Week 15 Sits and Starts Advice for the Playoffs
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Waiver Wire Targets
Quarterbacks
There is a question of who will be the starter in New York for week 15 and for the rest of the season but Mike White is too good to pass up if it is him.
In White’s first start of the year he threw for 315 yards and three touchdowns with no turnovers. His next game was followed up with a 368-yard performance.
In a tough matchup last week against Buffalo in the rain he still managed 268 yards and didn’t turn the ball over. Now he will get to face Detroit who just allowed Kirk Cousins to throw for 425 yards
Running Backs
There are a lot of running backs this week who are good prospective additions to your roster for week 15 depending on other running backs playing status.
There is one back that should hold value no matter what happens for the rest of the fantasy season, unless he himself gets injured.
That is Jerick McKinnon, who doesn’t need that many carries or touches to be effective for Kansas City.
Patrick Mahomes will hit him open in space and he can make plays. Last week he had seven catches for 117 yards and two touchdowns. McKinnon has also had six and eight carries the past two weeks.
Some running backs who can have value depending on injuries to take a shot on in week 15 are: Rex Burkhead from the Texans, Pierre Strong Jr. from the Patriots, and Zamir White from the Raiders.
Take note of injury news from the other running backs on these rosters.
Wide Receivers
There are two players still not getting the fantasy recognition they deserve and one player coming back from injury to target this week.
The two players who have been going under the radar are Zay Jones and Elijah Moore. Jones has now had two great games in the past three weeks.
In week 12 he had 145 yards and in week 14 he had 87 yards with a touchdown. Moore played 68% of snaps in week 13 and 82% of them in week 14 where he caught six balls for 60 yards.
The wide receiver coming off an injury to target is Mecole Hardman.
People may forget that he scored five touchdowns in his last three games before getting injured back in early November and is a favorite target of Patrick Mahomes.
Top Players Week 15
The Chiefs could score a season high this week
The Chiefs’ offense has been rolling all year even without Tyreek Hill. This week they get to play the Houston Texans.
It may be a week where the Chiefs score 50+ points if they decide to continue to pour it on this bad defense.
With Mecole Hardman possibly coming back and the emergence of Isiah Pacheco, this offense is arguably the best in the league.
Patrick Mahomes and his weapons could all be viable fantasy options this week.
Running backs in great matchups
This week some of the top running backs in the NFL have exceptional matchups. The first running back is Christian Mccaffrey who faces the Seahawks.
One major weakness of Seattle is their run defense and Mccaffrey finally got it going on the ground last week.
Another team to target is the Chargers who surprisingly have one of the worst run defenses in the NFL.
They have to face Derrick Henry this week. Finally, after 144 yards last week, Miles Sanders will look to keep it going against a bad run defense in the Bears.
Rookies to Target
New rookie running backs in the mix for week 14
It is getting ridiculous how many rookie running backs are becoming fantasy relevant this season.
Beside Pacheco none of them are elite plays this week but a ton of them should be started in most leagues.
There are five rookies who come in between the 13th and 27th ranked running backs this week. That also doesn’t include Kenneth Walker III who could play this week and fall in that range as well.
Any of them will make for good plays this week with Pacheco and Zonovan Knight headlining the group.
Rookie wide receivers are blossoming
There is one standout rookie wide receiver this week and that is Garrett Wilson of the Jets.
Wilson gets a terrific matchup against the Lions and has been going crazy since essentially week eight for his fantasy owners.
Wilson is not only makes a good rookie to play but makes for one of the best wide receivers on the entire week.
Others coming in the 23 to 33 range of wide receivers this week include some guys with high upside in Christian Watson, Chris Olave, and George Pickens.
These guys are all somewhat limited by the offense that they are in as they don’t get that many targets but they still have fantasy value and can make big plays.
Week 15 Busts
Avoid teams against the 49ers
The Seattle Seahawks have been great this season. They lost last week to Carolina who likes to control the game by running the ball and playing tough defense.
That is exactly what the 49ers do but to a greater extent. The 49ers may shut out Seattle, especially without Kenneth Walker III if he doesn’t play.
Geno Smith and his wide receivers make for questionable plays this week.
The Bears offense may dry up this week
The Bears offense has been a pleasant surprise this season. It was a rough start for them but behind Justin Fields increased production running the ball and also throwing, this team has made a legit offense somewhat based off of what Philadelphia is doing.
This week they play that team that they are mimicking, yet Philadelphia does it way better and has a defense that is twice as good.
This Eagles’ defense has seen Jalen Hurts in practice so they should be ready to shut Fields down as well as the rest of the offense.
Week 15 features the first week since week five of this NFL season that features every single team. There are no bye weeks for any teams so every player will be fair game for fantasy lineups this week.
Many leagues are in the fantasy football playoffs at this point in the season so this is where it really counts. To prepare for week 15 let’s look at the top waiver wire pickups, players to sit or start, and compare some players one on one for your roster spots.
RB’s for Week 15
The best pickup of the week comes at running back, as it usually does. This is the position with the most turnaround due to injuries and most of the top fantasy plays are usually lead running backs so finding one on the waiver wire is a huge bonus.
Chris Carson and Rashad Penny
The Seattle Seahawks may have finally found their go to running back after Chris Carson went down in week four. That is Rashad Penny who finally got more than 10 carries in a game this year and produced big numbers with those carries.
The Seahawks had gone with Alex Collins for most of the season in place of Carson but that hadn’t been going great. Now Penny looks like he should be the lead back for the rest of the season. This makes him one of the best pickups on the year as he should be one of the better running backs for the fantasy playoffs.
Penny managed 137 rushing yards and two touchdowns in week 14.
Craig Reynolds
Another running back who found himself in a starting role in week 14 is the Detroit Lions Craig Reynolds. He was given 11 carries against a tough Denver defense but managed 83 yards with them and also accounted for two catches.
With Deandre Swift and Jamaal Williams likely out again in week 15, Reynolds should be another good running back to pick up and play for week 15.
WR’s for Week 15
At wide receiver some players stepped up big in week 15 and look like they could be solid, if not great, additions to have for the rest of the season.
A.J. Green
The first is the Arizona Cardinals free agent pick up from this off season in A.J. Green. Green was once a dominant wide receiver and one of the best in the entire league. He dealt with injuries for the past few seasons but early in the year he proved he still had it.
In the first six weeks he had six touchdowns and also a 112 yard game. After that he didn’t do much until week 14.
With Kyler Murray back and Deandre Hopkins looking like he may never fully recover from that hamstring injury this year, Green may be their No. 1 wide receiver for the rest of the year. He is still big and fast and caught a season high seven of his season high 10 targets for 102 yards.
Allen Lazard a viable pickup?
The next is Allen Lazard for the Green Bay Packers. With the Green Bay Packers it is always a question of who will be the No. 2 wide receiver for Aaron Rodgers besides Davante Adams.
Lazard hasn’t been a target monster this year with week 14 being his highest target amount with just seven and the week before he had six. Now with Randall Cobb down with an injury it opened up more for him. Marquez Valdes-Scantling is the other possible No. 2 option in Green Bay but Lazard is still a viable pickup.
QB’s for Week 15
Taysom Hill
Taysom Hill is the top quarterback pick up for the third week in a row and he just won’t get above 50% owned on most sites. He is still available and should be a borderline top 10 quarterback every week for the rest of the year.
Hill has been the starter for the last two weeks for the New Orleans Saints and he hasn’t really had a good passing game yet but managed over 20 points in both games with 26 last week. This is because even if he doesn’t throw well he will make up for it with his legs. He had over 100 rushing yards in his first game as a starter and then last week had 73 rushing yards with two touchdowns.
Tua Tagovailoa
Other pickups could be Tua who finds himself in a great matchup when the Miami Dolphins face the New York Jets or Justin Fields for the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings game in week 15.
TE’s for Week 15
Gerald Everett
Gerald Everett is one of the top tight end pick ups for this week. He has been getting more involved in the Seattle Seahawks lineup for the last handful of weeks and especially in the red zone.
Everett has two touchdowns in the last three weeks and dropped a wide open touchdown as well last week. He also has games with nine and eight targets since week 10. The Seahawks are just starting to get rolling these past few weeks and Everett will continue to be a big part of that.
Ricky Seals-Jones
Another is Ricky Seals-Jones who now is back as the Washington Football Team’s top tight end after Logan Thomas has endured a season ending injury.
Running Backs to start in Week 15
James Robinson
James Robinson was off to a great start this season after the Jacksonville Jaguars made him their feature back. He was a consistent player who always got the job done from a fantasy perspective even in games where they were losing or getting blown out which is a hard task for running backs to do.
Recently he has not been the same. Robinson ultimately fell into two matchups the last two weeks that were too much for even him to overcome. Those were against the Los Angeles Rams and the Tennessee Titans who both held him under four fantasy points.
This week however, Robinson looks to be a great play yet again against the Houston Texans. The Texans have been getting picked on by a lot of offenses this year and the Jaguars should be able to do the same here making Robinson a start in week 15.
Antonio Gibson
Another running back to start is Antonio Gibson who was held in check in week 14 for the first time since week eight. Look for a good bounce back game for the Washington Football Team’s star running back.
After getting just 10 carries in week 14 look for him to get between 19 and 29 yet again like he did in weeks 10 through 13.
Running Backs to sit in Week 15
Players to sit this week at running back are any of the Buffalo Bills running backs. There are three there and they cannot be trusted in this offense. The Bills just aren’t giving running backs handoffs and there are three to go around. Singletary and Moss were viable options earlier in the year and more recently Breida was but now all of them should be sits in week 15.
Wide Receivers to start in Week 15
D.K. Metcalf
A big name wide receiver has struggled this year and especially lately. That is D.K. Metcalf of the Seattle Seahawks. The Seattle Seahawks have just got going and Russell Wilson looks to be back to himself. This should turn the season around for Metcalf as Tyler Lockett has turned his season around recently in the last two games with Wilson back.
Metcalf has been slept on but should have plenty of opportunities in what will likely be a high scoring game against the Los Angeles Rams in week 15 making him a good start.
Devante Parker
Another wide receiver to start is Devante Parker for the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins running game may be very minimal in week 15 as they have a lot of injuries at the position. Tua has been great for the Dolphins however, and Parker looks like his favorite wide receiver target.
Parker has been quietly having a really good year when healthy and this is a great matchup to take advantage of against the New York Jets in week 15. His season average is eight targets per game and he could easily eclipse that in this game.
Wide Receivers to sit in Week 15
Julio Jones is a wide receiver who has to be sat in week 15 for the Tennessee Titans. Jones just hasn’t been a big time play maker and didn’t look great in his return to the lineup in week 14. He got a handful of short passes but didn’t do much after the catch or on deep balls which is where Jones usually excels.
Quarter Backs to start in Week 15
Dak Prescott
A quarterback to start this week is another player who has been struggling but finds himself in a great matchup is Dak Prescott for the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys have been doing really well as a team but that hasn’t translated into big fantasy games for Dak the past two weeks.
This week brings a great matchup for Dak Prescott and the Cowboys as they can get the offense rolling against the New York Giants. Dak finally has all of his targets healthy in Amari Cooper, Ceedee Lamb, and Michael Gallup. This should be a good week to start Dak.
Quarter Backs to sit in Week 15
A quarterback to sit this week should be Joe Burrow for the Cincinnati Bengals. It’s not that he is a bad player this week and could have a decent game but he has a tough matchup with the Denver Broncos. With all teams playing this week he looks like he may be outside of the top 15 fantasy quarterback scorers this week.
Tight Ends to start in Week 15
George Kittle
George Kittle has solidified himself as the best fantasy tight end now with back to back massive games of 181 yards and 151 with three touchdowns in his last two games. He is an obvious start but another good start this week with a full slate of tight ends is Dallas Knox for the Buffalo Bills.
Knox has been a touchdown machine this year with eight touchdowns on the year. He even has been receiving more targets recently with six and nine the last two weeks.
Tight Ends to sit in Week 15
A tight end who has fallen off a bit is Cole Kmet and he can be sat this week. With Justin Fields at quarterback he has a lower ceiling and floor than with Dalton.
Comparison of the players for Week 15
For this last section we are going to look at players in week 15 who you may have on your rosters and compare them to other players to see who is the better play this week.
RB’s comparison for Week 15
The first position to look at is running backs and specifically ones that are borderline players to start in week 15.
Michael Carter vs Rashad Penny
The first is the New York Jets rookie Michael Carter who is returning from injury this week. He was just beginning to find himself before he got injured and had some nice games including a game where he had nine catches for 95 receiving yards and also an eight catch game. He finds himself coming back to a tough matchup against a good Miami Dolphins defense. His pass catching ability is his big upside that can be a huge boost in ppr leagues.
Compared to Rashad Penny with the Seahawks Carter looks like a little bit better of a play. Penny has a tough matchup against the Rams and Carter should be matchup proof because he can get eight or nine catches in a game. Unless the Jets say he will be limited in his return, Carter looks better than Penny in week 15.
Javonte Williams better than Carter?
Javonte Williams has established himself as a great fantasy running back. Getting Gordon back last week didn’t hurt him that much as the Broncos gave him 16 targets and he delivered two touchdowns.
Williams is a better play this week than Carter even with Gordon playing this game too.
Chuba Hubbard, Devonta Freeman or Duke Johnson
A deeper running back to look at here is Chuba Hubbard from the Carolina Panthers. Hubbard is the lead back now but only had 10 touches in his first game with that role last week. He should be able to improve on that in week 15 but a player like Devonta Freeman looks better.
Freeman has never been a player who requires a massive touch amount this year but he usually can get more than 13 and the Ravens may run him more without Jackson this week. Still he looks better than a player like Duke Johnson who will fill in for the Dolphins but may not be used much as they will look to pass more heavily.
WR’s comparison for Week 15
Amari Cooper looks better than Van Jefferson
At wide receiver an interesting player to look at this week is Van Jefferson of the Los Angeles Rams. Jefferson is arguably the second wide receiver option behind Cooper Kupp but OBJ might be filling that role now.
Still Jefferson has produced as he has a touchdown in each of his last three games. He looks good again this week against Seattle in what could be a shootout. He looks like he could be a better play than Chase Claypool this week who is playing the Tennessee Titans.
Claypool has been good but he only has one touchdown on the year and that was in week five. Jefferson has a better touchdown and big play upside than Claypool that makes him a better play in week 15.
A player who does look better than Jefferson in week 15 is Amari Cooper. Cooper was back in the lineup for the second straight week and he looked good. He had a solid outing but should be in line for an even better performance against the New York Giants this week.
Adam Thielen and K.J. Osborn
It looks like Adam Thielen will be out again this week that makes K.J. Osborn a good play again. He had seven and nine targets with a touchdown in each of his last two games without Thielen and he looks better than a player such as DeVonta Smith.
Smith has had only two catches in each of his last two games and with Hurts at quarterback and the Eagles running a lot he has limited upside and a low floor.
Brandon Aiyuk or Osborn
A player who looks better than Osborn is Brandon Aiyuk who was used more than Deebo Samuel last week in the receiving game. Samuel is almost a running back at this point, especially with all the injuries they have at the position in San Francisco, so Aiyuk looks better than Osborn this week.
QB’s comparison for Week 15
Russell Wilson vs Ben Roethlisberger
Russell Wilson is an interesting player to look at for your week 15 quarterback position. He has been getting back to form with four touchdowns and just one interception the last two games. He now has a tougher matchup against the Rams, however.
Wilson still looks like a good play but there could be better options out there. He has only one 300+ yard game this year and the Seahawks have been committed to the run this year.
This could be a game where they need Wilson to throw a ton though and he does look better than another quarterback such as Ben Roethlisberger who most likely won’t get that extra rushing bonus for 15 to 25 yards that Wilson can.
Roethlisberger is coming off of a 300 yard game but it is not expected he hits that in this game against the Titans.
Taysom Hill
Taysom Hill looks better as he makes up for his bad passing games with his running ability. This week Hill should throw a lot more and could have a big game.
TE’s comparison for Week 15
Ertz better tight end for fantasy this week than Noah Fant
Zach Ertz for the Arizona Cardinals has been a player they are trying to force the ball too. So far he has really only had one good game for them but it was a killer game with 88 yards and two touchdowns. He has a juicy matchup against the Detroit Lions and looks like a nice play in week 15.
Ertz should be a better tight end for fantasy this week than Noah Fant. The Broncos are so committed to the run and have struggled in the pass game.
Fant may get his normal three or four catches for 40 yards but Ertz has higher upside and about the same floor.
Mike Gesicki even better than Ertz
Mike Gesicki is a tight end who looks better than Ertz in week 15 though. Gesicki has big upside and less competition for targets. He is also arguably Tua’s favorite target on the team and in a good matchup against the Jets.
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