Week 15 Sunday Fantasy Football Takeaways: James Cook, Baker Mayfield, Jaylen Waddle, Brock Purdy and More

Week 15 of the NFL season continued to provide big-time fantasy football outings. There were also a handful of new injuries.

Let’s dive into what happened on Sunday and what it all means from a fantasy football perspective.

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Top-Performing Players

There were a number of impressive fantasy outings on Sunday. Let’s start with the quarterback position.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield absolutely shredded the Green Bay Packers defense. He completed 22 of his 28 attempts for 381 yards and four touchdowns. He took five sacks and lost a fumble, but avoided an interception.

Mayfield made history on Sunday with his perfect 158.3 passer rating.

Our charts show Mayfield as owned in 70% of leagues, while only starting 26% of the time this past week. His schedule ahead is good, so if he’s available in your league and you’ve been streaming a QB most of the year, he’s not a bad option. He at least should be stashed on the bench in case your top option goes down.

San Francisco 49ers’ Brock Purdy continued his big season on Sunday. He was just 16-of-25, but those completions went for 242 yards and four touchdowns. He didn’t fumble or throw a pick and also avoided a sack.

Purdy has been a great fantasy asset all year and now appears to be the favorite to be named the NFL’s MVP. He could cement that honor with a strong showing next week.

He’s a lock for fantasy starting lineups the rest of the season, especially seeing his upcoming schedule is very favorable. 

There were some other unexpected names near the top of the fantasy leaders at QB, but we’ll cover those guys in other stories early this week.

Christian McCaffrey was an absolute monster again for the Niners on Sunday, but that’s pretty much expected at this point. The running back I want to bring up is Buffalo Bills’ James Cook.

Cook was Buffalo’s workhorse in the team’s lopsided win over the Dallas Cowboys, getting 27 touches. Cook rushed 25 times for 179 yards and a touchdown, while adding 42 receiving yards and a score on two catches and three targets.

Cook is owned in just about every league and was started in about 80% of leagues in week 15. If you started him, there’s a good chance you are going to come away with a win. His schedule ahead is tough, but after Sunday’s outing, he probably needs to be started in week 16.

Rachaad White was also a key part of the Buccaneers’ road win over the Packers. White got 23 touches, rushing 21 times for 89 yards and catching both of his targets for 50 yards and a score.

White is the Bucs’ workhorse, which makes him an automatic start just about every week. His schedule ahead is average, but given his workload, fantasy owners should be pretty confident in starting White moving forward.

Tyreek Hill ended up missing the Miami Dolphins’ game against the New York Jets, which thrust Jaylen Waddle into the spotlight. Waddle delivered and then some.

Waddle caught 8-of-9 targets for 142 yards and a touchdown, showing he’s capable of being a No. 1 wideout. Even when Hill returns, Waddle should still be locked into fantasy lineups - he’s gone for 50+ yards and 4+ catches in each of the team’s past five games.

Terry McLaurin starred for the Washington Commanders in their loss to the Los Angeles Rams. He caught half of his 12 targets for 141 yards and a touchdown.

It was McLaurin’s first game over 100 yards this season. It was just his third touchdown.

McLaurin isn’t an automatic start because of some consistency issues - he’s had 26 targets over the past three weeks, but only had 10 catches, including a game he was shutout in. His schedule ahead is tougher.

Sunday’s games produced several of the top-scoring fantasy TEs in week 15. Cleveland Browns’ David Njoku was the best of the bunch.

Njoku caught 10-of-14 targets for 104 yards and a score. It was his second straight big game, and now he’s got three scores over the past two weeks. 

Joe Flacco looks locked into a starting spot for the Browns, and seeing Njoku's recent usage, Njoku needs to be in fantasy lineups in week 16. He might be an auto start the rest of the season after looking at his upcoming games and strength of schedule.’

Baltimore Ravens’ Isaiah Likely went for 70 yards and a touchdown on five grabs and six targets. It was his second straight strong showing. He’s got a tougher schedule ahead but should remain a big part of the team's offense, especially after losing another key offensive weapon - more on that in a bit.

New England Patriots’ Hunter Henry tallied 66 yards and a touchdown on seven grabs and nine targets. He’s got three touchdowns over the past two weeks, but only 106 yards. He’s got a pretty favorable schedule ahead.

Green Bay’s Tucker Kraft continues to cash in on his expanded opportunities. He went for 57 yards and a score on four catches and six touches. He’s got at least four targets and three catches over the past three games, while going for over 50 yards the past two weeks. He’s got a similar schedule ahead to Likely.

More Injury Issues

There were a bunch of new injuries that popped up in week 15.

Starting at quarterback, Jacksonville Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence is in the concussion protocol following the team’s loss to the Ravens. C.J. Beathard would start for Lawrence next week if he can’t play.

New York Jets’ Zach Wilson left the team’s loss to the Dolphins with a concussion. Trevor Siemian finished the game for the Jets. Aaron Rodgers could be cleared this week, but it seems unlikely that he’d play with New York now eliminated from playoff contention.

A big injury came Sunday night when Ravens’ running back Keaton Mitchell suffered a significant knee injury. He’s expected to miss the remainder of the season.

Gus Edwards and Justice Hill will go back to leading the team’s backfield, with Lamar Jackson maybe attempting a few more rushes moving forward too. I could also see the team signing another back, unless they are content with promoting Melvin Gordon and Owen Wright from their practice squad.

Arizona Cardinals wideout Marquise Brown left the team’s loss to the Niners with a heel injury. If he’s forced to miss time, tight end Trey McBride probably becomes even more prevalent in the passing game. Greg Dortch, Rondale Moore, Michael Wilson and Elijah Higgins are some other pass catchers that could be more involved.

Packers’ Jayden Reed suffered a toe injury on Sunday. Already down Christian Watson, if those two miss week 16, then Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks will be the top wideouts, while Kraft also gets more looks.

The Cincinnati Bengals played on Saturday, but it was revealed that Ja’Marr Chase has a shoulder injury and is listed as day to day. Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd would be in line for more work in the passing game if Chase were to miss a game. Tight end Tanner Hudson and running back Chase Brown might also get more touches.