NFL Week 15 Weather Conditions
It’s going to be agony city for a few games this week with temperatures below 25 and the Chicago-Green Bay game expected to be played in the low single-digits.
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Here are your NFL Week 15 weather forecasts:
Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears
1:00 PM ET
SOLDIER FIELD
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
Temp: 4°
Precipitation: None
Wind: 16 mph
Wind Gusts: 21 mph
Fantasy Impact: There is cold and there is snot-freezing, misery-inducing, frostbite-type cold. This game may end up being one of the top-10 coldest games in NFL history and will be hard for the players on the field.
Luckily, the turf at Soldier field is heated so hitting the ground won’t feel like hitting concrete, but there’s not much the players can do to escape the cold while on the field. Players bodies and muscles won’t function as optimally as normal since some of the blood that normally feeds their muscles will be limited in order to keep core temperatures up. This effect makes muscles fatigue faster than normal. This will negatively affect their speed, strength, and finesse. All that being said, both teams are used to cold-weather environments and both will suffer equally if that’s any sort of consolation. It’s going to be agony city for everyone at this game.
Green Bay simply has a better team and should do just enough to pull out the win. The cold will be a negative for Aaron Rodgers especially while he’s dealing with a calf injury that’s kept him out of practice all week. He may still wind up with a couple TD passes, but his efficiency is going to take a big hit. There’s no way you’re benching Jordy Nelson, but he may not have a big day unless Green Bay manufactures some shorter routes for him and he gets red zone looks. Green Bay will likely employ a RBBC to keep their running backs fresh. Ty Montgomery should get the bulk of the touches, but his fantasy production will be limited by Christine Michael or another Green Bay running back who will rotate in. Montgomery still has a nice floor because of the touches he’ll see even in this cold. Davante Adams and Randall Cobb just won’t see the quality or quantity of targets to make them trustworthy fantasy options.
Matt Barkley is not a starting caliber player as it is and this game will be a cruel test for the USC product who spent the past couple of seasons in Philadelphia. Chicago will have to lean on Jordan Howard and hope Alshon Jeffery returns to form. Cameron Meredith is a decent sneaky play. This is just not the game to get too cute with a Chicago receiver.
Cleveland Browns at Buffalo Bills
1:00 PM ET
NEW ERA FIELD
ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK
Temp: 23°
Precipitation: Flurries or wet snow possible
Wind: 15 mph
Wind Gusts: 22 mph
Fantasy Impact: The forecast for this game looked bad earlier this week, but seems better now. LeSean McCoy should have a huge day with plenty of touches. Buffalo may make it a point to get the ball in the hands of Sammy Watkins, which would also help Tyrod Taylor. It doesn’t look like the weather will limit Buffalo’s offense- they have coaches for that.
Not that Isaiah Crowell is anywhere near as good as Le’Veon Bell, but Crowell had success last week and faces the same Buffalo defense that was shredded by Bell. Crowell should get plenty of touches to start out this game. Corey Coleman and Terrelle Pryor are sneaky plays this week but quality play from the QB position in Cleveland has been far from a given.
Philadelphia Eagles at Baltimore Ravens
1:00 PM ET
M&T BANK STADIUM
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND
Temp: 48°
Precipitation: Rain
Wind: 18 mph
Wind Gusts: 38 mph
Fantasy Impact: Long story short, forecasts for this game are all over the place so don’t rely on one site if you’re looking for the most up to date weather information yourself. It looks like the majority of forecasts are calling for a cold front to sweep in right around kickoff that will cause a drop in temperature from the upper 50s in the morning to low 40s by kickoff. Winds will kick up right before the game starts and we’ll see rain.
Joe Flacco has a great arm so the rain and wind shouldn’t significantly impact him. The big loser may be Mike Wallace. Wallace probably isn’t in your redraft lineup, but he was a sleeper DFS pick this week owed to his big-play ability The big play seems even less likely with the rain and wind. The winners will be Steve Smith Sr. and Kenneth Dixon whose fantasy day may be padded by a few extra targets than normal.
Carson Wentz also has a strong arm, but Philadelphia’s offense lacks a credible deep threat and will struggle to run against Baltimore with Ryan Mathews-the last man standing in the Philly backfield. This leaves Zach Ertz and Jordan Matthews who are good options. Ertz has seen 28 targets in the past couple of weeks and I would be surprised if he saw fewer than 10 targets in this game.
Tennessee Titans at Kansas City Chiefs
1:00 PM ET
ARROWHEAD STADIUM
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI
Temp: 10°
Precipitation: None
Wind: 5 mph
Wind Gusts: 7 mph
Fantasy Impact: Arrowhead just installed heaters under the turf this year, which seems fortuitous now. These two teams love to run the ball and the cold will make that a certainty.
Alex Smith just isn’t normally a good fantasy option. Travis Kelce has thrived despite low volume so his value should be safe. I wouldn’t trust another Kansas City receiver from a volume perspective. Spencer Ware should get as many touches as he can handle.
Kansas City has given up 100 or more yards rushing in three consecutive games so this is a good matchup for the Tennessee RBs. Demarco Murray should be a nice play this week, but I also think Derrick Henry approaches his career high of 16 carries. Marcus Mariota is a big question mark, but I don’t see him having a huge game in the cold and on the road. Delanie Walker is a reliable and safe outlet for Mariota, but Kansas City has only given up 2 TDs to TEs all year. Rishard Matthews is a risky play but could benefit the most if Tennessee falls behind. Random thought: The more I think about it, the more I like Tennessee for the upset especially if they shut Kelce down.
Detroit Lions at New York Giants
1:00 PM ET
METLIFE STADIUM
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY
Temp: 50°
Precipitation: Rain
Wind: 18 mph
Wind Gusts: 36 mph
Fantasy Impact: This is almost a carbon copy of the Baltimore forecast. Temperatures will drop associated with rain and winds. The difference is, I don’t think the weather will have any impact on how this game would have been played if it was a sunny 70-degree day.
Both teams have inconsistent offenses and funnels what offense they do have to their receivers, namely Odell Beckham Jr. and Golden Tate. Matthew Stafford and Eli Manning have been terrible in fantasy of late although Manning did have a streak of five straight multi-TD games prior to last week. The interesting name to remember here is Rashad Jennings. Home teams have a significant advantage in inclement weather especially if the traveling team is used to playing indoors. Jennings stands to gain the most from the weather, but in general, I would just stay away from this game outside of Beckham and Tate.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals
1:00 PM ET
PAUL BROWN STADIUM
CINCINNATI, OHIO
Temp: 30°
Precipitation: None
Wind: 10 mph
Wind Gusts: 14 mph
Fantasy Impact: None
New England Patriots at Denver Broncos
4:25 PM ET
SPORTS AUTHORITY FIELD AT MILE HIGH
DENVER, COLORADO
Temp: 25°
Precipitation: None
Wind: 3 mph
Wind Gusts: 5 mph
Fantasy Impact: None
Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers
4:25 PM ET
QUALCOMM STADIUM
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA
Temp: 62°
Precipitation: None
Wind: 10 mph
Wind Gusts: 10 mph
Fantasy Impact: None
Carolina Panthers at Washington Redskins
MNF 8:30 PM ET
FEDEX FIELD
LANDOVER, MARYLAND
Temp: 30°
Precipitation: None
Wind: 5 mph
Wind Gusts: 6 mph
Fantasy Impact: None