Joe Burrow, Brock Bowers, Chiefs Stars Among Biggest Disappointments In Week 15 For Your Fantasy Football Playoff Matchups

The fantasy football playoffs are where heroes are born and hearts are broken. In Week 15, you likely entered your postseason matchup feeling good about your roster. Maybe you didn't feel so good but started TreVeyon Henderson or Travis Etienne Jr. and suddenly, everything is going to turn out OK. Some players, on the other hand, had less-than-stellar performances that might have left you screaming at your TV.

We're going to go over players who failed to live up to expectations on Sunday in a big spot for your lineup. 

Joe Burrow goes cold at worst time against Ravens

Burrow had all the makings of a playoff hero. He was able to shake off his toe injury that kept him out most of the season to return just ahead of the fantasy postseason, producing QB11 and QB3 finishes the past two weeks for managers. Burrow and the Bengals still had some hopes of making the actual playoffs going into Week 15 and the matchup against Baltimore lined up well for fantasy scoring.

It turned into a nightmare scenario for Burrow managers and Cincy. 

Burrow failed to reach double-digit fantasy points, finishing with 7.5 points behind 225 passing yards and two INTs, a 58.2 passer rating. It was one of the worst performances we've seen from the veteran QB in a big spot. It's tough to imagine many Burrow managers surviving that output to advance in the fantasy playoffs. Plus, the Bengals aren't playing for anything other than pride next week versus the Dolphins. That could echo to skill position players like Ja'Marr Chase and Chase Brown. In PPR formats, both Chase and Brown got to double-digit points for you. If you advanced with either player, hopefully Burrow can bounce back but temper expectations with the Bengals' slim postseason chances now nonexistent. 

Raiders fall flat again in shutout loss to Eagles

It's been a season of extreme highs and lows for Brock Bowers and his managers. Same goes for rookie RB Ashton Jeanty. You're likely ready to move on to 2026 if you rostered either player. Bowers caught six balls for 28 yards in Week 15 versus the Eagles with Kenny Pickett under center for the injured Geno Smith. Jeanty failed to reach double-digit fantasy points for the third straight game with 42 total yards on 13 touches (four catches). If you played either in non-PPR — yikes, our apologies. 

To make matters even worse, if you have to start either player next week, it's against the best defense in the NFL in the Houston Texans. Hopefully, you've got some depth on your roster to withstand that potential blow. If not, you'd better hit the waiver wire.

Oh, how the mighty Chiefs hath fallen

For the first time since 2014, Kansas City won't be in the playoffs. The Chiefs fell 16-13 to the Chargers at home on Sunday, and with a few other teams winning, the defending AFC champs were knocked out of postseason contention. QB Patrick Mahomes also suffered what appeared to be a bad knee injury late in the loss. Mahomes finished with no TDs on 189 passing yards and one pick, a lone rushing TD saving his fantasy day to an extent (14.06 points). Even with that, it wasn't nearly enough to get you there in a playoff matchup. 

With Mahomes and the offense struggling again, WR Rashee Rice posted a mediocre line with 7-51-0 on 11 targets. It was his second straight game without double-digit fantasy points after posting back-to-back games with 20+ points. It's going to be difficult to trust Rice (and really anyone on K.C.) moving forward if Mahomes is sidelined. It also comes at the worst time with a dream matchup in Week 16 versus the Titans. Perhaps Gardner Minshew can channel some of that magic and save some of these Chiefs' skill position players if he's forced to start.