If you’re an avid fantasy football player, I hope you made it to your playoffs, which start this week. Side note: if your league doesn’t start its playoffs in Week 15, you’re doing it wrong. But that’s beside the point!
We are quickly approaching the end of the DFS season as well, so let’s get going right away with our Week 15 picks! Here are some big matchups and key players I’m targeting that I hope will give you a winning lineup this week.
Week 15 NFL “FastDraft Flex Six Frenzy” Lineup Advice (2025) | NFL DFS Picks
Derrick Henry (RB, Baltimore Ravens)
What a gift. The fantasy football playoffs begin, and Derrick Henry has one heck of a matchup. We should all know by now that as the season progresses, Derrick Henry gets better and the defenses get weaker. It’s a long season, really, and by the time Week 15 rolls around, it’s cold outside. Do you really want to try to take down the 6’2″ 252-pound steam engine running through the offensive line? I know I wouldn’t. In five of the last seven games, Henry has turned in a top-ten running back finish. The Ravens are leaning on him a bit more than usual, considering quarterback Lamar Jackson hasn’t looked like himself.
The matchup, as mentioned, is glorious. The Baltimore Ravens take on the Cincinnati Bengals, whom I featured last week and many others in this article. They’re the worst in the league against fantasy running backs, allowing a very generous 29.5 points per game to the position. With the way the Ravens have leaned on Henry lately and the way the Bengals love to give up points to running backs, this seems like an absolute no-brainer. Will you pay up to get Derrick Henry in your lineup? Yup. But sometimes you have to spend money to make money.
Woody Marks (RB, Houston Texans)
One of my favorite prospects coming out of college, Woody Marks has been pretty decent this season. He hasn’t been very flashy, and he’s had an up-and-down season fantasy-wise, but Marks is my next must-play running back this week. He technically shares the backfield with the ghost of Nick Chubb, but that may change this week. Chubb is currently battling a rib injury and it’s up in the air if he plays. But even if he does end up playing, I like Woody Marks a lot. He hasn’t seen fewer than 50% of the snaps since Week 9 and he hit a ceiling of 87% of snaps last week, finishing as the RB14 overall. He’s a good start if Chubb plays, and a must-start if he doesn’t.
The matchup itself also favors Marks. The Texans are at home against an Arizona Cardinals team that, despite doing some things very well on defense, struggles against the run. This season, they’re the fifth-best matchup for fantasy running backs, allowing 24.2 points per game to the position. I see the Texans’ defense giving the Cardinals fits and getting up early. If this holds, they should milk that clock out with Woody Marks.
Puka Nacua (WR, Los Angels Rams)
If you’re familiar with this article, you’ll know that wide receiver Puka Nacua‘s counterpart, Davante Adams, has made several appearances in this section. But this week, I’m all in on Puka. The Rams are firing on all cylinders after losing in Week 13, and a lot of that comes from the passing game. Yes, the running game is getting more involved, but the way quarterback Matthew Stafford has been slinging all season is impressive. In the last four weeks, Nacua has seen a total of 39 targets, and yes, you read that right. That target share should continue in Week 15.
The Detroit Lions’ secondary is a problem. Not for the opposing team, but for themselves. As good a team as the Lions are on offense, they’re the opposite on defense. As of this week, the Lions have been giving up an average of 33.5 points per game to opposing wide receivers. That total puts them as the second-easiest matchup for the position. You know that Stafford and Nacua are foaming at the mouth going into this week. He’ll be expensive, but Puka Nacua might end up as the WR1 for the second week in a row.
Jaylen Waddle (WR, Miami Dolphins)
This is the best season Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle has had since 2022, when he finished as the WR7 overall. The absence of Tyreek Hill has definitely been a major factor, but you can’t argue with the consistency he’s had. He’s averaging nearly seven targets and 62 yards a game. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa isn’t my favorite, and I honestly don’t think he’s a good quarterback, but that doesn’t change the fact that he and Waddle have produced decent fantasy numbers. I expect Tagovailoa to continue to look his way often.
Facing off this week against the defense that allows the fourth-most points to wide receivers per game will definitely help. The Dolphins take on the Pittsburgh Steelers, and as long as Tagovailoa can avoid T.J. Watt, then he should be able to get Waddle the ball. It seems crazy to say that the Steelers’ passing defense stinks, but it does. You can’t give up 31.4 points per game to the wide receiver position and expect me not to call you out. Get Jaylen Waddle in your lineup, and he should be fairly cheap as well.
Theo Johnson (TE, New York Giants)
This one is a tad spicy, a tad not. Personally, I love New York Giants tight end Theo Johnson this week. The biggest reason is quarterback Jaxson Dart. Dart and Johnson have played together in eight games and in four of those games, Johnson has finished as a top-ten tight end, topping off as the TE3 overall in Week 5. Dart has shown that he trusts Johnson, and I don’t see why he would move away from that.
Then there’s the matchup. The New York Giants play the Washington Commanders, who just got torched by the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings tight ends accounted for three of their touchdowns in that 31-0 blowout. The Commanders are indeed the best matchup for fantasy tight ends. Between that and the fact that Jaxson Dart sees him as a reliable target, I really like Theo Johnson as a low-budget tight end start this week.
Harold Fannin Jr. (TE, Cleveland Browns)
Whether you like him or not, rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders has an eye for tight end Harold Fannin Jr. In the last two games, he’s targeted Fannin a total of 16 times and he scored a touchdown in each. The connection is working, and Fannin can make a play whenever he has the ball in his hands. Last week, Fannin racked up 114 yards receiving and he’s averaged 14.3 yards per catch in the last two weeks. You can’t argue with those numbers.
Now, the matchup itself isn’t perfect by any means. The Browns take on the Chicago Bears, who are decent against the tight end position. However, the Bears really aim their focus on stopping wide receivers. That should hopefully open up more room for Fannin, and he can continue his hot streak with his quarterback, Sanders. Considering the Bears allow an average of 10.8 points per game to the position, and Harold Fannin is averaging nearly 17 the last two weeks, I like his chances.
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*Photo Credit: Brett Davis – USA TODAY Sports*
