Fantasy Football League Forecast: Week 15
Mel explains how this week's weather could impact your fantasy league.
— -- ABC News Meteorologist Melissa Griffin explains how this week's weather forecast could affect the fantasy football league.
Dolphins vs. Jets in New Jersey
The Dolphins head up north to MetLife Stadium to play the Jets on a Saturday night ... in the snow, rain and cold.
A major winter storm is moving out of the Midwest and into the Northeast on Saturday; a wintry mix of snow and ice is expected in the morning before gradually changing to rain later in the day. Not something a team from Miami wants to play in.
This is an interesting match-up, with two new quarterbacks. Bryce Petty replaced Ryan Fitzpatrick on the Jets and Matt Moore is playing for Ryan Tannehill who tore his ACL and is out the remainder of the season.
This is already a red flag, and now with bad weather in the picture, you should sit the receivers on both teams -- including Jarvis Landry and Brandon Marshall. But the running game should shine, so start Jay Ajayi -- the Jets let running back Carlos Hyde run wild last week. Also, if Matt Forte is out, Bilal Powell is another good option after coming off a huge game against the Niners.
Lions vs. Giants in New Jersey
That same storm lingers right into Sunday in northern New Jersey. Temperatures will be on the rise throughout the day, so any precipitation that falls will come as rain. It’s the second day in a row with messy weather at MetLife, so the field is bound to be wet and slippery.
You’ll start your stud, Odell Beckham Jr. if you got him, but I wouldn’t trust most players in this match-up. Go ahead and sit Matt Stafford and Golden Tate. Giants defense at home is very stingy against quarterbacks and receivers, and with wet weather in the forecast that definitely won’t help.
Titans vs. Chiefs in Kansas City
The cold front that’s bringing all the nasty weather to MetLife this weekend has brutally frigid air coming in behind it and Kansas City is right smack in the middle. It’s their coldest day of the season so far, and really feeling more like February than December. High temperatures will only be in the teens and wind chills in the single digits throughout the game.
The Tennessee Titans don’t normally play in such bone-chilling conditions, so I’m gonna say sit Marcus Mariota. He had his worst game of the season last year in the cold.
With passing completion lower in the cold weather, start both running backs Demarco Murray and Spencer Ware on Sunday.
Here are the top 10 players to start and sit based on the weather this week
Way Back Weather: There was a full-on snowstorm in mid-December of 1982 when the Patriots played the Dolphins. Weather conditions were so bad that the game remained scoreless until late in the fourth quarter.
Mark Henderson, the snow plow operator and convict out on a work-release program, could be the only reason points even went on the board.
Before the Patriots attempted their game-winning field goal, head coach Ron Meyer ordered Henderson to plow the field directly in front of New England kicker John Smith. Miami coach Don Shula protested furiously about how unfair that was, but the field goal was good and the Patriots won the game 3-0. The following year, the NFL banned the use of snow plows on the field during a game.
