NY Giants Fantasy Spotlight – Week 15
Ethan Haskell
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Hard to believe there are only three weeks of regular season NFL action left, but that's the situation we find ourselves in as Week 15 approaches. There are a ton of meaningful games on Sunday's slate and at this point in the season, you want to make sure you're targeting players in important games down the stretch. One of those games pits the Steelers and Falcons against each other in Atlanta. Pittsburgh comes in just a half game out of the AFC North lead and the Falcons are still in the thick of the NFC South race despite a 5-8 overall record. Atlanta actually controls their own destiny, so if they win out they make the playoffs. There are some major question marks for the Falcons offense, but the spread here is set to 55 points so look for plenty of daily fantasy value to come out of this one.
The best target from this game isn't hard to spot as Le'Veon Bell is taking the NFL by storm this season. His 50.5 fantasy points in Week 14 were the highest scored by any running back in 2014 for a single game. The Falcons are also dead last in fantasy points per game allowed to opposing running backs but at $9,600 on DraftKings it's going to be tough to fit him into your lineups. Bell is the clear cut #1 back this week, but if you want to dig into a salary saver take a look at Steven Jackson. Jackson has quietly found pay dirt in two of his last three games, with a 100 yard rushing effort in the other. In that three week span he's posted 13.1, 13.1 and 15.6 DraftKings fantasy points. He's getting involved in both the rushing and passing game and could be even more involved in the offensive gameplan this weekend if Julio Jones is unable to dress. He's a measly $3,800 on DraftKings for Week 15 and Pittsburgh is ranked #18 for FPPG allowed to opposing running backs over the last three weeks.
Looking at the receiving options, there are two studs going here that can certainly be in play. Julio Jones and Antonio Brown. Julio had the best game of his career in Week 14 and Antonio Brown is easily the most consistent receiver in the game. But each comes with a red flag this weekend. For Jones, the concern of a lingering injury makes him difficult to risk - even if he is able to dress. For Brown, the biggest concern is a matchup with Desmond Trufant on the outside. Trufant has quietly been putting together a Pro Bowl caliber season and has emerged as one of the top five cornerbacks in terms of coverage ratings on ProFootballFocus. So if you take those two studs off the table, you can find some nice value in either Roddy White ($5800) or Martavis Bryant ($4800). White is the safer option, but his upside is relatively limited as he doesn't really stretch the field. Bryant is capable of putting together multiple 30+ yard touchdown reception games and has a huge ceiling, but can also disappear from the gameplan at times. I still prefer Bryant because of his big play ability, but either can offer you salary relief for Week 15 contests on DraftKings.
This is definitely one of the featured games for fantasy purposes this weekend, but there are some other intriguing matchups that might be able to offer good daily fantasy value. The Bears and Saints on Monday Night Football should be stocked up with plenty of yardage and touchdowns. The Packers should be able to score at ease against the Bills in Buffalo. And the AFC West matchup between the Broncos and Chargers should be a relatively high scoring affair. Take advantage of these matchups and some of the opportune value plays mentioned above to take down the 10th Millionaire Maker tournament this weekend on DraftKings.
