NFL Week 15 Fantasy Football Recap: Las Vegas Raiders vs. New England Patriots

• Rhamondre Stevenson: 19 carries, 172 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 receptions, -4 receiving yards

• Darren Waller: 3 receptions, 48 yards, 1 touchdown 

PFF's fantasy football recap focuses on player usage and stats, breaking down all the vital information you need to achieve fantasy success in 2022.

Jump to another recap:

PHI@CHI | DET@NYJ | PIT@CAR | KC@HOU | ATL@NO | DAL@JAX
ARZ@DEN | NE@LVR | TEN@LAC | CIN@TB | NYG@WSH

Rhamondre Stevenson’s return: Stevenson suffered an ankle injury last week that put his status for this week in doubt. He not only played but thrived.

• He didn’t participate in practice Wednesday or Thursday and was limited Friday.
• Damien Harris was limited all week with a thigh injury but was ruled out on Friday.
• Kevin Harris got his first NFL start. Stevenson started the game with a similar role as past games, where he played third downs on every other drive.
• As the game progressed, the Patriots seemed more comfortable with Stevenson’s health, and he played more snaps later in the game.
• Fantasy managers shouldn’t need to worry going forward. If Damien Harris misses more time, we could see Stevenson with a higher percentage of snaps than he got Sunday.

Jakobi Meyers’ return: Meyers was limited in practice all week after suffering a concussion but was able to play in this game.

• The Patriots didn’t have DeVante Parker, who was held out of practice all week with a concussion.
• Nelson Agholor and Tyquan Thornton were the Patriots’ starting outside receivers, while Meyers played in the slot in three-receiver sets.
• Meyers typically plays in two-receiver sets, so this was a slight downgrade in snaps for him.
• The decreased playing time didn’t stop Meyers from leading the team in targets (six). He caught only two of them but led the team in receiving yards (47).
• Meyers was also credited with -20 rushing yards from his lateral on the last play of the game, leading to the Patriots’ loss.
• Meyers remains the only Patriots wide receiver or tight end who should be trusted in fantasy lineups over the rest of the season.

The return of Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller: Both veterans returned from injured reserve earlier in the week and played part-time roles as the Raiders eased them back into action.

• Waller split playing time with Foster Moreau. 
• They shared the field for a rare two-tight-end set. Moreau typically played in 21 personnel, which gave him the snap lead, while the two were used interchangeably in 11 personnel.
• Renfrow and Keelan Cole split playing time in three-receiver sets.
• Renfrow saw a clear advantage in snaps, but they were also used interchangeably in the slot.
• We can expect both Renfrow and Waller to see a higher percentage of offensive snaps next week, assuming they didn’t suffer any setbacks.
• Renfrow hasn’t been a fantasy starter all season, so it’s probably fine to avoid him. Waller can likely return to the ranks of fantasy starters.

Table Notes

• Snaps include plays called back due to penalties, including offensive holding or defensive pass interference. The other three stats have these plays removed.

• Targets may differ from official NFL sources. The most likely discrepancy would be from a clear thrown-away pass, where the NFL may give the target to the nearest receiver, while this data will not.

• Carries are only on designed plays. Quarterback scrambles won’t count for the total number of carries in the game.