Under-the-Radar Booms/Busts: Week 15

Craig Rondinone analyzes the under-the-radar lineup booms and busts for Week 15 of fantasy football. These players could be upside flex plays or players to sit.

What better way to kickstart your holiday season by winning your fantasy football playoff game or finishing in the money in a DFS contest this weekend?

If you want to reach the championship game in your fantasy league and/or hit big in a DFS league to have a little more money to buy that perfect bag of coal for a special someone, choosing a couple fantasy booms and avoiding the fantasy busts is a quick way to do it – besides having Patrick Mahomes as your quarterback, Todd Gurley and Ezekiel Elliott as your running backs, and Antonio Brown and Adam Thielen as your wide receivers.

Here are some under-the-radar booms and busts for the 15th week of NFL action to help you set a winning lineup. Good luck RotoBallers!

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• Tight end fantasy football rankings

Week 15 Under-the-Radar Booms

Kirk Cousins (QB, MIN) vs. MIA

Minnesota’s former offensive coordinator John DeFilippo was not the only problem with the Vikings offense, but he was probably the main one. His penchant for ignoring top tailback Dalvin Cook, his uneven run-pass balances during the course of games, and his lack of giving Cousins adequate pass protection were only some of the reasons why he was fired after this past Monday night’s embarrassing offensive effort against the Seattle Seahawks.

Cousins has not exactly been Fran Tarkenton in recent weeks (eight touchdowns, five interceptions, 235 passing yards per game over last five contests), but he has still been an above-average fantasy quarterback during the season. Look for interim coordinator Kevin Stefanski to put Cousins in positions to make plays and ramp his confidence up. In a must-win home game against Miami’s 25^th-ranked pass defense, I am banking on Cousins 275 passing yards and a trio of touchdown tosses.

Jordan Howard (RB, CHI) vs. GB

I know Howard has been about as helpful to fantasy players as a baseball cap would be if someone dropped an anvil on your head. He started the season without a 100-yard rushing game for a dozen contests; he has provided little in terms of receiving (16 catches for 108 yards) and has only scored six touchdowns. Those who used early-round draft picks on him this past September are probably cursing him as much as I curse at my alarm clock in the morning.

Howard had his first 100-yard game this past Sunday night and is averaging five yards per carry over his past two outings, so his fantasy value is slowly coming off life support. Green Bay is ranked 24^th against the run and has allowed an average of 135 rushing yards per game the past four times they have played on the road. Chicago would rather grind out a win then get into a shootout with Aaron Rodgers and Co., so expect the Bears to keep the ball on the ground and for Howard to have 75-100 yards and a touchdown or two.

John Ross (WR, CIN) vs. OAK

Touchdown fantasy leagues are nowhere near as popular as standard leagues or DFS leagues these days, but if they were Ross would be more valuable than Atlanta’s Julio Jones and Tampa Bay’s Mike Evans! The underappreciated pipsqueak has touchdown catches in four of his past five games but still has a cheap price tag in DFS leagues because he has only cracked the 40-yard barrier in one game all season.

Ross is going for at least 60 yards and a touchdown this week, though! Oakland’s 18^th-ranked pass defense has no Lester Hayes or Mike Haynes in its secondary, and the Raiders are overdue for a game where they look lost after playing tough in their past two home contests. I think Ross will have his best game of the year and provide bang for your buck like a cheap department store does.

Week 15 Under-the-Radar Busts

Case Keenum (QB, DEN) vs. CLE (Saturday)

Some fantasy players might look at the numbers, circle the stat that shows Cleveland has the 31^st-ranked pass defense in the NFL and pencil Keenum in for a 250-yard, two-TD night this Saturday. I just cannot get past the lack of pass catchers Keenum has to work with these days, though.

Emmanuel Sanders is out for the season with a torn Achilles. Denver’s top two tight ends are also out for the year with season-ending injuries. Demaryius Thomas is in Houston. Rookie Courtland Sutton has wilted as the season has gone on. Unless Keenum dumps off to terrific tailback Philip Lindsay 10 times and the rookie turns a couple into long touchdowns, I cannot see him turning in an award-worthy performance that will win fantasy players their playoff games and DFS contests. Keenum does not turn players into playmakers; he needs playmakers around him to make the most of his average skill set.

Cameron Brate (TE, TB) at BAL

Now that O.J. Howard is out of the way due to his season-ending knee injury, Brate is back to being the Cris Carter of tight ends. The man only catches touchdown passes, just like C.C. did back in his early days. While Brate has yet to have a 40-yard game in 2018, six of his 25 receptions have gone for touchdowns, including three of his past eight since Howard was hurt.

But Baltimore is Baltimore. This defense is the best in the NFL in my mind, and statistically in many major categories. I know the Ravens have allowed opposing tight ends to score touchdowns in each of their past four games. They are too good to allow Brate to make it five. Look for Brate to be bottled up in the red zone and fail to get into the end zone.

Zay Jones (WR, BUF) vs. DET

Jones has been a fantasy yo-yo this year, especially in recent weeks. Over his past five games, he has had three games where he accounted for 22 yards or less, yet he had two great games where he combined for 160 yards and three trips to Touchdownville. He has been targeted nine times or more in three of his last four games, though, and has had blended well with rookie quarterback Josh Allen and should keep getting aimed at consistently with Kelvin Benjamin released.

Jones will have to try and get open against a Detroit defense that ranks just outside of the top 10 in pass defense and just held Arizona to three points in its last game. Between having the inconsistent Allen throwing to him, having to share targets with the emerging Robert Foster, and possibly being covered by Detroit shutdown corner Darius Slay, Jones has too many things going against him and appears to be prime bust material.