FANTASY PLAYOFFS
Week 15 fantasy football rankings: In it to win it
Dec 12, 2019, 10:40 am
FANTASY PLAYOFFS
These are my very early ranks, so keep in mind I post these on Thursday. Make sure you check the injury report on Sunday for players that have missed practice. If it doesn't look like a player will play this week, I typically won't rank him. Keep in mind, these are PPR rankings, and don't forget to set your lineup for Thursday Night Football.
If you have any questions, feel free to hit me up on Twitter. Be sure to check out my show MoneyLine with Jerry Bo on ESPN 97.5 FM. We're on every Sunday morning from 10-noon, and we'll talk a lot of fantasy football and NFL gambling getting you ready for kickoff every Sunday.
Photo by:Brett Carlsen/Getty Images
1 Lamar Jackson
2 Drew Brees
3 Patrick Mahomes
4 Deshaun Watson
5 Ryan Tannehill
6 Jimmy Garoppolo
7 Russell Wilson
8 Jared Goff
9 Dak Prescott
10 Aaron Rodgers
11 Jameis Winston
12 Derek Carr
13 Kyler Murray
14 Kirk Cousins
15 Matt Ryan
1 Christian McCaffrey
2 Chris Carson
3 Ezekiel Elliott
4 Dalvin Cook
5 Derrick Henry
6 Leonard Fournette
7 Saquon Barkley
8 Alvin Kamara
9 Austin Ekeler
10 DeAndre Washington *This will change if Jacobs plays.
11 Nick Chubb
12 Melvin Gordon
13 Aaron Jones
14 Todd Gurley
15 Mark Ingram
16 James White
17 Phillip Lindsay
18 Miles Sanders
19 Joe Mixon
20 Raheem Mostert
21 Devin Singletary
22 Kareem Hunt
23 David Montgomery
24 Le'Veon Bell
25 Devonta Freeman
26 Marlon Mack
27 Kenyan Drake
28 Patrick Laird
29 Adrian Peterson
30 Duke Johnson
1 Michael Thomas
2 DeAndre Hopkins
3 Julian Edelman
4 Julio Jones
5 Tyreek Hill
6 Robert Woods
7 Chris Godwin
8 D.J. Moore
9 Davante Adams
10 Keenan Allen
11 Allen Robinson
12 Kenny Golladay
13 Stefon Diggs
14 Cooper Kupp
15 Jarvis Landry
16 Amari Cooper
17 Courtland Sutton
18 Michael Gallup
19 Emmanuel Sanders
20 A.J. Brown
21 Dede Westbrook
22 Odell Beckham
23 Deebo Samuel
24 Darius Slayton
25 Christian Kirk
26 D.K. Metcalf
27 Tyler Lockett
28 Mike Williams
29 John Brown
30 Zach Pascal
31 Tyler Boyd
32 Sterling Shepard
33 Terry McLaurin
34 Marquise Brown
35 Cole Beasley
36 Curtis Samuel
1 Travis Kelce
2 Zach Ertz
3 George Kittle
4 Darren Waller
5 Hunter Henry
6 Austin Hooper
7 OJ Howard
8 Tyler Higbee
9 Ian Thomas
10 Jack Doyle
11 Mike Gesicki
12 Jacob Hollister
1 Ravens
2 Patriots
3 Steelers
4 49ers
5 Bills
6 Chiefs
7 Packers
8 Seahawks
9 Saints
10 Vikings
11 Chargers
12 Bears
1 Justin Tucker
2 Wil Lutz
3 Greg Zuerlein
4 Harrison Butker
5 Robbie Gould
6 Mason Crosby
7 Matt Gay
8 Jake Elliott
9 Jason Myers
10 Ka'imi Fairbairn
11 Younghoe Koo
12 Michael Badgley
That will do it. Good luck this week and when in doubt, start your studs.
As we're waiting for the top dominoes like Juan Soto to fall in free agency, the market is in a bit of a holding pattern. But we are seeing reports about some possible landing spots for players like Alex Bregman and Yusei Kikuchi.
With Kikuchi specifically, his agent Scott Boras is letting it be known that the market for him is very strong. Not only did he pitch at an All-Star level once joining the Astros, but he also brings something else to the table that many other free agents don't.
Because Kikuchi was traded at the deadline, he wasn't eligible to receive a qualifying offer. Which means any team that signs him won't have to give up any draft capital, thereby increasing his value on the market.
We noted an article by Eric Cole on Climbing Tal's Hill that made some interesting points on this situation. In a way, the Astros “unlocked” Kikuchi, helping him reach his full potential, and now he may sign with one of Houston's top competitors.
According to the article, the Rangers, Orioles, Red Sox, Twins, and Tigers have reportedly shown interest in signing him.
Plus, the 'Stros had to pay a steep price for him, trading away three prospects from an already depleted farm system. And with the benefit of hindsight, Kikuchi didn't even pitch in the postseason and the Astros were swept in the Wild Card round.
To be fair, one could argue the club may not have made the postseason without him. But at the end of the day, the organization is down three prospects and didn't win a single playoff game.
The trade market
Chandler Rome of The Athletic recently reported that the Astros have discussed the possibility (in-house) of trading Ryan Pressly, who is due $14 million this season. The team could certainly use the salary relief, but moving him could be tricky, as Pressly has a full no-trade clause.
If a team is willing to pay the majority of his contract, Houston shouldn't expect much in return when it comes to prospects. However, if the Astros are willing to eat a good portion of his salary, that could change.
But the problem is, moving Pressly is mostly about shedding money from the payroll. So it doesn't make a lot of sense to trade him without any significant salary relief.
To be clear, it's not as if the team wants to kick Pressly to the curb, but they could use that $14 million to add to the Bregman fund, or upgrade another spot on the roster.
Updates on Lance McCullers Jr. and Luis Garcia
GM Dana Brown shared some thoughts on the outlook for both pitchers last week. Garcia is expected to be ready to pitch this spring after recovering from Tommy John surgery.
With McCullers, it's more of a wait and see. Lance is playing catch, and Brown said his return this spring is still a possibility. But at this point, the fact that his recovery is taking so long isn't a good sign. And it seems like every time he ramps up, another setback occurs.
Where does Roki Sasaki land?
Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki is generating a lot of interest on the market. But according to reports, it doesn't sound like the Astros are in the mix as possible suitors.
It won't be from lack of trying, we're sure they've made the necessary phone calls. But it does make us wonder, do free agents still see Houston as a destination where they can compete for championships each and every year? And let's be real, moving on from Bregman won't help with that perception.
You know the deal! Be sure to watch the video above as the crew from Stone Cold 'Stros (Brandon Strange, Charlie Pallilo, and Josh Jordan) break it all down! Also, we recorded a video about the Astros' offense earlier this week. Click here if you missed it!
For Astros’ conversation, catch Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo on our Stone Cold 'Stros podcasts!Episodes drop on Mondays and bonus episodes are released on Wednesdays when the news cycle dictates.