X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Under-the-Radar Booms/Busts: Week 15

kirk cousins fantasy football rankings draft sleepers NFL injury news

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!

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

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 25th-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 24th 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 18th-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 31st-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.

More Weekly Lineup Prep




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Griffin Conine

To Have Shoulder Surgery On Tuesday
Luke Keaschall

Twins Prospect Luke Keaschall Suffers Broken Forearm
Logan Gilbert

Leaves Friday's Start With Forearm Tightness

Vikings Select Tai Felton To Finish Day 2

Seahawks Select Quarterback Jalen Milroe With The 92nd Pick Overall

Browns Select Dillon Gabriel 94th Overall

Packers Pick Savion Williams At No. 87 overall

Steelers Snag Kaleb Johnson In Round 3

Broncos Select Wide Receiver Pat Bryant With The 74th Overall Pick

Texans Select Jaylin Noel With 79th Pick

Lions Select Wide Receiver Isaac TeSlaa With The 70th Overall Pick
Jack Leiter

To Start On Sunday

Patriots Add Wide Receiver Kyle Williams In Round 3

Browns Draft Harold Fannin Jr. With 67th Pick
Garrett Mitchell

Makes Early Exit
Luke Keaschall

Removed Early On Friday
Blake Snell

Likely Avoids Major Injury
Cole Ragans

Dealing With Mild Groin Strain

Broncos Add RJ Harvey To Backfield With 60th Pick

Raiders Select Jack Bech With 58th Pick

Chargers Add Wide Receiver Tre Harris In Round 2
Detroit Lions

Lions Acquire 57th Pick From Broncos

Seahawks Draft Elijah Arroyo 50th Overall
Carolina Panthers

Panthers Acquire 51st Pick From Broncos
Arizona Cardinals

Cardinals Snag Will Johnson At No. 47

Jets Add A Pass-Catcher With Mason Taylor At No. 42

Rams Select Terrance Ferguson With 46th Pick
Houston Texans

Texans Acquire 48th Pick From Raiders, Draft Aireontae Ersery

Saints Snag Tyler Shough At No. 40
Brenton Doyle

Out For Personal Reasons On Friday
Brandin Podziemski

Not On Injury Report For Game 3
Jimmy Butler III

Warriors Optimistic About Jimmy Butler III Playing Saturday
Jae'Sean Tate

To Remain Out Saturday
Jock Landale

Unavailable For Game 3
Terry Rozier

Out On Saturday
Jrue Holiday

Ruled Out For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Orlando
Kevin Love

To Miss Saturday's Game
Jaylen Brown

Available For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Magic
Gary Payton II

Iffy For Saturday's Action
Jayson Tatum

Officially Available On Friday For Game 3 Against Magic
Will Smith

Back From Injury On Friday
Luke Kennard

Questionable For Game 4 On Saturday
Darius Garland

Listed As Questionable For Game 3
Ja Morant

To Miss Game 4 On Saturday
Rui Hachimura

Available For Game 3 In Minnesota
Aaron Ekblad

Available To Return Saturday
Erik Swanson

Ryan Burr Progressing
Daulton Varsho

To Return On Tuesday At The Latest
Max Scherzer

Takes Positive Step On Friday
Aleksander Barkov

Questionable For Saturday
Gabriel Landeskog

Set For Larger Role In Game 4
Calvin Pickard

To Start Game 3 For Oilers
Randy Arozarena

Resting For First Time This Year
Jonas Siegenthaler

To Play Limited Minutes In Game 3
MLB

Red Sox-Guardians Game Postponed On Friday
Luke Hughes

Remains Out On Friday
MLB

Tigers-Orioles Postponed On Friday
Patrik Laine

A Game-Time Decision Friday
Yainer Diaz

Out On Friday Against Royals
Iván Herrera

Ivan Herrera Hopes To Start Rehab Assignment Next Week
Salvador Perez

Sitting Out For First Time This Season
Jaylen Brown

Questionable For Game 3 On Friday
Brendan Donovan

Back In Action On Friday
Jimmy Butler III

Could Miss Game 3 On Saturday
Coby Mayo

Getting On A Roll At Triple-A
Carlos Prates

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Ian Machado Garry

Set For UFC Kansas City Main Event
Cade Cunningham

Collects Double-Double In Loss
Jalen Brunson

Drops 30 Points In Game 3
Karl-Anthony Towns

Leads All Scorers In Game 3 Victory
Zhang Mingyang

Scheduled For Co-Main Event
Anthony Smith

Set For His Final UFC Bout
David Onama

Set For Featherweight Bout
Giga Chikadze

Looks To Bounce Back
Abus Magomedov

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Michel Pereira

Returns To Action At UFC Kansas City
Nicolas Dalby

An Underdog At UFC Kansas City
Randy Brown

A Favorite At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Set To Open Up UFC Kansas City Main Card
Ikram Aliskerov

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Sergei Bobrovsky

Shuts Out Lightning In Game 2
Cam Fowler

Finishes Thursday's Win With Five Points
Robert Thomas

Posts Four Assists In Game 3 Win
Pavel Buchnevich

Celebrates Hat Trick During Four-Point Performance
Dylan DeMelo

Battling An Illness
Marcus Johansson

Exits Early Thursday
Aleksander Barkov

Hurt In Game 2
Jrue Holiday

Tagged As Questionable For Friday
Jayson Tatum

Likely Out Again On Friday
Anthony Cirelli

Good To Go Thursday
Andrei Vasilevskiy

Looks To Bounce Back In Game 2
Rasmus Ristolainen

To Miss Training Camp
Jonas Siegenthaler

Returns To Practice
Aliaksei Protas

Traveling With Capitals
Gabriel Vilardi

Still Out On Thursday
Max Pacioretty

Set To Join Maple Leafs Lineup For Game 3
Cam Davis

Looking For Better Fortunes At TPC Louisiana
Adam Svensson

Making Third Apperence At Zurich Classic
Max Greyserman

Aiming For Similar Success At TPC Louisiana
Lee Hodges

A High-Upside Player In New Orleans
PGA

Nico Echavarria Looks To Ride Off Of Elite Putting In New Orleans
Gary Woodland

A Player Worth Watching In New Orleans
Max McGreevy

Returns To The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans
Rasmus Hojgaard

In Search Of Consistency Ahead Of Zurich Classic
Sam Stevens

A Boom-Or-Bust Candidate In New Orleans
Nicolai Hojgaard

Looking To Turn Season Around At Zurich Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Looks To Sway A Hot Putter In Teams Favor At Zurich Classic
Akshay Bhatia

Looking To Bounce Back At TPC Louisiana
Carson Young

Looks To Turn Things Around At TPC Louisiana
Erik Van Rooyen

Looking For Momentum In Louisiana
Andrew Novak

Making Start At TPC Louisiana After Near Miss At Harbour Town
Ben Griffin

Making Third Career Start At Zurich Classic
Taylor Moore

Competing With A New Teammate In New Orleans
Wyndham Clark

Making Return To New Orleans
Kurt Kitayama

Teeing It Up Again In New Orleans
Collin Morikawa

Back At Zurich Classic For Fifth Time
Thomas Detry

Making Third Appearance At New Orleans Team Event
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF