Booms, Busts, Battlestar Galactica: NFL Week 15

Do you hear that? It's as if millions of fantasy managers suddenly cried out in anguish and were suddenly silenced.

If you were like me, the season finale of The Mandalorian wasn't the only thing that made you cry this weekend. With people either being eliminated from their fantasy playoffs or making the finals in their respective leagues, there were plenty of tears shed Week 15.

Here are some players who either made us weep in joy or in agony.

Booms

Jalen Hurts QB Philadelphia Eagles

If Carson Wentz said he wants out of Philadelphia if he's not the starter, he might want to start making some calls — Jalen Hurts looks like the real deal. The team's surprise second-round pick flipped the script for the Eagles offense and the fantasy managers who took a chance on him. This week, he exploded for 401 total yards and four touchdowns.

This week, he faces a Dallas Cowboys defense who just held Nick Mullens to 13.46 points in standard QB leagues but has allowed over two touchdowns per game to quarterbacks all season. If you're desperate for a quarterback, Hurts could be an exciting play during Championship Week.

Ryan Tannehill QB Tennessee Titans

While everyone fawns over Deshaun Watson, Patrick Mahomes and Kyler Murray, Ryan Tannehill has quietly put together a top-7 fantasy season so far. This week's five-touchdown performance put him ahead of traditional fantasy studs like Lamar Jackson and Tom Brady.

He may struggle this week against the Green Bay defense, who have held quarterbacks under 20 points in three consecutive games.

Tony Pollard RB Dallas Cowboys

With Ezekiel Elliott out with an injured calf muscle, Tony Pollard got a chance to show what he could do as a lead back. He did not throw away his shot, gaining 132 total yards, catching six balls and scoring twice against a San Francisco defense that has only allowed one touchdown to running backs in the previous three games.

In the upcoming week, Pollard faces the Eagles, who haven't allowed more than 80 yards rushing to their last two opponents.

David Montgomery RB Chicago Bears

Before the Bears' Week 11 bye week, David Montgomery was a fading fantasy asset that many managers were desperately trying to unload. After the bye, the Iowa State product has been an absolute workhorse who is driving a lot of people to the fantasy championships.

Montgomery eclipsed 25 fantasy points for the third time in four games, turning 33 touches into 162 yards and two touchdowns against the Minnesota Vikings. Next up is a lip-licking matchup against the hapless Jacksonville Jaguars run defense, who has allowed at least 100 yards rushing to running backs for five straight games.

Busts

Amari Cooper WR Dallas Cowboys

Despite playing without Dak Prescott, Amari Cooper has been doing relatively well with Andy Dalton throwing him the ball…until this past week. The former Alabama receiver fell back down to earth like Superman carrying power-negating gold kryptonite, catching the ball twice for just 10 yards and losing seven yards on his only carry.

He has a great chance to bounce back against a Philadelphia team that just allowed DeAndre Hopkins and the Arizona Cardinals receiving corp. to burn them for 275 yards and two touchdowns.

T.J. Hockenson TE Detroit Lions

Expectations were high for T.J. Hockenson to tip the scales in some managers' favors this week, especially with Matthew Stafford able to suit up at the last second. Instead, he only caught two of his targets for 18 yards and fumbled the ball and a lot of fantasy seasons as a result.

If managers somehow were able to survive Hockenson's dreadful week, he has a great opportunity to bounce back against Tampa Bay—the same Tampa Bay team that has allowed one touchdown for two straight weeks to tight ends.

Robby Anderson WR Carolina Panthers

Anderson gave managers hope for an end of season surge with a 12-178-1 line heading into Week 15. However, when Curtis Samuel and D.J. Moore came back from their respective injuries, the former Temple Owl slipped back into obscurity like he was Jubilee after the first season of X-Men: The Animated Series, catching two of his five targets for 21 yards.

With Moore and Samuels garnering more attention for Teddy Bridgewater, don't expect Anderson to get right against the Washington Football Team who just held the Seattle Seahawks' talented receivers under to just 90 yards collectively.

Kenyan Drake RB Arizona Cardinals

Not only was Kenyan Drake ineffective against a stout Eagles defense (40 total yards), but he was also out-touched by his backup Chase Edmonds 14-12.

Managers are going to have to muster some courage to start him during Championship Week against the San Francisco 49ers rushing defense, although they just allowed Tony Pollard to run all over them.