Anxiety, pride, conviction, fear, desire, eagerness, reliance, knowledge, reign, luck, crown and bragging rights. These are big words and concepts that are fueling me as I prepare for fantasy battle. Many folks are not around any more to experience the excitement and stress that fantasy playoffs injects into your soul. I hope that everyone gets exposure to the whirlwind which is being a fan/owner who gets the opportunity of making it to the championship game. At this point you are better than a quarter of the pals in your league and by this time next week the intensity could magnify. Do not look ahead to next week but stare your Week 15 opponent down and exploit every weakness during battle. Know your roster up and down as well as your opponent’s starters and options. Your bench should now be built to keep players away from opponents and organizational depth. WAR, Huh (good god), What is it good for? Absolutely everything… in Fantasyland.

Preparation is learned over time and becomes part of your psyche. But anything can happen on the battlefield and all the preparation in the world cannot gear you up for the letdowns and explosions that boom or bust on each team’s individual roster. Once you lock in your lineup, there is no looking back.. trust me, it is a slippery slope. At community college (before heading to Arizona State University) I learned about the Celtic Warriors and how they would get primed for engagement with the rival opponent. Sounds a lot like what we call Thanksgiving. Plenty of food, desserts, grog… you know stuff you would engorge yourself with before fighting to the death. They would eat until they couldn’t consume anymore and drink endless pours of mead (honey wine). At the end, after being wasted and feeling like Fat Bastard, they would gear up and head into battle. This might have been the last meal of their life, seconds were encouraged. What made them so dangerous and dominating? Being wasted on wine, they would take wet reed and tie up their junk which would create a “fighter frenzy” much like how they tie up a bull’s marbles before someone mounts him at the rodeo. This crazed state of mind would make it extremely easy to raid other territories, smash everything in sight, dismember and ultimately conquer all. I sure hope your league is not like the combat zone back then. I am matched up against one of my long time friends and fantasy foes. As much as I would like to rip the arms off of his team, I am cordial and practice great sportsmanship. Friendships last forever, fantasy titles do not. Enjoy every minute as who knows when you will be back to take it all in again. Be graceful on your descent or during your defeat. No one likes a sour puss!

Half of you will not make it back from the combat zone, have faith that you did all you could to prepare. Below are The Fantasy Fix consensus ranks for your Week 15 tilt. Start your studs and do not get too fancy when locking in your lineups. If you have lineup decisions that are perplexing, hit us up on Twitter as we can give you our insight. We hope that all rosters will receive the Midas Touch, but not all things turn to gold. Make us proud!

A few low owned guys good below for DFS slates or if you are EXTREMELY desperate for a flyer and are out of options.

Gus Edwards (RB – BAL)
Ownership: 5% ESPN, 11% Yahoo
Week 14 Snap Percentage: 33%

Week 14: Four rushes for twenty yards.

Vegas line is at 45 and the Ravens are favored by 16.5 points. Lamar Jackson tweaked his quad this past weekend and Mark Andrews is not 100%. Baltimore is working towards home field advantage and that AFC top seed. Mark Ingram is going to get the team up in the first half and and Gus “The Bus” gonna pick you up at the stop and bring home for the the win as all Jets have been grounded for the holidays. DraftKings $3,800

Marcus Johnson (WR – IND)
Ownership: 2% ESPN, 1% Yahoo
Week 14 Snap Percentage: 89%

Week 14: Hauled in three of seven targets for 105 yards and a touchdown.

Jacoby Brissett’s new found deep threat was let loose on Sunday against the Buccaneers and secured his first 100 yard game in the NFL which included a 46 yard touchdown catch. He also snagged a 50 yard pass and drew a 45 yard pass interference penalty. Marcus Lattimore will be patrolling against the Colts on Monday Night Football, TY Hilton does have a chance to be back in the fold, but Johnson played 89% of the snaps against Tampa Bay and will be a factor in New Orleans. With Eric Ebron, Parris Campbell and Chester Rogers all on Injured Reserve, I expect his usage to stay constant. New Orleans have allowed 300 plus yards receiving in three of the last four and I expect the Colts to be playing catch up. DraftKings $4,300

Kendrick Bourne (WR – SF)
Ownership: 1% ESPN, 2% Yahoo
Week 14 Snap Percentage: 57%

Week 14: Caught three of four targets for 18 yards and two touchdowns.

Kendrick has brought in five of his seven red zone targets for touchdowns. He now has more touchdowns on the season than Julio Jones, DJ Moore and Davante Adams. I know the volume is not high, but he is part of the scoring plan for the Niners. This is a pure dart throw and is very touchdown dependent. Shanahan has lots of faith in KB and so does Jimmy Garoppolo who favors him in important third down and goal line situations as he doesn’t drop many balls thrown his way and is a smart route runner. DraftKings $4,000

Ian Thomas (TE – CAR)
Ownership: 1% ESPN, 3% Yahoo
Week 14 Snap Percentage: 86%

Week 14: Snagged five of ten targets for 57 yards and a touchdown.

If Greg Olsen sits, Thomas could be in the top 12 tight end discussion for your must win playoff match-up. Seattle simply cannot cover the tight end position. They allow opposing tight ends to average 16.8 fantasy points per game. Ten targets from Kyle Allen is a ton of volume and they should have a negative game script as this is a big time spot for Russell Wilson and the Seahawks. Panthers are eliminated from the playoffs and it might just be time to check the inventory. Must start if Greg Olsen is out. DraftKings $3,100

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I would like to thank all of you for reading this far and hopefully enjoying my weekly articles. I will be back here next week for sure providing insight for the FANTASY SUPER BOWL!  Will you be joining me? I sure as heck hope so! DO YOUR HOMEWORK AS FINALS ARE HERE!  Consensus ranks below for your weighing of options. GO, FIGHT, WIN!

Todd D Clark – Fantasy Bro
Follow me on Twitter @Lunchmade