Tue Dec 16th 2025

Week Fifteen Dynasty Takes

Week Fifteen Dynasty Takes

High Scoring Week

• What stood out most in this first week of the fantasy playoffs was how many blowup games players had. The week started with the best tight end game since 1982 when Kyle Pitts scored 48 fantasy points.  Pitts was already having the best fantasy season of his career, and now he’s proven he can play up to his first-round value. Dynasty managers thought they won or lost in the first round of the playoffs because Pitts helped build what looked like insurmountable leads.  That is, until many other players blew up on Sunday. Trevor Lawrence had the best game of his career on Sunday, scoring 54 fantasy points on his six-touchdown day.  He led Travis Etienne to his best fantasy game of the year with 31 points to lead all running backs this week. Best of all for his dynasty managers, Brian Thomas came alive for the Jaguars, scoring his first touchdown since week six.  BTJ is finally regaining some dynasty value again.  Trey McBride did his best to outdo Kyle Pitts, but he fell a little short, scoring 41 fantasy points. He became the first tight end in NFL history to have more than 100 catches, 1000 yards, and 10 touchdowns this early in the season, and only three have ever done so in a full season. McBride is having a historic season and has arguably passed Brock Bowers as the top tight end in dynasty. Arizona gets beaten every week, but they rally dynasty teams to victory in garbage time. Then came the shoutout of the day in the Rams-Lions game, when the teams combined for 75 points and featured the top three highest-scoring receivers of the week. Amon-Ra St. Brown scored 41, Puka Nacua 28, and Jameson Williams 26. It was a roller coaster ride on Sunday with dynasty teams falling behind and catching back up because so many players had season-best games. Dynasty managers who rode these stars to victory this week just hope they have more in the tank next week in the semifinals.

Right and Wrong on Bo Nix

• Rather than give one player I was right on and one I was wrong on, this week I pick the same player for both. I was wrong to bench Bo Nix in one of my superflex leagues.  I started Baker Mayfield and Trevor Lawrence ahead of him, so I still won my game, but imagine how I would have felt if I lost with Nix’s  37 points on my bench. All the best prognosticators predicted a tough game for Nix against the tough Packers defense. Instead, he had the best game of his career, and that’s not just from a fantasy standpoint. This is the best he’s ever played on the field. I’m glad, at least, that I started him in two other leagues this week, so I was right more than I was wrong. I’ve been right on Nix because he’s my most rostered quarterback.  I have him on four of my nine dynasty rosters. I drafted him in two leagues and traded for him in two leagues.  I traded him straight up for Jordan Love in one league, and I traded Caleb Williams, Pop Douglas, and a first-round pick for the Nix and Sutton stack, which paid off well this week. Sutton was the fourth-highest scoring wide receiver of the week, and Nix was the second-highest scoring quarterback. At least when I took him out of my lineup at the last minute this week, I swapped him for the highest-scoring quarterback of the week, Trevor Lawrence.

Week One Injury Report

• Patrick Mahomes
  • Mahomes tore his ACL on Sunday. He’ll miss the rest of this season and much of next season as a result. Gardner Minshew came in for the final drive of the game and targeted Travis Kelce with most of his passes before throwing the game-ending interception. Dynasty managers relying on Rashee Rice and Travis Kelce in the playoffs will have a much more difficult time advancing without Mahomes, unfortunately. I wonder if his injury will even cause Kelce to retire.
• Bam Knight
  • Knight hurt his ankle on Sunday. Though it appears not to be too serious, dynasty managers should expect to miss him in the playoffs. Michael Carter got the bulk of the work after Knight went down, so managers in deep leagues can rely on him in the playoffs if they’re desperate. I’m certain that he will be in my starting lineup next week in the Scott Fish Bowl.
• Christian Watson
  • The Packers said this morning that Watson avoided serious injury on Sunday, but I still expect him to miss a week or two in the fantasy playoffs.  He recently emerged as the only reliable Packers receiver in fantasy, so it’s sad for his dynasty managers to miss him in the playoffs. Matthew Golden had his first good game in weeks, so maybe he will finally become a top target here at the end of the season. Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs will also receive more targets while Watson is absent as well.
• Davante Adams
  • Adams came up lame with a hamstring on Sunday.  He’ll likely miss some time as the Rams need to keep him healthy for the playoffs. He’ll be a heavy loss for his dynasty managers who started him every week and expect one or more touchdowns a week.  Tutu Atwell returned to the field last week, so he or Jordan Whittington should get more looks, but it might be that the Rams just run a ton of 13 personnel and target their tight ends. They already do it more than most any team in the league.
• Devin Neal
  • It’s a shame that Neal was injured since this was his chance to prove to the team that he could be their future starting running back.  His hamstring injury will keep him out for a few games, giving Audric Estime one more chance to prove he should be part of a committee on an NFL team next year.

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Stock Up

Dallas Goedert

• Goedert is quietly having the best year of his career, even though the Eagles’ offense has struggled this season. He’s smashed his career high in touchdowns with nine already. His previous high was five.  He’s five catches away from tying his career high in receptions, too. The Eagles have made him a focal point in the red zone, and he’s often the first read in other passing plays, too. There aren’t many tight ends that dynasty managers can call reliable, but Goedert has become reliable this season. He’s a starter in my dynasty lineups. He’s a depth piece in one of my leagues because McBride is my starter, but in another tight-end premium league, he’s my every-week starter and helped me secure a bye week in the playoffs.

Ricky Pearsall

• Pearsall finally had a double-digit fantasy day for the first time since week three. He’s had the hardest time staying healthy, but when he is, he and Brock Purdy have looked in sync. News this week said Brandon Aiyuk was placed on IR, effectively ending his season and likely his career with the 49ers. Aiyuk has burned a bridge with the team, so Pearsall has a chance to become the future WR-1 for the 49ers if only he can stay healthy.  Jennings has the same opportunity, though. While he’s much older, he has outproduced Pearsall this season as he did last season. He had half as many catches as Pearsall this week (three compared to six), but two of his catches were for touchdowns. They can be a dynamic duo, and both compete for the WR-1 next season for the 49ers.

Colby Parkinson

• It seems like every year, the Rams find a tight end to get hot at the end of the season. This year it’s Parkinson, and he’s really on a hot streak, scoring six touchdowns over the last six weeks, including two on Sunday. He had a season high in targets (7) and receiving yards (75) this week, too. While his future role is uncertain, given the second-round draft capital and athleticism of Terrance Ferguson, he can ride this year's hot streak and demand a leading role on the roster next year.  Dynasty managers gutsy enough to have started him this week got rewarded. With Davante Adams injured, he’ll become even more reliable down the stretch.  

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Stock Down

Dalton Kincaid

• Kincaid isn’t on the field enough. Dawson Knox gets far more playing time than Kincaid because he’s a better blocker. In recent weeks, though, Knox has even outproduced Kincaid in the passing game. Buffalo runs a ton of their passing game through their tight ends, so you’d think Kincaid would benefit, but as the season progresses, Knox and Jackson Hawes have significantly cut into his time. Kincaid has played 22%, 35%, and 26% of the snaps the last three weeks, whereas Knox has played 72%,  55%, and 64%. Dynasty managers would be wiser to have Knox on their rosters instead of Kincaid.

Kenneth Walker 

• The Seattle running game is terrible. So much for the preseason narrative about Klint Kubiak coming in to make the Seahawks a run-first team. They can’t do it, and Walker is part of the problem. He tries to make a big play every time he gets the ball, and he bounces things outside far too often. He’s scored more than ten fantasy points just five times this season and doesn’t have a single game with twenty or more points. I wish they would try an experiment and let Zach Carbonnett take almost all the work for just one game to see if his running style is more what they need. I’m certain that he could do better than Walker. Thankfully, he should get his chance next season, as I doubt the Seahawks will give Walker a new contract.

Ladd McConkey

• Ladd has looked great and been productive at various times this season.  It looked like he was on the verge of a true breakout into a higher wide receiver tier in dynasty, but he has some total dud games, like he did this Sunday, when he had just two catches for 20 yards.  It’s fair to blame the Chargers’ terrible offensive line for some of the team’s ineffectiveness in the passing game, but I also blame McConkey for becoming the type of wide receiver that demands targets from his quarterback. He’s averaged 5 targets per game over the last six weeks, and that’s not enough to make the leap in my dynasty ranking as he did earlier in the season. Now he’s falling back down the rankings.

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Young Guns

TreVeyon Henderson 

• Henderson was not on the field as much as his dynasty managers would like to see, but when he gets touches, he sure makes the most of them. He’s had two more 50-plus yard touchdown runs this week, giving him four on the season. Only Saquon Barkley has ever done that in a rookie season. Getting an instant 11-point play in fantasy is a dream, let alone getting two in one game. Henderson averaged more than 10 yards per carry on Sunday and averaged 5.4 yards per carry on the season. Only Devon Achane and Jahmyr Gibb average more yards per carry. That’s the company this young gun finds himself in.

Luther Burden and Colston Loveland

• The Bears’ top two draft picks are slowly living up to their hype and draft capital. It may have taken a full season for them to see their roles increase, but it’s finally happening. They’ve yet to become startable players in dynasty lineups, but they’re moving in that direction, much to the excitement of their dynasty managers. Rome Odunze’s injury has given Burden more looks. Still, he has taken advantage of them. This week, he was the team’s leading receiver in targets (7) and yards (84). Loveland was not far behind him with 5 targets and 63 yards. As a small bonus, Burden has been used on wide receiver sweeps this season, too.  This week, though the play failed, Loveland got a tight end sweep in the red zone. Coach Johnson recognizes their talent and is getting both more involved in the offense, which is great to see.

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Old-Man Strength

Mike Evans

• Mike Evans was a monster in his first game back with the Buccaneers.  He was their downfield weapon with six catches for 132 yards.  That’s more than 20 yards per catch. Dynasty managers are thrilled to have him back in their starting lineups in the playoffs, assuming their teams were not hurt too badly from his long absence. In the Scott Fish Bowl, where I started the week as the 9th-highest-scoring team, I added Evans to my roster off waivers a few weeks ago just to have him for my playoff run. It’s certainly paid off in week one, where I am poised to have my second-highest scoring game of the season, depending on what Kenny Gainwell does in tonight's game.

Nico Collins

• Collins is one of the most consistent fantasy-producing wide receivers. On Sunday, he had a season-high 23.5 points, which was fantastic for his dynasty managers in the playoffs. He’s scored more than 10 PPR points in all but three games this season and more than 20 points in five games. The Texans put it on the Cardinals early with a long 57-yard touchdown to Collins and never looked back. They controlled the game, so they did not need to pass as often. Even so, with a season low of four targets, Collins scored twice and kept up his consistent production.

Josh Jacobs

• Jacobs has fought through injuries all season, but you’d never know it by how he plays on the field. He was questionable all week, but then he takes a 40-yard run to the house and makes an amazing touchdown catch, jumping over the defender in the end zone. Jacobs’ touches were definitely limited in the game with his second-lowest carry count of the season (12), but he showed his old-man strength with each touch, averaging 6.1 yards per carry. I made a very aggressive trade for Jacobs in one league, and now he’s helped me reach the semifinals next week.

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Waiver Watch

Gardner Minshew

• Minshew is most likely rostered in every superflex league, but if not, he’s the top player to add this week. Patrick Mahomes will miss a lot of the season next year, so the Chiefs will either lean on Minshew or look for another veteran to lead the team at the start of next year. Minshew is on a one-year contract, so there is no guarantee that he will be with the Chiefs next year. He has three games to convince the team that he deserves a new contract.

Jawhar Jordan

• Jordan was the Texans’ most productive back on Sunday and became the team’s first 100-yard rusher of the season. It’s the most action he’s got in the NFL. I remember considering him a super sleeper in his rookie class. He had two very productive years at Louisville, but he’s far too small by NFL standards. Still, he looked good for one game on Sunday, and the Texans need depth at running back. He should see more chances after playing so well on Sunday.

Isaiah Williams

• Williams has earned a role with the Jets this season after bouncing around the NFL for a few years. He’s had two punt returns for touchdowns and has taken more snaps as a receiver over the last few weeks. He was a deep sleeper in rookie drafts after having an outstanding final season at Illinois in 2023. He’ll be back with the Jets next season as a return man at least, and could prove himself as a starting receiver with his opportunities at the end of this season.

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Dynasty Trades

Wan'Dale Robinson <=======> 2026 2nd round pick

• In one of my leagues, only four teams make the playoffs, so this week was the last regular-season game.  I was in a win-and-in situation, and my WR-3 spot is my only weakness since Drake London was ruled out again this week. I fear that London will miss the remainder of the season, so I made a move to fill my WR-3 spot in the playoffs. Robinson was my guy, and he helped me this week by scoring a touchdown. I was the highest scoring team of the week and became the highest scoring team of the season, too. Given that I'm going into the playoffs, I expect Robinson to provide a steady floor as my third wide receiver. He’ll be in my lineup next week in the playoffs.

 

Christian McCaffrey <=======> Shedeur Sanders and 2026 1st round pick

• The rest of these trades took place in my 14-team, superflex, tight-end premium league. Contending teams boosted their playoff rosters just before the playoffs started.  One team added McCaffrey by giving away Sanders and a first-round pick. If Sanders keeps the starting job next year, this will look like an even trade; if he does not, the trade is pretty lopsided in favor of the McCaffrey side.  CMC will certainly make the team more difficult to beat in the playoffs.

 

Chase Brown and Juwan Johnson <=======> Trevor Etienne, Tre Harris, two 2026 3rd round picks, and a 2026 4th round pick

• Brown and Johnson were acquired by a playoff-bound team that was willing to give away two young players and three future picks to boost its roster in the playoffs.  The rebuilding team did a great job accumulating picks and young players. I don’t believe Etienne will ever become a starter in dynasty lineups, but Harris could. In this league, our rookie draft is an auction, so each draft spot equates to a dollar amount. With this kind of rookie draft, it’s even more beneficial to acquire picks because the three late picks he collected could total the amount a manager would receive for a mid-second round pick.  As for the Brown and Johnson side of the trade, I don’t think either will help put this team over the top this season, but Brown is my favorite player in the trade since I believe he will be the lead running back for the Bengals for the next few years.

 

Zay Flowers and Blake Corum <=======> 2026 1st and 3rd round picks

• This trade seems pretty fair. I don’t think Flowers or Corum will push a team over the top this season, but the trade is a fair one from a long-term dynasty perspective. Flowers and Corum will always be wildly inconsistent given the way the Ravens spread the ball around, and that Kyren Williams will continue to lead the one-two punch backfield in Los Angeles.  If I were a rebuilding team and thought that I needed two picks more than two inconsistent players, I could see myself making this trade, too.  

Colby Parkinson and Brevyn Spann-Ford <=======> 2026 4th and 5th round picks

• Someone believed in Parkinson’s hot streak to pay a little price to get him. His two-touchdown day on Sunday leaves the manager feeling pretty smart.  If Parkinson stays hot to end the season, he could earn a bigger role next year, especially if the Rams do not re-sign Tyler Higbee.  Rookie, Terrance Ferguson, has played more as the season has progressed, but Parkinson has held him off so far.  I see Spann-Ford added to several of my deepest leagues, but I do not believe he will ever start on an NFL team. The price is about right on this low-level trade at this point in the season, but if Parkinson becomes the leading tight end for the Rams next year, this trade will look like a steal next season.

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