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Week 15 Fantasy Football Advice Mailbag
Name a Surprise Sleeper To Have a Boom Game After Being Fantasy-Irrelevant All Season Long. — @Fantasymeatball
If you’re reading this, congratulations on making the fantasy football playoffs! If not, hopefully, you had a good season, and there’s always next year. As an early Christmas gift, I’ll share the sleeper who I think will have a boom game after being irrelevant all season.
The player I’m highlighting is Tampa Bay Bucs rookie WR Jalen McMillan. Admittedly, this is a more dynastic, long-term approach, but I will also focus on the remainder of the season. Let’s get into it.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Offense
Despite holding first place in the NFC South, the Buccaneers’ offense has been a rollercoaster all season. They began the season looking dangerous through the air, with Baker Mayfield leading the way. However, since Week 7 they quickly had to adjust when both Chris Godwin and Mike Evans went down. Tampa Bay has found a gem in rookie RB Bucky Irving to add as a dual threat with Rachaad White in the backfield. Overall, the Buccaneers rank sixth in passing offense and eighth in rushing, making them the sixth-ranked overall offense.
Evans is back, but the receiver injuries gave Irving and Cade Otton bigger roles without both players. Meanwhile, Jalen McMillan himself had his own health issues, too, alongside changing roles. This brings us to today. The Buccaneers lack a true No. 2 pass-catching option, and Otton’s production is inconsistent fantasy football-wise with a committee of weapons filling in. Enter McMillan.
Jalen McMillan’s Role & Impact
If you were to tell me that McMillan was going to be a key piece against Las Vegas in Week 14 and potentially moving forward, I’d look at you confused. The Washington product finally had a big game last week against the Raiders, where he put up 21.9 Points Per Reception (PPR) fantasy points in the win. He had 63 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Granted, it was against a struggling/tanking Raiders squad. Still, when you’re a rookie having a lackluster season, you’ll take anything to get going. McMillan is now firmly the No. 2 receiver on the depth chart behind Evans. Does this foreshadow something bigger for him in the future?
Pros & Cons
Rookie status aside, McMillan is inconsistent. He is not as fast as other receivers and was not tested too much at the University of Washington, where defensive backs focused more on covering Rome Odunze. However, his long stride makes up for it. It took him until Week 14 to break, but his intangibles and lateral movement make him a solid option across Evans. His fantasy scoring was concerning before his breakout performance. He had scored under 10 fantasy points in five consecutive games before Week 14.
However, there’s a silver lining. Defenses will focus on Evans, and Irving shining will bring opportunities for McMillan to cook with eyes elsewhere. I don’t expect McMillan to score 20+ in each of his final four games, but he’s a name to keep an eye on in the fantasy football playoffs.
The Verdict
McMillan should be rostered in all leagues and holds value moving forward, especially when facing the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 15. After that, his matchups are the Dallas Cowboys, Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints, which aren’t secondaries I’m running from. Does this mean McMillan deserves to be a fantasy football starter moving forward? Not necessarily, but he has upside if you’re in a pinch.
Still, I’m more bullish on him dynasty-wise. He has the potential to be a league-winner this year, and with Godwin potentially leaving in free agency, the rookie could step into a bigger role from the jump in 2025.
Check out all of our Week 15 fantasy football content:
- Fantasy Football Whiplash! | Week 15 News & Notes (2024)
- Week 15 Fantasy Football Advice Mailbag (2024)
- Week 15 NFL DFS Picks & Lineup Advice (2024)
- Week 15 Shore Thing Sleepers (2024)
- Week 15 In the Scope Targets (2024)
- PropKings: NFL Week 15 (2024)
Thanks for reading our Week 15 Fantasy Football Mailbag, powered by the Fantasy Football Advice Network. Check out more of our fantasy football and other written content here at In-Between Media, or head over to our YouTube channel to get your fix via video.
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*Photo Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck – USA TODAY Sports*
