While many had written off Derek Carr as a waste of a roster space at various points this season, he has quietly come back to life in recent weeks, posting back-to-back weeks of 285+ passing yards and at least two touchdowns. That’s particularly impressive when you consider that the most talented wide receiver he has to throw to is basically the ghost of Jordy Nelson. Carr should thrive once again in Week 15 against a Bengals defense that is literally allowing the most total yards of offense per game, with over 420 yards allowed on average. While most teams are locked-in at QB this deep into the fantasy season, if you’ve been streaming or are relying on a QB with a terrible matchup, Carr might warrant starting as a high-floor option in a game you likely can’t afford to lose.
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Moore Taking Over in Carolina
Rookie first-round pick D.J. Moore is already proving why Carolina invested so much draft capital to land him earlier this year–he’s a dynamic, explosive playmaker with the ball in his hands, and the Panthers are starting to find ways to ensure that happens. Devin Funchess, the previous WR1 in Carolina, has fallen off a cliff–he barely played 40 percent of the snaps in their Week 14 game. Moore has at least four catches in each of his last five games, and in that time frame he’s averaging over 75 receiving yards per game. He’s got an extremely exploitable matchup against New Orleans in Week 15, who currently allow the fifth-most passing yards per game to opponents on average. He’s everything you should be looking for in a flex option for the fantasy playoffs–a prime matchup that yields a high floor with legitimate game-changing fantasy potential.
Golladay Wilting As WR1
Kenny Golladay, the man they call “Babytron”, has had some impressive games this season. However, since Golden Tate was shipped off to Philadelphia and Marvin Jones went on IR, Golladay has become borderline useless for fantasy purposes, and a lot of that has to do with him now drawing better defensive coverage. Whereas stud defensive backs like Patrick Peterson (who shut Golladay down in Week 14) used to match up against his veteran teammates, the top secondary players are now paying special attention to Golladay given that he is the most significant receiving threat on the team. He has folded in that coverage, posting just 55 yards on five catches COMBINED in the last two weeks. He’s got another tough matchup in Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White this week, and then he’ll draw Minnesota’s Xavier Rhodes in the following week. Plant Babytron on your bench and don’t look back.
NFL Sleepers of the Week
Damien Williams, RB, Kansas City Chiefs – With Spencer Ware dinged up on a short week, expect Williams to be significantly involved in the offense on Thursday–Williams is coming off a game in which he tallied a receiving and rushing score and could be destined for more.
Mike Williams, WR, Los Angeles Chargers – His recent backslide in production likely means he’s available in your league, and in a matchup that has shootout written all over it on Thursday night, Williams is as safe a bet as any to find the end zone against Kansas City’s weak secondary.
Ian Thomas, TE, Carolina Panthers – Thomas is coming off a game in which he led the Panthers in targets (11) and hauled in nine passes for 77 yards. That kind of usage could yield huge returns against the Saints exploitable secondary this week.
