Fantasy Football Report: Week 15

By - Tim Swift

Okay all you fantasy footballers out there, for the last 3 weeks of the regular season, I'll be doing things just a little bit differently in order to try and help you win your league's playoff. I'm going to break down each skill position, and rank players based on their matchups for that particular week.

Here we go.

1st Level Quarterbacks:

1. Drew Brees vs. Tampa Bay -- By far the best matchup among the elite QBs, as the Buccaneers are last in total pass defense.

Photo by: Chris Graythen

2. Cam Newton vs. San Diego -- Newton is on fire right now, with 10 total scores and 1,071 total yards over the last 3 weeks.

3. Peyton Manning vs. Baltimore -- The Ravens are ranked 23rd against the pass, so Manning shouldn't have a problem exploiting them.

Rest of the 1st Level Quarterbacks:

Tom Brady vs. San Francisco

Aaron Rodgers vs. Chicago

Eli Manning vs. Atlanta

2nd Level Quarterbacks:

1. Matt Ryan vs. New York Giants

2. Andy Dalton vs. Philadelphia

3. Tony Romo vs. Pittsburgh

4. Matt Schaub vs. Indianapolis

5. Matthew Stafford vs. Arizona

1st Level Running Backs:

1. Adrian Peterson vs. St. Louis -- I'm sure Jeff Fisher's crew will try everything in their power to stop Peterson, but it won't matter.

2. Marshawn Lynch vs. Buffalo -- The second-leading rusher in the NFL + the 28th ranked run defense in the league = happy owners of Lynch.

3. Doug Martin vs. New Orleans -- Another easy call, since Martin is coming off a 128-yard performance vs. the worst run defense in the NFL.

Rest of the 1st Level Running Backs:

1. Arian Foster vs. Indianapolis

2. Jamaal Charles vs. Oakland

3. Ray Rice vs. Denver

2nd Level Running Backs:

1. Alfred Morris vs. Cleveland

2. Frank Gore vs. New England

3. DeMarco Murray vs. Pittsburgh

4. C.J. Spiller vs. Seattle

5. Chris Johnson vs. New York Jets

1st Level Wide Receivers:

1. Brandon Marshall vs. Green Bay -- Marshall already has 101 catches with 3 games left. That's all you need to know about this matchup.

2. Vincent Jackson vs. New Orleans -- Jackson had over 200 yards vs. the Saints the last time these teams met in October, so expect a solid output on Sunday.

3. Calvin Johnson vs. Arizona -- Didn't have the best performance last week against the Packers, but he should bounce back against the woeful Cardinals.

Rest of the 1st Level Wide Receivers:

1. Andre Johnson vs. Indianapolis 

2. Victor Cruz vs. Atlanta

3. Demaryius Thomas vs. Baltimore

2nd Level Wide Receivers:

1. A.J. Green vs. Dallas

2. Reggie Wayne vs. Houston

3. Wes Welker vs. San Francisco

4. Roddy White vs. New York Giants

5. Marques Colston vs. Tampa Bay

1st Level Tight Ends:

1. Tony Gonzalez vs. New York Giants -- Gonzalez has been the most consistent TE this season, in a year where production at the position has been down.

2. Jason Witten vs. Pittsburgh -- Only 1 TD this year has been a problem, but Witten has scored double-digits for 10-straight weeks in most ESPN formats.

3. Heath Miller vs. Dallas -- Miller is here because of consistency. I probably could have put 5 other TEs in this spot, but the targets he's getting are the main reason why he's No. 3.

Rest of the 1st Level Tight Ends:

1. Jimmy Graham vs. Tampa Bay

2. Owen Daniels vs. Indianapolis

3. Jermaine Gresham vs. Philadelphia

2nd Level Tight Ends:

1. Brandon Myers vs. Kansas City

2. Greg Olsen vs. San Diego

3. Martellus Bennett vs. Atlanta

4. Dallas Clark vs. New Orleans

5. Aaron Hernandez vs. San Francisco

1st Level Defense and Special Teams:

1. Seattle D/ST vs. Buffalo -- Last week the Seahawks pulled off the greatest fantasy football scoring day for a defense since 2009, scoring at least 40 points in all formats. The fun should continue against the Bills.

2. Miami D/ST vs. Jacksonville -- The Dolphins D has been solid this year, but this ranking is just as much about the struggling Jags offense.

3. Broncos D/ST vs. Baltimore -- The second-ranked fantasy defense should be able to get to Joe Flacco and force him into multiple mistakes.

Rest of the 1st Level Defense and Special Teams:

1. Chicago D/ST vs. Green Bay

2. Houston D/ST vs. Indianapolis 

3. Detroit D/ST vs. Arizona

2nd Level Defense and Special Teams:

1. San Francisco D/ST vs. New England

2. Cincinnati D/ST vs. Philadelphia

3. Cleveland D/ST vs. Washington (if RG3 doesn't play)

4. New York Jets D/ST vs. Tennessee

5. Oakland D/ST vs. Kansas City

*Catch me on Fantasy Football Live every Sunday morning from 8:00-9:00, and on the Thom Abraham Show every Wednesday afternoon starting at 3:40 for even more Fantasy Football talk on Sports Radio 560 WNSR Nashville.