Fantasy Football: 3 Trends to Know Heading Into Week 15

Most fantasy football leagues are entering or approaching the playoffs, so it's crucial to use valuable information and data when making lineup decisions. Understanding trends around the league can allow us to gain an advantage over our opponents in fantasy football, whether it be in season-long or DFS formats.

Player's usage, adjusted pace, team pass rates, defensive schemes, and other factors all fit the description of trends we should be paying attention to. Taking that into account, let's take a look at a few trends to know entering Week 15.

All NFL projections via our numbers at FanDuel Research, and NFL odds references are to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Fantasy Football Trends to Know for Week 15

James Cook's Snap Rate Continues to Trend Downward

James Cook is capable of turning any play into an explosive one, but the Buffalo Bills are deploying multiple backs in their offense. Despite Cook starting in all 12 games he's been active in, Ray Davis and Ty Johnson are eating into his workload, which is concerning down the stretch.

After logging a 60.3% snap rate in Week 1 (per NextGenStats), Cook hasn't cleared a 60% snap rate in his previous 11 outings. Things have gotten even worse in recent weeks, with Cook seeing a snap rate lower than 50% in each of his last three contests.

Not having a high snap rate hasn't prevented Cook from being effective in fantasy as he's currently the RB11 in fantasy points per game in half-PPR formats. At the same time, the lower his snap rate goes, the more pressure there is for him to perform well on limited touches, and he already gets a lack of red-zone looks (42.3% red-zone rushing share).

For those in season-long leagues, Cook is tougher to trust each week with Davis and Johnson both seeing the field a bit more since the Buffalo Bills had their bye week in Week 12. As for DFS, Cook seems ultra-risky with a $8,300 salary on FanDuel ahead of a matchup against a stout Detroit Lions run defense in Week 15 -- especially with players like Josh Jacobs, Chase Brown, and Jahmyr Gibbs having lower salaries than Cook.

The Cowboys Have Finally Made Rico Dowdle Their Featured Back

Earlier in the season, the Dallas Cowboys trotted out a committee of Rico Dowdle and veteran Ezekiel Elliott in their backfield following the departure of Tony Pollard. There were even moments where the Cowboys gave touches to Dalvin Cook and Deuce Vaughn, but it seems they've finally come to the realization that Dowdle is their best back by a decent margin.

Across his first nine games this season, Dowdle was producing a 46.2% rushing success rate and 63.8 scrimmage yards per game on a 48.8% snap rate and only 13.2 touches per game. Over his last three games, Dowdle is notching a 43.9% rushing success rate and 110.5 scrimmage yards per game on a 67.4% snap rate and 23.5 touches per game.

Upon scampering for 131 yards on 18 carries in Week 14 versus the Bengals, Dowdle has now rushed for 112-plus yards in back-to-back contests. Elliott and the other backs have essentially been phased out of the offense in recent weeks, and it's resulted in Dowdle proving he's a solid back for Dallas moving forward.

Considering that Dowdle faces a Carolina Panthers defense in Week 15 that surrenders the most fantasy points per game to running backs, there's a good chance he has another notable performance on Sunday given his improved usage in recent weeks.

Jaylen Waddle Is Involved in Miami's Offense Again

Before the 2024 campaign kicked off, Jaylen Waddle signed a three-year, $84.75 million extension with the Miami Dolphins. Waddle has been spectacular since entering the NFL in 2021 despite being the sidekick to Tyreek Hill since 2022.

After putting pen to paper, Waddle didn't seem to have the same role he had in previous years, recording just a 15.3% target share, 19.8% air yards share, 3.3 receptions per game, 40.4 receiving yards per game, and 1.47 yards per route run in his first 10 games this season. Besides another head injury to Tua Tagovailoa that prompted the offense to sputter earlier in the year, the emergences of De'Von Achane and Jonnu Smith in the passing game were limiting Waddle's usage.

However, the Dolphins have realized that Waddle is still very good at football in recent weeks, which has led to improved production from the former first-round selection. It began with Waddle exploding for 8 catches, 144 yards, and a touchdown on 9 targets in Week 12, and he just tallied 9 receptions for 99 yards on 12 targets in Week 14.

Over the last three weeks, Waddle has seen his target share climb to 19.1% while he's leading Miami in receiving yards per game (98.7) and yards per route run (2.45) during that span. For the time being, it appears that the Dolphins are making a concerted effort to get Waddle involved again, and it's finally made him viable in fantasy.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.