DFS Week 15 | Joe Flacco is Back From Obscurity

by Kelly Singh · Upside Plays

What a week of football. Did you play along with me? My featured defense, the Cleveland Browns, went off! It was exhilarating to watch those points pile up. Gerald Everett was my value pick for tight end and he had a major breakout game. Drake London, Javonte Williams, Jake Browning…I’m proud of all of last week’s picks, but if we only count the standouts, we hit on nine of 12 core picks. Davante Adams, Sam LaPorta, and Zack Moss could’ve performed better. Props? We hit three of five. Justin Fields was just short of his rushing yards OVER and Brandon Aiyuk didn’t score a TD. Let’s do it again here in DFS Week 15. Are you ready?

DFS Week 15 QB Picks

Brock Purdy ($6.8K DraftKings / $8.4K FanDuel)

He made my article the last two weeks, and I’m bringing Brock Purdy back again. His salary crept up just a little bit since last week’s career-high performance, but I’d say it’s still worth it. Both platforms project Purdy to bring 20 FPPG this week, facing a somewhat unpredictable Arizona defense. At home, Arizona plays with more heart, but I’m not sure they’ll have enough to take down the Niners. Purdy has thrown the second-most touchdown passes (25) this year and the third-most passing yards (3,553).

Sam Howell ($6.3K DraftKings / $7.7K FanDuel)

Coming off of a very late-season bye week, Sam Howell is looking to take advantage of this week’s matchup against a very weak Rams defense. He’s projected to bring 17 fantasy points on both DraftKings and FanDuel, and his salary is pretty manageable. Howell has continued to surprise fantasy managers this season and remains among the most undervalued quarterbacks, in my opinion. This could be his fourth game in a row with a rushing touchdown and his fourth in a row on the road with 300 or more passing yards. I’ll take both of those as player prop bets this week!

Joe Flacco ($5.5K DraftKings / $7.1K FanDuel)

Well, well, well. Joe Flacco has certainly proven that he still has it. Elite quarterbacks are gonna be elite, I guess! Can Joe Cool do it again this week against an uninspiring Chicago defense? For this salary and the upside that comes with it, I’m on board.

Last week, Flacco passed for two touchdowns and 311 yards. He’s had 250 or more passing yards and two or more touchdown passes in each of his two starts this season. Let’s go for a third!

DFS Week 15 RB Picks

Kyren Williams ($7.5K DraftKings / $9.6K FanDuel)

This is a tough week for running back salary cap space. The best matchups all feature top running backs at the highest salaries: Christian McCaffrey ($9.3K/$10.5K), Alvin Kamara ($8.6K/$8.9K), and Kyren Williams. I’m going to feature Williams for no other reason than his stats for the week are intriguing. He’s looking at his fifth game in a row with 110-plus or more scrimmage yards, and is projected for 18.8 FPPG on DraftKings and 17.2 on FanDuel.

Bijan Robinson ($6.8K DraftKings / $8.6K FanDuel)

Rookie running back Bijan Robinson currently leads all rookies in rushing yards (790), ranks No. 2 in the league for
scrimmage yards (1,110), and is tied for No. 2 in scrimmage touchdowns (7). I’m not wild about his salary on FanDuel. I think it’s a little too high, but if you can swing it and that’s your platform of choice, go for it. He’s projected for 15 FPPG on DraftKings and 13 FPPG on FanDuel. This is a good matchup for Robinson, as he takes on a Panthers defense he’s already trampled in Week 1. During that matchup, Robinson managed a receiving touchdown, 56 rushing yards, and 27 receiving.

Jerome Ford ($5.5K DraftKings / $6.4K FanDuel)

As long as he’s healthy, Jerome Ford is a good option this week. At the time of publication, he carries a questionable tag, but it’s likely he will play. This would be his fourth game in a row with 50 or more scrimmage yards. I’ll take that for a player prop bet. His salary is the most manageable with the most promise among his peers and he’s projected for 11.5 and 10 FFPG respectively.

DFS Week 15 WR Picks

Puka Nacua ($7.3K DraftKings / $8.0K FanDuel)

Standout wide receiver Puka Nacua leads all rookies with 82 receptions, the third most by a player in their first 13 games in NFL history. He’s an explosive player and exciting to watch. This week, he’s projected for 15.7 fantasy points on DraftKings and 13 on FanDuel.

Nacua is up against one of the worst defenses in the league, the Washington Commanders. I’m not sure I really need to sell you on him, as he’ll be in plenty of lineups this week. Keep that in mind if rostership is part of your strategy.

Curtis Samuel ($4.6K DraftKings / $6.3K FanDuel)

Curtis Samuel aims for his third game in a row with 65 or more receiving yards against a mediocre Rams defense. His salary is very manageable this week and I wouldn’t expect him to be very highly rostered. Samuel is projected for 10 FPPG on DraftKings and 8 on FanDuel.

Between the low salary and the high scoring upside, Samuel’s a great value pick for your GPP or cash rosters. I’ll also be looking to place a bet on the over on the receiving yards.

Romeo Doubs ($5.3K DraftKings / $6.4K FanDuel)

I really like Romeo Doubs this week. The matchup is good and his salary is manageable. After his performance last week, he’ll probably be pretty popular on rosters. Doubs is at his best when Green Bay plays at home. This would be his third home game in a row with 50 or more receiving yards. He’s projected to bring us 10.5 fantasy points on DraftKings and 8.6 on FanDuel against a pretty terrible Tampa Bay defense.

DFS Week 15 TE Picks

Finding a tight end this week is going to be tough between injuries and tough matchups. The best in the league are up against the best positional defenses. Here are a couple I’ll roll the dice on:

George Kittle ($5.8K DraftKings / $6.8K FanDuel)

George Kittle isn’t terribly pricey this week and he has a great matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. That being said, he will be on just about everyone’s rosters because of price and matchup. He’s projected for 13 FPPG on DraftKings and 10 on FanDuel.

Kittle also has a bit of history with Arizona, scoring five receiving touchdowns in their last four matchups. He just became the fifth tight end ever with 6,000 or more receiving yards (6,065) in their first seven career seasons. Put me down for a Kittle anytime touchdown.

Tucker Kraft ($3.0K DraftKings / $4.7K FanDuel)

This was almost a snippet on Cade Otton ($3.2K/$5.2K) and I suppose it still could be because both Tucker Kraft and Otton are pretty much the same on paper this week. Their teams are facing each other this week and both defenses struggle to cover the tight end position.

I am giving the edge to Kraft this week, as Tampa Bay is the worst of the two defenses. When it comes to points, the two tight ends are separated by just one point in the projections, with Otton on top. Kraft is projected for 6 fantasy points on DraftKings and 5 on FanDuel. You aren’t likely to find him on many rosters this week and he’s at a great price point…so let’s roll the dice!

DFS Week 14 DEF/DST Pick

Houston Texans ($3.4K DraftKings / $3.9K FanDuel)

There are quite a few defenses this week that will all perform about the same, around the same salaries. I’ve decided to go with the Texans versus the Titans. As usual, I’ve kept the salary in that sweet spot – well under $4k (on DraftKings at least), and their projected points at 7.5. For reference, the highest points projection is the Miami defense, but they’re far too pricey for my playing style. You could do just as well with the Falcons, Browns, or Bears according to the data, but I’ll stick with Houston.

DFS Dominator And More

Now that you’ve seen my DFS Week 13 picks, have you checked out the PlayerProfiler DFS Dominator and Fantasy Tools? There are options for every budget and every fantasy football use case, from sports betting to creating and maintaining the most optimized league roster. I’ve been making it a habit to run my favorite lineups through the tools, and it’s paid off every week.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me on the app formerly known as Twitter, @KellyInPhoenix. Thanks for reading! See you next week!