Beat the DFS Optimizer: Week 15 2025

Did your season long team miss the fantasy playoffs this year? DFS gives you a chance to rebuild each week with healthy players and the FFA Lineup Optimizer can help by taking the guesswork out of constructing a perfect lineup.

Building a winning DFS lineup requires strategy, analysis, and identifying value across salary tiers. Chris and Jesse from FFA each created a Week 15 DFS lineup using a combination of FFA projections, VOR metrics, and the Lineup Optimizer to uncover the most efficient combinations within a $60,000 salary constraint. For a detailed breakdown of how to use this tool for DFS, check out this page.

Optimizer’s DFS Lineup Build (12/11)

For Week 15, the optimizer clearly built around two studs, RB1 Christian McCaffrey ($9,000) and WR2 Puka Nacua ($9,700). The rest of the lineup includes some interesting picks that are worth diving into ahead of the fantasy playoffs.

Breaking Down the Lineup

Ashton Jeanty:

The 6th pick of the 2025 NFL draft presents an interesting value at $6,300 in Week 15. The Raiders rank 2nd last in total yards per game (YPG) and last in rushing with just 72.4 YPG. Starting QB Geno Smith is doubtful, slating Kenny Pickett to start against his former Super Bowl winning team. The Eagles have been without Jalen Carter and unable to stop the run, allowing 281 rushing yards to the Bears in Week 12 and 169 to the Chargers in Week 14. Jeanty only has two games over 20 carries this season, it’s time for the Raiders to establish the run and rely on their top 10 draft pick.

Jameson Williams:

Lions’ WR Jameson Williams ($6,300) has stepped up in big moments already this season, averaging 12.49 FPTS and currently sitting as the WR21. Five years removed from the Goff/Stafford swap, the Lions head to LA to take on the Rams with the highest projected total score for the week at 55.5. In Week 14, the Rams allowed 271 passing yards to the Cardinals and Michael Wilson finished as the week’s WR1 with 11 receptions for 142 yards (37.2 FPTS).

Harold Fannin:

The MAC product, Harold Fannin ($5,700), out of Bowling Green has been one of the most impressive rookie TEs in what’s shaping up to be a loaded draft class for Cleveland. The third round pick is currently TE7, leading the Browns in receiving yards (619), targets (85), and receptions (59) all year. David Njoku is questionable and yet to practice this week, opening up even more work for Fannin. Traveling to Chicago off of a Shedeur Sanders career game, this offense has a new feeling of momentum surrounding it.

Jesse’s DFS Lineup Build – Week 15 (12/11)

For Week 15, I took an approach to build a balanced lineup anchored by Christian McCaffrey. With several elite players in strong matchups, I focused on creating multiple scoring paths while maintaining salary flexibility.

Building the Foundation

I constructed my lineup around Christian McCaffrey ($9,000). Through 13 games, CMC has been elite with 849 rush yards to go with 806 receiving yards and 13 total TDs. The 49ers are leaning heavily on McCaffrey in both the run and pass game, making him one of the safest floor plays this week.

James Cook ($8,300) gave me a second elite RB to pair with CMC. Cook has been great this season, with 10 games with 100+ scrimmage yards. Cook ranks 2nd in the NFL in rushing yards and has 9 total TDs. He offers both volume and efficiency in an elite offense.

RJ Harvey ($6,600) is my value RB play. The Broncos rookie has taken over as Denver’s RB1 with J.K. Dobbins on IR, and he’s thriving in the role. Harvey leads all rookies with 9 total TDs and just posted his first 100-yard scrimmage game, plus a TD in Week 14.

QB and Receiving Corps

Trevor Lawrence ($7,200) gave me solid value at QB. Lawrence has played well recently, with five TDs and no INTs over his last two games. He offers a nice floor without overspending.

For WR, I built around Davante Adams ($8,000). Adams leads the NFL with 14 receiving TDs and has found chemistry with Stafford, particularly in the red zone. Adams had caught at least one TD in six straight games prior to Week 14. This makes him one of the highest-upside receivers on the slate.

I rounded out the WR spots with Jameson Williams ($6,300) and Courtland Sutton ($6,100), both providing mid-tier value in productive offenses.

Filling Out the Roster

Brenton Strange ($5,500) rounds out the TE spot, providing the salary relief needed to afford the elite RB duo while maintaining a reasonable floor in Jacksonville’s offense.

I finished with the Bengals defense ($3,000), a decision based solely on salary to maximize spending on skill positions.

Final Thoughts

This lineup balances two elite RBs with a value rookie breakout, a QB at a reasonable price, and WRs spread across different offenses. The Cook-CMC foundation gives me two of the safest floor plays on the slate, while Harvey’s expanding role provides tournament winning upside. Adams’ red zone opportunities offers high upside, and the mix of players ensures I’m not overly dependent on any single game environment.

Chris’ DFS Lineup Build – Week 15 (12/11)

For my Week 15 lineup, I decided to go RB-heavy with two of the hottest backs in football and a few of the optimizer’s picks to fill out the remaining spots. Over the past two weeks, Gibbs ($9,500) has finished as the RB1 twice, while Bijan ($8,900) posted an RB1 finish of his own. With both backs operating in the top 10 of yards per carry (YPC) and commanding strong workloads, they gave me the perfect high-upside, high-stability foundation to anchor the rest of my lineup around.

Breaking Down the Lineup

Quarterback:

The first round rookie Jaxson Dart ($7,600) was also the optimizer’s pick at QB headed into the Thursday night matchup, and has been one of the biggest surprises of the fantasy season so far. Before going down with a concussion in Week 10, Dart had been averaging 25.76 PPG. In his Week 13 return vs the Patriots, Dart finished as QB21 with only 15.56 FPTS. Now Dart comes out of the bye to play at home with a great matchup vs the Commanders, a defense allowing 382 total YPG (3rd most).

Wide Receivers:

To go along with Jameson Williams, I chose another WR who has already come up big this season as the WR12, Jaylen Waddle ($6,900). His production has been severely impacted by Tua’s subpar play (under 15 completions past 4 games), but he draws a great matchup in Week 15. The Steelers secondary is allowing 244 passing YPG (5th most), and with De’Von Achane questionable they will need to rely on the passing game in a must win game for both teams.

Flex Options:

For my first flex spot, I decided to go with another one of the optimizer’s picks and Dart’s teammate, Wan’Dale Robinson ($5,800). This is great value for the WR14 on the season, especially since losing Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo for the season. Robinson quickly turned into this team’s top target with 73 receptions (10th in the league), 110 targets (8th), and 882 receiving yards (11th). He has averaged 10.6 targets over the past 5 weeks and should see more of the same in a great matchup at home vs the Commanders.

Woody Marks ($6,500) is an impressive fourth round rookie RB, averaging 19.75 carries over the past four weeks. The volume hasn’t fully converted into fantasy production yet (9.32 FPTS per game), but Houston’s offense looks back in rhythm after its Week 14 win over the Chiefs. On the other hand, Nick Chubb has seen a significant decrease in his workload. Totaling just 19 carries in that same four game stretch, and dealing with a rib injury that has held him out of practice this week. Marks is set for another massive workload against a Cardinals defense allowing the 9th most total YPG.

Tight End:

Since Week 1, Juwan Johnson ($5,300) has done nothing but produce. He ranks 8th among TEs in receptions, 7th in receiving yards, and heads into the fantasy playoffs as TE9 with only 3 TDs. This shows his reliable workload with room upside as Tyler Shough continues to acclimate himself in Kellen Moore’s offense. Johnson has run 408 routes (6th) this season, offering the perfect combination of volume, efficiency, and breakout potential while fitting the salary cap of my lineup.

Final Thoughts

This build brings together a strong blend of value, volume, and matchup driven upside across every position. The Dart-Robinson stack gives the lineup some concentrated target and touchdown exposure, while the big play ability Waddle and Williams provide creates a high ceiling. Marks provides a discounted path to heavy touches, and Juwan Johnson offers one of the most reliable TE workloads to round out a well-balanced lineup.

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