First of all, congratulations to those of you who have made the fantasy playoffs or advanced to the 2nd round! Below is a list for my best starts and sits for Week 15. Before we take a look at this week’s best start/sit options, let’s see how accurate my predictions were from Week 14:
Best Start of Week 13: Amari Cooper (WR1)
Worst Start of Week 13: Calvin Ridley (WR95)
Best Sit of Week 13: Matthew Stafford (QB31)
Worst Sit of Week 13: Cameron Brate (TE8)
Now, let’s take a look at this week’s top starts and sits:
Quarterbacks
Must Start:
Jared Goff (LAR @ PHI) After the Rams’ and Goff’s terrible Sunday night loss against the Bears in Week 14, I expect them to bounce back in a big way against the Eagles’ 30th ranked pass defense. The Rams passing attack should come into this game attacking the Eagles suspect secondary that has been beaten up all season, and just allowed Dak Prescott to throw for 455 yards and 3 touchdown passes. If you managed to win your game last week with Goff’s lowest point total game in fantasy football, I wouldn’t bench him this week as he has a great matchup and should help you extend your fantasy season.
Honorable Mentions:
Tom Brady (SEA v MIN)
Lamar Jackson (BAL v TB)
Baker Mayfield (CLE @ DEN)
Josh Allen (BUF v DET)
Must Sit:
Nick Foles (PHI @ LAR) Carson Wentz is likely to miss the remainder of the season, not suiting up to face the team that he played when he tore his ACL a season ago, leaving Nick Foles (playoff and superbowl hero) as the starting quarterback. Foles’ first game as the starter since Week 2 should be a rough one as the Rams are looking to get a win after their Week 14 loss to the Bears. Foles has filled in for Wentz twice this season, playing against two of the worst defenses (Falcons and Buccaneers), and managed 451 yards, 1 touchdown, and an interception. I’m expecting the Rams to come after Foles and force him into making mistakes early in the game.
Honorable Mentions:
Matthew Stafford (DET @ BUF)
Jameis Winston (TB @ BAL)
Matt Ryan (ATL v ARI)
Case Keenum (DEN v CLE)
Running Backs
Must Start:
David Johnson (ARI @ ATL) David Johnson and the Cardinals have not been having a good season. Johnson has been the Cardinals’ only bright spot on offense, but even he isn’t having the season many thought he would, averaging 3.7 yards a carry with 8 total touchdowns. With a good matchup on hand, Johnson is a must start despite the Cardinals struggles this season. The Falcons have allowed the 27 most rushing touchdowns this season (15) and the 26th most rushing yards per game (131.2), so I’m expecting the Cardinals to attack the run defense early and often. This season has been a disappointing one for one of the most talented players in the league, but i wouldn’t shy away from starting David Johnson in the fantasy playoffs with his great matchup.
Honorable Mentions:
Jaylen Samuels (PIT v NE)
Joe Mixon (CIN v OAK)
Nick Chubb (CLE @ DEN)
Jordan Howard (CHI v GB)
Must Sit:
Aaron Jones (GB @ CHI) Aron Jones has come to life as the Packers main running back and has been doing a great job this season, rushing for 8 touchdowns and averaging 5.6 yards a carry. The Packers have a tough matchup against the Bears stingy run defense that ranks 2nd in rush yards per game (83.2) and 1st in rushing touchdowns allowed this season (4). The Bears held arguably the best running back in the league in Todd Gurley to 28 rushing yards and just 2.5 yards a carry in Week 14, so I’m expecting an Aaron Jones’ stat line to look similar. With this in mind, you should consider him a risky start, one that I would avoid.
Honorable Mentions:
Peyton Barber (TB @ BAL)
Theo Riddick (DET @ BUF)
Josh Adams (PHI v DAL)
Adrian Peterson (WAS @ JAX)
Wide Receiver
Must Start:
Juju Smith-Schuster (PIT v NE) This season Juju has more catches, yards, and yard per catch than teammate Antonio Brown. Juju has gotten a lot of extra looks as a result of defenses being forced to put double coverage on Brown, leaving Juju with lots of one on one looks. Last season against the Patriots, Smith-Schuster had 6 catches for 114 yards including a 69 yard catch that almost won the Steelers the game. In Week 14, the Patriots allowed Kenny Still to go off for 8 catches, 135 yards, and a touchdown. The Steelers should look to take advantage of the 2nd year receiver’s matchup against the Patriots.
Honorable Mentions:
Tyler Lockett (SEA @ SF)
Brandin Cooks (LAR @ PHI)
Josh Gordon (NE @ PIT)
Julian Edelman (NE @ PIT)
Must Sit:
Alshon Jeffery (PHI v LAR) No Wentz for the Eagles in Week 15 sounds like trouble for Alshon Jeffery, not only because Nick Foles will be starting but also because he will be going up against a combination of Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib. This season when Jeffery has faced off against taller more physical cornerbacks, his stat line doesnt look nice. In games against the Vikings, Jaguars, Saints, and Redskins, Jeffery has a total stat line of 13 receptions for 138 yards and no touchdowns, showing he has struggled against the bigger cornerback. In another difficult matchup, I would consider Jeffery a must sit.
Honorable Mentions:
Golden Tate (PHI v LAR)
Chris Godwin (TB @ BAL)
Larry Fitzgerald (ARI @ ATL)
Courtland Sutton (DEN v CLE)
Tight End
Must Start:
Jared Cook (OAK @ CIN) Cook is having the best season of his career, he has the most yards (825) catches (61) and touchdowns (6) and still has 3 weeks to improve those numbers. Since the Raiders traded Amari Cooper to the Cowboys, Cook has become more of a receiver than a tight end and has become Derek Carr’s favorite and most reliable target. Cook is in must start territory with an awesome matchup against the Bengals.
Honorable Mentions:
Ian Thomas (CAR v NO)
CJ Uzomah (CIN v OAK)
David Njoku (CLE v CAR)
Must Sit:
Jimmy Graham (GB @ CHI) Jimmy Graham has been one of the most disappointing fantasy players this season, with just 2 touchdown receptions on the season. Many, including myself, thought he would have a 10+ touchdown year when the Packers cut Jordy Nelson and signed the big red zone target in Graham. At times this season, Graham and Rodgers have seemed to click and come up with big gains, but more often than not they seem to be on completely different pages. The Bears have been the 4th best defense in yards allowed against tight ends, allowing just 489 yards this season to opposing tight ends. If possible, I would recommend benching Graham and trying to find a more reliable option.
Honorable Mentions:
Cameron Brate (TB @ BAL)
Ben Watson (NO @ CAR)
Evan Engram (NYG v TEN)
Thank you for reading and be sure to follow me on Twitter for more fantasy football advice throughout the week @LonskiWilliam
