Week 15 fantasy football winners and losers
— -- As we do each Sunday right here, we recap the week's winners and losers from a fantasy perspective, complete with applicable game and historical data. Check back after the conclusion of the 1 and 4 p.m. ET (and, when applicable, Sunday Night Football) games for our picks of the week's best and worst.
Winners
Ty Montgomery, WR/RB, Green Bay Packers: He'll likely go down as the lesser-heralded hero of the fantasy football semifinals -- assuming your league plays them in Week 15 (either single- or multiweek matchups), as most do -- as Montgomery's 28 fantasy points l his previous career high of 14, set just one week ago (Week 14), and ranked among the week's highest individual scores.
Fantasy owners in ESPN leagues, however, had begun to catch on to Montgomery's expanding role in the Packers' backfield, starting him in 33.6 percent of leagues in Week 15. That was his third-highest career start percentage, trailing only his 70.0 percent in 2016 Week 9 and 60.5 percent in 2016 Week 10.
A career-high 16 carries fueled Montgomery's performance, and that they represented 16 of the team's 23 total rushing attempts was an encouraging sign for his fantasy value the final two weeks of the season as well.
Brandin Cooks , WR, New Orleans Saints: He set a new career high with 30 fantasy points, meaning that in a span of four weeks, Cooks had both his best and worst single-game performances, as he was shut out entirely (including zero targets) in Week 12. Cooks had struggled of late, with single-digit fantasy point totals in four consecutive games entering Week 15, so it's no surprise that he had his lowest start percentage of the season on Sunday (69.7 percent). He tied for the highest individual point total of the week (through Sunday's games).
Devonta Freeman, RB, Atlanta Falcons: In the week's biggest bounce-back effort, Freeman scored a season-high 30 fantasy points, his highest single-game total since 2015 Week 4 (32), which was his second career start. With it, he boosted his season fantasy point total to 185, merely maintaining but also solidifying his eighth-place ranking among running backs (he extended his lead on No. 9 Jordan Howard to 20), putting him on pace for 211.
That performance was in stark contrast to Freeman's Week 14 output of one fantasy point, which was his lowest score in any of his 27 career starts. Nevertheless, his owners were actually more confident in him this week than last, starting him in 98.4 percent of ESPN leagues to 95.2 percent a week ago.
That start percentage makes a lot of sense, though, considering Freeman was facing by far the most favorable matchup for a running back, the San Francisco 49ers. Freeman's point total represented the ninth time this season that the 49ers have allowed an opposing running back to score 20 or more fantasy points in a game. That tied the 49ers for the most such games allowed by an NFL team in a single year since 1960, joining the 1983 Green Bay Packers and 1988 Denver Broncos.
LeSean McCoy, RB, Buffalo Bills: A model of consistency for years, McCoy had another outstanding-yet-not-quite-record-setting performance in Week 15, his 28 fantasy points representing his 10th game in his eight-year, 115-game NFL career worth at least 25. Though he is the leading fantasy scorer among running backs since his 2009 rookie year (1,489 points), he has never managed a single-game score greater than 33 (2013 Week 14). So let's illustrate McCoy's consistency: In 95 of his 115 career games, or 83 percent, he managed a fantasy point total that ranked among the top 25 at his position (that meets the "Start" criterion in our weekly Consistency Ratings). In 78 games, or 68 percent, he has managed at least 10 fantasy points; and in 42 games, or 37 percent, he scored at least 15 fantasy points.
Incidentally, in the past four weeks, McCoy has scored 90 fantasy points, which trails only Le'Veon Bell's 94 during that time span.
Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys: Another week, another 20-plus-point fantasy performance from Elliott, whose 23 points on Sunday Night Football gave him a sixth game reaching that threshold this season. Only four running backs since 1950 have had more such performances as rookies: Eric Dickerson (9, in 1983), Cookie Gilchrist (8, in the AFL in 1962), Marcus Allen (7, in 1982) and Edgerrin James (7, in 1999). Lowering the bar to merely double-digit performances, Elliott is the first running back during that same time span to score in double digits in each of his first 14 NFL games, and in fact he's one of only three players at any position to do it (quarterbacks Cam Newton and Jameis Winston are the others).
Elliott now has 259 fantasy points for the season, which is already the sixth-best total by any rookie running back in history.
Chris Boswell, K, Pittsburgh Steelers: Six field goals, five of which were between 40 and 49 yards, fueled a 23-point fantasy day for Boswell, easily tops among kickers in Week 15. In fact, that matched the season's highest single-week score for a kicker, tying Adam Vinatieri's output in 2016 Week 5. Boswell, whose Steelers have attempted a league-high nine two-point conversions, was started in only 3.0 percent of ESPN leagues on Sunday. His team's tendency not to lean on its kicker is largely the reason; this was only Boswell's third double-digit fantasy output all year.
Drew Brees, QB, Saints: With Cooks enjoying a huge game, it makes sense that Brees did as well, as his 29 fantasy points were easily the most among quarterbacks through Sunday's games. They set up a compelling, three-man battle for the top spot on the season-ending fantasy leaderboard, as Brees now has 288 points this season. He's seven points behind current leader Aaron Rodgers (295), and two points ahead of the current No. 3 man Matt Ryan (286).
David Johnson, RB, Arizona Cardinals: For the eighth time this season, Johnson reached the 20-point fantasy threshold, his 22 points actually his fifth such effort in the past six weeks. There have been only 14 NFL seasons since 1960 in which a running back had more than eight such games. Johnson also finds himself just 19 points shy of the 300-point plateau for the season, which is an exclusive club for a running back. He's now on pace for 321, which would be the 14th-best total in history.
Incidentally, using PPR scoring, Johnson has 354 fantasy points, which is already the 30th-best single-season total in NFL history. In that format, he's on pace for 405 points, which would be the seventh-best total all-time, and just 61 points shy of LaDainian Tomlinson's record of 466 set in 2006.
Charles Clay, TE, Bills: His 13 fantasy points were best among tight ends during the 1 p.m. ET block, and they were his most in a single game since he scored 14 in 2015 Week 3. Few fantasy owners were so bold as to start Clay, though those who did in the 2.3 percent of ESPN leagues in which he was active were rewarded.
Incidentally, Clay's score represented the seventh time in 14 games this season that the opposing Cleveland Browns had afforded a double-digit fantasy point total to a tight end, so keep that in mind,? Antonio Gates/ Hunter Henry (the Browns' Week 16 opponent) and Ladarius Green (Week 17) owners.
Alshon Jeffery, WR, Chicago Bears: In his first game back since serving his four-game suspension for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs, Jeffery scored 14 fantasy points on Sunday, second most among wide receivers during the 1 p.m. ET block. He was owned in 81.2 percent but started in only 37.2 percent of ESPN leagues, which represented 17.2 and 51.0 percent drop-offs from his last game appearance in Week 10 (98.3 percent owned, 88.2 percent started).
Most encouraging was that Jeffery's nine targets matched his third-highest single-game total of 2016, trailing only his 13 in Week 6 and 10 in Week 7. Expect both his owned and start percentages to rise again in Week 16.
Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City Chiefs: It took only one touch -- the Chiefs' second play from scrimmage of the game -- for Hill to manage 12 fantasy points, his fifth double-digit score in his past nine contests. During that time span, which extends back to Week 7, Hill has 100 fantasy points, which ranks fifth among wide receivers ( Jordy Nelson, 110 in nine games;? Mike Evans,?107 in nine games;? Davante Adams, 103 in nine games; Antonio Brown, 102 in eight games).
Hill was started in a career-high 51.1 percent of ESPN leagues in Week 15.
Ryan Mathews, RB, Philadelphia Eagles: For only the second time all season, Mathews reached the 20-point fantasy threshold, scoring exactly that number on 21 total touches. That made him only the third running back all season to score 15 or more fantasy points against the Baltimore Ravens, joining Matt Forte (25, Week 7) and Isaiah Crowell (20, Week 2). Most remarkably, Mathews, who was started in 27.4 percent of ESPN leagues, actually played fewer snaps (36) than fellow Eagles running back Byron Marshall (39), per Pro Football Focus' Nathan Jahnke.
Robert Turbin, RB, Indianapolis Colts: Were you one of the lucky Turbin owners in 0.17 percent of ESPN leagues who actually started him? If so, congratulations on what was a rather fortunate outcome, 17 fantasy points, fueled mostly by his pair of goal-to-go touchdowns in the game's first half. It set a new personal best for Turbin, whose previous best was 11 fantasy points, set in 2015 Week 14.
Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans: For the third time in his past six games, Henry managed double-digit fantasy points, scoring a career-high 17 on Sunday. As with Turbin, much of Henry's performance was fueled by his scoring a pair of goal-to-go touchdowns, though he was started in slightly more ESPN leagues (2.4 percent).
Henry's productivity didn't hamper starter DeMarco Murray's fantasy prospects, however, as he managed 13 points, giving him a 14th consecutive game finishing within the position's top 25 scorers to begin his season. Murray, David Johnson and Ezekiel Elliott?remain the only three running backs who can claim a top-25 weekly score in every game in 2016.
Tim Hightower, RB, Saints: Just as he did a year ago, Hightower stepped up during the fantasy playoffs, scoring 16 points for his owners who started him in just 9.9 percent of ESPN leagues. He became only the fifth running back all season to score as many as 15 fantasy points against the Arizona Cardinals defense.
Cameron Brate, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: For the fifth time this season and fourth time in the past seven weeks, Brate scored double-digit fantasy points, his 13 finishing tied for second-most among tight ends through Sunday's games. That gave him 99 fantasy points for the season, which is fifth-most at the position. Despite that, Brate still doesn't seem to get enough respect in fantasy, as he has never been started in greater than 50 percent of ESPN leagues in any week, his start percentage for Week 15 residing at 41.7.
Dak Prescott, QB, Cowboys: Just 34.7 percent of Prescott's owners in ESPN leagues started him on Sunday, and he rewarded them with 19 fantasy points. That gave him 247 for the season, moving him into sixth place at the position. It's also the sixth-most fantasy points by any rookie quarterback in history, and it puts him on pace for 282 at season's end. Should Prescott get there, he'd finish third on that list, trailing only Cam Newton's 352 in 2011 and Robert Griffin's 303 in 2012.
Losers
Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota Vikings: His first game back after 11 missed while recovering from a torn lateral meniscus in his right knee was a forgettable one, as he scored zero fantasy points on seven touches, mainly due to a lost fumble in the second quarter (minus-2 on the play). Peterson was a popular pickup during the past week, his ownership percentage increasing by 32.5 percent, and he was started in 19.5 percent of ESPN leagues on Sunday.
Again per Pro Football Focus' Nathan Jahnke, Peterson played only 12 of the Vikings' 58 offensive snaps, demonstrating his being eased back into things slowly.
Vikings defense/special teams: The Vikings picked a poor time to put forth their worst fantasy performance of 2016, in a Week 15 during which they were started in 64.0 percent of ESPN leagues, third most among team defense/special teams. Though it wasn't the softest of matchups -- the opposing Indianapolis Colts entered the week ranked among the NFL's top 10 in points scored -- the Vikings had succeeded against similarly productive offenses in the past: 14 against the Green Bay Packers in Week 2, 10 against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 13. Unfortunately, the Vikings fell inescapably behind early in Sunday's game, resulting in minus-4 fantasy points for the defense, the franchise's worst since 2012 Week 8 (minus-5).
Marcus Mariota, QB, Titans: He might have gotten your fantasy team into the playoffs, but the sophomore signal-caller hasn't done anything to help put his squads over the top in these critical weeks. After posting a meager six-point fantasy score in Week 14, Mariota followed it up with just six on Sunday. Fortunately, his owners were well aware that he has faced two of his toughest matchups of the season in Weeks 14-15, as he was started in only 19.5 percent of ESPN leagues on Sunday against the Chiefs, after 12.9 percent in Week 14 against the Denver Broncos.
Tyler Eifert, TE, Cincinnati Bengals: The fourth most-started tight end in ESPN leagues in Week 15, active in 81.6 percent, Eifert was shut out on the fantasy scorecard for the first time since 2016 Week 7, his first game of the season and one in which he was limited to only 15 snaps as he was working his way back from May ankle surgery and a subsequent back injury. He caught just one of his three targets.
Jordan Matthews, WR, Eagles: It's not easy to garner 11 targets in a game and finish with as few fantasy points as Matthews scored on Sunday (2); he became only the fourth player in 2016 to score that few or fewer on at least as many targets, joining Tavon Austin (1 on 12 targets, Week 1), Corey Coleman (2 on 11 targets, Week 14) and Brandon Marshall (1 on 11 targets, Week 15). Matthews' six catches at least kept his score from being devastating in PPR formats -- he finished with eight points there -- but this was a huge letdown to those who started him in standard leagues, as he was active in 46.6 percent of ESPN leagues.
Davante Adams and Randall Cobb, WR, Packers: When Aaron Rodgers doesn't complete a single touchdown pass, Montgomery does as much damage as he did rushing and Jordy Nelson dominates offensive targets, it's extremely difficult for secondary receivers like Adams and Cobb to succeed in fantasy. Combined, the two finished with two fantasy points on seven targets, and all of those points and six of the targets were Adams'. Unfortunately, Adams was heavily started in ESPN leagues, his 71.8 percent start rate ranking among the top 15 among wide receivers.
Antonio Brown, WR, Steelers: Though there were other prominent wide receivers who scored fewer fantasy points than Brown in Week 15, his 99.55 start percentage in ESPN leagues (second highest among wide receivers behind Odell Beckham Jr.'s 99.59 percent) made his performance quite a bit more disappointing. Brown's five fantasy points represented only his fifth single-digit fantasy score in a game in 2016, and his three receptions were his fewest since 2015 Week 6 (also 3). With that, Brown is now on pace for only 110 receptions, which would be his lowest total since 2012, and 203 fantasy points, which would be his fewest since 2013.
T.Y. Hilton, WR, Colts: His matchup wasn't one of the better ones for a wide receiver in Week 15, but when you see that his Colts beat the Vikings 34-6, and that Andrew Luck managed 250 yards and two touchdowns passing, you'd have liked to have seen a greater fantasy point total than Hilton's four on Sunday. He was started in 94.6 percent of ESPN leagues, fifth highest among wide receivers.
Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots: His fantasy owners knew the Denver Broncos weren't an easy matchup -- he was started in a season-low (among his active weeks) 66.8 percent of ESPN leagues -- but Brady was nevertheless the fourth most-started quarterback of Week 15, so his seven fantasy points might have cost a good share of his owners their playoff matchups. It was his worst single-game performance outside of Week 17 (games he traditionally doesn't play all 60 minutes) since 2014 Week 4 (4).
Amari Cooper, WR, Oakland Raiders: For the third time in the past four weeks, and fourth time this season, Cooper was held to just two fantasy points on Sunday. He was targeted three times. Cooper was started in 80.3 percent of ESPN leagues, ninth-most among wide receivers in Week 15.
Kenneth Farrow, RB, San Diego Chargers: Thrust into a starting role for the first time in his career on Sunday, Farrow disappointed to the tune of just two fantasy points despite his totaling 17 touches (15 of them rushing attempts). After being added in nearly 60 percent of ESPN leagues within the past week, Farrow was started by his owners in 37.6 percent of leagues, ranking among the top 25 running backs.
Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Cardinals: The sixth most-started wide receiver in ESPN leagues in Week 15, active in 90.0 percent, Fitzgerald was held to just three fantasy points on nine targets by the Saints' defense. It was the second consecutive week that he was held to a score that low or lower, and the fifth consecutive week that he was held to single digits.