Is Russell Wilson Playing in Week 15? Should I Pickup and Start Brett Rypien for Fantasy Football?

We saw flashes of the offense that Denver fans envisioned when the team traded for Russell Wilson during the 2022 offseason in Week 14’s matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. 

The veteran quarterback was having his best game of the season, completing 63.8% of his passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. He also added four carries for 57 yards, but unfortunately, one of those carries led to a concussion that knocked him out of the game. 

Brett Rypien would take over for Wilson and Denver would ultimately lose, leaving fantasy managers waiting to see if Wilson would recover fast enough to play in Week 15. Is Russell Wilson playing in Week 15? Should I pickup and start Brett Rypien for fantasy football? Read below to find out more.

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Is Russell Wilson Playing in Week 15 Fantasy Football?

Interestingly enough, Russell Wilson cleared concussion protocol ahead of Week 15’s game against the Arizona Cardinals, but the team decided to sit the quarterback for one more week to ensure that he is fully healthy the next time he takes the field. So despite Wilson improving enough to play this week, Brett Rypien will be the starting quarterback.

Should I Pickup and Start Brett Rypien for Fantasy Football?

With Wilson ruled out, that means that Brett Rypien will be making his second start of the season. In two games (one start) this season, the backup quarterback completed 28 of 54 passes (51.8%) for 240 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions. In six career games, the Boise State product has just a 57.3% completion rate and three touchdowns with six picks.

On one hand, the Cardinals have been a good matchup against quarterbacks this season, surrendering 19.1 points per game to the position. However, Rypien has never shown much ability to exploit opposing defenses through the air. Expect Denver to lean heavily on their run game this week while trying to take shots with Rypien on occasion.

Given the inconsistencies he’s displayed throughout his career and the fact that Russell Wilson has already cleared concussion protocol (meaning he will be the starter on Christmas Day), it makes little sense to add Rypien even in a soft matchup.

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