Week 15 Thursday Fantasy Football Takeaways: Puka Nacua, Kyren Williams Help Rams to Win; George Kittle, Isaac Guerendo Lead Niners

Week 15 of the NFL regular season kicked off with an NFC West battle between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers.

There were several fantasy football takeaways from the contest, and we’ll go over them in this story.

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Game Stats

Los Angeles earned the critical win, winning 12-6 in a game that had six field goals and no touchdowns.

Los Angeles had 302 total yards of offense, with 160 through the air and 142 on the ground. The Rams had no turnovers, four penalties and didn’t get sacked.

San Francisco had just 191 total yards of offense, with 128 passing yards and 63 rushing yards. The Niners had a turnover, four penalties and got sacked three times.

Williams, Nacua Lead Rams Offensively

There weren't many offensive standouts in this game, but Los Angeles’ Kyren Williams and Puka Nacua both had good games and fantasy showings at least.

Williams rushed a whopping 29 times for 108 yards. He added four receiving yards on two catches and targets.

Nacua had 97 receiving yards on seven receptions and eight targets. He also was credited with two rushes, gaining 11 more yards.

Without touchdowns, neither Ram were fantasy standouts, but unlike so many other players in this game, at least Williams and Nacua got in double figures.

Williams’ big workload is exactly why he’s a must-start fantasy player. Even if a defense is able to hold him relatively in check, all those touches probably mean he’s going to get to, or close to, 100 total yards. Tacking on his scoring potential, Williams is a great weekly fantasy starter, regardless of the defensive matchup.

Nacua is clearly the Rams’ top pass-catching option, and we’ll get into that more soon. But Nacua needs to be starting every week as well. His “down” fantasy weeks look like this week, while he’s capable of leading all fantasy wideouts every time he takes the field. Keep starting Nacua confidently.

Other Notable Rams

Quarterback Matthew Stafford was 16-of-27 passing for 160 yards. He avoided any turnovers, but without a touchdown, his fantasy score was underwhelming. Stafford rushed for 18 yards on four carries.

I love Stafford as a weekly streaming option - I actually think he’s more of a weekly starter, but this game shows he’s probably more of a streaming option. His final fantasy score would have looked a lot different with a score or two on his ledger, even with the low number of yards. 

Stafford got things going a bit in the second half after rainy conditions affected things in the opening half. I would still trust Stafford with a starting spot down the stretch, even in some of his tougher matchups.

Wideout Cooper Kupp did not have a reception across three targets. He’s another must-start fantasy player, and his goose egg this week is probably going to end a lot of fantasy owner’s seasons. This happens throughout the season, but is going to be magnified in such a big fantasy week.

Kupp has mostly delivered big results since returning from his early-season injury, but he has had two duds now. If your fantasy team survives the week, Kupp will be much closer to the start/sit line than he was this week.

The Rams got by with just Williams and Nacua producing this week, but I’d still trust Stafford and Kupp to deliver down the stretch. Chalk this up to a down performance because of bad weather conditions and don’t bail on those two. Every other Ram is just a deep-league fantasy option, and not a very good one in the final few weeks.

Guerendo, Kittle Leads Niners

There were even more underwhelming performances delivered by the Niners.

Running back Isaac Guerendo was a surprisingly good fantasy option. He came into the week very iffy with a foot injury, and even after it was announced he was playing, his outlook wasn’t that great.

Guerendo had 57 rushing yards on 16 carries, but he added 18 yards on four catches and targets to reach double figures in PPR leagues. Given how the Niners’ offense looked and considering he was dealing with an injury, I’d take that fantasy showing if I started the rookie back.

The Niners’ playoff chances are bleak after the loss, but with Guerendo being a rookie, the team should continue to utilize him heavily down the stretch to see what they possibly have for the future. He’ll be a pretty good fantasy option every week because of all the touches he gets.

Kittle was the lone pass catcher who didn’t disappoint for San Fran. He had 61 yards on four receptions and seven targets to just get into double figures as a fantasy performer.

It wasn’t a great fantasy outing, but it also won’t hurt your fantasy team too much. Kittle seems like the type of player who would keep playing in a lost season, but that’s something to keep in mind when the Niners are officially eliminated. Maybe start looking around for a possible backup tight end in case Kittle gets shut down.

Other Notable Niners

Quarterback Brock Purdy was just 14-of-31 passing for 142 yards, no touchdowns and an interception. He rushed once for three yards.

It was an absolute fantasy disaster for Purdy, and for those of you that started him, it very well might cost you a critical fantasy matchup. He’s now struggled as a fantasy performer in two of the past three weeks. If the Niners shut down a few offensive players down the stretch, things won’t get any easier for Purdy. He’s squarely on the start/sit line after this showing.

Receivers Jauan Jennings and Deebo Samuel Sr. were very underwhelming as fantasy players.

Jennings got nine targets, but made just two receptions for 31 yards. The targets are what fantasy owners were hoping to see, but the receptions and yardage left Jennings with a really weak fantasy score. 

I really liked Jennings coming into the game, and was really disappointed in his fantasy showing. His poor performance could be another that hinders fantasy playoff teams. I still think he’s the Niners’ best fantasy wideout, and think he’s a good starting option because of his upside in this offense. I wonder if the Niners might shut him down for the season too.

Samuel was a borderline flex option in my eyes this week, but he didn’t live up to even that expectation. He caught three of his seven targets for 16 yards and rushed twice for three yards.

Samuel had a costly drop, and just doesn’t look like the player he once was. His time as a good fantasy performer might be over, and he’ll be a really risky starting option down the stretch (if he’s even playing).

IDP Standouts

San Francisco’s Fred Warner had 15 total tackles and a pass defensed on Thursday. It was his first time in double figures for tackles since mid October, but he’s still a good weekly option with some splash plays and a decent amount of tackles every week. He’s another player who I think could get shut down in the final weeks, so keep an eye on that.

Niners’ Dre Greenlaw and Talanoa Hufanga had eight tackles each.

Greenlaw was playing for the first time since getting injured in the Super Bowl, and he looked really good before leaving the game with knee tightness. He’s a great IDP option if he’s out there, but coming off a major injury, I wouldn’t be surprised in the least if he’s shut down again.

Hufanga has dealt with injuries all season, but is a good weekly option when he’s out there. If he’s playing, Hufanga is an IDP to utilize down the stretch.

Christian Rozeboom led the Rams with nine total tackles. He also had a sack. Rozeboom has eight or more tackles in five straight games, showing why he’s a good, and a bit underrated, IDP option.

Rams’ Kobie Turner had two sacks among his five tackles. With 60 total tackles and seven sacks now on the season, Turner is a great IDP option along the defensive line. He’s got an extremely bright future as just a 25-year-old.