With the Cleveland Browns vs. Las Vegas Raiders game moving to Monday, our focus will turn to the Indianapolis Colts vs. New England Patriots on Saturday night. And because you care about fantasy football competitions, we’ve run through potential game scripts to assemble the optimal lineup: a great shot at winning in 50/50 contests and a decent shot at placing in tournaments. As always, these NFL Week 15 Saturday Night Football DFS picks are based on FanDuel pricing.
Top NFL DFS picks for Week 15 Saturday Night Football | Indianapolis Colts
The last time these two teams met in 2018, Tom Brady and Andrew Luck combined for 706 passing yards and 7 touchdowns on 103 pass attempts. Tonight’s contest will likely go very differently, as the Patriots’ pass defense has been the league’s best outside of Buffalo. I’m expecting a run-heavy attack, with Indianapolis picking its moments to go deep.
Jonathan Taylor, RB ($17,500)
A fantasy player capable of scoring 50 points needs to be in DFS lineups. That’s something like “rule No. 1” in any DFS advice column. We gazed in admiration at what Derrick Henry accomplished before getting hurt. Jonathan Taylor’s extraordinary numbers since Week 5 leave us similarly awestruck.
He is the best running back entering Week 15, and although New England head coach Bill Belichick will do everything possible to slow him down, we have to trust that Taylor’s talent will win the day.
Carson Wentz, QB ($14,000)
I’m not convinced Carson Wentz will have a big output tonight. That said, he’s targeted his running backs 95 times this year. Yes, ninety-five times. Taylor, Nyheim Hines, and Marlon Mack have combined for 70 catches and 606 receiving yards.
We can envision a game script where Wentz accumulates 50+ yards and a score through short passes to Taylor and Hines. 10+ points for Wentz is almost automatic. 20+ points is possible, and few players in this game can realistically hit that mark.
T.Y. Hilton, WR ($9,500)
I wanted to incorporate Michael Pittman Jr. into this lineup, but his shutdown potential is strong. Look at what New England did to Stefon Diggs two weeks ago (4-51-0 receiving line) or DJ Moore in Week 9 (3-32-0).
So we turn to veteran receiver T.Y. Hilton, whose floor is around 4-5 points but with a ceiling around 12-14. At less than $10,000, he’s a reasonable wager assuming the Patriots lock down Pittman.
Top NFL DFS picks for Week 15 Saturday Night Football | New England Patriots
Which Patriots players can we use in our Saturday Night Football DFS lineup? These options are more likely than not to exceed expectations.
Rhamondre Stevenson, RB ($12,000)
With Damien Harris out for Week 15, Rhamondre Stevenson becomes a must-start RB in regular leagues, as well as a worthwhile DFS investment. Longtime readers know how hard I pushed him in October when he was bench fodder (literally and fantasy-wise).
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He’s the most complete back on this team, capable of generating buckets of yards on the ground and, when needed, through the air. I don’t see Mac Jones thriving in this one, with a game plan favoring more dump-offs to his top playmaker.
Brandon Bolden, RB ($7,500)
With $7,500 remaining in our DFS lineup, we’re going with the $7,500 Brandon Bolden. He is not a flashy pick. You might opt for the $7,000 Nyheim Hines, $6,500 Jack Doyle, or $6,000 Jonnu Smith. But I prefer Bolden complementing Stevenson with 6-8 touches — most coming through the passing game, where he’s demonstrated a high level of proficiency.
Look no further than his 6-79-1 receiving line against the Jets in Week 7 or even his 6-51-0 outing against the stout Buccaneers in Week 4. With Harris out of the picture, Bolden is a sneaky streamer in fantasy leagues and DFS.
