At this point in the season, just about every fantasy call is a Close Call. Because in most leagues, Week 15 means the playoffs are here.
Sure, it doesn't take a ton of rumination to slot Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, and Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride in starting lineups. But it doesn't take that long a trip down the weekly rankings for the questions to start piling up. Questions that could determine whether managers are playing on in Week 16 or whether the season ends this week, just short of the finish line.
In the fantasy playoffs, there are no "gimme" games. Teams are very rarely a prohibitive favorite. Odds are that you and your opponent are evenly matched. You are either a narrow favorite or a slight underdog. It's going to be a close game, one way or another.
That makes every single lineup decision critical. Every player in starting lineups could be the difference between moving on to Semifinals Week or packing it in until 2026. The difference between joy and despair.
And if that doesn't make lineup calls Close Calls, nothing will.
Every week here at Footballguys, Close Calls will make a case for a pair of closely-ranked fantasy options—and then make the call on which player will be more productive.
For the sake of this exercise, we'll only consider quarterbacks and tight ends outside the top 10, running backs outside the top 20, and wide receivers outside the top 30 in the Footballguys Weekly Rankings.
Week 15 Close Calls
Jared Goff, Detroit (QB16) vs. Jordan Love, Green Bay (QB18)
The Case for Goff: Jared Goff is having a very Jared Goff season—after finishing as fantasy's QB9 in 2024, the 31-year-old is 10th in fantasy points among quarterbacks this year. Goff is fifth in the NFL with 3,334 passing yards. His 26 passing touchdowns are tied with Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys for second in the NFL. He has a robust passer rating of 110.2 and sits at the helm of an offense loaded with skill-position talent.
The Case for Love: Love hasn't posted numbers as lofty as Goff's this year, but that isn't to say he isn't playing well—the fifth-year veteran is completing just over 67 percent of his passes for just over 3,000 yards with 22 touchdowns against just four interceptions. Love sits 14th in fantasy points per game among quarterbacks, and while the loss of star tight end Tucker Kraft was a blow, the return of No. 1 wide receiver Christian Watson has offered Green Bay a downfield element the team lacked earlier in the season.
The Verdict: Goff. Neither of these quarterbacks has a good matchup in Week 14—Goff faces a Los Angeles Rams team that ranks third in the league in scoring defense, while Love travels to Denver to face a Broncos team that has allowed the third-fewest yards per game in the league this year. The Rams are a marginally better fantasy matchup, and weather won't be a factor at SoFi Stadium—so Goff has the edge.
D'Andre Swift, Chicago (RB23) vs. Woody Marks, Houston (RB25)
The Case for Swift: As a whole, Swift has had a solid season for fantasy managers—despite sharing carries with youngster Kyle Monangai, Swift is well on his way to setting a career-high in rushing yards. He has averaged 4.8 yards per carry this season, caught 28 passes, scored half a dozen touchdowns and ranks inside the top-20 running backs in PPR points. He has also logged at least 15 touches in four of the past five weeks.
The Case for Marks: At the beginning of the season, exactly zero people expected Marks to be Houston's lead back 14 weeks into the season. But that's where we are—the rookie logged a whopping 26 carries last week against Kansas City and found the end zone. Marks hasn't been super-productive on a per-touch basis—he's averaging just 3.5 yards per carry. But Marks is averaging over 20 touches a game over the past month and seeing more positive game scripts with the Texans on a five-game winning streak.
The Verdict: Marks. Swift is the more talented and accomplished player and has been far better on a per-carry basis heading into a matchup with a Cleveland defense that was just savaged by the Tennessee Titans on the ground. But even after that game, the Browns are surrendering less than 108 yards per game on the ground. The Arizona Cardinals, on the other hand, are giving up 123.5 rushing yards per game and the fourth-most PPR points to running backs.
