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Week 15 Lineup Rankings

By Robby Wellington

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Quarterbacks

1. Peyton Manning
2. Carson Palmer

3. Drew Brees
4. Tom Brady
5. Matt Hasselbeck

6. Brett Favre
7. Tony Romo
8. Michael Vick
9. Marc Bulger
10. Jon Kitna
11. Eli Manning

12. Vince Young
13. Steve McNair
14. Philip Rivers
15. Matt Leinart
16. Joey Harrington
17. Ben Roethlisberger

18. Jeff Garcia
19. Chad Pennington
20. Jason Campbell
21. Brad Johnson

22. Alex Smith
23. Rex Grossman
24. Aaron Brooks
25. David Garrard
26. Trent Green
27. Chris Weinke
28. David Carr
29. Jay Cutler
30. J.P. Losman
31. Derek Anderson
32. Bruce Gradkowski

A lot of fantasy games won’t be decided until Monday night. The top five guys this week all make great options. Vince Young has emerged as a legit fantasy option, while Michael Vick not running is a significant concern.

Dalton Counters: I’d probably rate Roethlisberger and Pennington slightly higher, but my only real discrepancy would be Jay Cutler, who I think makes a reasonable QB1 play this week. In fact, I’m starting him in one league this week.

Running Backs

1. LaDainian Tomlinson

2. Larry Johnson
3. Shaun Alexander
4. Steven Jackson

5. Frank Gore
6. Rudi Johnson
7. Reggie Bush
8. Tatum Bell
9. Willie Parker
10. Brian Westbrook
11. Tiki Barber

12. Corey Dillon
13. Chester Taylor
14. Maurice Jones-Drew
15. Fred Taylor

16. Deuce McAllister
17. Thomas Jones
18. Ladell Bets
19. Ahman Green
20. Willis McGahee
21. Julius Jones
22. Joseph Addai
23. Marion Barber

24. Laurence Maroney
25. Sammy Morris
26. Brandon Jacobs
27. Travis Henry
28. Jamal Lewis
29. Edgerrin James
30. Cedric Benson
31. DeShaun Foster
32. Dominic Rhodes
33. Cedric Houston
34. Warrick Dunn
35. Ron Dayne
36. Justin Fargas
37. DeAngelo Williams
38. Carnell Williams
39. Justin Griffith

LT is good. Along those lines, I would strongly encourage commissioners to consider taking away a 2nd round draft pick away from whichever team has the first pick next year. And maybe even a 4th round pick from whoever gets LJ at two. Steven Jackson and his poo locks are awesome, and I heard Bulger likes to check down to the guy. I am increasingly wary of the Dallas backfield after being burnt the past two weeks. I’m not sure what the story is in New England, but Dillon is the horse to back at this point. Artose Pinner would be ranked 28th if Taylor sits, and Chris Brown slides in at 37th.

Dalton Counters: I’d rather have Steven Jackson on my team this week than any back but L.T. and no, that’s not just because he impregnated me last week. San Diego has a tough run D (LJ), and Oakland defends the pass well but not the run – expect S-Jax to carry fantasy teams yet another week…Did you realize the Colts are yielding the highest YPC in the history of the NFL? Wow…Every fantasy owner who had to sit through disappointing campaigns from Tatum Bell, Shaun Alexander, Joseph Addai and Reggie Bush (until recently) should be rewarded this week in a big way…Where’s Arlen Harris Robby? I thought you liked him over Justin Griffith?…I like Ladell Betts as a top-10 option this week. I wouldn’t trust starting Laurence Maroney at this point.

Wide Receivers

1. Steve Smith
2. Chad Johnson
3. Reggie Wayne
4. Donald Driver
5. Torry Holt
6. Terrell Owens

7. Marvin Harrison
8. TJ Houshmandzadeh
9. Larry Fitzgerald
10. Deion Branch
11. Anquan Boldin
12. Plaxico Burress

13. Terry Glenn
14. Andre Johnson
15. Laveranues Coles
16. Devery Henderson
17. Roy Williams
18. Marty Booker
19. Chris Chambers
20. Marques Colston
21. Javon Walker
22. Mike Furrey
23. DJ Hackett
24. Nate Burleson

25. Santana Moss
26. Lee Evans
27. Donte Stallworth
28. Derrick Mason
29. Reche Caldwell
30. Matt Jones
31. Bernard Berrian
32. Isaac Bruce
33. Jerricho Cotchery

34. Chris Henry
35. Braylon Edwards
36. Joey Galloway
37. Muhsin Muhammad
38. Keyshawn Johnson
39. Greg Jennings
40. Reggie Brown

There are some good wideout matchups this week. Look for Deion Branch to enter the elite this week. I finally put Booker ahead of Chambers, although admittedly not by much.

Dalton Counters: Watch Terrell Owens expose DeAngelo Hall for the overrated cover corner he is Saturday night. Don’t be surprised if Andre Johnson has a very quiet afternoon against a secondary that focuses on shutting down the opposing team’s best playmaker. With no Kevin Jones, Roy Williams should finally put up a big game – same goes for Javon Walker.



Tight Ends

1. Antonio Gates
2. Todd Heap
3. Jeremy Shockey
4. Tony Gonzalez
5. Alge Crumpler
6. Kellen Winslow
7. Chris Cooley
8. Randy McMichael
9. Jason Witten
10. L.J. Smith
11. Jerramy Stevens
12. A bunch of duds.

Team Defense

1. Chicago
2. Baltimore
3. New England
4. Seattle
5. Minnesota
6. Jacksonville
7. Buffalo
8. Denver
9. St. Louis
10. N.Y. Giants
11. Pittsburgh
12. New Orleans
13. San Diego
14. N.Y. Jets
15. Tennessee
16. Carolina

Dalton Counters: Entirely unenthused by my Atlanta, Philly, and K.C. matchups on D this week, I hit the waiver wire and went with Tennessee. Bravo to Robby for putting them into the top-15, you won’t see them that high in most other rankings, but Jax is bad on the road, and Gerrard is bad everywhere. We’ll see if I’m right.

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12 responses to “Week 15 Lineup Rankings”

  1. Keith Avatar
    Keith

    I would add Gore and Rudi to the 2nd tier. Robby, are you tryin’ to mess with my head on the whole Harris/Griffith thing? I’m starting Miami on D, and I love their matchup with Buffalo (though I’m counting on a long score or two from Evans), and they seem mysteriously absent. As usual, things look good. I’m hoping for bad weather in GB to slow down Roy Williams, and I’m praying that Andre Johnson 3000 does just what you foretell. Oh, and if I’m starting Cutler this weekend, I wouldn’t be sleeping well (though I hope they put 10 men in the box to stop Betts!).

  2. db Avatar
    db

    guys,
    first time poster, been reading since the preseason though.

    in the semis in playoffs, i’m having a hard time deciding which of the 2 rb’s to start (standard yardage and 6 pt. td’s)

    fred taylor (good matchup vs. Tenn)
    thomas jones (dinged and Benson coming on strong, vs. TB)
    joe addai (vs. Cin)
    mcgahee (vs. tough Miami D right now, at home, cold weather?)

    of the 4, taylor seems like the sure thing. i keep going back and forth on the other spot…

    any help would be appreciated, i’m going to need every point i can get this week going up against LTD…

  3. RotoScoop Avatar
    RotoScoop

    Good call w/ Miami D Keith, I would have mentioned that if I saw Robby neglected to rank them. I would feel very comfortable starting them this week.

    In that Cutler league I talked about, it’s the least $$$ involved, and I admittedly haven’t been paying as much attention to it than others (I’m in far too many), so I won’t be losing too much sleep over it either way. But I also have Kitna and Leinart, and am seriously leaning toward Cutler. I’m not sold on it yet, though, and apparently others would disagree with that decision.

  4. RotoScoop Avatar
    RotoScoop

    DB – That’s a tough call there. I agree, Taylor seems the toughest to sit at this point (although obviously make sure he’s healthy), and I see Jax continuing to pound it and rely as a little as possible on Gerrard.

    Thomas Jones’ injury could be more serious than let on, so that decision may be made for you. Plus, Ced Benson is def. splitting carries evenly at this point. That said, Tampa Bay is getting shredded against the run this year.

    McGahee may be in line for the most carries and has scored 4 TDs over his last three games, but faces the toughest matchup of them all….I think Addai has nice upside this week, but then again, Indy may be forced to pass a lot with Cincy putting up points.

    Bottom line, I don’t feel all that strong one way or the other, so wait as long as possible to see how the injuries shake out (maybe D. Rhodes will sit?), but if you forced my hand now, I’d say Taylor and McGahee.

  5. Adam Avatar
    Adam

    So two spots open: one wr and one wr/rb flex. The options are:

    Joseph Addai
    Marion Barber
    Laurence Maroney

    Lee Evans
    Marques Colston
    Devery Henderson

    Right now I’m planning on going with Addai and Evans, but I’m open to any/all suggestions.

    Also, I too am starting Cutler this week…. it was between him, Leinart, and Garrard. These were my options after losing McNabb (talk about a kick in the junk).

  6. Keith Avatar
    Keith

    I’ll go ahead and add my $.02 here:

    db: pretty good options there. I’d definitely start Taylor, as all signs point to him being healthy (and MoJo might be the more banged up one!), and I’d probably do Addai as well. Even if the Colts have to throw more, Addai is in on the passing downs. I have a lot of faith in the Miami D.

    Adam: Addai again is the safest start. After last week, you see the potential horrors of starting a backup like Barber, though he’s capable of those 3 TD weeks as well. I think Evans and Colston is a toss-up, but Colston really does sound healthy, and with Horn out, could revert to top-10 WR status.

  7. RotoScoop Avatar
    RotoScoop

    I pretty much second Keith’s advice…..

    Adam – I think Addai is def. the RB to go with for your flex, and as for your WR, it’s b/w Evans and Colston. Counting on a bomb from Evans is risky, b/c he doesn’t rack up the catches, but then again, a lot depends on Colston’s health. Since the matchups also favor Colston, I’d lean toward him as of now, but some updates on his injury b/w now and then will hopefully clear things up.

    Also, I’m standing by my Cutler is a fine option this week statement and would play him over Leinart and Gerrard as well.

  8. Paul R Avatar
    Paul R

    I have the Denver Defense but I picked up Green Bay this week to use instead. The Packers are playing at home against Kitna and he has most turnovers and has been sacked the most of any QB this year. Plus Lions are without Kevin Jones so Kitna will be throwing a lot. If Denver was playing at home I would consider using them, but they have not done much since week 10 and I just dont see them doing much this week at Arizona. You have Denver rated 8th this week but Green Bay not in your top 15. Am I silly for using Green Bay instead this week?

  9. RotoScoop Avatar
    RotoScoop

    Again, I’m not speaking for Robby (who did the rankings this week), but any start against the Lions is a very good one…They may end up with some yards and maybe even points by the end of the game, but like you said, no team is providing a better sack/turnover combo than Detroit. And also like you mentioned, with no Kevin Jones, expect Martz to chuck it nearly every down, presenting even more opportunities for the D. Start em’.

    Regarding the sack statistic: I know it’s just semantics (and Det. is 2nd in the league), but the Raiders have allowed a ridiculous 62 sacks this season…13 more than the next team, while scoring just 12 TDs total on the year.

  10. Adam Avatar
    Adam

    More on Cutler vs. Leinart for the start this week

    One major concern with starting Cutler: the Broncos have a legit running game that they will be able to lean on.

    Leinart will have to deal with Champ Bailey, but that only means that either of Boldin or Fitzgerald will be open instead of both. couple that with Edge’s suspect running (he’s only broken out against St. Louis and Seattle) and the decent chance that they will be playing from behind, and there might be a chance that Leinart has a reasonably good game.

    (btw, thanks for the input guys)

  11. RotoScoop Avatar
    RotoScoop

    Agreed Adam, I’d rank Leinart and Cutler right next to each other, and it’s a coin flip who has a better game this week. While I agree the Broncos rely heavily on T. Bell this week, as a team they haven’t been great at scoring with the run this year (just 9 rushing TDs), and the differences in defensive backfields make me give Cutler the slight, slight edge here.

    The Broncos’ secondary has given up just 10 passing TDs this season, good for 2nd in the league (NE leads with 9).

    I wouldn’t fault you at all for going Leinart, who has really looked good over the last four games and will no doubt be passing frequently with a weak running game, but I’m going Cutler.

  12. Robby Avatar
    Robby

    Yo, just checked out all the comments. I made a few mistakes with the rankings this week that most of you astutely pointed out. Thanks for the feedback.

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