Fantasy football projections, Week 15: Panthers-Washington featuring Cam Newton, Rob Kelley, Jordan Reed, more

The Week 15 matchup between the Carolina Panthers and Washington features one team looking towards 2017 team while the other is trying to keep its playoff hopes alive. We’ve got the fantasy projections courtesy of numberFire.

It’s been a disappointing season for quarterback Cam Newton. Not only is his team underachieving, but Newton is also currently playing through a shoulder injury for his throwing arm. An MRI fortunately revealed no structural damage, but the injury has certainly affected Newton’s fantasy output. He’s been held under 200 passing yards and back-to-back games and has just 24 completions and one touchdown pass over that stretch. He’s now completed less than half of his passes in for straight games. It’s hard to trust Newton against Washington. Fantasy owners starting him at this point have to hope he can string together two big games to help lead them to a fantasy title. That might be unrealistic. What’s more likely is another subpar game in Week 15. Newton won’t get close to his projections and Washington.

The most secure option on the Panthers’ roster for offensive production this week is tight end Greg Olsen. He caught four passes for 87 yards against the San Diego Chargers last week. This week he faces a Washington defense that ranks fifth in the league in terms of fantasy points allowed to the tight end position. With an injured quarterback under center, Olsen should see plenty of looks down the middle of the field as the team’s safety valve on Monday night. He’ll surpass his projected totals in Week 15 even if Mr. Newton does not.

Running back Rob Kelley totaled a solid 88 yards on 18 touches against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 14. He also rushed for his fifth score of the season in the game. Although Carolina’s defense has been lackluster throughout most of the season, they’ve picked up the intensity over the last month. If Luke Kuechly is able to play on Sunday and overcome his latest concussion, Carolina may just keep Kelley in check. That said, the total yards the running back amasses should be enough to get him above his Week 15 projections.

While Kelley has a relatively high floor when it comes to his expected totals this week, tight end Jordan Reed likely has the highest ceiling on the roster. Reed caught his only target for a 10-yard again against the Eagles last week. It’s hard to produce when you get one chance to make an impact. Week 15 will be different. Only two teams have given up more fantasy points to the tight end position in Carolina. Reed will be a big part of leading Washington to a crucial and much needed home victory on Monday night.