Week 15 MOP Rankings for Fantasy Football

There were plenty of impressive performances across the fantasy football landscape last week. Two different players caught three touchdown passes, even though neither of those players was a wide receiver. Five other tight ends caught two touchdown passes, while star wide receiver Justin Jefferson caught two passes. A player who had never played an offensive snap in the NFL ran for over 100 yards last week. Fun fact: Josh Jacobs, who is tied for second in the NFL with 13 rushing touchdowns, has zero 100-yard games this season. But which of last week’s standouts are most likely to produce throughout the fantasy football playoffs? I will attempt to answer that question by providing the Week 15 MOP Rankings.

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I have removed each player’s highest-scoring fantasy play from last week’s fantasy point total to come up with a new number. This number should more accurately represent that player’s involvement in his team’s offense. If a player scores a touchdown but only touches the ball two or three times, he is less likely to repeat that performance than someone who consistently sees high volume. That is the theory behind my Week 15 MOP Rankings. To be fair, if a player scores multiple touchdowns, he will remain high on the MOP list. But that also speaks to that player (more often than not) being a key part of his team’s offense. Here are last week’s leaders, along with some notes on several players at each skill position.

Running Back Takeaways

Jawhar Jordan was the running back who ran for over 100 yards after previously never having played in the NFL. Jordan was thrust into action for the Houston Texans when Woody Marks was sidelined early in last week’s contest. Nick Chubb was already out with an injury as well. Jordan made the most of his opportunity, rushing for 101 yards in a Texans victory. The injury to Marks is not expected to be a long-term ordeal, but he has yet to practice this week. However, Chubb has returned to the practice field. Houston has a favorable matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders this week, so fantasy managers should keep a close eye on this situation. Last week’s outing was likely a one-and-done for Jordan, but he could be an interesting pivot if he can continue to stay in the mix this week.

Michael Carter was the overall RB15 in the Week 15 MOP Rankings. But it is the circumstances from which that performance came about that should encourage fantasy managers more than anything. Carter was thrust into a bigger role after Bam Knight suffered an ankle injury. Arizona has since put Knight on Injured Reserve, ending his season. The Cardinals are already without James Conner and Trey Benson. Carter could be the last man standing alongside Emari Demercado in Arizona’s backfield. Based on last week’s usage, Carter should be the preferred fantasy option. He earned 18 touches to Demercado’s one last week. A Week 16 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons is unlikely to be overly daunting. Carter can be a viable Flex option for those looking for a low-cost player who should receive double-digit touches.

With Chris Rodriguez Jr. out of action last week, Jacory Croskey-Merritt rose from the dead with a solid outing. He ran for 96 yards and a touchdown in Washington’s victory over the New York Giants. The score was his first since October 5, while last week’s effort was his first game with at least 40 rushing yards since October 13. Rodriguez has already resumed practicing this week, so Croskey-Merritt’s resurrection may be short-lived. A Week 16 date with the Philadelphia Eagles is unlikely to help matters. This feels like a setup for an uninspiring timeshare. The Commanders continue to sprinkle in some touches for Jeremy McNichols, while quarterback Marcus Mariota has at least 40 rushing yards in three of his last four games. I would prefer not to start any Washington running backs this week if possible.

Wide Receiver Takeaways

Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall both finished as top-15 fantasy wide receivers based on the Week 15 MOP Rankings. Jennings has been considered a disappointment this season. But interestingly enough, he now has more touchdowns this year (7) than he did during last year’s breakout campaign (6). He has now scored in five of his last six games. Pearsall caught six passes for 96 yards after looking like a decoy for most of the past month. Since his return to the lineup, Pearsall had totaled just 20 receiving yards across his previous three games. Jennings feels like the safer option, but Pearsall has shown the ability to make big plays at times. Last week’s outing was his third this season with at least 90 receiving yards. Jennings has yet to have such a game this year.

When Drake London went down several weeks ago with a knee injury, many (including yours truly) assumed that Darnell Mooney would step up in his absence. After all, Mooney had nearly 1,000 receiving yards last season for Atlanta. But Mooney has caught just six of 15 targets for 66 scoreless yards across his last three games. Meanwhile, David Sills V had six grabs for 78 yards just last week. His outing would have been much better if he had not dropped a long touchdown, but he has still earned the trust of Kirk Cousins. Sills had also caught touchdowns in two of his previous three contests. But whereas those weeks found Sills very low on the MOP leaderboard, last week’s finish as the overall WR16 could signal a changing of the guard behind London in the pecking order among Falcons wide receivers.

I am very tempted to rank Sills over Mooney if London does not play on Sunday. However, London has already returned to practice. That is an indication that he may be ready to return to action this week. If London does indeed play on Sunday, he will likely immediately return to his perch as Atlanta’s top pass-catching option. It could be a similar situation to what we saw last week with Tampa Bay and Mike Evans. Evans earned 12 targets in his first game back, compared to seven for Emeka Egbuka and five for Chris Godwin. The split could be even more favorable for London versus Mooney and/or Sills. London’s return would not only make Mooney and Sills unstartable, but it would also make them droppable.

Some other wide receivers besides Pearsall and Sills who had notable MOP performances last week include Jakobi Meyers and Rashee Rice. Davante Adams and Devaughn Vele would also qualify, but neither is expected to play in Week 16. Meyers has been Jacksonville’s most consistent receiving threat since joining the club at the trade deadline. He has at least 64 yards and/or a touchdown catch in five consecutive games. A difficult matchup with Denver looms, but I am still starting Meyers in my PPR league. As for Rice, I am much more concerned about his possible concussion than the loss of Patrick Mahomes. I will also be starting Rice in that same league as long as he can clear protocol.

Tight End Takeaways

I think it is relatively safe to say that none of the six tight ends who caught multiple touchdown passes last week are likely to repeat that feat in Week 16. (I would say that next year I should create Minus Two Plays Rankings, but creating MOP is time-consuming enough as it is.) With that being said, there are takeaways from some of the players atop the leaderboard of both Week 15 fantasy points and Week 15 MOP Rankings at the tight end position.

First off, I think we all owe Kyle Pitts Sr. an apology. Hell, we probably owe Kyle Pitts Jr. one, too. Pitts may never score three touchdowns in a game again. But 2025 has been a year of redemption for him in many ways. Pitts enters Week 16 as the overall TE3 for the season. Lest we forget that the fifth-year pro just turned 25 years old. Has he revolutionized the position the way people were pontificating about when he was drafted? No. However, he has been a top-15 fantasy tight end in three of his first four NFL seasons. It is not as if we are talking about a complete nobody here. Pitts should continue to be a solid starting tight end for years to come.

I think most fantasy managers are starting most of last week’s other two-TD scorers (Trey McBride, Dallas Goedert, Colby Parkinson, Darren Waller) in most Week 16 scenarios. Of the four, Darren Waller is the biggest question mark with Quinn Ewers now inserted as Miami’s starting quarterback. On the bright side, Waller gets to face the Cincinnati Bengals. They might as well be called Sieve-cinnati with the way they hemorrhage production to opposing tight ends. The most interesting multiple-touchdown scorer last week could be Dawson Knox of the Buffalo Bills. Dalton Kincaid missed Wednesday’s practice. If he is unable to suit up on Sunday, Knox could make for an intriguing punt play. Cleveland has allowed 297 receiving yards to opposing tight ends over the past four weeks. That is the third-highest mark in the NFL.

Make sure to check out all of our Week 16 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!