Herbert – Los Angeles Chargers
Herbert has his weapons back and in good health and now he suddenly looks like the quarterback we all hyped him up to be. The Chargers need to keep winning games to stay in the playoffs, so expect Herbert to have his foot on the gas for consecutive weeks.
RB Brian Robinson – Washington Commanders
Robinson is really hitting his stride as of late. He’s topped 85 rushing yards in three of the past four games (including a 105-yard performance) and should have some fresh legs following the Week 14 bye. He’s certainly a sleeper candidate in this important game against the Giants.
WR Adam Thielen – Minnesota Vikings
Thielen isn’t quite what he used to be, but he’s had some fantasy football relevance in recent weeks. With most of the defensive attention going to Justin Jefferson, Thielen’s been able to catch at least seven passes and score a TD in two of the past three weeks. He has a sneaky-good chance to put up similar numbers against Indianapolis this weekend.
TE Evan Engram – Jacksonville Jaguars
Raise your hand if you had Evan Engram being a top-5 tight end across fantasy football leagues this season. I’ll wait.
What he’s doing is shocking considering how unfulfilling he was during his time in New York. Nevertheless, he seems to be a favorite target of Trevor Lawrence and that shouldn’t change this weekend.
