The Week 15 matchup between the Cleveland Browns and the Seattle Seahawks features two teams with solid lineups on the defensive side of the football. We’ve got the fantasy projections courtesy of numberFire.
Fantasy football projections, Week 15: Browns-Seahawks featuring Johnny Manziel, Doug Baldwin and Russell Wilson
We break down the Week 15 matchup between the Cleveland Browns and the Seattle Seahawks.
Seattle Seahawks
With running backs Marshawn Lynch and Thomas Rawls out this week, the Seattle Seahawks are going to have to rely on the passing game in order to beat the Cleveland Browns. That could mean a big fantasy day for wide receiver Doug Baldwin. Baldwin is absolutely on fire right now. He’s caught eight of his 11 touchdowns on the season in the last three weeks. To put it into perspective, Baldwin has as many touchdowns during this three-game stretch as he’s had in the last two seasons combined. With Jimmy Graham also out, he is clearly the team’s No. 1 fantasy option.
Then again, those fortunate enough to own the services of quarterback Russell Wilson could argue otherwise. Wilson has 13 touchdown passes over the last three weeks. Last week he threw for 292 yards and five scores against the Baltimore Ravens. Doing that against Cleveland is going to be tough but few players in the NFL are playing as well as Wilson is right now. The tandem of Wilson and Baldwin could help fantasy owners stack a lot of points this week.
Cleveland Browns
Johnny Manziel wasn’t a superstar performer against the San Francisco 49ers last week, but he did do enough to help his team seal the win. Manziel threw for 270 yards and a touchdown and an interception. Despite the fact that coach Mike Pettine probably prefers not to have him at quarterback, Johnny Football looks set to start the remainder of the team’s games. It’s going to be tough for him to do anything against Seattle, but you just never know. Perhaps Manziel sparks the offense this Sunday.
If he’s going to do it, Manziel will rely on Gary Barnidge. Barnidge is one of the biggest surprises of the fantasy season. He’s done so well he recently earned himself a three-year contract extension with the Browns. Last week he caught five passes for 84 yards and a touchdown against the 49ers. It’s clear who the team’s top pass catcher is. Barnidge should be a popular red zone target on Sunday. The question mark in the game will be whether Cleveland can get to the red zone often enough to use the tight end to its advantage.
* * *
SB Nation presents: Seahawks fans show what makes the 12th man so special
