Fantasy Football WR Rankings Week 15: Who to start, best sleepers at wide receiver

Nick Musial

Fantasy Football WR Rankings Week 15: Who to start, best sleepers at wide receiver image

The fantasy football regular season is a thing of the past, as Week 15 marks the start of the playoffs for most leagues. With little to no margin for error in your quest for a fantasy football championship, our Week 15 fantasy WR rankings for standard leagues aim to help you advance to the next round of the playoff bracket.

Unfortunately, injuries continue to mount, but Justin Jefferson (chest) owners should know how to navigate their start 'em, sit 'em decisions with his status up in the air. A few more notable receivers are dinged up (more on them later), but for the most part, our rankings are about as deep as you can expect this time of year.

Now that we know what we're up against and what's on the line, let's get to it and break down our Week 15 WR rankings.

Who are the best fantasy WRs in Week 15?

Although he faces a steady Jets coverage unit, Tyreek Hill (vs. Jets in Week 15) still owns the top spot for Week 15. Hill was his normal self in his first meeting against the Jets, totaling nine receptions for 102 yards and a TD back in Week 12. CeeDee Lamb (@ Bills) has the better matchup, but Hill's explosiveness gives him the upper hand in standard scoring formats.

WEEK 15 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers

A.J. Brown (@ Seahawks) finds himself in a favorable spot against an inefficient Seahawks pass defense that just surrendered 350-plus passing yards in Week 14. Cooper Kupp (vs. Commanders) returns to the top five in a mouthwatering spot against a reeling Washington coverage unit.

WEEK 15 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers

Don't expect Amon-Ra St. Brown (vs. Broncos) to underwhelm for a third straight week, as Detroit's WR1 is lined up for a get-right game against a Broncos defense that still ranks toward the bottom of the league in dropback success rate. Deebo Samuel's (@ Cardinals) second straight monster game results in a meteoric rise in his Week 15 ranking, as another stat-stuffing performance could be in store against his division rivals.

Davante Adams (vs. Chargers) didn't have a monster game by any means, but he saw 10-plus targets for the third time in four games, giving him top-10 upside against L.A.'s 31st-ranked pass defense. Mike Evans (@ Packers) was held to a season-low one catch last week, but he's always a threat to see 10-plus targets as Baker Mayfield's go-to wideout.

Who are the best fantasy WR sleepers, waiver pickups in Week 15?

K.J. Osborn (@ Bengals), Odell Beckham Jr. (@ Jaguars), JuJu Smith-Schuster (vs. Chiefs), Zay Jones (vs. Ravens), Curtis Samuel (@ Rams), Jalin Hyatt (@ Saints), and Jonathan Mingo (vs. Falcons) make up this week's set of sleepers and waiver wire adds.

Osborn operated as Minnesota's WR1 following Justin Jefferson's chest injury, seeing seven targets in Week 14. Another high target share could be in store with Jefferson's status up in the air against a leaky Bengals coverage unit. Beckham Jr. nearly reached the century mark in Week 14, torching his former team for 97 yards and a TD in Baltimore's overtime win. His hot play warrants a WR3 spot in a favorable matchup.

Smith-Schuster was just about the only healthy Patriots WR in Week 14, turning his six-target effort into a four-catch, 90-yard showing. His ceiling's undoubtedly higher in PPR formats, but another 70-plus yard day is feasible against his former team if even one of DeVante Parker (knee) or Demario Douglas (concussion) is out.

Jones' role is growing exponentially with Christian Kirk (core) sidelined, most recently seeing a team-high 14 targets but only turning that into five catches for 29 yards. A much better receiving yardage output is in store should Jones see another high-target day.

Given how pass-happy the Commanders are, Samuel sits on the WR3/flex bubble throughout the fantasy playoffs. Hyatt's big-play abilities make him an intriguing deeper-league play, as the rookie is starting to find his groove toward the tail-end of the regular season.

WEEK 15 FANTASY ADVICE:
Sleepers | Busts | Projections | Start-sit

Who are the biggest potential WR busts in Week 15?

With fantasy seasons hanging in the balance, we simply can't trust Calvin Ridley (vs. Ravens), Gabe Davis (vs. Cowboys), Jordan Addison (@ Bengals), George Pickens (@ Colts), and Chris Godwin (@ Packers).

Ridley's inconsistencies give us little interest in trusting him against a Baltimore coverage unit that's allowed the second-fewest fantasy points per game to wideouts. Davis just laid a goose egg on two targets, Addison failed to step up in Jefferson's absence, Pickens is part of an inept Steelers offense, and Godwin doesn't have an enticing enough ceiling in standard formats.

WEEK 15 DFS:
DK lineup | FD lineup | Best values | Best stacks

What are the biggest WR injuries in Week 15?

We were without the services of Christian Watson (hamstring), Demario Douglas (concussion), Rashid Shaheed (thigh), Josh Palmer (knee), and DeVante Parker (knee) due to injuries in Week 14. Additionally, Justin Jefferson (chest), Tutu Atwell (concussion), and Nico Collins (calf) exited in Week 14, with all three wideouts failing to return to game action.

As usual, we'll update these standard WR rankings throughout the week, so check back for the latest player movement and analysis.

Fantasy WR Rankings Week 15: Who to start, sit at wide receiver

Rankings based on standard, non-PPR scoring

Rank    Player
1    CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys @ Bills
2    A.J. Brown, Eagles @ Seahawks
3    Cooper Kupp, Rams vs. Commanders
4    Justin Jefferson, Vikings @ Bengals
5    Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions vs. Broncos
6    Deebo Samuel, 49ers @ Cardinals
7    Davante Adams, Raiders vs. Chargers
8    Mike Evans, Buccaneers @ Packers
9    Brandon Aiyuk, 49ers @ Cardinals
10    DJ Moore, Bears @ Browns
11    Stefon Diggs, Bills vs. Cowboys
12    Ja'Marr Chase, Bengals vs. Vikings
13    Michael Pittman Jr., Colts vs. Steelers
14    Puka Nacua, Rams vs. Commanders
15    Jaylen Waddle, Dolphins vs. Jets
16    DK Metcalf, Seahawks vs. Eagles
17    Noah Brown, Texans @ Titans
18    DeVonta Smith, Eagles @ Seahawks
19    Garrett Wilson, Jets @ Dolphins
20    DeAndre Hopkins, Titans vs. Texans
21    Courtland Sutton, Broncos @ Lions
22    Rashee Rice, Chiefs @ Patriots
23    Drake London, Falcons @ Panthers
24    Tee Higgins, Bengals vs. Vikings
25    Romeo Doubs, Packers vs. Buccaneers
26    Amari Cooper, Browns vs. Bears
27    Zay Flowers, Ravens @ Jaguars
28    Terry McLaurin, Commanders @ Rams
29    Adam Thielen, Panthers vs. Falcons
30    Diontae Johnson, Steelers @ Colts
31    Brandin Cooks, Cowboys @ Bills
32    Calvin Ridley, Jaguars vs. Ravens
33    Tyler Lockett, Seahawks vs. Eagles
34    Rashid Shaheed, Saints vs. Giants
35    K.J. Osborn, Vikings @ Bengals
36    Jayden Reed, Packers vs. Buccaneers
37    Demario Douglas, Patriots vs. Chiefs
38    Zay Jones, Jaguars vs. Ravens
39    George Pickens, Steelers @ Colts
40    Chris Godwin, Buccaneers @ Packers
41    Jerry Jeudy, Broncos @ Lions
42    Josh Downs, Colts vs. Steelers
43    Odell Beckham Jr., Ravens @ Jaguars
44    Curtis Samuel, Commanders @ Rams
45    Joshua Palmer, Chargers @ Raiders
46    Quentin Johnston, Chargers @ Raiders
47    Marquise Brown, Cardinals vs. 49ers
48    Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seahawks vs. Eagles
49    Jakobi Meyers, Raiders vs. Chargers
50    Cedrick Wilson, Dolphins vs. Jets
51    Elijah Moore, Browns vs. Bears
52    Jahan Dotson, Commanders @ Rams
53    Robert Woods, Texans @ Titans
54    Jalen Guyton, Chargers @ Raiders
55    Tyler Boyd, Bengals vs. Vikings
56    Darius Slayton, Giants vs. Saints
57    Gabe Davis, Bills vs. Cowboys
58    Jordan Addison, Vikings @ Bengals
59    Alec Pierce, Colts vs. Steelers
60    Jonathan Mingo, Panthers vs. Falcons
61    Xavier Gipson, Jets @ Dolphins
62    DeVante Parker, Patriots vs. Chiefs
63    Josh Reynolds, Lions vs. Broncos
64    Tyquan Thornton, Patriots vs. Chiefs
65    Rondale Moore, Cardinals vs. 49ers
66    Trey Palmer, Buccaneers @ Packers
67    DJ Chark, Panthers vs. Falcons
68    Wan'Dale Robinson, Giants @ Saints
69    Justin Watson, Chiefs @ Patriots
70    Jameson Williams, Lions vs. Broncos
71    Dontayvion Wicks, Packers vs. Buccaneers
72    Jalin Hyatt, Giants @ Saints
73    A.T. Perry, Saints vs. Giants
74    Greg Dortch, Cardinals vs. 49ers
75    Treylon Burks, Titans vs. Texans
76    Darnell Mooney, Bears @ Browns
77    Khalil Shakir, Bills vs. Cowboys
78    Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Chiefs @ Patriots
79    Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Titans vs. Texans
80    Rashod Bateman, Ravens @ Jaguars
81    Cedric Tillman, Browns vs. Bears
82    Hunter Renfrow, Raiders vs. Chargers
83    Michael Gallup, Cowboys @ Bills
84    Brandon Powell, Vikings @ Bengals
85    Chris Moore, Titans vs. Texans
86    Kalif Raymond, Lions vs. Broncos
87    Trenton Irwin, Bengals vs. Vikings
88    Skyy Moore, Chiefs @ Patriots

Nick Musial

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Nick Musial is a Content Producer at The Sporting News. He recently joined the team after studying sport management and journalism at the University of Kansas. Nick’s an avid sports bettor who’s always looking for value.