The byes are over, but with three Saturday games (Colts-Vikings, Ravens-Browns, Dolphins-Bills), the player pool for Week 15's NFL DFS main slate is still thinner than usual. Fortunately, there are still plenty of interesting matchups full of studs and sleepers, and we're banking on a few value receivers coming through in our DraftKings lineup.
Before we break down all of our picks, here are the most notable scoring rules for DraftKings contests: Full-point PPR, four-point passing TDs, three-point bonuses for 100 rushing yards, 100 receiving yards, and 300 passing yards.
WEEK 15 DFS: Best values | Best stacks
DraftKings Picks Week 15: NFL DFS lineup for GPP tournaments
Sunday main slate, $50,000 budget
QB Justin Herbert, Chargers vs. Titans ($7,000). Herbert finally has a healthy arsenal around him, and he sure seemed to enjoy it last Sunday night when he threw 51 times for 367 yards and a TD. We're expecting more scores against Tennessee's 31st-ranked pass defense. L.A. has a tough enough time running as is, but against the Titans' No. 2 run defense, it might just give up and air it out virtually every play.
RB Isiah Pacheco, Chiefs @ Texans ($5,900). Over the past five games, Pacheco has averaged 17.2 touches and 90 total yards. That will play against Houston's last-ranked run defense. The hard-running rookie should get ample chances in the second half while K.C. salts the game away, so he's a good bet for DraftKings' 100-yard bonus. He's also seen a slight uptick in targets lately, catching all five of his looks for 39 yards in the past two games.
WEEK 15 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel
RB Alvin Kamara, Saints vs. Falcons ($6,800). Kamara has been a big disappointment this year, so we're hoping he's low-owned coming out of New Orleans' bye. To say he's "due" would be an understatement, as he's scored in just one game all season despite averaging 17.6 touches per outing. Atlanta allows the eighth-most rushing yards in addition to 4.5 RB receptions per contest, so Kamara should be able to put together a solid all-around performance and rack up points in DK's full-point PPR format.
WEEK 15 FANTASY PICKS: Sleepers | Busts | Start 'em, sit 'em
WR Terrace Marshall, Panthers vs. Steelers ($3,700). This is a classic "boom-or-bust" tournament play, as Marshall has seen just four targets from Sam Darnold in the past two games. However, with D.J. Moore (knee) hurting and a highly favorable matchup against Pittsburgh's 24th-ranked pass defense on tap, we expect the second-year receiver to be more involved. Marshall played on 85 percent of snaps last week, and in Weeks 8-11, he caught 11-of-23 targets for 259 yards and a score, so it's not as if he's a total afterthought in Carolina's offense. At his price, he doesn't need to do much to return value.
WR Keenan Allen, Chargers vs. Titans ($6,800). In his four games since returning from a hamstring injury, Allen has averaged seven catches, 10.8 targets, and 80.8 yards. He's been even better the past two games, catching 18-of-28 looks for 180 yards. He's still an elite receiver when healthy, and he can definitely do damage against a Titans' defense allowing the second-most fantasy points to WRs. We favor Allen slightly over Mike Williams ($6,300) in DraftKings full-point PPR format.
WEEK 15 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
WR Joshua Palmer, Chargers vs. Titans ($5,600). Even with Williams and Allen both healthy, Palmer still has a role in L.A.'s offense. He played 79 percent of snaps and caught four-of-six targets last Sunday night, and he'll continue to be involved in a favorable matchup this week. Palmer always has big-play potential, which he showed in Week 11 when he caught a 50-yard TD while both Williams and Allen were on the field. We're hoping Palmer is lower owned after Williams' big game, and we'll gladly take the risk given the matchup.
TE Travis Kelce, Chiefs @ Texans ($7,800). Since we're going relatively cheap at some of our other positions, we decided to pay Kelce's exorbitant price. He's coming off two down games (for him), catching just eight passes for 127 yards, but he's due to get back on track against a Houston defense that was just gashed by Dalton Schultz (six catches, 87 yards). Kelce is always a good bet for a TD, and he has a decent chance at the 100-yard bonus, so even though there are plenty of lower-priced TE sleepers out there, we'll pay up for one of the highest ceilings in all of DFS.
WEEK 15 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
FLEX Quez Watkins, Eagles vs. Bears ($3,600). Watkins has quietly been more involved in the Eagles' offense over the past three games, catching 12-of-16 targets. That hasn't resulted in many yards (91), but it's only a matter of time before the speedster hits on another long TD. Chicago has struggled against wide receivers the past few weeks, giving up TDs and/or big plays to Christian Watson, Drake London, Garrett Wilson, and Elijah Moore, among others. At $3,600, we don't need much from Watkins to return value, and if he gets loose for a TD as he did in Weeks 11 and 12, we'll be in prime position to cash.
DEF Denver Broncos vs. Cardinals ($2,700). Denver held up well against Kansas City's high-powered offense last week, recording two sacks and three INTs. That comes on the heels of a four-sack, two-INT game against Baltimore. We expect more of the same at home with Arizona traveling on a short week, so take advantage of this underpriced D/ST. (Update: With Kyler Murray out due to a knee injury, Denver's D/ST looks even better at this price.)
