Fantasy Football Week 15 Fades: Pair of Chargers highlight players to consider avoiding in the first round of the fantasy playoffs

Welcome to Week 15 of the fantasy football fades and busts of the week! I am your host, Matt Okada, and will be bringing you half a dozen players to avoid each and every week, through the three most critical weeks of the year - the fantasy playoffs! Still looking for the perfect six-for-six ... let's get it.

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As a note, just because a player earns a fade" or bust" designation doesn't automatically mean they should be benched - it depends on the rest of your roster or the options on your waiver wire. But you can expect them to fall short of expectations (when I get them right).

Happy Holidays and, without further ado, here is my list for Week 15 of the 2025 season.

Jordan Love, QB, Packers

The good matchup-bad matchup splits for Jordan Love have been incredibly stark this year and make him an absolute must-sit in Week 15 against the Broncos. In five games against defenses ranked outside the top eight in fantasy points allowed to QBs - Cleveland, Arizona, Carolina, Philadelphia and Minnesota - Love has averaged 10.08 points per game, with a high of 13.36 and single digits in the two most recent. Somehow, he's thrown just two touchdown passes across those five games. Now, he heads into Denver to take on Pat Surtain II and Co. Anything over 15 fantasy points would be a miracle, and while the holiday season is here, I'd rather not rely on miracles - or Toyotathon hype - in the fantasy playoffs. Love is well outside QB1 range this Sunday ... and he might even be outside QB2 range.

What to do Do not start Love. Anywhere. You can legitimately stream guys like Bryce Young, Tyler Shough and Shedeur Sanders over him.

Tony Pollard, RB, Titans

I had Tony Pollard in the Stock Up section of my weekly fantasy stock report here at Yahoo, simply because we could not ignore his performance against the Browns on Sunday. But I'm not ready to trust him just yet either. Prior to that game, Pollard had scored single-digit fantasy points in seven straight games and 10 of 12 games on the year. He also broke off two touchdown runs of 30+ yards ... something he'd also done twice over his prior 56 games. His 25 carries on Sunday were an unusual product of Tennessee's competitiveness against Cleveland - a far less likely prospect against the 49ers this week. If Pollard pulls off another positive performance this week, I'll consider buying in for the rest of the playoffs ... but he'll ride the bench until then.

What to do If you're forced to tail Pollard's Week 14 due to a lack of depth, he could still be a low-end RB3 with viable flex value. But hopefully, you have other options in the fantasy quarterfinals. I'd rather start either Bears back (D'Andre Swift, Kyle Monangai), either Panthers back (Rico Dowdle, Chuba Hubbard), Chris Rodriguez Jr. or even Blake Corum.

Omarion Hampton, RB, Chargers

If you've been waiting most of the year to get Omarion Hampton back and into your fantasy lineups, this is going to be a discouraging blurb. But I'm worried about trusting the rookie in his second week off IR in a split backfield on a struggling offense against the Chiefs defense. The only backs to tag Kansas City for 13+ fantasy points the last 10 weeks have been James Cook, Javonte Williams and Woody Marks in high-volume, bell-cow type performances. Meanwhile, Hampton played just 31% of the snaps on Monday night (to 69% for Kimani Vidal) and saw just 13 carries ... while Vidal handled 14 and Justin Herbert racked up 10 carries of his own. The split should shift towards Hampton as he gets healthier, but it may not happen quick enough to trust him against this defensive front in a game with a low implied total for Los Angeles.

What to do Hampton isn't quite as bench-worthy as Pollard and might even crack the bottom end of RB2 territory for some rosters. But if you can wait another week and start someone like Marks, Jaylen Warren or Rico Dowdle instead, go for it.

Ladd McConkey, WR, Chargers

Remember all that stuff I wrote above about Hampton? Yeah, pretty much ditto that for Ladd McConkey. Unfortunately, with Herbert banged up and the offensive line in shambles, the Chargers' air assault has been stagnant for about a month. The last three games, McConkey has totaled eight catches for 64 yards on 15 targets. And while McConkey was great against the Steelers back in Week 10 - and scored a fortunate touchdown against the Raiders to save an otherwise abysmal Week 13 - both those teams are extremely soft against wideouts. The Chiefs are not. Heading into a tough environment against a tough opponent amid a tough stretch for this offense - and limited by a foot issue in practice to boot - McConkey is nowhere near the must-start" he was in the middle of the season, and might even fall closer to must-sit" territory this week.

What to do McConkey is a borderline WR2 at best, but probably belongs closer to low-end WR3 range against Kansas City. He had a good game against the Chiefs in Week 1, but that was a completely different offensive unit. He has a terrifyingly low floor and a middling ceiling this Sunday.

Jayden Reed, WR, Packers

The hype around Jayden Reed and his return in Green Bay is getting a little out of control. In his first game back, he saw just four targets (and two carries) and totaled 53 scrimmage yards, while running 17 routes. This offense has produced one game all year in which multiple wide receivers hit double-digit fantasy points - in Week 13, prior to Reed's return. They're too diversified to trust, especially for anyone not named Christian Watson, and that includes all the good matchups" in which Love has been solid (see above). Sunday's matchup against Denver lowers the ceiling for the entire passing game, which means it's dangerously low for a guy fresh off injured reserve, who's just as likely to see one target as he is to see 10. If we're fortunate, we might be able to start Reed in Week 16 and/or 17 following increased involvement this Sunday ... but I'm holding out until then.

What to do Find another sleeper" to play in Week 15, and stash Reed away on your bench for the semifinals or the championship. I'd even prefer to go with guys like Jordan Addison, Jerry Jeudy or Kayshon Boutte this weekend.

Colston Loveland, TE, Bears

Since his breakout game against the Bengals, Colston Loveland has been largely lackluster and almost entirely touchdown-dependent for fantasy purposes. He has not had more than four catches or 55 yards in any week this season outside Week 9, and has instead settled into around 3-4 catches for 30-40 yards on a game-by-game basis. Theoretically, that means you're getting either five fantasy points or 11 fantasy points, depending entirely on whether he finds the end zone. Cleveland has allowed just five TDs to TEs on the year, and this game features one of the lowest totals of the week (39.5). All but a few fantasy tight ends are at least somewhat TD-dependent, but there are other streaming options with higher floors than Loveland ... you'd be better off going with one of those guys in the fantasy quarters.

What to do Loveland is a borderline starter in larger leagues, so if you're in the unlucky state of scrounging for waiver-wire options, he can probably be played in your playoff lineup. But if you can pivot to either Ravens tight end (against Cincy) or a higher-floor option like Juwan Johnson, consider making that move instead.