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December 9, 2025

Week 15

It’s the biggest time of the year, playoff time! If you’re here, you’re most likely still alive, so congrats. There’s no fluff here, so let’s get right into what you need to know for round one.

Quarterbacks

Marcus Mariota, 33% rostered, Commanders

The Commanders lose Jayden Daniels before they can finish celebrating his return. It has been a season to forget for Daniels and the Commanders but Mariota has been great in relief with our most recent memory in an OT thriller against Denver. Mariota will get a nice matchup against the Giants in week 15 and steps right back into a starter status if you need him.

Tyler Shough, 25% rostered, Saints

Shough has quietly been coming along great for New Orleans and showed an immense amount of progress defeating division rival Tampa Bay. While the passing yards weren’t there, he found a way to get two scores on the ground.

Shedeur Sanders, 21% rostered, Browns

If Sanders is still available, now appears to be the time to put a claim in . If you’re lucky enough to have stashed him prior to his game this week then you’re probably feeling great. A 364 yard day with 4 total touchdowns is definitely enough to get it done. This was clearly his most impressive and complete performance as a pro and he’ll get three defenses that rank in the bottom half of the league in pass defense over the next three weeks.

Running Backs

Dylan Sampson, 14% rostered, Browns

Quinshon Judkins continues to struggle a little bit and you have to wonder how many more times in a row they’re going to ram him up the middle. What Sampson doesn’t get in the run game, he finds in the passing attack as he earned 6 targets which was good enough to rank second on the team. What’s better is what he does with those targets, turning them into 5 grabs for a 64 yard day. Sanders likes to get Sanders involved when he’s out there and they draw up plays to keep him active. He’s like a Tyler Algeier lite at this stage.

Samaje Perine, 12% rostered, Bengals

Like it or not, he clearly has a role on this team. Despite receiving half the carries as Chase Brown, he produced more yardage with a 5.2 average. Perine is able to get Cincy some of the tough yards and bang through the tackles a little better than Chase Brown can. He’s shown some hard running the last few weeks and will occasionally add a catch or two. No, he’s not the sexiest name, probably feels pretty close.. But we’re talking desperate here.

Jaylen Wright, 3% rostered, Dolphins

De’Von Achane got a little banged up and Miami clearly favored Wright over Gordon in this contest. Gordon has had his fair shot this season to gain more of a role. There were some moments, but the team clearly wanted to see a little more of what they have in Wright. Should Achane miss this game or remain limited through it, Wright would be the go to to step in. 24 carries is a work horse role and those are hard to come by at this stage of the season.

Wide Receivers

Devaughn Vele, 27% rostered, Saints

Vele tied for the team lead in targets with 5 but only produced 3 grabs for 40 yards. The Saints passing game struggled against the Bucs which is a bit to be expected for teams that know each other so well. I still like Vele as the opportunities are there and should be back up and running against a league average Carolina pass defense.

Chimere Dike, 15% rostered, Titans

Dike has been on your radar for a while if returns yards count in your league. He’s probably a hot commodity if that’s the case. The targets have been coming his way as the passing game has improved in Tennessee and he’s enjoyed three straight weeks of serviceable play or better. He’s a cheat code at this point if return yards can earn you points. He’s still worth a look if they can’t.

Jack Bech, 3% rostered, Raiders

In theory, a young receiver on the Raiders should be an awesome play. The team stinks, they need to throw a lot.. But, they have the worst version of Geno Smith that we’ve ever seen. Geno is currently nursing a shoulder injury but Kenny Pickett is the one that was able to feed Bech some quality targets. Should Pickett get the green light, this could be a big game waiting to happen for a team that should be down plenty of points nice and early in Philly.

Ryan Flournoy, 1% rostered, Cowboys

Should CeeDee Lamb miss the week 15 game against Minnesota, look no further than Ryan Flournoy if you’re short on starters. Flournoy drew 13 targets against Detroit and converted that to 115 yards and a score. Lamb is reportedly “progressing nicely” early in the week so it’ll be a situation to monitor, but Flournoy is a good name to keep in mind should you miss out on some of the more exciting plays.

Tight Ends

Isaiah Likely, 20% rostered, Ravens

Likely is coming off two big games, one of which is against the Bengals that he matches up with this Sunday. The Bengals gave up massive yardage to the entire Bills tight end room and had no answer for Likely before them. I’d expect this to be more of the same on a week where the Ravens desperately need a real life victory to keep their playoff aspirations alive.

Keith, Author

Keith runs youth flag football leagues by day, and by night he hosts the podcast and writes articles with the confidence of a man who’s been rushing quarterbacks since dial-up. A longtime flag football DE and lifelong Falcons fan, he’s no stranger to heartbreak and enjoys watching the bears get slaughtered each week. Equal parts coach, critic, and chaos, Keith calls it like he sees it… even if it hurts.