Fantasy: 5 last-minute additions poised for big games in Week 15
Each week, we take a look at five last-minute additions for your fantasy team heading into Sunday.
Cordarrelle Patterson, WR/RB, Patriots
at Steelers
Patterson, a first-round castoff of the Minnesota Vikings and one-year experiment of the Oakland Raiders, is finally being used in the way that best suits him.
The 27-year-old has topped 50 yards in each of his past two games and scored his fourth touchdown of the year in last week's meeting with the Miami Dolphins. The return of Rex Burkhead from injured reserve has nearly eliminated Patterson's work in the running game, but Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels are continuing to get the versatile weapon involved.
The Sunday afternoon meeting with the Steelers carries one of the highest point totals of Week 15, and the Patriots are slight favorites on the road.
Vernon Davis, TE, Redskins
at Jaguars
Veteran tight end Vernon Davis could be in for a target-heavy game as one of the remaining few pass-catchers in the Redskins' offensive attack. Wide receivers Paul Richardson and Trey Quinn have been ruled out for the year; starting tight end Jordan Reed has been ruled out of the Week 15 meeting with the Jaguars due to an ankle issue, while Josh Doctson remains questionable.
Even with fourth-stringer Josh Johnson behind center, Davis is poised to be an instrumental part of the offense this week. The 34-year-old has caught 23 of 31 targets for 351 yards, two touchdowns, and one two-point conversion in limited usage over 13 games.
The Jaguars allow 8.41 standard fantasy points per game to tight ends and rank 13th by Football Outsiders' DVOA against the position.
Chris Ivory, RB, Bills
vs. Lions
Ivory carried the ball 12 times in the Bills' Week 14 matchup against the New York Jets after running back LeSean McCoy was forced out early by a hamstring injury. The veteran racked up 42 rushing yards for his highest total on the ground since Week 7.
McCoy remains at risk of sitting out Sunday, which means Ivory would lead the backfield in a projected low-scoring affair (39-point projected total).
The Lions rank 31st against the run by DVOA. They allow 115.2 rush yards per game and have given up 10 scores on the ground this season. Former seventh-round pick Marcus Murphy and recently signed Keith Ford are the Bills' only other options in the backfield should McCoy sit.
Jordan Matthews, WR, Eagles
at Rams
The potential season-ending injury to Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz has Matthews and Nick Foles set to be reunited for the first time since the wideout's rookie campaign.
Matthews caught 29 of 48 passes from Foles for 273 yards and two touchdowns through the first seven games of his debut season. He caught 18 balls for 287 yards and two touchdowns from Wentz in his return to Philadelphia this year.
The Rams have struggled defensively against depth receivers this season, ranking 25th by DVOA. Matthews has been rarely used over his past three games but some familiarity with Foles could earn him some more looks in the Eagles' evenly spread passing attack.
Cody Core, WR, Bengals
vs. Raiders
Core has received four targets in consecutive games, totaling 30 yards in each outing. He caught one ball but scored a touchdown against the Denver Broncos in Week 13 and hauled in three Jeff Driskel passes last Sunday.
Core has carved himself a role in the Bengals' offense ever since Driskel took over for the injured Andy Dalton. Tyler Boyd is the lone receiver on the team to receive more targets over the past two weeks.
The Bengals started as a 2.5-point favorite at home against the Raiders with an expected point total of 24. Running backs Joe Mixon and Gio Bernard should continue to handle the bulk of the offensive workload, but, in a battle of two of the NFL's worst pass defenses, the air attack might be the difference.