Three Up, Three Down: Week 15

The fantasy playoffs are here! And if you are reading this, I imagine you are in. Congratulations! But now is not the time to let off the pedal. Each win is critical down the stretch, and your opponents from here on out are only more imposing.

Alfredo Brown and I dove deep into some of these players (Sincere McCormick and Kendre Miller, specifically) on yesterday's episode of The Footballguys Fantasy Football Show. Check it out here, and please subscribe to our YouTube channel for future episodes!

Three Up

QB Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings

The race for MVP likely comes down to Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Saquon Barkley. But Sam Darnold’s Week 14 performance, coupled with an 11-2 record, has thrust him up to sixth in MVP odds. Darnold’s expectations coming into the year was that he’d be a league-average bridge as they got rookie J.J. McCarthy up to speed. But a preseason injury opened the door for Darnold, and he isn’t leaving the room. You don’t have to look beyond the box score to see how well he played last week. He completed 22-of-28 pass attempts for 347 yards, five touchdowns, and no turnovers. Beyond the gaudy numbers, though, he looked poised and confident. He was layering throws through every level of the defense. When the deep ball was open, he fired without hesitation. When it wasn’t, he checked it down with precision. The targets were hyper-funneled to his best playmakers. Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, and Aaron Jones combined for a whopping 93 percent target share. With a very soft remaining schedule against Chicago, Seattle, and Green Bay, confidently plug Darnold in as your weekly QB1.

RB Kendre Miller, New Orleans Saints

It’s been an arduous start to Kendre Miller’s career. Injuries wrecked his rookie season, only allowing him to amass 273 yards over 51 touches in eight games. His sophomore campaign wasn’t off to much of a better start, as he struggled for meaningful play time in between two IR stints. The second placement on IR was a head-scratcher, as there wasn’t an apparent injury. After head coach Dennis Allen was fired, Kendre Miller was reported to be healthy. His 21-day practice window was opened, and he immediately began logging full practices. And his first game back came in the wake of a season-ending injury to Taysom Hill, meaning the opportunity would be there. The 11 touches he garnered were the third-most of his career. Kamara saw 22 touches, which is in line with his season average. However, Kendre Miller looked NFL-ready for the first time in his career, like the player we had watched at TCU. He didn’t have many explosive plays, but he displayed good hands in the receiving game (technically a backward lateral, but you get the idea). His contact balance was regularly on display and he almost never went down on first contact. The power was evident when he pushed a pile into the end zone. The speed showed up in a busted wide-zone run, and he was able to turn upfield for a seven-yard gain. And the one time he did get into the open field, his wiggle caused a defender to grasp at the air as Kendre Miller darted upfield. Kamara is second in the league in touches. He’s 29. The Saints season is essentially over. Don’t be shocked to see the Year 2 back get a bit more run in these final weeks. The Saints have a cakewalk schedule for running backs over the next few weeks. If Kamara has to miss time for whatever reason, Kendre Miller could be a top-15 weekly option.

RB Sincere McCormick, Las Vegas Raiders

After writing this column for the last few seasons, I don’t think anyone has ever graced the “Three Up” section in back-to-back weeks. And I certainly didn’t expect Sincere McCormick to be the first. Last week, I noted McCormick’s big-play upside, which no other running backs in Las Vegas have displayed this season. It’s not that McCormick is the biggest or strongest guy on the field, but he’s a natural runner. He knows how to press leverage at the line and get skinny through creases. Zamir White is on IR. Alexander Mattison is dealing with his own injuries. Ameer Abdullah is a ten-year vet with little left in the tank. McCormick has seen his workload increase in each of the last three games. Don’t be surprised to see head coach Antonio Pierce lean on the third-year running back through the remainder of this season.