Tag: Ben Roethlisberger

Ravens HC John Harbaugh gives update on C Bradley Bozeman

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh gave an update on center Bradley Bozeman, who did not play in Week 17

The Baltimore Ravens lost to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 17 by the final score of 20-19 to bring their record to 8-8 on the season.  It was a hard fought game until the end, but right before kickoff, the team had some unfortunate news.  Center Bradley Bozeman wasn’t out with the offense in pregame warmups, and Trystan Colon ended up getting the start in place of the fourth-year player..

Baltimore’s offense played decently well, but it could’ve done better against Los Angeles defensive lineman Aaron Donald if Bozeman played.  It was revealed by Ravens head coach John Harbaugh during the postgame press conference that Bozeman was ill.

“That’s what happened. He was very sick, and we didn’t have a chance to make a roster move when it was determined he wasn’t going to be able to start. He was available to us in an emergency, but he was not able to play right at the last moment there.”

Hopefully Bozeman is good to go for the final game of the regular season in Week 18 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. If the Ravens are to have any chance at making the playoffs, they first have to take care of Pittsburgh next week, and having Bozeman for that game would be extremely helpful.

Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger: ‘I think I’ve been here long enough’

Would there ever be a Philip Rivers-Colts situation with Big Ben in Pittsburgh?

You may have heard that the Indianapolis Colts recently tried to lure Philip Rivers out of retirement with Carson Wentz on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.

The Colts had no luck with Rivers, and neither would the Pittsburgh Steelers with Ben Roethlisberger — he doesn’t even think they’d ask.

Before the reporter could even finish the question, “You ever foresee a day where all of a sudden Mike [Tomlin] gives you a call and…”

“No, no, I don’t think they’ll ask me to come back,” Roethlisberger said with a smile. “I think I’ve been here long enough.”

The query came after Roethlisberger finally addressed the elephant in the (media) room regarding retirement. While no official announcement has been made, Roethlisberger said everything except I’m retiring to indicate that he’s on his way out after the 2021 season.

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Ben Roethlisberger’s remarkable team longevity seems to be coming to an end

Ben Roethlisberger has spent all 18 of his NFL seasons with the Steelers, which is a remarkable stretch that appears to be coming to an end.

Especially in the era of easy free agency, it’s exceedingly rare for one player to spend his entire career with one team. When you get into second, third, and fourth contracts, you will see players move around a lot.

Which makes Ben Roethlisberger’s time with the Pittsburgh Steelers especially remarkable.

Selected with the 11th overall pick in the 2004 draft out of Miami (Ohio), Roethlisberger has only known one NFL team. He’s finishing up his 18th season with the Steelers. How rare is it for one player to spend that much time with one team? Only five players in NFL history have played more than 18 seasons with one team without ever moving to a different locale:

OT/K Lou Groza, who played from 1946-1959 and 1961-1967 with the Cleveland Browns (Groza retired in 1960 and did some scouting for the Browns before he was urged to return by new team owner Art Modell).

K Jason Hanson, who played from 1992-2012 with the Detroit Lions.

CB Darrell Green, who played from 1983-2002 for the Washington Redskins.

OT Jackie Slater, who played for the Los Angeles and St. Louis Rams from 1976-1995.

OL Bruce Matthews, who played for the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Oilers/Tennessee Titans from 1983-2001.

All but Hanson on this list are Pro Football Hall of Famers, and Roethlisberger will certainly join their company five years after he retires. This week, Roethlisberger pointed to Monday’s game against the Browns as his final home game for his only NFL team.

“I don’t ever speak in definites or guarantees,” Roethlisberger said, per the team’s official website. “That’s just not what I’ve ever done or who I am. But, looking at the bigger picture, I would say that all signs are pointing to this could be it. Regular season, that is. I know we still have a chance to potentially get a playoff game there if things fall our way and we take care of business and things have to happen.

“But in the grand scheme of things, in terms of regular season, signs are pointing that way this could be it.”

As far as whether Roethlisberger is retiring or would be willing to play for another team, the quarterback left that up in the air.

“I’ll address the definite answer at some point down the road, but like I said, my focus is winning this game. If it is indeed my last regular season game there, it’s going to be one of the most important games of my career. I’ve been so blessed to play in front of the best fans in all of sports, the best venue. What better way to have a last regular season potential game than on Monday Night Football against a division opponent?

“It’s just special. I got a lot of focus on still for this year and this game and that’s got to be it right now.”

Roethlisberger currently ranks sixth all-time in pass attempts (8,353), sixth in pass completions (5,386), fifth in passing yards (63,721), eighth in passing touchdowns (416), 23rd in interceptions (209), first in sacks (551), and 14th in passer rating (93.8).

What the Chiefs are saying about Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers ahead of Week 16 showdown

Chiefs HC Andy Reid talks Big Ben, Mike Tomlin, T.J. Watt and more

The Pittsburgh Steelers face another uphill battle in another must-win game, this time at (10-4) Kansas City Chiefs‘ Arrowhead Stadium.

Here’s what the Chiefs had to say about the Steelers in the week leading up to today’s game, courtesy of Steelers.com.

What Titans are saying about Steelers ahead of Week 15 matchup

A look at what the Titans are saying about their Week 15 opponent, the Steelers.

On to Week 15 of the 2021 NFL season, the Tennessee Titans have an opportunity to clinch the AFC South with a win and an Indianapolis Colts loss. Standing in their way? The Pittsburgh Steelers.

These two teams have had historic matchups over the years in a rivalry that dates back to the Titans’ days as the Houston Oilers. This will be the 80th meeting between these two teams between regular season and postseason matchups.

Fast forward to this season, the Steelers are trying to keep their season alive with a 6-6-1 record, sitting in last place in the AFC North Division.

Under center since 2004, Ben Roethlisberger has been a pillar in the Steelers’ offense. This year, though, he’s been sacked 30 times behind a young offensive line in what could be his final year in the NFL.

The Titans are coming off a good — but not great — 20-0 shutout win over the Jacksonville Jaguars last week, but they have not beaten Pittsburgh in the last three meetings between these teams.

Here’s what the Titans are saying about the Steelers leading up to Sunday’s contest.

Targets, Touches and TDs: Week 15

A look at the most meaningful fantasy football streaks.

The fantasy football postseason is upon us in the majority of leagues, and team managers will be eager to keep riding — or seeking to avoid — the hottest hands.

So, with momentum in mind, we’re highlighting the currently active player performance streaks of note in this week’s TT&T and breaking down what they mean for the fantasy playoffs. Streak data, it must be mentioned, comes courtesy of the Stathead database maintained by the informative folks at ProFootballReference.com

Here goes, kicking off with …

Consecutive games with multiple TD passes

6: Kirk Cousins, Vikings

4: Justin Herbert, Chargers

3: Aaron Rodgers, Packers; Matthew Stafford, Rams; Russell Wilson, Seahawks

2: Tom Brady, Buccaneers; Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers; Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers;

Quick takeaways:

  • That only five quarterbacks own current streaks of three or more games with multiple TD tosses shows how much volatility there is, even at fantasy’s most consistent position on a week-to-week basis.
  • Cousins, the No. 1 QB on this list, continues to fly under the fantasy radar for the most part. He’s sixth at the position with 301.4 total fantasy points (Huddle Performance scoring) and has had at least 19.9 fantasy points in all six contests during his current TD-pass streak and in 10 of 13 games overall this season.
  • Basically written off early in the season, Jimmy G and Big Ben now are very much a part of the QB2/fill-in starter conversation, and both have fantasy playoff schedules (Weeks 15-17) ranked among the four most favorable at the position, according to The Huddle’s handy Strength of Schedule tool.

Consecutive games with 275-plus passing yards

4: Herbert, Chargers; Rodgers, Packers

3: Stafford, Rams

2: Brady, Buccaneers; Joe Burrow, Bengals; Garoppolo, 49ers

Quick takeaways:

  • During his four-game span, from Week 11-14, Herbert paced all quarterbacks with 1,277 aerial yards, 11 TD tosses and 112.18 total fantasy points. On the season, the Bolts’ second-year QB has climbed up to third at this position in total fantasy points (349.9) and TDs (30) and fourth in passing yards (3,822). He also ranks a surprising ninth among quarterbacks with 268 rushing yards and has tallied a pair of rushing TDs.
  • Burrow hit the 300-yard passing mark only twice in his first 11 games this season, but now has done it in back-to-back weeks with 300 and 348, respectively, in shootout-esque losses to the Chargers and 49ers.

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Consecutive games with a rushing/receiving TD

10: Jonathan Taylor, Colts

7: James Conner, Cardinals

6: Cam Newton, Panthers, Patriots

5: Austin Ekeler, Chargers; Alvin Kamara, Saints

4: Deebo Samuel, 49ers

3: Leonard Fournette, Buccaneers; Javonte Williams, Broncos

Quick takeaways:

  • Remember way back when Taylor hadn’t found his way into the end zone? Amazingly, that was the situation as we entered Week 4, but in the 10 games since, all the second-year Indy back has done is total 18 TDs — which leads Conner and Ekeler by two on the season as a whole.
  • As you can see, Newton’s touchdown streak dates back to his final two games with the Patriots, which included a receiving TD in Week 17 of 2020 — his final game in New England. But, as also must be noted with Cam circa 2021, he has as many rushing/receiving scores (six) as he does passing TDs during this six-game span, including a 4-to-3 rushing-to-passing edge in four games this season with Carolina.

Consecutive games with 15-plus touches

47: Derrick Henry, Titans

10: Taylor, Colts

7: Dalvin Cook, Vikings; Myles Gaskin, Dolphins; Kamara, Saints

5: Fournette, Buccaneers

4: A.J. Dillon, Packers; Devonta Freeman, Ravens

Quick takeaways:

  • Henry’s eye-popping streak, which began in Week 14 of the 2018 season, is the fourth-longest such streak since the 1970 merger, trailing only runs by LaDainian Tomlinson (72 games from 2003-08), Walter Payton (69 games from 1977-81) and Marcus Allen (1983-86). Henry, who has been out since suffering a Halloween foot injury in the Week 8 overtime win over the Colts, could return before the regular season is over, but it’ll likely be too late to matter in deciding most league championships.
  • Some might be surprised to see Gaskin included here, but he ranks 11th in the league with 199 total touches in 13 games this season and has averaged 19.4 during his current seven-game, 15-touch streak which began in Week 7. Gaskin did test positive for COVID-19 during Miami’s Week 14 bye, and will need to be cleared this week if he’s to play next Sunday against the Jets.

Consecutive games with 100-plus scrimmage yards (RBs)

5: Cook, Vikings

2: Conner, Cardinals; Kamara, Saints; Najee Harris, Steelers

Quick takeaways:

  • Yikes, this list is even shorter than we thought it would be, and consider that Cook had a week off (Week 13) during his streak due to a shoulder injury and that Kamara had four games off (Weeks 10-13) in between his two games as he dealt with a knee injury.
  • Of course it should be noted that the Colts’ Taylor — the league leader with 1,684 yards from scrimmage — was only three yards in Week 12 away from a current 10-game streak of 100-plus-yard outings. Taylor is averaging 129.5 scrimmage yards per contest and has a whopping 414 more yards than the next closest running back (Harris) on the season.
  • Kamara’s 27 rushing attempts Sunday against the Jets marked a career high, while his 31 total touches matched a personal best and marked only the third time in 76 career contests he’s logged as many as 30 in a game.

Consecutive games with 100-plus scrimmage yards (WRs + TEs)

3: Davante Adams, Packers; Tee Higgins, Bengals; Hunter Renfrow, Raiders

2: Chris Godwin, Buccaneers; George Kittle, 49ers; Cooper Kupp, Rams

Quick takeaways:

  • While rookie teammate Ja’Marr Chase has received most of the fantasy fanfare, ranking seventh among wideouts with 225.6 total fantasy points (PPR scoring) on the season, Higgins has paced all league wideouts with 366 yards over the last three weeks and ranks only behind Kupp (76.8), Renfrow (71.5) and the Vikings’ Justin Jefferson with 68.6 total fantasy points over that span. Chase, meanwhile, has totaled 168 receiving yards and 42.4 fantasy points over those three games.
  • Prior to his current three-game century-mark run, Renfrow had only topped 100 receiving yards in two of his previous 39 career games. And those came in back-to-back contests (Weeks 16 and 17) of his rookie season in 2019.
  • Although he’s missed three of the 49ers’ 13 games, Kittle ranks third among league tight ends with 170.1 total PPR points. A full 43.3 percent (73.7) of those points have come over the last two weeks as Kittle has caught 22-of-27 targets for 332 yards and three TDs against the Seahawks and Bengals. Kittle is now averaging a position-most 17.0 fantasy points per game, and the Ravens’ Mark Andrews (15.7), the Bucs’ Rob Gronkowski (15.5) and the Chiefs’ Travis Kelce (15.1) are the only other tight ends averaging more than 13 fantasy points per outing.

Consecutive games with seven-plus receptions

9: Cooper Kupp, Rams

4: Adams, Packers

3: Antonio Brown, Buccaneers; Renfrow, Raiders; Jaylen Waddle, Dolphins

2: Godwin, Buccaneers; Jefferson, Vikings; Kittle, 49ers; CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys; Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions

Quick takeaways:

  • Kupp, who entered Week 14 as the only player in league history with 100 or more catches and double-digit receiving TDs in the first 12 games of the season, went ahead and tacked on a career-high 13 receptions for 123 yards and a TD in Monday night’s win over the Cardinals. Kupp has had double-digit targets and at least seven catches in 12 of his 13 games this season and is easily on track to win the receiving “triple crown” as he’s currently pacing the league in receptions (113), receiving yards (1,489) and TD catches (12) on a league-most 151 targets.
  • Renfrow, who had 105 total receptions on 148 targets over his first two seasons, is tied for fifth in the league with 86 catches but is 16th with 106 targets. That’s a model of efficiency with Renfrow’s 81.1 percent catch rate trailing only Cardinals rookie Rondale Moore’s among wideouts with at least 50 targets.
  • Brown, the Motor City rookie, has reeled in 18-of-24 targets for 159 yards and a TD over the last two weeks for a total of 40.1 fantasy points after averaging 4.7 targets, 3.5 receptions, 32.0 receiving yards and 6.7 fantasy points over his first 11 games.

Consecutive games with 15-plus PPR points

10: Taylor, Colts

9: Kupp, Rams

6: Keenan Allen, Chargers

5: Conner, Cardinals; Kamara, Saints

4: Ekeler, Chargers; Diontae Johnson, Steelers

Quick takeaways:

  • Allen, who is expected to return Thursday in Week 15 after missing Sunday’s game against the Giants due to a positive COVID-19 test, has put up double-digit fantasy points in all 12 of his games this season with high-water marks of 22.4 in Weeks 9 and 13. For the year, he’s had at least 14.8 fantasy points in all but a three-game stretch from Week 4-6.
  • Cards RB Chase Edmonds is due back soon from ankle injury sustained early in the team’s Week 9 game against the 49ers, but Arizona isn’t in too much of a rush with Conner having totaled at least 15.4 fantasy points in every outing during that five-game stretch starting in Week 9. Even more impressive, Conner averaged 25.8 fantasy points per game during that span, which trailed only Taylor’s 31.6 average among running backs. For the season, Conner ranks sixth at the position with 221.4 total PPR points (17.0 per game).

Giants’ Patrick Graham: Justin Herbert a Big Ben-Patrick Mahomes hybrid

New York Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham sees Chargers QB Justin Herbert as a hybrid of Patrick Mahomes and Ben Roethlisberger.

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When the New York Giants square off against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 14, their toughest challenge will be stopping quarterback Justin Herbert.

The 23-year-old Herbert leads the AFC in touchdown passes (27) and is quickly establishing himself as one of the best in football. He has elite arm talent and is big enough to make bringing him down difficult.

Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham likens him to a hybrid of Patrick Mahomes and Ben Roethlisberger.

“I would say size-wise probably in terms of height and stuff, it’s like Ben (Roethlisberger) when you’re dealing with Ben. In terms of arm talent, probably like him, (Patrick) Mahomes,” Graham told reporters on Thursday. “Those guys that can just throw the ball a mile and he throws it on a rope and pretty accurate.”

That is one heck of a compliment.

So, how do the Giants stop (or slow down) someone as dynamic as Herbert? And how do they do it on the road in front of rowdy fans?

“The key is, and I think a lot of defensive coaches think like this . . . keep pressure on them the whole game,” Graham said.

That’s easier said than done for this Giants defense, which has only gotten short bursts of success out of their pass rushers. Compounding matters, the Chargers often go for it on fourth down. That will potentially make this game a little longer and a little tougher for Graham’s unit.

“You have to be mindful. You have to be mindful. You have to be mindful on second down too because you don’t know when they’re going to sprinkle in the tempo. I would say there’s a few situations where they like it the most,” Graham added.

“They get a big play first-and-10 within a series and boom, tempo. Sometimes to keep you out of your exotics on third down, they’ll go from second to third down, which is a good strategy right there. You’ve got to prepare for that, so whether it’s from third to fourth down, the key is for me as the coordinator, us as coaches, is to have calls that fit the situation. Potentially, you might have a longer list of calls, but really all the same calls, but like you’ve got to do it out of different groupings. You’ve just got to be aware of that.”

Graham has faced several big challenges over the past two seasons and his defense has answered the bell more times than not. Can they do it again on Sunday against Herbert & Co.?

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Vikings come all too close to second-biggest blown lead in NFL history

The Vikings have experienced more than their share of late-game collapses. Against the Steelers, they almost collapsed historically.

Before their improbable loss to the Lions last Sunday, the 2021 Vikings had established at least a seven-point lead in each game, and had a 5-6 record to show for it. So, it’s not as if Mike Zimmer’s team has been immune to heartbreaking losses.

On Thursday night, Zimmer and his team came all too close to making regular-season NFL history. When Greg Joseph kicked a 25-yard field goal with 6:15 left in the third quarter, Minnesota had a 29-0 lead against a Steelers offense that couldn’t get anything going, and a Steelers defense that allowed Dalvin Cook to run through it with absolute impunity.

And then, as has happened all season, things changed all too quickly for the Vikings.

Pittsburgh scored four touchdowns in less than a quarter of football, Kirk Cousins threw two interceptions to cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon, and Minnesota managed just one more touchdown — a 62-yard touchdown pass from Cousins to receiver K.J. Osborn.

It was that play that saved the Vikings from the wrong side of the biggest regular-season comeback in NFL history.

It put the Vikings up, 36-20, and gave them enough room to withstand Ben Roethlisberger’s 15-yard touchdown pass to tight end Pat Freiermuth with 4:14 left in the game.

The Vikings were unable to get past their own 45-yard line on their next drive, but when Jordan Berry executed an outstanding punt to pin the Steelers at their own three-yard line, you would think that even the Vikings were safe.

Not so fast, as they say. Roethlisberger carved Minnesota’s defense right up on the Steelers’ last drive, and with three seconds left in the game, he threw an absolute time to Freiermuth that the rookie just couldn’t hold onto. Vikings safety Harrison Smith saved what would have been a tie with a two-point conversion.

If the Steelers had scored the touchdown and two-point conversion at the end of regulation, and won in overtime, it would have marked the biggest comeback in any regular-season game in NFL history, topping the 1980 49ers, who beat the Saints, 38-35, after trailing, 35-7 in the second quarter.

Fortunately, the 49ers had a second-year quarterback named Joe Montana.

The biggest comeback in NFL history belongs to the Buffalo Bills, who roared back from a 35-3 deficit against the Houston Oilers in the wild-card round in the 1992 season.

Cook, who finished his day against the Steelers with 205 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries, seemed exhausted by the ordeal — and by the fact that these things just keep happening.

“We keep asking ourselves why we keep putting ourselves in this position,” he said after the game. “We’re a better team than these games have been telling. We’ve got to figure out a way to get out of that funk we’re in at the end of a game.”

“A relief,” Cook said of the feeling after the final play. “That’s been us all year. Living and dying by that last drive. We’ve got to figure it out. We’re going to keep trying to figure this our.”

It’s hard to say what exactly has befallen these Vikings, and why they’re unable to close things out, but they nearly did it at an historic level on Thursday night.

Ryan Shazier on Big Ben’s legacy: He’s the greatest Steeler QB of all time

Mackenzie Salmon connected with former Pittsburgh linebacker Ryan Shazier on got his thoughts on Ben Roethlisberger’s legacy to the franchise.

Mackenzie Salmon connected with former Pittsburgh linebacker Ryan Shazier on got his thoughts on Ben Roethlisberger’s legacy to the franchise.

Targets, Touches and TDs: Week 14

Examining the best and worse remaining schedules in fantasy football.

With fewer than 20 shopping days left before Christmas, many are searching for the perfect gifts for those on their lists.

Others, like loyal TT&T readers, also are seeking out the most advantageous matchups — while avoiding some of the scarier contests — for the looming fantasy playoffs.

In the majority of leagues, postseason play kicks off Week 15 and runs through Week 17 when most of the 2021 champions will be crowned.

With that very stretch under the microscope, this week’s TT&T is utilizing The Huddle’s extremely useful Fantasy Strength of Schedule tool and breaking down at the easiest and toughest postseason itineraries for each of the five main fantasy positions: quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end and team defense/special teams. The 10 easiest and 10 toughest schedules are listed for each, followed by some quick-hitting takeaways on what jumps out from the rankings.

All statistics and rankings are for point-per-reception formats through Week 13.

But one final and important note here:

When we’re talking about favorable matchups or tough fantasy schedules for players, we’re primarily referencing those flex, WR3 and second QB starting candidates — i.e. the borderline starters that fantasy general managers have been agonizing over weekly for most of the season.

A relatively tough fantasy postseason slate for Joe Mixon, for example, doesn’t mean you should be looking to bench fantasy’s third highest-scoring running back for any reason. Or, on the flip side, a tasty-looking playoff itinerary for Noah Fant doesn’t mean he should be automatically supplanting Travis Kelce as your starting tight end.

In short, the playoff matchups and fantasy strength of schedule should be used as tiebreaker for two or three similarly ranked players, not as start-or-sit rankings in themselves.

Quarterbacks

Easiest Week 15-17 fantasy QB schedules

1) Eagles, 2) Washington, 3) 49ers, 4) Dolphins, 5) Steelers, 6) Cardinals, 7) Giants, 8) Jets, 9) Cowboys, 10) Rams

Notable

  • Second-year Philly QB Jalen Hurts, who ranks eighth at the position with an average of 24.3 fantasy points per game, missed his first start of the season Sunday with an ankle injury and now has the Week 14 bye to get an extra week of rest of recovery. Hopefully that means he’ll be back at helm in Week 15 for the first of two matchups in three weeks against a Washington defense that been improved of late but is still surrendering the most fantasy points per contest (24.4) to opposing quarterbacks.
  • On the other side of the Keystone State, the reportedly retiring Ben Roethlisberger ranks only 24th among quarterbacks with an average of 18.4 fantasy points per outing. But the Huddle’s SOS tool also indicates that the Steelers have faced the toughest fantasy QB schedule to date. Big Ben, though, has picked things up of late, eclipsing his season average in three of his last four contests and now faces the fifth-easiest fantasy QB itinerary in the fantasy playoffs. He’ll most certainly be back in the QB2 conversation for the postseason.

Toughest Week 15-17 fantasy QB schedules

1) Falcons, 2) Patriots, 3) Colts, 4) Panthers, 5) Bills, 6) Texans, 7) Jaguars, 8) Chiefs, 9) Broncos, 10) Ravens

Notable

  • With the surging success of the Colts (four wins over their last five games) since Halloween, fantasy GMs might be tempted to stream Carson Wentz in a 12-team league or plug him as a second QB in a two-quarterback league following Indy’s Week 14 bye, but Wentz only ranks 23rd at the position over that Week 9-13 span with an average of 15.8 fantasy points per game. And, coming out of the bye, two of the four toughest fantasy QB matchups await in the Patriots and Cardinals.
  • With just three total TDs (all passing) and one 20-point-plus fantasy game over his last three contests, Ravens QB Lamar Jackson is slumping at the worst possible time for fantasy (and reality) purposes. Baltimore’s fantasy postseason itinerary doesn’t figure to offer any relief, either, as the Ravens face three bottom-half fantasy QB defenses (Packers, Bengals and Rams) during that stretch.

Running backs

Easiest Week 15-17 fantasy RB schedules

1) Jaguars, 2) Bears, 3) Lions, 4) Broncos, 5) Chiefs, 6) Rams, 7) Dolphins, 8) Colts, 9) Washington, 10) Texans

Notable

  • Broncos rookie RB Javonte Williams paced all Week 13 fantasy backs after piling up 29.8 points with a 178 total yards and a TD on 29 touches Sunday night in K.C. Coupled with the fourth-most-favorable fantasy RB playoff schedule, Williams has all the makings of a league winner, but do remember RB Melvin Gordon missed Sunday night’s game with a hip issue and that the veteran did average 14.2 touches to Williams’ 13.1 when they both were active over Denver’s first 11 contests. The genie likely is out of the bottle now with Williams, who should be the Broncos’ lead back going forward, but if healthy, Gordon will still be involved as well.
  • Chicago’s David Montgomery has been a low-end RB2 this season, averaging 14.5 fantasy points per game after finishing 2020 as the fourth-best fantasy back with 264.8 total points (17.7 per outing). But he did put up a season-high 28.1 points, including eight receptions for 51 yards, in Sunday’s loss to the Cardinals. That could be a sign of things to come with Da Bears owning the second-most-favorable fantasy postseason RB schedule with a three-week stretch, featuring games against the less-than-formidable run defenses of the Vikings, Seahawks and Giants.

Toughest Week 15-17 fantasy RB schedules

1) Panthers, 2) Raiders, 3) Saints, 4) Bengals, 5) Vikings, 6) Packers, 7) Steelers, 8) Patriots, 9) Ravens, 10) Cardinals

Notable

  • Fantasy GMs hoping to plug the Panthers’ Chuba Hubbard into lineups with Christian McCaffrey now out for year best beware that he would face easily the toughest fantasy postseason stretch with back-to-back-to-back games against the Bills (seventh toughest fantasy matchup for opposing RBs), Bucs (No. 14) and Saints (No. 1). Yikes …
  • The Raiders’ Josh Jacobs enjoyed his first 20-point game of the season Sunday with 24 in the loss to Washington, including a career-high nine receptions. No. 2 back Kenyan Drake also was lost for the remainder of the season Sunday with a fractured ankle, meaning the Silver & Black figure to lean on Jacobs even more down the stretch. However, that stretch won’t be an easy running back road with games against the Browns, Broncos and Colts — three of the 11 most unfavorable RB defenses — during the fantasy postseason.
  • With the second-most touches in the league with 274 to date, Steelers rookie RB Najee Harris is likely going to remain locked into fantasy playoff starting lineups. But expectations certainly need to be tempered. Harris’ production has slipped noticeably over his last five games with only two TDs and average of 14.7 fantasy points (16th at the position) during that span. Harris’ fantasy postseason itinerary doesn’t figure to help matters, either as he will be facing two of the eight toughest fantasy RB matchups (Titans and Browns) in Weeks 15 and 17, respectively.

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Wide receivers

Easiest Week 15-17 fantasy WR schedules

1) 49ers, 2) Jets, 3) Dolphins, 4) Eagles, 5) Titans, 6) Cardinals, 7) Bears, 8) Packers, 9) Rams, 10) Steelers

Notable

  • Among wideouts since Week 9, only Vikings stud sophomore Justin Jefferson (125.96) has accumulated more fantasy points than Elijah Moore (100.30), the Jets’ rookie second-round pick who has a position-most five scoring grabs during those five games. And with matchups against the Dolphins and Jaguars — two of the league’s seven most-permissible defenses when it comes to points allowed to fantasy wide receivers — to open the fantasy playoffs, Moore is primed to remain in smash mode.
  • Dolphins first-round pick Jaylen Waddle is another rookie wideout enjoying a late-season roll as he’s totaled the fifth-most fantasy points (93.7) since Week 9. And, like Moore, his fantasy playoff stretch sets up as a tasty one as well with matchups against the Jets, Saints and Titans — the latter two ranking among the five most favorable matchups for fantasy wideouts.
  • And speaking of Miami wide receivers and their favorable stretch-run schedules, don’t forget about DeVante Parker as a No. 3/flex option. Parker played in only this second game Sunday since Week 4 and caught all five of his targets for 62 yards. He has averaged 15.1 fantasy points per game over his last three outings.

Toughest Week 15-17 fantasy WR schedules

1) Falcons, 2) Colts, 3) Broncos, 4) Panthers, 5) Bengals, 6) Chargers, 7) Patriots, 8) Jaguars, 9) Bills, 10) Washington

Notable

  • After a hot first half of the season, the Colts’ Michael Pittman Jr. has averaged only 12 fantasy points since Week 9 to rank 27th among wide receivers. And his fantasy postseason itinerary isn’t going to lend itself to getting back on track with matchups against the Patriots, Cardinals and Raiders, who all rank among the 11 least-favorable matchups for fantasy wideouts.
  • In three games since Week 10, Broncos wide receivers Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick have combined to total 24 receptions, 260 yards and no TDs for aggregate average of 16.8 total fantasy points per contest. And with one of the most rugged Week 15-17 schedule stretches (Bengals, Raiders, Chargers) for fantasy WRs, it’s going to be tough to trust any Denver wideout as a starter in the fantasy playoffs.

Tight ends

Easiest Week 15-17 fantasy TE schedules

1) Washington, 2) Broncos, 3) Cardinals, 4) Giants, 5) Rams, 6) Jets, 7) Browns, 8) Saints, 9) Bengals, 10) Bears

Notable

  • With opposing defenses figuring to focus on containing the Cardinals’ and Rams’ talented wide receiver corps, tight ends Zach Ertz and Tyler Higbee are two fringe TE1 starters who are set up to feast during the fantasy playoffs. The Cardinals have one favorable matchup (vs. the Colts in Week 16) and two neutral contests, while the Rams have two favorable games (vs. Seahawks in Week 15 and vs. the Ravens in Week 17) sandwiched around an unfavorable draw (vs. the Vikings in Week 16).

Toughest Week 15-17 fantasy TE schedules

1) Falcons, 2) Bills, 3) Titans, 4) Cowboys, 5) Colts, 6) Panthers, 7) Vikings, 8) Seahawks, 9) Dolphins, 10) Steelers

Notable

  • The Cowboys’ Dalton Schultz has been a surprise standout, ranking sixth at the position with 134 total fantasy points to date. But with the Cowboys’ trio of top wideouts finally looking to be healthy and intact for the stretch run, Schultz could see fewer passes headed his way in the coming weeks, especially with the fourth-toughest projected fantasy tight end playoff schedule.

Defensive/Special Teams

Easiest Week 15-17 fantasy D/ST schedules

1) Bengals, 2) 49ers, 3) Chargers, 4) Jaguars, 5) Bills, 6) Buccaneers, 7) Seahawks, 8) Dolphins, 9) Chiefs, 10) Broncos

Notable

  • This is where a fantasy strength of schedule lookahead is especially useful with the abundance of week-to-week defensive/special teams unit streaming.
  • Before the season, it would’ve been close to unthinkable that fantasy playoff matchups against the Ravens and Chiefs would be considered favorable, but K.C. and Baltimore both rank among the 12 most charitable offenses in terms of total giveaways on the season. Add those two in with a not-so-scary Week 15 matchup with the Broncos, and you have the Bengals team defense fantasy playoff schedule that ranks as the position’s most favorable.
  • The 49ers and Chargers currently rank 15th and 20th, respectively, in terms of team defense fantasy points per game, but both will play the Texans (the sixth most favorable matchup for team D/STs) in the fantasy playoffs while the Niners also face the Falcons (fourth) and the Bolts also get the Chiefs (seventh)

Toughest Week 15-17 fantasy D/ST schedules

1) Bears, 2) Browns, 3) Washington, 4) Panthers, 5) Eagles, 6) Rams, 7) Packers, 8) Cowboys, 9) Falcons, 10) Vikings

Notable

  • The Rams, fantasy’s second-best D/ST a year ago, certainly boast some of the league’s most recognizable defensive names in Aaron Donald, Von Miller and Jalen Ramsey. But do note that they open the fantasy playoffs with back-to-back games against the Seahawks and Vikings, two of the league’s six least favorable matchups for team defenses.
  • The Washington D/ST is playing better of late but has certainly been no great shakes all season, ranking 26th with an average of 4.3 fantasy points per outing. The Football Team’s fantasy postseason slate makes it even more unusable as it’s the only team D in the league with three unfavorable matchups (vs. the Eagles twice and Cowboys once) in the playoffs.