Week 15 fantasy football preview, TNF: Chargers at Raiders

What once could have been a match-up with playoff implications doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. Each team is currently heading in the same direction towards the bottom of the division. This week’s quarterback match-up likely won’t be much better than last week with Easton Stick and Aidan O’Connell/Jimmy Garoppolo. Raiders still haven’t announced who they are going with yet. Just because both teams don’t seem to be fighting for a playoff spot doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of fantasy points to be had.

Week 14 Game Ball: Ezekiel Elliott – 7 catches for 140 all-purpose yards and 1 touchdown 

Welcome back to the fantasy radar, Zeke. He was used as a full workhorse, being the only running back to record a carry and leading the team in receptions. Any running back that gets eight targets will always be worth a start. It hasn’t been determined yet how long Rhamondre Stevenson will be out, but keep rolling with Zeke as long as he is in.

TNF fantasy football preview: Week 15 starts

Elite Starts

These are my locked-in starts that you never need to think twice about. Just put them in and watch the magic happen.

Austin Ekeler – It’s been a rough few weeks for Ekeler, but he may have caught his stride again. Even with Stick in at quarterback, Ekeler was still able to manage 100 yards in that game. For someone who was used to seeing at least 20 opportunities per game, that usage has dwindled down this year from injury and not appearing to be as quick. Luckily for him, the Raiders are giving up 127.38 rushing yards and almost one rushing touchdown per game. The Chargers will be looking at their studs to keep them competitive in this one. Ekeler should see at least 15-20 opportunities this Thursday.

Projection:  3 catches for 91 all-purpose yards and 1 touchdown

Solid Starts

These are the starts you shouldn’t be nervous about but certainly aren’t locked in for top-tier production.

Keenan Allen – Even with Easton Stick at the helm, I’m still going to stick with Allen as a solid play. Since the bye week, he is averaging 11.78 targets per game. While the targets from Stick may not be as useful as the ones with Herbert, he should still see plenty of them throughout the game. I still expect him to be a PPR hog and remain in the high-end WR2 range. The Chargers rank dead last in the league against passing yards given up, so they will need to pass heavily once again to stay in the game.

Projection: 7 catches for 85 receiving yards 

Davante Adams – It’s been a very up and down season for Adams, unfortunately for him he has more downs than ups. The Chargers come into this game ranking last in the league against the pass, giving up 285 passing yards per game. While the quarterback talent isn’t there for him, the targets at least still are. He has only had under seven targets twice this year and even reached twenty back in week 3. He should see plenty of opportunities to get open against this Chargers defense.

Projection: 8 catches for 91 receiving yards 

Flex Worthy Starts 

They are worth a start, but no one is going to blame you if you want to bench them.

Quentin Johnston – Well, we finally got to see the big play-making ability from Johnston that we all knew he could provide. While he didn’t exactly rack up the catches, his bomb play was fun to watch. With Stick in at quarterback, it won’t exactly be an upgrade, but they seemed to be able to get on the same page last week. The Raiders have stacked up decently well against the pass this year, but Johnston will be necessary for them to stay in the game.

Projection: 4 catches for 62 receiving yards 

Zamir White – This is a speculative start at this point. Josh Jacobs got banged up last game, and we don’t expect him to be ready by Thursday night. The only problem with starting White is Ameer Abdullah. We are unaware of how the carriers will break down at this point. I expect White to get all the carries near the endzone so I’ll put my chips on him.

Projection:  2 catches for 60 all-purpose yards 

Jakobi Meyers – Meyers has been nicely involved in the passing game throughout the season. While he typically doesn’t get the big yardage plays, he’s able to establish a solid floor in full PPR formats. If Josh Jacobs isn’t able to suit up, the pass catchers here should get a bump up in productions.

Projection: 4 catches for 58 receiving yards 

Break Glass in Case of Emergency Starts

Starts that will have questionable usage, and you are just hoping you can sneak a touchdown out of them. Pick your poison.

• Easton Stick
• Joshua Kelley
• Joshua Palmer
• Aidan O’Connell/Jimmy Garoppolo
• Ameer Abdullah
• Michael Mayer
• Hunter Renfrow
• Gerald Everett
• Donald Parham Jr.

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