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.
What looked like a minor blip after an emotional series win in Los Angeles has turned into something more concerning for the Houston Astros.
Swept at home by a Guardians team that came in riding a 10-game losing streak, the Astros were left looking exposed. Not exhausted, as injuries, underperformance, and questionable decision-making converged to hand Houston one of its most frustrating series losses of the year.
Depth finally runs dry
It would be easy to point to a “Dodger hangover” as the culprit, the emotional peak of an 18-1 win at Chavez Ravine followed by a mental lull. But that’s not the story here.
Houston’s energy was still evident, especially in the first two games of the series, where the offense scored five or more runs each time. Including those, the Astros had reached that mark in eight of their last 10 games heading into Wednesday’s finale.
But scoring isn’t everything, not when a lineup held together by duct tape and desperation is missing Christian Walker and Jake Meyers and getting critical at-bats from Cooper Hummel, Zack Short, and other journeymen.
The lack of depth finally showed. The Astros, for three days, looked more like a Triple-A squad with Jose Altuve and a couple big-league regulars sprinkled in.
Cracks in the pitching core
And the thing that had been keeping this team afloat, elite pitching, finally buckled.
Hunter Brown and Josh Hader, both dominant all season, finally cracked. Brown gave up six runs in six innings, raising his pristine 1.82 ERA to 2.21. Hader wasn’t spared either, coughing up a game-losing grand slam in extra innings that inflated his ERA from 1.80 to 2.38 in one night.
But the struggles weren’t isolated. Bennett Sousa, Kaleb Ort, and Steven Okert each gave up runs at critical moments. The bullpen’s collective fade could not have come at a worse time for a team already walking a tightrope.
Injury handling under fire
Houston’s injury management is also drawing heat, and rightfully so. Jake Meyers, who had been nursing a calf strain, started Wednesday’s finale. He didn’t even make it through one pitch before aggravating the injury and needing to be helped off the field.
No imaging before playing him. No cautionary rest despite the All-Star break looming. Just a rushed return in a banged-up lineup, and it backfired immediately.
Second-guessing has turned to outright criticism of the Astros’ medical staff, as fans and analysts alike wonder whether these mounting injuries are being made worse by how the club is handling them.
Pressure mounts on Dana Brown
All eyes now turn to Astros GM Dana Brown. The Astros are limping into the break with no clear reinforcements on the immediate horizon. Only Chas McCormick is currently rehabbing in Sugar Land. Everyone else? Still sidelined.
Brown will need to act — and soon.
At a minimum, calling up top prospect Brice Matthews makes sense. He’s been mashing in Triple-A (.283/.400/.476, 10 HR, .876 OPS) and could play second base while Jose Altuve shifts to left field more regularly. With Mauricio Dubón stretched thin between shortstop and center, injecting Matthews’ upside into the infield is a logical step.
*Editor's note: The Astros must be listening, Matthews was called up Thursday afternoon!
The Astros are calling up Brice Matthews, their top prospect on @MLBPipeline
via @brianmctaggart pic.twitter.com/K91cGKkcx6
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 10, 2025
There’s also trade chatter, most notably about Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins, but excitement has been tepid. His numbers don’t jump off the page, but compared to who the Astros are fielding now, Mullins would be a clear upgrade and a much-needed big-league presence.
A final test before the break
Before the All-Star reset, Houston gets one last chance to stabilize the ship, and it comes in the form of a rivalry series against the Texas Rangers. The Astros will send their top trio — Lance McCullers Jr., Framber Valdez, and Hunter Brown — to the mound for a three-game set that will test their resolve, their health, and perhaps their postseason aspirations.
The Silver Boot is up for grabs. So is momentum. And maybe, clarity on just how far this version of the Astros can go.
There's so much more to discuss! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday.
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*ChatGPT assisted.
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