Fantasy Football Week 15 Believe It or Not: Can we trust DeAndre Hopkins again?

Heath Cummings looks at the impact backup quarterbacks could have on receivers heading into Week 16.

Congratulations! You made it to the finals!

At least I'm assuming you did, because otherwise it would hurt too much to read this.

Speaking of hurt there was a backup quarterback that filled in admirably for an injured starter and another that took over because of poor play. Both of them elevated the play of their receivers and knowing how to handle those receivers in Week 16 will be very important.

Speaking of handling receivers, Arizona didn't do a very good job and it's fair to wonder if you even have to fear them anymore. We'll discuss that and more in this week's Believe It or Not.

The Dolphins receivers aren't any worse off with Matt Moore at quarterback.

I joked on last week's podcast that the dropoff from Ryan Tannehill to Matt Moore couldn't be that bad because you were starting at Tannehill. I may have been right for the wrong reason because Moore was pretty good Saturday night against the New York Jets.

Yes, it was the Jets, but Moore threw four touchdown passes and averaged 13.1 Y/A. It was likely the most efficient Fantasy performance of the season for any quarterback, much less any Dolphins quarterback. Jarvis Landry topped 100 yards and scored a touchdown. Kenny Stills caught yet another long score and Dion Sims scored twice. Everyone but DeVante Parker got in on the fun.

With an unfavorable game script and only 18 pass attempts Moore put up a top-five performance and made three receivers Fantasy relevant. Heading into Week 16 there's no reason to doubt the Dolphins pass-catchers any more than you would with Tannehill under center.

Verdict: Believe it. Despite the joke at the top, this is not meant as an insult to Tannehill. It's not really even about praising Moore's talent. It's more about what these weapons are and then combined with Moore's gunslinger mentality.

If anyone gets a boost it's Stills because Moore has favored him over the last five quarters. But it's a small boost if anything. He and Parker remain boom-or-bust No. 3 WRs while Landry is a No. 3 in standard and a No. 2 in PPR. This Bills defense they'll face in Week 16 isn't especially difficult so I could see streaming Moore in 2-QB leagues.

You can start DeAndre Hopkins again.

The Houston Texans finally benched Brock Osweiler after a terrible start against the Jaguars and it sure looked like a good thing for both the team and Hopkins. Savage led the Texans back to victory with a solid, if not spectacular, performance. Most importantly for Fantasy, he seemed more intent on feeding Hopkins. There's really no reason for the Texans to go back t0 Osweiler next week, they've seen what they have.

Hopkins' eight receptions were his most since Week 6. His yardage total was his highest since Week 2. The problem wasn't just that Osweiler was playing terribly (and he was) but that Hopkins' target share had dropped so much from 2015. I wouldn't expect the 2015 target share to return this season, but with Savage under center he should at least be in line for more targets and higher quality targets. As long as Savage starts you can start treating Hopkins like a borderline No. 2.

Verdict: Don't believe it. While I do believe Savage may give Hopkins a better chance, and I'm hopeful that the Texans stick with him, it won't matter in Week 16 because the Texans face the Cincinnati Bengals. We don't think of the Bengals as an elite defense, but against outside receivers that's exactly what they've been for most of this season. Adam Jones just shut down Antonio Brown for the second time. He should have no trouble doing the same to Hopkins, who is a borderline No. 3 at best.

Tyreek Hill is a boom or bust flex at best in Week 16.

Yes, I know Hill just scored another long touchdown. I also know his best game of the season came against the Broncos defense he'll see this week. I don't care. If there's any way I can avoid it I'm benching Hill in the championship game for multiple reasons.

The most important is that this Broncos defense showed yet again that they are in fact elite against the pass by holding Tom Brady without a touchdown pass. Hill and Kelvin Benjamin are the only No. 1 WRs to post big numbers against this defense and I can't imagine the Broncos will let it happen twice.

Finally, we just saw Hill get one touch and it wasn't even a reception. This type of Fantasy production on this few targets is fool's gold. Don't get fooled.

Verdict: Believe it. This has been a trend Hill has kept up for a while now, but it's just so hard to see it lasting. What's worse for Hill is that Jeremy Maclin seems to be back to 100 percent and back in his rightful spot as the team's No. 1 receiver.

The Broncos are in a must-win game and the last thing they're going to do is let Hill beat them again. He has as good a chance of posting a goose egg as he does coming anywhere close to his last performance against the Broncos.

You don't have to fear the Cardinals defense in Week 16.

So, doubting Drew Brees feels a little silly this morning. Same for Brandin Cooks. The New Orleans Saints went into Arizona and had one of their best days offensively of the season against the top-rated defense statistically in the NFL, proving that once again we know nothing.

In the process they likely made owners of Seahawks players feel much better about their chances in Week 17. Arizona has to travel to Seattle in Week 16 after being eliminated from the playoffs. There's no reason for the Cardinals to put up much of a fight and you should feel comfortable starting all of your Seahawks.

Verdict: Don't believe it. I'm not saying you have to bench all of your Seahawks either but this certainly isn't a gimme. For one thing, the Cardinals are exceptionally tough on tight ends and Jimmy Graham has 47 yards combined in his last two games. I would look long and hard for a better option than Graham against this defense.

I would also have a hard time trusting Thomas Rawls. He has exactly one good game on the season and the Cardinals didn't surrender much at all on the ground in Week 15. Rawls is in that category of low-end No. 2 backs that you're just hoping will score a touchdown.

The Seahawks' passing game is where it gets interesting. Russell Wilson is the definition of a borderline No. 1 quarterback this week. You're probably starting him unless you already had someone like Jameis Winston or Dak Prescott on your bench because the waiver wire options aren't great. I'll likely stick with Doug Baldwin as well, but I wouldn't count on Tyler Lockett repeating last week's performance.