Fantasy Matchups for Week 15
by The Stat Guy, Scott Lange
The more things change, the more they stay the same. I nailed the Colorado rout over Orlando last week and this week, I see plenty of teams fighting for playoff spots in the winners circle.
Last Week's Record: 5-4
Season Record: 46-26
LAS VEGAS AT ARIZONA
The Las Vegas Gladiators come into this game on a four game losing streak. The main reason has been the lack of defense, as the Glads are giving up the 2nd most points in the AFL. Arizona has lost two straight and need some home cooking fast, having fallen out of 1st place in the Western Division behind a hot San Jose team. The Rattlers are sharp as a tack at home and will have some extra juice flowing as they try to snap their two game losing streak. The Las Vegas secondary allowed Utah QB Andy Kelly to abuse them for 300 yards and nine touchdowns. Arizona QB Shedrick Bonner will shred the Las Vegas secondary, overmatched as they are against OS Curtis Fagan and WR Randy Gatewood. Arizona dismantled Las Vegas in Week 8 and I see nothing changing as the Rattlers win by double figures. My fantasy players for this game are Arizona QB Shedrick Bonner and WR Randy Gatewood, with Bonner throwing for 300+ yards and at least six touchdowns. If you have either one of these guys in your fantasy playoffs, now is the time to start them.
Arizona 58 Las Vegas 45
DALLAS AT PHILADELPHIA
The first thing I see looking at this game is the point spread. For some odd reason, the Soul are favored by two points? Is this the same Soul team that has lost two straight has a 7-7 record? Is this the same Dallas team that is 7-0 on the road and has a 12-2 record? This tells me that Soul QB Tony Graziani is playing, despite being listed as questionable. I guess there is the possibility that Dallas my come out with less juice, since they have secured the top seed within their conference while the Soul are fighting for a playoff spot. But I've watched the Soul practically the whole year and they are a tough team to figure out. You know what you are getting when you face the Desperados. You're getting the best QB in the league, Clint Dolezel, leading the highest scoring squad in the AFL. I just don't see how Philadelphia wins this game, even if Dallas does come out flat. If he plays, expect Graziani to come out with a little rust on the hammy, especially after being out for a couple of weeks. The Dallas defense is not the defense you want to face when you're a QB that has been banged up and has not played in a month. This game will be close, but in the end Dallas will pull out the win. My fantasy player for this game is Dallas QB Clint Dolezel. Any fantasy playoff team should NOT start Graziani, as he'll be in for a long day and may not last the whole game.
Dallas 52 Philadelphia 48
TAMPA BAY AT COLUMBUS
Now this is the team Tampa Bay fans wanted to see. Last week, Tampa Bay QB Shane Stafford threw for 300 yards and totaled seven touchdowns to lead the Storm past a hot Kansas City team. Columbus kept their playoff hopes alive by winning on the road in Austin. Defensively, the Destroyers stifled the Wrangler offense, forcing two turnovers. I love the way Columbus is playing defense and I see them causing problems for the Storm, who haven't played well against good defensive teams. Both teams are 7-7 on the year and fighting for the playoffs, but the defense and the home field factor for the Destroyers will allow them to win on a late Mark Lewis field goal. My fantasy players for this game will be Columbus WR David Saunders and TB QB Shane Stafford.
Columbus 45 TB 42
GEORGIA AT NEW YORK
This will be the most entertaining AFL game of the week. The Dragons come into this game with plenty of confidence having won three straight, while the Force come in with a deadly offensive attack. The Force got after the Rush last week defensively, allowing only 20 points, while the Dragons defense had three sacks and knocked Soul QB Matt Sauk out of the game. Don't let these defensive performances fool you though, as these teams will take turns lighting up the scoreboard this week. I expect both offensives to come out full throttle and do some damage through the air. For Georgia, it's all about QB Matt Nagy who's got a plethora of options at wide receiver. OS Chris Jackson, WR Derrick Lee, and WR Jamin Elliot are all capable of exposing the Dragons secondary. Nagy should be able to chew up the Dragon secondary to the tune of 300 plus yards and at least six scores. For the Dragons, there has been a Kevin Swayne sighting! The Dragons Offensive Specialist finally snapped out of his funk, producing eight catches for 66 yards and five touchdowns. Along with WR Mike Horacek, these two will give the Georgia secondary head aches. But now it's decision time. I've been chirping for weeks about how well the Dragons have been playing, however, the Georgia offense scares me. I just don't see the Dragons defense being able to slow down Nagy, Jackson, Lee, and company. Georgia wins this game on a leaping grab by WR Derrick Lee late in the fourth quarter to secure the win. My fantasy players for this game are WR Mike Horacek of the Dragons and QB Matt Nagy of the Force.
Georgia 65 New York 60
UTAH AT CHICAGO
Talk about how adding a veteran QB can change a team? Utah QB Andy Kelly has played the Blaze right back into the playoff picture by leading them to three straight victories. Kelly lit up the Las Vegas secondary last week for nine touchdowns, as the offense poured in 63 points. The Chicago Rush got embarrassed last week on the road by Georgia to the tune of 55-20. The Rush has all sorts of problems defensively and has gotten poor QB play from both Matt D'Orazio and Michael Bishop. And to confuse people even more, the Rush are one point favorites over a hot QB and a team that has won three straight? Utah is making a serious charge for the playoffs folks, and I believe they go into Chi-town and handle the Rush. Andy Kelly is playing too well for the Blaze and has too many weapons for the Chicago secondary. I expect the veteran to keep the momentum going, producing some solid stats in the process. My fantasy players for this game will be Utah's QB Andy Kelly and his partner in crime, OS Siaha Burley.
Utah 48 Chicago 42
ORLANDO AT KANSAS CITY
The Predators walked into an angry Colorado team last week, with the defense giving up 75 points. The Kansas City Brigade was stopped by a stingy Tampa Bay defense playing without their two best Defensive Specialists. In spite of the Colorado game, the Preds are very sound defensively, and I see them rebounding this week and causing problems for the Brigade. The Kansas City team only goes as far as QB Chris Sanders will take them. He must play a mistake free ball game Saturday if the Brigade are to win. The Predators are playing for too much to lose this game, and QB Joe Hamilton will put the team on his back and somehow walk out of Kansas City with a hard fought victory. The Kansas City defense is horrendous, making QB Joe Hamilton my fantasy player for the game. Expect him to post some sick stats.
Orlando 48 Kansas City 45
NASHVILLE AT LOS ANGELES
Would you like the ingredients for a bad AFL team? The answer is A Bad Defense. Just ask the Avengers. The Avengers allowed five rushing touchdowns last week to the Sabercats and what does Nashville love to do? Pound the rock with RB Dan Alexander. Not only did the Avengers play bad defense last week, but offensively they scored only 36 points. QB Sonny Cumbie played perhaps his worst game of the year, throwing two costly interceptions. The Kats have now lost three straight and must step it up defensively to win this game. Last week, the Kats defense produced three sacks and three forced fumbles, but in the end came up just short against the Rampage. The Avengers are a bad team for a reason, and I think the Kats have enough talent of both sides of the ball to win this game. My fantasy player for this game will be Nashville's RB Dan Alexander, who should find pay dirt at least two times. I also see Nashville's OS TT Tolliver going over 100 yards and finding the end zone.
Nashville 48 Los Angeles 40
COLORADO AT SAN JOSE
Could these be the two teams fighting it out for the Conference Championship and an Arenabowl berth in a couple of weeks? The Colorado Crush come into this game fresh of a 75 point effort against the Predators, while the Sabercats dominated the Avengers on the road. This game features several players who will have an impact fantasy-wise for teams in the playoffs. For San Jose, it's all about The Grieb, as in QB Mark Grieb. Grieb has grown quite fond of OS Ben Nelson and WR James Roe this year, as 47 of Grieb's 70 TDs have gone to the duo. The San Jose attack also produces on the ground, in the form of FBs Phil Glover and Brian Johnson. Last week, Johnson ran for three TDs while his counterpart Glover ran for two more. For Colorado, there is no one else but Mr. Excitement, the Human Highlight Reel, OS Damien Harrell. The guy is simply unstoppable, with Crush QB John Dutton throwing 51 of this 83 TDs to Harrell. This combination is going to be setting records together for a long time to come. San Jose has a lot of weapons at their disposal and has won five straight and I see the Sabercats playing their best game of the year, scoring just enough points to slide past the Crush. In what will be one of the better games of the season, the Sabercats get a last TD catch by WR James Roe to defeat the Crush! My fantasy players for this game will be SJ's combo of Roe and Nelson. For Colorado, my fantasy player will be the combination of Dutton and Harrell.
San Jose 65 Colorado 62
GRAND RAPIDS AT AUSTIN
In what is a must win for the Wranglers, Austin will host a Grand Rapids team riding a two game winning streak. At 8-6, Austin is in the midst of a two game losing streak, needing to rebound against the revitalized Rampage. Grand Rapids is the only AFL team winless on the road, but I for one would not be surprised to see Grand Rapids pull off the upset. I'm going with my gut feeling though, which tells me that Austin finds a way to win. The Rampage are nine p9-point underdogs, which is a lot for a team that has been playing solid football lately. If you're a betting man, take the points, as I see Grand Rapids keeping this game closer than the experts think. My fantasy players for this game are Rampage OS Anthony Hines and Austin WR Kevin Nickerson.
Austin 48 Grand Rapids 42
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