2024 College Basketball Power Rankings (Dec. 16)
Mike Randle
There were some excellent performances in the first round of the fantasy playoffs. Nineteen players scored at least 25 fantasy points, nine players scored more than 30 fantasy points and two players (Davante Adams and Josh Allen) surpassed 40 points.
Unfortunately, there were also plenty of notable duds and injuries that had an impact on Week 15 and potentially beyond. Fantasy managers who are still alive in their respective playoff races can’t let off the gas pedal now and need to figure out how to keep their lineup going into the championship.
Check out the Week 15 risers and fallers below.
Risers
Cooper Rush, QB, Dallas Cowboys
Cooper Rush has provided stable quarterback play over the last five games. The longtime backup quarterback has at least 13 fantasy points in four of his last five games. He’s surpassed 11 points in six of his last seven.
More importantly, the Cowboys haven’t shied away from letting Rush throw the ball in negative game scripts, which is a situation they frequently find themselves in thanks to bad defensive play. Since Week 10, Rush has been averaging 36.6 attempts per game.
Rush can’t provide QB1 upside at the quarterback position, but he has shown that he can be a very steady QB2 in the right situations. The veteran quarterback can get the ball to Dallas’s playmakers effectively, as evidenced by his nine touchdowns and two interceptions over the last five games.
Fantasy managers looking for upside may want to grab Rush off the waiver wire with a matchup against the Buccaneers in Week 16. Tampa Bay has been the best fantasy quarterback matchup this season.
Jerome Ford, RB, Cleveland Browns
Nick Chubb suffered a broken foot against the Kansas City Chiefs, which thrusted Jerome Ford back into the starting running back position. Ford had his best game of the season, tallying seven carries for 84 yards and a touchdown while adding two receptions for 20 yards.
Chubb’s injury likely ends his season, which means that Ford will once again step into the lead back role for Cleveland’s offense. The Browns’ offensive struggles are well documented this season thanks to bad offensive line play and inconsistent quarterback performances, but Ford should have RB2 upside in the fantasy playoffs purely on volume and a potential three-down role.
Davante Adams, WR, New York Jets
The New York Jets have nothing else to play for this season, which means we can expect Aaron Rodgers to air the ball out to show teams that he can still be a good starting quarterback in 2025.
The Jets were able to use their bye week to figure out the best way to incorporate Davante Adams into their offense. Over the last three weeks, Adams has been targeted 35 times. He’s caught 23 passes for 373 yards and four touchdowns.
The chemistry between Rodgers and Adams has been clear over the last three games. New York’s defense is terrible, which means we should continue to see a very pass-heavy offense with Rodgers under center. That means that Adams, his favorite target, will continue to have weekly WR1 upside.
Rashod Bateman, WR, Baltimore Ravens
Rashod Batman emerged from the bye week healthy and immediately made an impact in the passing game. The veteran receiver paced the Ravens passing attack against the Giants, catching three of five targets for 80 yards and two touchdowns.
Bateman has consistently operated as one of Baltimore’s two starting receivers all season while operating as the team’s deep threat. That isn’t the most consistent role for fantasy football, but it can have a massive impact when the passes are hitting.
The Ravens have matchups against the Steelers and Texans left during the fantasy playoffs. Both teams have shown the ability to give up big fantasy days to opposing wide receivers this season.
Bateman is the definition of a boom-or-bust player who can either win a fantasy matchup or post a zero in the box score. That has an upside, especially for playoff matchups where a fantasy manager is trying to pull off an upset.
Brenton Strange, TE, Jacksonville Jaguars
2023 second-round pick Brenton Strange got his first significant look at tight end after the Jaguars put Evan Engram on injured reserve before Week 14’s matchup against the Jets. Strange entered the NFL as a fantastic athlete with minimal collegiate production.
The second-year tight end made the most of his first start, catching 11-of-12 targets for 73 yards. Jacksonville is missing several key pieces of its passing attack (including quarterback Trevor Lawrence), leaving the team searching for playmakers to close out the 2024 season.
It’s unrealistic to expect 12 targets a week for Strange, but he could easily operate as the second receiving threat in Jacksonville’s offense to Brian Thomas Jr. down the stretch. That, combined with Jacksonville’s abysmal defense, could lead to a consistent target share for the young tight end.
That can be quite valuable given how poorly the tight end position has produced in fantasy this season.
Fallers
Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs
Fantasy managers who drafted Patrick Mahomes have likely been disappointed with his modest production this season, but that doesn’t make the ankle injury he suffered in Week 15 any more palatable. Head coach Andy Reid stated that the injury was of the week-to-week variety in his post-game interview.
We have seen Mahomes play through several intense injuries in the past, but the Chiefs are in a unique spot in this instance. Kansas City has already clinched the AFC West and holds a two-game lead on the Buffalo Bills for the top seed in the AFC playoff picture. The Chiefs can afford to rest Mahomes for a week (or two if they win without him) to make sure he is healthy heading into the playoffs.
Time will tell what Kansas City will do with its quarterback in the next few weeks as he nurses his ankle injury. However, their decision can have a massive impact on fantasy managers who have come to rely on players like Travis Kelce and Xavier Worthy this season.
Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints
Alvin Kamara has carried the Saints offense on his back for weeks as everyone around him got injured. Unfortunately, an injury finally knocked him out of a game in Week 15. At this time, it is hard to know just how impactful it will be.
Kamara suffered a groin injury against the Commanders in Week 15. The veteran running back had a modest day as a rusher (five carries for 12 yards) but was carrying New Orleans’ passing attack (four receptions for 58 yards and a touchdown).
The veteran running back was already losing touches to Kendre Miller. Now that he has suffered an injury, it is hard to imagine New Orleans will rush him back onto the field with Derek Carr, Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed missing.
The season is effectively over for the Saints, and there is little incentive to rush back Kamara, especially with him under contract in the coming years.
Jaylen Waddle, WR, Miami Dolphins
Fantasy managers were excited after Jaylen Waddle showed signs of life in Week 14’s matchup against the Jets (nine receptions for 99 yards). It was his third straight week with at least four receptions and 50+ yards.
Unfortunately, anybody who started him in Week 15 got zero points from the veteran receiver thanks to a knee injury that knocked him out of the game against the Texans.
Now fantasy managers are in wait-and-see mode with the explosive receiver, hoping that he can return to the field. Unfortunately, even if Waddle does return, he will continue to be competing with Tyreek Hill, De’Von Achane and Jonnu Smith for targets while managing a lower-body injury. It isn’t the best situation in real life or fantasy football.
Deebo Samuel Sr., WR, San Francisco 49ers
Deebo Samuel Sr. continues to frustrate fantasy football players. There was hope that Brandon Aiyuk’s injury would allow Samuel to hit his ceiling after a frustrating start to the season due to a hospital trip with pneumonia.
Unfortunately, we have gotten the opposite.
Since Week 4, Samuel has caught just 30-of-52 passes for 405 yards and a touchdown. During that stretch, Samuel is the WR74 in fantasy points per game (7.8) and the WR57 in total fantasy points (77.8). Samuel hasn’t had more than 7.0 PPR points since Week 10.
Fantasy managers who used a second- or third-round pick on Samuel likely had their season end long before Week 15. However, if you’re one of the lucky ones who have survived his poor season, there is little reason to believe he will serve as an X-factor down the stretch of the season.
David Njoku, TE, Cleveland Browns
There was hope that David Njoku would be able to rebound from a hamstring injury in time to play against Kansas City in Week 15. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.
Now fantasy managers are faced with the prospects of trusting Njoku as he navigates a soft-tissue injury. Cleveland benching Jameis Winston in Week 15 doesn’t help either. Winston has no problem airing the ball out and has little rushing upside. If Dorian Thompson-Robinson starts to close out the season, then the team’s passing volume will likely decrease due to his rushing ability.
Fantasy managers entering the fantasy playoffs had to be optimistic about their ability to win a championship after an exceptional two-week stretch (16 receptions for 94 yards and three touchdowns). Now, they have to be wondering how much value Njoku can return with a hamstring injury in a new-look offense that could be run by a run-first quarterback.
