Week 15 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Smartest Matchups to Exploit, Sleeper Plays and More
Week 15 of the 2024 NFL season will see a host of fantasy football leagues kick off their playoffs.
So, nailing those always tricky start-or-sit debates has quite literally never held so much importance.
You must maximize the production of every position on your roster, and in doing that, you might have to trust some players you maybe normally wouldn't or even sit some players you generally consider weekly starters. Let's get to a few of our top start or sit calls for Week 15.
Start: Aaron Rodgers, QB, New York Jets (at Jacksonville Jaguars)
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This has largely been a season to forget—both for Rodgers and the Jets at large. That doesn't matter now. Well, not the Rodgers' portion, at least.
Those previous disappointments are out the window now. All you need is a solid scoring effort in this spot, and that feels entirely doable.
For starters, his output has trended up of late. He just threw for a season-high 339 yards on Sunday and tossed a pair of touchdown passes in each of his previous two contests. He has also posted two of his three highest completion percentages during this stretch.
What clinches Rodgers as a serviceable streamer, though, is this matchup. No team has allowed more fantasy points to quarterbacks than the Jaguars, per Yahoo, and they've let four different players—including Joe Flacco and Caleb Williams—throw for at least three scores.
Sit: C.J. Stroud, QB, Houston Texans (vs. Miami Dolphins)
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When Stroud hit the ground running as a rookie last season, he looked like the league's next superstar quarterback. And make no mistake, there's still a chance that's what he becomes.
Remember, though, we aren't talking about his potential or his long-term outlook here. Adopt a what-can-you-do-for-me-right-now mindset, and there's just no way you can trust him in such a massive spot.
In his last seven games, he has five touchdown passes and five interceptions. He hasn't topped 260 passing yards since October and last eclipsed 300 passing yards in Week 5.
So, even if this Dolphins defense isn't as stingy against quarterbacks as it appeared earlier this season, that isn't enough reason to stake your fantasy hopes on Stroud.
Start: Jauan Jennings, WR, San Francisco 49ers (vs. Los Angeles Rams)
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Because the 49ers have had a host of playmakers shuffled in and out of their lineup, Jennings has occasionally been lost in the mix.
When San Francisco seeks him out, though, good things almost always happen. He's had four games with eight-plus targets this season. In those contests, he has totaled 35 receptions for 449 yards and six touchdowns. That's an average of 8.8 receptions for 112.2 yards and 1.5 scores.
Granted, that volume isn't necessarily guaranteed, but it's not like the 49ers have many other places to turn with Brandon Aiyuk, Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason (and maybe Isaac Gurendo, too) all on the shelf. And that's before factoring in Deebo Samuel Sr.'s second-half slide (fewer than 25 receiving yards in four straight) and rookie Ricky Pearsall's limited production (one reception in his last four contests combined).
The Rams can have trouble containing receivers, too, as Jennings himself can attest. When these clubs locked horns in Week 3, Jennings turned 12 targets into 11 receptions for 175 yards and three touchdowns.
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Sit: DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks (vs. Green Bay Packers)
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Before digging into the rationale behind this recommendation, let's just note that this advice isn't for everyone. If you're in a deep league, don't even think about sitting Metcalf. It might not even work in a mid-sized league if you're strapped for serviceable alternatives.
Having said all of that, if you have legitimate options to replace Metcalf, this feels like the time to use them.
He's had three games all season with 100-plus receiving yards. All three were in the month of September. He's had just three touchdown catches during this campaign. The most recent one came in the middle of October. He hasn't topped 70 receiving yards or tallied a touchdown catch in any of his last four contests, a stretch during which he's averaged just 4.8 receptions for 61 yards.
He doesn't bottom out often, at least, so if a safe-ish floor is all you need, then feel free to trot him out. If you're aiming for upside, though, he just isn't providing it and seems unlikely to change that against a Green Bay defense allowing the sixth-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers.
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