Blue Rated Wideouts Week 15 2022

The volatile scoring nature of the wide receiver position may cause more start-sit headaches for fantasy managers than any other position, but when things go well wide receivers can post point totals capable of winning fantasy games.

How does one know which wide receivers are capable of posting those game-winning point totals? My player grading system (a full version of which can be found at TheFootballScientist.com) aims to identify these players via an overall/upside/downside approach. A player's overall grade measures his likely performance, the downside the grade indicates how a player is apt to fare if things go poorly for him that week, and the upside grade measures the scoring ceiling of a player if things go well in a given contest.

This grading system also uses five color-coded categories: blue (indicating someone who can post elite point totals), green (a strong starter), yellow (a solid backup or a potential starter in bye weeks or deep leagues), orange (a desperation play), and red (someone who should not be started).

This means fantasy managers who are looking for big scoring potential at wide receiver should aim for someone who has a blue-rated upside grade (which is 90-100 in my system). This weekly article series will identify all the blue-rated upside wideouts in a given week and then provide details on a few of the unexpected candidates on this board. It will also detail the strength of the matchup each of these receivers is facing via a matchup points total of 1-100, with 100 being most favorable.

Week 15 wide receivers with blue-rated upside

 

DeAndre Hopkins, Arizona

An article I wrote for The Athletic this week detailed how Hopkins has a long track record of producing quality fantasy point totals with a wide variety of quarterbacks. One of those quarterbacks is Colt McCoy, who was removed from the injury report on Friday and thus will be good to go. That makes Hopkins a must start even against a Denver defense that has played well at times this year.

Tee Higgins, Cincinnati

Higgins was emphatic on Friday that he is going to be able to play this week. That could result in big points against a banged-up Tampa Bay secondary that will be missing starting cornerback Jamel Dean and that has been so-so in coverage in many areas this year.

Mike Williams, WR, LA Chargers

Keenan Allen, WR, LA Chargers

Joshua Palmer, WR, LA Chargers

The Titans secondary has been abysmal this year and this game has the opportunity to be the worst performance for this group, as Kristian Fulton and Amari Hooker have been ruled out. Tennessee will aim to slow this contest down to protect its cornerbacks and safeties, so the Chargers will be extra motivated to go even more pass-heavy than they usually do. That makes Williams, Allen, and Palmer high ceiling candidates in Week 15.