One of the more disappointing fantasy weeks to date had managers pulling their hair out as usual fantasy studs put up some of the worst games of their careers. Of course, this week would come in the first round of the fantasy playoffs, that’s the 2021 season for you. 

For the 50 percent of us that were able to make it out of the first round unscathed, let’s hope for a better Week 16. After the quagmire of injuries and disappointments in Week 15, here are five players that performed admirably and five that frustrated managers.

Week 15 Studs

Travis Kelce (TE, KC)

Travis Kelce came alive on Thursday night as he provided one of his best fantasy performances for managers when it mattered most, unlike a lot of other big names this week. After disappointing in the box score for two straight weeks, Kelce dropped a bomb with 10 receptions for 191 yards and 2 touchdowns. One of those touchdowns was a walk-off 34-yard score in overtime. While the No. 1 TE spot in fantasy football was up for debate after Week 14, Kelce certainly made fans remember why he’s been the best of the best for the past several years.

Mark Andrews (TE, BAL)

The TE that Kelce is battling for the No. 1 spot in fantasy also put up a monster performance in Week 15. Mark Andrews popped off for 10 receptions, 139 yards, and 2 touchdowns. Even with backup Tyler Huntley playing quarterback, Andrews was able to come through with his second 30 point performance this season. Andrews should be recognized as a top tight end the rest of the way and will be a major piece to fantasy rosters for the last two weeks of the fantasy season. The only question now is whether or not he can snag the top tight end finish on the year from Travis Kelce. 

Amon-Ra St. Brown (WR, DET)

A rookie with loads of potential is finally seeing that potential show late in the season. The Sun God, Amon-Ra St. Brown, is having a great stretch of games and Week 15 was no different than his recent performances. He finished with 8-receptions, 90-yards, and a touchdown against the heavily favored Cardinals while putting up most of those numbers in the first half. With T.J. Hockenson missing the rest of the season, St. Brown has an opportunity to continue being the main threat in this Detroit offense as long as Jared Goff stays healthy for their next matchup against Atlanta.

Brandin Cooks (WR, HOU)

Brandin Cooks had a great game against the helpless Jacksonville Jaguars. He posted his second straight 100-yard game along with 2 touchdowns through the air. While Davis Mills is under center, Brandin Cooks can put up these kinds of games, especially against Jacksonville. With a matchup coming against the Chargers, expect the Texans to be behind for most of the game, forcing Davis Mills to look heavily toward Brandin Cooks. 

Duke Johnson Jr. (RB, MIA)

Well, the Miami backfield just added another wrinkle into itself. The island of misfit running backs welcomed Duke Johnson Jr. into the fold as the latest unexpected back to put up a nice performance for the Dolphins. Against the Jets in Week 15, Johnson finished with 22 carries, 107 yards, and 2 touchdowns along with 1 reception for 20 yards. There is certainly the possibility that Duke Johnson has taken over the lead role from Myles Gaskin so it could be interesting to see where the rest of the season takes him. However, a Week 16 matchup against a strong Saints defense shouldn’t bode well for his potential. 

Week 15 Duds

Cordarrelle Patterson (RB, ATL)

In a week where managers most likely needed him most, Cordarrelle Patterson disappeared from the box score. In his worst fantasy performance of the season, Patterson produced 18 yards on 11 carries along with 2 receptions for 5 yards. The hype train came to a screeching halt as Patterson wasn’t able to produce while Falcons looked brutal on offense against San Francisco. Maybe he can provide a better performance against Detroit in Week 16 if fantasy rosters were able to stay afloat during his disappointing week. 

Ja’Marr Chase (WR, CIN)

In quite literally the worst possible performance anybody could’ve fathomed for Ja’Marr Chase, he finished with 1 reception for 3 yards against the Denver Broncos. He was completely shut down by the talented Broncos secondary for the entire game as he only managed to see 4 targets come his way. It is fairly unlikely that fantasy managers made it through this week of the playoffs with that huge of a dud from a star receiver like Chase. After this performance, there almost certainly has to be a bounce-back performance on the way for Ja’Marr Chase against the Ravens in Week 16.

Kyler Murray (QB, ARI)

From the looks of it, this was supposed to be a smash matchup for Kyler Murray and the Cardinals as the Lions have looked lost for the majority of the season. Unfortunately, that was not the case as Murray strumbled his way to 257 passing yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception. This performance could’ve been much worse without garbage time production so his mediocre statistical output should’ve at least provided a sigh of relief for fantasy managers. Murray is still a must-start for fantasy rosters as there isn’t a fantasy quarterback that provides more upside than him. 

Alvin Kamara (RB, NO)

Alvin Kamara was another member of the underperforming star players club in Week 15. He finished with 11 carries for 18 yards along with 2 receptions for 13 yards in an incredibly ugly game against Tampa Bay. The Saints coaching staff seemed to recognize that there wasn’t any potential for a huge offensive game against the Buccs tough run defense so they weren’t too worried about putting up points while they were shutting out Tampa on defense. If managers were able to stumble into the next round despite this performance, Kamara should be in line for a rebound game against a slightly easier Miami defense. 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Offense

On the other side of the Saint’s offense putting up very little yardage was the Buccaneers putting up next to nothing in the box score. Tampa Bay, the highest-scoring offense in the NFL, was shut out against the Saints as they put up a fat donut on the scoreboard. The loss of playmakers like Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Leonard Fournette definitely didn’t help the Buccs against the perfectly game-planned Saint’s defense. Sean Payton seems to know how to defend this Buccaneers offense, especially one that doesn’t include their top playmakers. 

The return of Antonio Brown to this offense should help out the unit as a whole with Chris Godwin set to miss the rest of the season with an ACL tear. Leonard Fournette is also reported to be out for the rest of the regular season so fantasy managers of both of those studs are surely disappointed if they were able to make it out of Week 15 alive. Fantasy managers of the remaining healthy options in Tampa might feel better in Week 16. Expect an angry Tom Brady to show up against Carolina and produce nice fantasy performances for himself and the rest of the offense.