Winners Club: Picks and Projections for Round 1 of the Fantasy Playoffs

Plus, France-Argentina World Cup final updates and NFL Week 15 spreads.

Kyle Wood | Dec 18, 2022

Here’s hoping today’s games are as entertaining as the NFL’s first Saturday slate of the season was.

I don’t know if we can count on an historic comeback like we saw yesterday from the Vikings, but the France-Argentina World Cup final leading right into the early afternoon games for a full day of football should suffice.

Besides, there are fantasy playoff games to win. Let’s lock in.

In today’s Winners Club you’ll find:

Who’s In, Out and Still Questionable

With only 12 games left to be played this week, the injury report for Round 1 of the fantasy playoffs is worse than one would hope—especially at the quarterback position. Five starters are out and one more is questionable.

The situation at running back is much more manageable, though any managers relying on rookie Dameon Pierce to carry them down the stretch got bad news Saturday when he was placed on injured reserve, ending his season. Beyond that, all eyes are on Bengals receivers Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd—both questionable—and Raiders weapons Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow, who are both making their long-awaited returns this week for a must-win game.

Quarterbacks

Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars: QUESTIONABLE (toe)

Mike White, Jets: OUT (ribs)

Russell Wilson, Broncos: OUT (concussion)

Kenny Pickett, Steelers: OUT (concussion)

Kyler Murray, Cardinals: INJURED RESERVE (knee)

Marcus Mariota, Falcons: INJURED RESERVE (knee)

Running backs

Josh Jacobs, Raiders: QUESTIONABLE (hand, quad), expected to play

Rhamondre Stevenson, Patriots: QUESTIONABLE (ankle)

Damien Harris, Patriots: OUT (thigh)

Dameon Pierce, Texans: INJURED RESERVE (ankle)

Wide Receivers

Tee Higgins, Bengals: QUESTIONABLE (hamstring), expected to play

Deebo Samuel, 49ers: OUT (ankle)

D.J. Moore, Panthers: QUESTIONABLE (ankle), expected to play

Tyler Boyd, Bengals: QUESTIONABLE (finger), expected to play

Marquise Brown, Cardinals: QUESTIONABLE (illness)

Jakobi Meyers, Patriots: QUESTIONABLE (concussion), expected to play

Hunter Renfrow, Raiders: ACTIVE (oblique)

Courtland Sutton, Broncos: OUT (hamstring)

Treylon Burks, Titans: OUT (concussion)

Brandin Cooks, Texans: OUT (ankle)

Nico Collins, Texans: OUT (foot)

Rondale Moore, Cardinals: INJURED RESERVE (groin)

Tight ends

Darren Waller, Raiders: ACTIVE (hamstring)

Juwan Johnson, Saints: QUESTIONABLE (ankle)

Hayden Hurst, Buccaneers: OUT (calf)

NFL Week 15 Game Lines

The Sunday schedule isn’t necessarily stocked with games between teams that both have winning records (there’s only two of those), but it is a big day for the playoff race, one way or another, for most teams.

Conor Orr and Albert Breer broke down the playoff-clinching scenarios in their Week 15 preview.

The Giants and Commanders meet for the second time in three weeks on Sunday Night Football with the winner getting a leg up in the race for one of the last spots in the NFC playoff picture, the Titans-Chargers game has playoff implications in the AFC and then there’s the surprisingly compelling Lions-Jets matchup.

Most of the spreads today are rather tight. The Eagles and Chiefs are the only teams favored by more than a touchdown. And there’s five lines that are less than a field goal.

Compete in SI Sportsbook’s Perfect 10 Contest this week for a shot at the $10,000 grand prize. Simply pick 10 games against the spread to compete. See which teams my colleagues are backing and why. I’m on Bengals -3.5 in Tampa today.

If player prop bets are more your thing, Jen Piacenti has five picks for you to tail. And you can go further with the player prop tool on si.com/betting.

1 p.m. ET (Fox): Eagles (-8.5) vs. Bears | Total: 48.5

1 p.m. ET (Fox): Falcons vs. Saints (-4.5) | Total: 43.5

1 p.m. ET (CBS): Lions vs. Jets (-2.5) | Total: 43.5

1 p.m. ET (CBS): Steelers vs. Panthers (-2.5) | Total: 37.5

1 p.m. ET (Fox): Cowboys (-6.5) vs. Jaguars | Total: 47.5

1 p.m. ET (CBS): Chiefs (-14.5) vs. Texans | Total: 48.5

4:05 p.m. ET (Fox): Cardinals (-1.5) vs. Broncos | Total: 36.5

4:05 p.m. ET (Fox): Patriots vs. Raiders (-1.5) | Total: 45

4:25 p.m. ET (CBS): Titans vs. Chargers (-1.5) | Total: 46.5

4:25 p.m. ET (CBS): Bengals (-3.5) vs. Buccaneers | Total: 45.5

8:20 p.m. ET (NBC): Giants vs. Commanders (-4.5) | Total: 40.5

8:15 p.m. ET (ESPN): Rams vs. Packers (-5.5) | Total: 39.5*

*Monday night

Fantasy Football Lineup Calls

This is not the time for mistakes or for leaving your highest-scoring receiver on the bench. If your team doesn’t perform, they don’t perform – but you at least have to give yourself a chance by trotting out the best possible lineup.

That’s what we’re here to help with. Consult the bevy of tools below, which you can also find at si.com/fantasy, and check out Matt De Lima’s Week 15 cheat sheet as well. Michael Fabiano singled out potential playoff league winners and losers. And if your season ended early, a pivot to DFS is only natural. Piacenti has DFS picks for you.

If you have more lineup questions, you can tweet @SI_Fantasy or @Kkylewood and I’ll answer your start/sit quandaries. You can also check out the Twitter Spaces, hosted by our expert analysts, at noon ET at @SI_Now or @SI_Fantasy.

Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em: QB | RB | WR | TE | K & D/ST

Positional Player Rankings

Defense vs. Position Matchup Info

Statistical Projections

France-Argentina World Cup Final Underway

The final from Lusail has already begun between France and Argentina. Keep up with live updates throughout the game, which pits Lionel Messi against Kylian Mbappé, here.

Argentina (+163) entered the match as a slight betting favorite to France (+180) at SI Sportsbook. Jen Piacenti broke down the betting angles and how each team advanced through the tournament to this world stage in her preview.

For more excellent coverage of the cup final, read Brian Strauss on what the match’s deciding factors will be and how legacy comes into the equation.

In Other News

Cubs Ink Dansby Swanson to Seven-Year Deal: The All-Star shortstop was taken off the market by Chicago and he was the last of SI’s top 15 free agents who remained unsigned. His $177-million deal is the sixth-highest handed out so far this year.

Frank Gore Jr. Breaks FBS Bowl Rushing Record: The Southern Miss running back romped for 329 yards to beat Rice in the LendingTree Bowl on Saturday. The son of the former NFL star accounted for three scores in the 38-24 win.

Thanks for reading Winners Club! Good luck in all of your fantasy playoff matches today. Survive and advance. I’ll talk to you again Tuesday.

Published Dec 18, 2022

KYLE WOOD

Kyle is based in Washington, D.C. He writes the Winners Club newsletter and is a fantasy and betting writer for SI. His work has appeared in the Tampa Bay Times, Orlando Sentinel, Miami Herald and Gainesville Sun.