Week 15: Predicting Fantasy Football's Most Dropped Players Heading Into The Playoffs

Getting rid of players who have suffered season-ending injuries is an easy decision. But other players who you have been holding out hope for may not be worth keeping on your roster anymore. There are still viable options on the waiver wire who potentially have more upside than the guys who have been keeping your bench warm, especially due to the myriad of injuries that have hit the NFL in recent weeks. 

Christian McCaffrey has been ruled out for the rest of the season, which means rookie Chuba Hubbard will continue to serve as Carolina’s workhorse. However, Hubbard’s value is somewhat capped by Cam Newton’s rushing ability. D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams were both out in Week 14, meaning Craig Reynolds could serve as Detroit’s lead-back in Week 15 after surprisingly leading the team with 83 rushing yards in Detroit’s Week 14 blowout loss to the Denver Broncos. However, the Lions are hopeful that both Swift and Williams will return to the lineup this week. Lamar Jackson went down with a leg injury in the first half against the Cleveland Browns, so fantasy owners will need to find a replacement for him in Week 15, which could be the underrated Tyler Huntley (Jackson’s backup). 

We still don’t know if Elijah Mitchell will return next week for the 49ers. However, it is difficult to trust any of San Francisco’s backups considering their consistent lack of production. If you are going to add anyone in the 49ers’ backfield off the waiver wire, Jeff Wilson is probably the only suitable candidate. Kareem Hunt went down again in Week 14 with an ankle injury and was unable to return to action. The Browns still have Nick Chubb to lead the backfield, but D’Ernest Johnson could prove to be a valuable pick-up once again. Terry McLaurin didn’t catch a single one of his four targets in Washington’s loss to the Cowboys. He also left the game early with a concussion. If “Scary Terry” is not able to be cleared for Washington’s Week 15 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles, fantasy owners will have to dig deep for a replacement. I’m not sure anyone else in Washington’s wide receiver room is worthy of a roster spot, though Cam Simms did produce 69 receiving yards and a touchdown in McLaurin’s absence. Washington’s quarterback, Taylor Heinicke, also went down with a knee injury in the second half. If he’s unable to suit up next week, Kyle Allen will start under center for Washington. 

The veteran wideout, Emmanuel Sanders, suffered a knee injury in Buffalo’s overtime loss to Tom Brady and the reigning Super Bowl champs. Gabriel Davis seems like the obvious replacement moving forward if Sanders is not healthy. Dual-threat running back Austin Ekeler, suffered an ankle sprain late in the Chargers’ victory over the New York Giants that could leave him sidelined in Week 15. Justin Jackson and Joshua Kelley could be decent options in his absence in Week 15. The one-piece of good news for fantasy owners is that Dalvin Cook returned in Week 14. The superstar accumulated 200+ yards and two touchdowns, turning Alexander Mattison into an utter afterthought. 

For the first time in 10 weeks, all 32 teams will suit up in Week 15. The bye-week blues are officially over. Even though fantasy owners will have their full rosters at their disposal, it’s always important to maximize your lineup, especially in the first week of the fantasy football playoffs. Cutting underperforming players is simply a necessary evil. But to help you drop the right players, we will break down the players that real fantasy owners are giving up on heading into Week 15. 

Predictive Analytics in a nutshell is a game-changer for fantasy players. No one else in the industry offers these types of insights. You will now be able to analyze the most important fantasy metrics of the current week BEFORE waivers are processed. 

Keep reading here to access our Predictive Drops or log into your account, and utilize the Fantasy Assistant. From there, you can see all Predictive Analytics, featuring adds, drops, trades, and FAAB. 

Now, who are the players' fantasy owners who are dropping heading into Week 15?

Week 15 Fantasy Football Predictive Drops

[predict="drop-2021-15"]

Seattle Seahawks DEF/ST

The Seahawks defense is being dropped more than any other defense or skill player heading into the fantasy football postseason. Seattle had what appeared to be a juicy matchup against the Houston Texans in Week 14. However, the Seahawks only generated two sacks and failed to force any turnovers despite only allowing 13 points to Davis Mills and the Texans. Seattle is now preparing for a very tough matchup with a Los Angeles Rams offense that seems to be breaking out of a slump. The Rams allow the eighth-fewest fantasy points per game to opposing defenses this season. The last time these two teams met back in Week 5, Seattle allowed 483 yards of offense and 26 points while only sacking Matthew Stafford once and forcing one turnover. Seattle isn’t particularly gifted on the defensive side of the ball and the Rams are absolutely rolling. Fantasy owners are doing the right thing by dumping this defensive unit. There are plenty of defenses with better matchups and more upside heading into the playoffs.

New Orleans Saints DEF/ST

The Saints were one of the hottest pickups heading into the final week of the fantasy football regular season. It wasn’t because New Orleans has been particularly eye-popping on defense, but fantasy owners are always quick to add the defense that is facing the New York Jets. Although New Orleans didn’t have quite the performance fantasy owners were looking for, they did hold Gang Green to just nine points and sacked Zach Wilson three times. However, they failed to produce a single turnover. 

Things won’t get easier in Week 15 as the Saints gear up for a primetime matchup Sunday night on the road against the reigning Super Bowl champs. There is no reason fantasy owners should be starting New Orleans’ defense against Tom Brady this week. However, if you have an extra roster spot to spare, it’s not the worst idea to hold onto the Saints’ defense as they face a mediocre Miami Dolphins offense in Week 16 and a turnover-prone Carolina Panthers in Week 17. That said, there are plenty of streamable defenses every week and each roster spot is pivotal in the postseason. 

RB Dontrell Hilliard, Tennessee Titans

After breaking out in Week 12 to the tune of 131 rushing yards and a touchdown on 12 carries against the New England Patriots, many fantasy owners thought Hilliard would be in store for another solid outing on Sunday against the miserable Jacksonville Jaguars. Those fantasy owners were dead wrong! Hilliard finished with 13 rushing yards on six carries and failed to haul in either of his two targets. 

D’Onta Foreman served as the lead-back with Derrick Henry still on Injured Reserve, plus Jeremy McNichols got back into the fold. Considering Tennessee is deploying a three-man running-back-by-committee, it’s difficult to trust Hilliard heading into the fantasy football playoffs. Fantasy owners can safely cut ties with the veteran running back. 

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RB Sony Michel, Los Angeles Rams

For some reason, Michel is being dropped when he should be one of the hottest waiver wire targets heading into Week 15. Yes, Darrell Henderson may return next week, however, Michel has been tremendous since picking up the last two starts in Henderson’s absence. He has rushed for exactly 200 yards and a touchdown on 44 carries during the Rams’ two-game winning streak. Henderson was placed on the COVID-19 list on Saturday so there is no guarantee that he will return in time for a Week 15 meeting with the Seattle Seahawks. If Henderson remains sidelined, Michel will be in line for another 20+ carries against a Seahawks defense that allows the second-most fantasy points per game to opposing running backs. Fantasy owners should take a wait-and-see approach with Michel. If Henderson returns, you can always relegate Michel to the bench. But fantasy owners should absolutely not drop the former New England Patriot ahead of this very favorable matchup.

[lastten="Sony Michel"]

RB Ty Johnson, New York Jets

With rookie running back Michael Carter sidelined the last few weeks, Johnson was expected to see a massive increase in his workload. Unfortunately for fantasy owners, Johnson produced very underwhelming results. Over the last three games with Carter out of the lineup, Johnson only managed 60 rushing yards on 13 carries, six receptions for an additional 54 yards, and zero trips to the end zone. Johnson also had three key drops in last week's loss to the New Orleans Saints, which means he may not even be utilized on passing downs as much moving forward. With Carter expected back this week, fantasy owners can safely cut ties with the veteran. Johnson will be the third-string running back in New York behind Carter and Tevin Coleman. He has absolutely no value moving forward aside from extremely deep PPR formats.

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WR Jamison Crowder, New York Jets

Fantasy owners are getting rid of as many Jets as possible due to their inability to produce on the offensive end of the field. Even with Corey Davis out for the season and Elijah Moore on Injured Reserve, Crowder struggled against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. The Jets were behind from the get-go and were forced to throw the ball a ton. Still, Crowder only drew six targets from rookie quarterback Zach Wilson. He hauled in three receptions for a measly 19 yards. Crowder has been straight-up bad this season. He has only produced 45 receptions for 391 yards and two touchdowns. Although he is known as a possession receiver, the Jets don’t have an accurate enough quarterback to make Crowder worthy of a roster spot. Without Elijah Moore on the field, defenses can double-team Crowder since the Jets don’t have any other solid weapons in their arsenal. Considering the veteran wideout has only accumulated eight receptions for 86 yards over his previous three outings, fantasy owners should drop him for a receiver with more upside such as Amon-Ra St. Brown, K.J. Osborn, or Gabriel Davis.

[lastten="Jamison Crowder"]

RB Alexander Mattison, Minnesota Vikings

With Dalvin Cook sidelined in Week 13, Mattison shined in his third spot-start of the season. The young back tallied 90 rushing yards and a touchdown on 22 carries, also chipping in with three receptions for another 34 yards. In all three of his starts this season, Mattison has surpassed 100 total yards. Cook was highly questionable for Minnesota’s Thursday night matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 14 and even though the Vikings said he would split carries with Mattison if active, Cook completely stole the show in Minnesota’s 36-28 victory last week. Cook ran for over 200 yards and two scores while Mattison managed just 27 rushing yards on six carries. Now, Mattison has been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, which means he will be inactive for the Vikings’ Week 15 primetime meeting with the Chicago Bears. For this reason, many fantasy owners are dropping Mattison. However, I am urging you to reconsider. Mattison has proved to be the most valuable handcuff in all of fantasy football. If Cook suffers another injury, Mattison immediately becomes an RB1 with tons of upside due to his pass-catching skills. You never know when the injury bug will hit. Fantasy owners shouldn’t drop Mattison until championship week.

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Well, that’s a wrap on the most dropped players heading into Week 15. Come back to FantasySP next Tuesday to see who fantasy owners are giving up on heading into Week 16!

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