Fantasy Football Week 15 Preview: JK Dobbins, Mac Jones, Jamaal Williams, D’Andre Swift (2022)

In addition to writing articles and appearing on podcasts, FantasyPros’ in-house analysts also bounce ideas back and forth on Slack throughout the week. Since these discussions would also be useful for fantasy managers, we decided to organize some of them and make them available to everyone.

Here’s what Matthew Freedman, Pat Fitzmaurice, Derek Brown, Andrew Erickson and Joe Pisapia had to say on Slack this week as everyone prepared for Week 15 of the fantasy football season.

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Fantasy Football Week 15 Preview

Q1. What was the biggest takeaway or what surprised you the most in week 14?

Erickson: JK Dobbins returns to immediate relevance. Started him on a whim because of Seattle’s lackluster backfield and it paid off big. With Cleveland and Atlanta next… Dobbins could be a major player for teams that win the league.

Joe: That Baker Mayfield can lead an offense in two days to beat any NFL team, even the Raiders.

Maher: Even Raiders… harsh.

Pat: Baker Mayfield’s fourth quarter superhero performance was certainly the biggest surprise.

But does fantasy matter? I didn’t think JK Dobbins would make such an impact. It is great that Dobbins shareholders can still get a satisfactory return on investment in a good end season.

Bonus: Justin Jefferson should be 1.01 in all fantasy drafts next year. The guy takes care of things from week to week. Of course the zero-RB haters won’t take him at 1.01, but they should.

DBro: I’m staying in the QB game. Baker Mayfield looking sharp with no time to prepare was impressive. As harsh as it sounds, having Mayfield breathe at least some life into this passing offense makes Tutu Atwell and Van Jefferson interesting players to watch or stash in the fantasy playoffs.

My other big takeaway was the continued presence of Trevor Lawrence. We all scoffed at the front office’s offseason additions, but they’ve all paid off. Lawrence is taking over this offense and looking like the QB we all hoped he would be. Add Calvin Ridley next year; this offense could do some serious damage in 2023. Ridley could be one of the top fantasy picks next season.

Q2. What advice would you give fantasy leaders as they prepare for their fantasy playoffs this week?

Erickson: Do not change your process now. You made the playoffs because you did everything right (or got lucky). Either way, don’t push and trust the process that got you here. Let others think and change their approach as the stakes grow.

From a more practical point of view, discard players you never start with handcuffs/players with more turns. Its do-or-die, so you don’t need depth on your bench anymore. And block your opponent if there’s a glaring gap in their starting list.

Joe: Put your best talents on the field. Matchups are important as deciders between two close players, but ability should always come before a theoretically good matchup of an average player.

Pat: “I need upside down.” Good lord, I’m going to get so sick of hearing this over the next few weeks. Fantasy managers who use this infernal phrase are setting the stage for suboptimal decision making. The way I hear it is, “Should I use this draftier, less talented, less reliable player who could imagine being a big game with someone with a better percentage?” No. Keep playing percentages. Sometimes the strange line-up choices work. More often than not, they leave you regretting it.

DBro: Stay on top with RB. If you have room, keep the handcuffs and the one-injury-off types, especially if they’re a cuff for a team you’re playing this week or next week. We never want injuries to happen, but if they do, you’ll be ready to benefit from smart roster decisions (while also blocking your now sick opponent).

Q3. The past few weeks have been disastrous for QB injuries. Who is the QB2 you would confidently start this week if you had them on your bench or could grab them on the waiver wire?

Joe: Three words…”Magic” Mike White. (v Det)

Update: Mike White has not been cleared by doctors, and Zach Wilson is in line to start.

Pat: Mac Jones. I could get on board with Mike White vs. the Lions, but Jones has an equally compelling matchup against a Raiders defense that just made Baker Mayfield a hero, and I think Jones is a better QB than White.

DBro: Brock Purdy. He has shown that he can make quick decisions in this offense. Jimmy G has topped 12 weeks as a point guard in this offense, and now we’ve seen Purdy do the same. Even with Deebo out of the lineup this week, SF still has plenty of offensive firepower to elevate Purdy to the QB1 level.

Q4. Any final thoughts for the week? Do you have any dream starts or popular players to lose in Week 15?

Pat: To repeat my earlier advice: Don’t get cute with lineup decisions in the most important week of the fantasy season (so far). Injuries may force you to make some uncomfortable lineup choices, but don’t do anything stupid just because you have a glimpse of some edge helper in a splash game.

A few borderline start/sit guys I agree with this week: JK Dobbins, Raheem Mostert, AJ Dillon, Michael Carter, Allen Lazard, Michael Gallup.

A few limited start/sit guys I’m not unanimous on: Jamaal Williams, D’Andre Swift, Brian Robinson, Diontae Johnson, Josh Palmer.

If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, check out our award-winning series Fantasy football tools as you navigate through your From us Start/Sit Assistant – which provides your optimal setup based on accurate consensus predictions – to us Waiver Wire AssistantWhat lets you quickly see which available players will improve your team and by how much – we’ve got it figured out this fantasy football season.

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