Fantasy Football GPP Plays - Week 15
These fantasy football GPP plays will shed some light on some undervalued players for Week 15!
Andy Dalton was a DFS stud last week, leading the way for my GPP plays. Philip Rivers really struggled against New England, and Mark Sanchez was so bad that he couldn’t even complete a pass to Darren Sproles, who finished with ZERO points. Fred Jackson was a PPR monster, posting 17.20 FP, Kendall Wright DNP, and Heath Miller caught 2 passes, one for a TD and one for a 2-point conversion. Andre Roberts missed his chance to step up in DeSean Jackson’s absence. Kicking things off for Week 15, I’ll be focusing on cheap value plays in games with high totals.
Disclaimer: First off, these plays are meant to be considered as tournament-only options. Second, these are boom-or-bust plays, who could end up putting up a complete dud of a game, or being the guy who explodes for 30 fantasy points and carries you to a GPP victory. Third, use these plays with caution, because they have do have inherent risk. Along with their high ceiling and point potential, there is also a low floor and lack of consistency. Alright, enough disclaimers! These are the players I believe can be the difference between your lineups minimum cashing in a GPP or winning the whole damn thing.
Quarterback
Derek Anderson ($7,500) vs Tampa Bay- If you have followed my GPP article for any amount of time, you know that Tampa Bay is my favorite secondary to target each week. Derek Anderson made one start this season, and it came against this putrid Buccaneers secondary, and he went 24/34 for 230 yards and 2 scores. Even more impressive was the fact that he missed a wide-open Kelvin Benjamin on what would have been another TD. At bare minimum salary, he is a no-brainer play this week against a pass defense that Football Outsiders (FO) has ranked as the 22nd in the NFL. There are plenty of RB studs to pay up for this week, and getting Anderson at a tremendous discount makes it possible to roster at least one of them.
Teddy Bridgewater ($11,200) at Detroit- Don’t look now, but Bridgewater has been solid over his last three games, averaging 219 yards and 2 TD per game. The Lions rank 3rd against the pass and 1st against the run according to FO, which obviously takes away some value. These reasons are exactly why Bridgewater makes for such an appealing GPP play. He will be tremendously low owned given the matchup, and considering the fact that the Vikings running game has been a trainwreck, Bridgewater will be throwing early and often. While the Lions defense has been tremendous. they have allowed 4 QB to reach 300 yards passing (Brady, Brees, Rivers, and…Drew Stanton). Bridgewater certainly isn’t in the class with those first three, but he has the requisite skills necessary to have a productive fantasy day.
Running Back
Latavius Murray ($4,650) at Kansas City - Murray had his coming out party against these same Chiefs in Week 12, and although it was short-lived, he totaled 4 carries for 112 yards and a pair of scores. Let’s not get carried away and anticipate that he will replicate those numbers, but he did get 25 total touches last week against the 49ers, and should be in for a full workload again this week. Kansas City ranks 21st against the run according to FO, and Murray has elite game-changing speed, as we saw in the first matchup. He is barely above minimum salary and draws a favorable matchup. He has the potential to be a tremendous value this week.
James Starks ($4,550) at Buffalo - The Bill currently rank 10th against the run according to FO, so this matchup is less than enticing. With that being said, Eddie Lacy is banged up once again, and although it looks like he will suit up for this one, Starks makes for a great value in GPPs this week. He got 10 carries last week against Atlanta, and turned them into 75 yards and a score. I’m guessing Green Bay will roll with the committee backfield this week, and Starks holds great value as a runner and pass catcher.
Wide Receiver
Donte Moncreif ($8,100) vs Houston- Moncreif makes his third appearance in my GPP column, and for good reason. Reggie Wayne is playing with a torn triceps, and Moncreif has finally passed Hakeem Nicks as the #3 WR for the most pass-heavy team in the NFL. With Wayne banged up, we could see Moncreif become the second option for Andrew Luck. The Texans rank 18th against the pass, and while Moncreif didn’t play in the first matchup, Luck threw for 370 yards and three scores. There will be plenty to go around, and I’m absolutely in love with Moncreif in GPPs this weekend.
Martavis Bryant ($9,050) at Atlanta - FO has the Falcons listed as the worst defense in the NFL, and it isn’t particularly close. They rank 30th against the pass and 31st against the run. Bryant isn’t a volume receiver, but he has scored 7 TD in his first 7 NFL games. He has thrown up some duds, and was well on his way to another lackluster performance last week before burning Leon Hall on a 94-yard TD grab in the fourth quarter against Cincinnati. There are few players who are more boom-or-bust than Bryant, but also very few with his upside at this price tag. Utilize Bryany in your tournaments and watch Big Ben go to work.
Tight End
Antonio Gates ($9,250) vs Denver - Gates was a touchdown machine earlier this season, including a 5/54/2 line against this same Broncos defense. We have seen the Broncos surrender some big games to TE this season, and Gates is still one of the best at the position. Philip Rivers should come out firing and looking to exploit the Broncos’ biggest weakness, as they allow just over 60 yards per game to opposing TE. If he has a vintage performance, he could rival Rob Gronkowski for highest scoring TE on the week. Call it a hunch.
As always, you can find me on Twitter @BigItaly42. I’d love to discuss these plays or any you are considering for this week!