Week 15 Saturday Fantasy Football Takeaways: Jared Goff, Tee Higgins, Gardner Minshew, Sam LaPorta, Jordan Addison and More

Week 15 of the NFL season treated us to three games. The Cincinnati Bengals topped the Minnesota Vikings in overtime, while the Indianapolis Colts cruised past the Pittsburgh Steelers and Detroit Lions crushed the Denver Broncos.

Let’s take a look at some of the standout players from those three games and what it all means from a fantasy perspective.

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Bengals Topple Vikings

The teams combined for over 800 yards of total offense, so there was no shortage of solid fantasy outings.

Jake Browning again dazzled for the Bengals. The quarterback threw for 324 yards and two touchdowns, while throwing one interception. He even got a “surprise” drug test after the game.

Browning continues to play well for the Bengals, and might just lead the team to the playoffs. There’s plenty of offensive weapons at Browning’s disposal, but you can also say that the quarterback has played a big role in the team’s recent success.

Browning spread the ball around pretty well, with Tee Higgins having the best day as a pass catcher. Higgins caught half of his eight targets for 61 yards and two touchdowns.

Higgins’ season has been bogged down by injuries, but he produced a second-straight solid fantasy outing. Unfortunately, it’s been boom or bust with his touchdowns, with two games with two scores and no other touchdowns in the eight other games. He should remain a borderline starter for the rest of the season.

Ja’Marr Chase had an OK outing, making four grabs on as many targets for 64 yards. Tyler Boyd had 53 receiving yards on two catches and five targets. Tight end Tanner Hudson hauled in all five of his targets for 49 yards.

Running back Joe Mixon saved a lackluster fantasy day with a touchdown. He finished with 47 rushing yards and a score on 10 carries, while adding 14 receiving yards on three catches and targets. Chase Brown tallied 51 total yards on 10 touches - his role continues to be a fairly big one, and he should remain involved the rest of the season, so add him if he’s still available in your leagues, especially dynasty ones.

Minnesota’s starting QB Nick Mullen had 303 passing yards and two touchdowns, but threw two costly interceptions. He only had seven incompletions across 33 attempts, so it was a pretty solid day overall, minus the turnovers.

Ty Chandler took advantage of Alexander Mattison being out and went for 157 total yards on 26 touches. That showing should at least get him some extra work when Mattison is playing, but might make him the lead back over Mattison the rest of the season.

Justin Jefferson played and tallied a respectable 84 yards on seven grabs and 10 targets, but it was Jordan Addison who stole the day for the Vikings’ receivers. Addison went for 111 yards and two touchdowns on six grabs and targets. Addison will be plugged into starting lineups a bunch for week 16, and it’d be hard to argue against starting him and Jefferson the rest of the season.

I was underwhelmed by tight end T.J. Hockenson’s 63 yards on six grabs and seven targets. It’s not a bad day, especially in PPR formats, but to be the third-best receiving threat with a new quarterback behind center is a bit of a concern for the remainder of the season.

Colts Take Down Steelers

Gardner Minshew took over for the injured Anthony Richardson pretty early in the season. It hasn’t always been pretty with Minshew, but he’s starting to roll when the Colts need him most.

Minshew was 18-for-28 passing on Saturday, going for 215 yards and three touchdowns. He didn’t throw a pick or fumble. The offense could look a bit different whenever Jonathan Taylor returns, but Minshew is still going to have plenty of chances to produce big-time fantasy outings in this offense.

The running game was led by Trey Sermon and Tyler Goodson with Taylor out and Zack Moss going down with an injury. Sermon had 88 rushing yards on 17 attempts, while Goodson went for 79 total yards on 13 touches. 

Apparently, any RB can excel in this offense. I’d expect Moss to retain his lead role if he’s cleared for play in week 16. Taylor and him would likely split the workload if both are healthy. If both guys miss week 16, then Sermon and Goodson will be popular waiver wire options - I like Sermon over Goodson given that he got more touches and 10 more snaps this week.

Wideout Michael Pittman had a solid day, with 78 yards on four grabs and five catches. Josh Downs and Alec Pierce were quiet, with three catches for 19 yards and one grab for 13 yards, respectively.

D.J. Montgomery stole a touchdown and finished with 48 yards on two grabs and four targets. Those were his first targets and catches of the season.

Tight end Mo Alie-Cox was another unexpected player to score. He had 21 yards and a score on two catches and three targets.

Steelers’ Mitch Trubisky had another rough outing in place of the injured Kenny Pickett. Trubisky threw for 169 yards and a touchdown, but threw two picks. Trubisky did rush for another score, but was benched for Mason Rudolph later in the game.

Hopefully Pickett is ready to go for week 16, because the Steelers’ offense is a mess without him.

Jaylen Warren outperformed Najee Harris in Pittsburgh’s backfield. Warren had 68 total yards on 15 touches, while Warren had 33 rushing yards on 12 attempts and wasn’t targeted in the passing game. The fantasy outlook of both guys would jump up if Pickett can play next week.

Dionta Johnson was the team’s top pass catcher, but a touchdown really saved his day from a fantasy perspective. He finished with 62 yards and the score on four catches and six targets.

George Pickens was held to 47 yards on three grabs and seven targets. Tight end Pat Freiermuth was limited to 16 yards on three catches and four targets.

Every Steeler might need to be benched in week 16 if Trubisky or Rudolph are the starting QB.

Lions Dismantle Broncos

The Lions got back on track by throttling the Broncos. Detroit went for 448 total yards of offense.

Jared Goff might be QB1 for fantasy this week after throwing for 278 yards and five touchdowns. He wasn’t intercepted and didn’t fumble.

Goff had been held in check the last couple weeks, so this should give fantasy owners some confidence to use him as another possible starter for week 16.

Despite Goff’s big day, Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery were still great in the running game. Gibbs went for 108 total yards and two touchdowns on 13 touches. Montgomery had 82 total yards on 19 touches.

Montgomery again led the backfield, but the rookie outplayed him. Both guys should remain possible starters for owners going into week 16.

Amon-Ra St. Brown was fantastic again, this time catching 7-of-9 passes for 112 yards and a touchdown. He needs to be in fantasy lineups every week.

Tight end Sam LaPorta also needs to be in lineups the rest of the season. He only caught five passes on six targets for 56 yards, but scored three touchdowns. He might just finish as TE1 for the full season.

Jameson Williams and Josh Reynolds also pitched in. Williams had 47 yards on four grabs and seven targets. Reynolds had 41 yards on two catches and three targets. Both are options in deeper fantasy leagues depending on matchups the rest of the season.

Denver’s Russell Wilson had an average fantasy day after passing for 223 yards, a score and no interceptions, while also scoring once on the ground. He did lose a fumble. He remains a possible starting option for week 16.

The Broncos’ run game was stifled. Samaje Perine ended up leading the team with 48 total yards on seven touches. Javonte Williams had 22 total yards on 14 touches, while Jaleel McLaughlin had 18 total yards on four touches. This was a tough matchup for the backs. Williams is still the lead back, but he’ll be a borderline starter because he isn’t the workhorse.

Jerry Jeudy (74 yards on three catches and seven targets) and Courtland Sutton (71 yards on five catches and six targets) produced similar statlines. Lil’Jordan Humphrey caught Wilson’s lone touchdown pass and ended up with three grabs on four targets, which makes him a deep starting option for week 16. Sutton and Jeudy will be starting options in standard formats.