Fantasy football projections, Week 15: Colts-Vikings featuring Andrew Luck, .T.Y. Hilton, Kyle Rudolph, more

The Week 15 matchup between the Indianapolis Colts and the Minnesota Vikings features a pass-heavy offense against a top flight defense. We’ve got the fantasy projections courtesy of numberFire.

Andrew Luck and the Colts flopped in a huge home game against the Houston Texans in Week 14. The team now needs to win out and get help in order to make the playoffs. Fantasy owners should expect Luck to be in top form in Minnesota this week as a result. It’s too bad the Vikings post the league’s third-best defense. Only one team has held fantasy quarterbacks to fewer fantasy points than Minnesota. Those factors don’t bode well for Luck’s owners. He’ll be throwing a high-volume of passes on Sunday, but he’s unlikely to crack 300 passing yards or put together a turnover-free game. Luck will do enough to get close to his projections, but nobody should expect him to get too far above them.

The same could be said for wide receiver T.Y. Hilton. He’ll be facing off against a secondary unit that has successfully limited some of the game’s best receivers this season. The good news is Hilton is coming off of back to back 100-yard games. He saw a season high 13 targets last week and turned those into nine catches for 115 yards and his sixth touchdown of the season. There is a chance teammate Donte Moncrief doesn’t play this week thanks to a hamstring injury. That’ll help get Hilton to double digits in targets. He has a better shot to rise above his projections than the quarterback does in Week 15 for that reason.

Tight end Kyle Rudolph managed to find the end zone in Week 14 and finished the game with four catches on eight targets for 60 yards. He’s been one of the most consistent tight ends in fantasy football this season. Despite the fact the Colts are considered porous on the defensive side of the football, they’ve been fairly good at defending tight ends this season. Still, it’s clear that Rudolph has a strong connection with quarterback Sam Bradford. He should continue to pay dividends In Week 15 as the loan reliable safety valve on the team.

Should Rudolph struggle to get open down the middle, perhaps Adam Thielen will do some damage on the outside. Thielen has carved out a niche for himself as the team’s No. 2 receiver after displaying his talents throughout various times this season when Stefon Diggs was on the sidelines due to injury. Thielen caught four out of five passes for 101 receiving yards against the Jacksonville Jaguars last week. It’s the second time this season he’s reached over the century mark. Thielen could provide extra value in PPR formats this week. He’s got a high floor which means he’ll be right around his projections when the final whistle sounds this Sunday.