Week 15 Fantasy Football Fantasy Stars Who Will Struggle: Jalen Hurts, Jonathan Taylor, Tee Higgins and Jonnu Smith

Last week’s attempt at identifying fantasy football stars who would struggle had some good and some bad, with the receivers, in particular, defying the matchups:

• Patrick Mahomes threw for 210 yards on just 5.7 per attempt with a touchdown and no interceptions against the Chargers.
• Bijan Robinson gained 92 yards on the ground and scored a touchdown while catching two passes for nine yards in Minnesota.
• Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp made me look like a fool: Nacua had 12 catches for 162 yards and a touchdown, while Kupp had five receptions, 92 yards, and a score of his own. (This is referring to the Week 14 game against Buffalo, NOT the Thursday game against the 49ers that just took place.)
• Evan Engram caught four passes for 33 yards against Tennessee; he has since been placed on IR and will miss the final month.

Let’s do it again and look at one weekly starter at each offensive fantasy position who will struggle to excel in Week 15. I used stats from NFL.com and our FantasySP defensive fantasy rankings to help determine the toughest matchups. I will reference those numbers often.

Quarterback

Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Hurts has been below 200 passing yards in three straight games. He has failed to reach that mark six times total while topping 250 only three times in 13 games. His team has been winning, so it’s hard to complain (unless you’re A.J. Brown), but Hurts has been struggling throwing the ball.

His running has saved his fantasy season: Hurts is averaging 42 yards and one touchdown per week on the ground. That means the Philadelphia QB is starting with 10 points before we even factor in his work through the air. That’s a great way to stay consistent as a fantasy player.

Pittsburgh matches up well in that area, though, and could limit Hurts. The Steelers have given up the third-least rushing yards and tied for second-least rushing touchdowns to QBs. The Tush Push is a different animal, and Hurts seems to find rushing TDs almost by accident. Pittsburgh’s numbers still point toward a possible slow day on the ground for Hurts, though.

The Steelers have given up the 10th-least yards per pass attempt and the fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks. Pitt has the third-most interceptions while giving up the seventh-least passing touchdowns.

Hurts was one of the top fantasy quarterbacks drafted for a reason, and his rushing will always keep him as a must-start player, but the situation might make it tough for Hurts to excel.

Running Back

Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts @ Denver Broncos

Taylor is averaging his least yards per rush attempt in any season (4.3). He is also at his lowest marks in receptions per game (1.4) and receiving yards per game (11.8). We can’t blame him missing parts of games in which he was active, either, since he has double-digit carries in every game and has been below 70% of the offensive snaps just once. (Taylor missed three games from Weeks 5-7 in which he was obviously below that 70% mark.)

Those missed games tank his total fantasy point ranking, but Taylor is 13th in standard points per game among running backs and 19th in PPR average. That’s fine, but it’s not to the weekly-starter standard that Taylor’s name would imply. He’s been vulnerable to middling (or worse) games.

The Broncos offer a tough opponent, as they have allowed the third-least yards per rush attempt and 12th-least fantasy points per game to running backs. Denver has been susceptible to backs through the air, as RBs have caught the fourth-most passes and recorded the fifth-most receiving yards against the Broncos.

With Taylor a non-entity in the passing game this season, he doesn’t seem positioned to take advantage of that weakness. Maybe the matchup sparks that part of his game; we’ve seen him excel there before. Based on this season’s results, though, it’s hard to expect Taylor to accumulate numbers through the air.

Given his status, it’s reasonable to consider benching Taylor this week. Most owners won’t even think about it, and I understand. The numbers point toward possible struggles, though.

Wide Receiver

Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals @ Tennessee Titans

You could also throw Ja'Marr Chase in here, but that’s a scary proposition; I’ll lean toward Higgins instead (the easy way out, I know, but you make the argument for benching Chase…go ahead, I dare you). Higgins has played just eight games but is still second on the team in targets (73), receptions (45), yards (581), and touchdowns (five, tied with Andrei Iosivas).

Tennessee is the reason Higgins is here, as they have allowed the third-least yards per pass attempt and third-least fantasy points per game to wide receivers. L'Jarius Sneed is on IR, taking away their most talented defensive back, but the whole defensive unit has played well against the pass.

It’s tough to bet against Cincinnati’s offense given the exploits of Joe Burrow, who is on pace for about 4,850 yards and 43 touchdowns. His receivers have reaped the benefits, especially Chase, who is WR1 in both standard and PPR scoring.

Higgins will always be the second option on this team, leaving him more at risk of slow games than Chase. Against such a tough pass defense, it’s worth seeing if you have another option who can fill in your lineup rather than Higgins.

Tight End

Jonnu Smith, Miami Dolphins @ Houston Texans

You might be saying that Smith isn’t a fantasy star, but consider: After a slow first month of the season, Smith is TE3 in both standard and PPR scoring from Weeks 5-14. He has already set career highs in targets, receptions, and receiving yards, and he has five touchdowns (versus his career high of eight).

This is all about the Texans, though. Houston’s defense has been carrying the team while the offense struggles to find its way. Specific to Smith, the Texans have given up the fifth-least yards per rush attempt and fourth-least fantasy points per game to tight ends.

Smith’s performance so far is surely making his owners feel like they lucked into a top-tier fantasy tight end. With that status, he’s not a guy many people are going to bench. You probably didn’t draft Smith if you do own him, though, meaning you might have another guy on your roster. If that’s the case, it’s worth seeing if that player has a better matchup that presents a higher ceiling than Smith's.