'Who Needs Reality?': Excellent Fantasy Football Starts for Week 15

I come to you in Week 15 of the NFL season offering not only advice but some coping methods to deal with tough fantasy football losses. 

We'll get into the great starts of the week below, but right now I want to offer my condolences and advice to those of you who made the fantasy football playoffs but were knocked out last week. 

First off, it's important to be proud of yourself; making the playoffs in fantasy football is no easy task, and you're far from a failure if you made the playoffs to begin with. Secondly, it's important to not kick yourself for making certain choices that were less advantageous than others. While some expertise and research does aid in fantasy football success, many wins and losses are decided arbitrarily.

You can't be mad at yourself for failing to predict the future; we all struggle when trying to do that. 

My last bit of coping advice is to not weep but rather rejoice for the day and age that we live in. It's 2014, which means not only that has Taylor Swift graced us with "Shake It Off" to get us through tough times, but that we can also play in daily fantasy leagues every week.

This means that the season never has to end until Week 17, and that a loss doesn't really mean anything has ended, but simply that the door is open for something new to begin. 

So dry those tears, forget about the past and read on to find out some great fantasy football recommendations for Week 15. Also, feel good in knowing that even if you did lose in Week 14, your loss was probably not as heartbreaking and soul crushing as this (my deepest apologies if you are one of the six people referenced in this article). 

Please remember that I use a standard scoring system when projecting these points:

• One point per 10 rushing or receiving yards
• One point per 25 passing yards
• Six points for each rushing or receiving touchdown
• Four points for passing touchdowns
• Minus-two points for interceptions and fumbles lost

Additionally, be sure to stay tuned to the official NFL injury report to get the word on who's in and who's out come game day.

Finally, please remember that with this column, I intend to list players you should start who wouldn't be ultra-obvious picks. Therefore, I won't be telling you to start Peyton Manning, Matt Forte, Julio Jones, etc. 

Quarterbacks to Start

Mark Zaleski/Associated Press

The New York Giants won't be playing postseason football this year, yet that doesn't render them totally useless in fantasy. This week, I love Giants quarterback Eli Manning against a very weak Washington Redskins secondary. 

Manning has been far from impressive this season, yet he's still been capable of the occasional productive day fantasy-wise. He also tends to play much better at home, and fortunately this week the Giants are hosting the Redskins. Furthermore, Washington actually plays above-average run defense, meaning that I think the Giants will ditch the run and take advantage of the ripe throwing matchup. 

• 330 yards and three touchdowns = 25 points

Other Solid Ball-Throwers

• Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears: Cutler may not play the most inspired football, yet there's no denying that he's a fairly solid fantasy option on a regular basis. The Bears are eliminated from playoff contention, so I have no doubt that they will let Cutler be as careless and reckless as he wants with the ball moving forward. With wide receiver Brandon Marshall out for the rest of the season and the speedy Marquess Wilson replacing him, I think the Bears will take multiple shots downfield against an awful New Orleans Saints defense.   

• Derek Anderson, Carolina Panthers: Thankfully, Cam Newton's injuries from a car accident this past week do not seem to be too serious, yet they are significant enough to keep him sidelined on Sunday. Oddly enough, Newton was out when the Panthers took on the Tampa Bay Bucs in Week 1 of this season, so Anderson will once again face the NFC South foe. He performed admirably in Week 1, and I expect him to do so again this Sunday. 

Running Backs to Start

Jonathan Bachman/Associated Press

Baltimore Ravens running back Justin Forsett has had a tough time keeping a job. His NFL career has taken him from Seattle to Indianapolis, back to Seattle, then to Houston, Jacksonville and finally to Baltimore. If you ever need help packing a moving truck, call Forsett; I bet he's a pro. 

This season, the talented journeyman has finally found his role, as he's emerged as a stud for the Ravens. This week, the Ravens host the Jacksonville Jaguars, the most recent team to cut Forsett. The Jaguars aren't very good, and Forsett has been proving people wrong all season. This week, I expect him to prove that the Jaguars are on his list of "Teams That Shouldn't Have Cut Me."

• 75 yards and two touchdowns = 19 points

Other Solid Ball-Runners

• Joique Bell, Detroit Lions: It's tough to hate Bell at the moment given how committed the Lions have been to him lately. He's received 18 or more carries in each of his last three games. Bell is strong and a non-flashy runner who is very touchdown-dependent, but against the Minnesota Vikings at home, I expect him to get some red-zone carries. 

• Chris Johnson, New York Jets: Circa 2011, it would be ludicrous to include Johnson on this list, as he was a must-start player every week. Those days may be gone, however, but I think we'll see a flash from the past this week. Johnson is returning to Nashville to take on his former squad, the Tennessee Titans, and I think he's out to show them that he's still a great runner. The Titans' atrocious run defense should assist him as he sets out to eat the chip on his shoulder. 

• Alfred Morris, Washington Redskins: I lost a league last week because Morris was so awful. You can survive a bad game from one of your starting running backs, but eight carries and one catch for 17 total yards makes "bad" an extremely understated adjective. I love Morris, however; he is the only good thing the Redskins have going for them right now. He runs with passion, and I like him to have a bounce-back game against the New York Giants. They will present a much milder challenge than the St. Louis Rams defense did last Sunday. 

Wide Receivers to Start

Mike McCarn/Associated Press

Carolina Panthers quarterback Derek Anderson will be looking Kelvin Benjamin's way all day on Sunday. In Week 1 of this season, Benjamin racked up 92 yards and a touchdown on six receptions with Anderson throwing him the pigskin. With 14 weeks of getting to know each other, I expect the duo to be great again. I'll say Benjamin ups his yardage totals in his second career game with Anderson throwing to him. 

• Six catches, 113 yards and a touchdown = 17 points (23 in PPR)

Other Solid Pass-Catchers

• Kenny Stills, New Orleans Saints: The Saints were a new kind of awful last weekend. In what seemed like an easy matchup at home against the Carolina Panthers, the Saints defense let up 41 points, and the offense didn't come close to keeping up. It's obvious that the Saints are no longer a good football team, yet I still fully expect quarterback Drew Brees to run the offense fantastically this week. New Orleans takes on the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football in what will likely be a shootout.

• Jordan Matthews, Philadelphia Eagles: Matthews is coming off a dud of a game, yet it was somewhat predictable since it was against the stingy Seattle Seahawks defense. This week, the Eagles play host to the Dallas Cowboys. The game has huge implications in the NFC East, and I expect Matthews to get back to his pass-catching ways. He's a good play all around this week, and a superb play in PPR leagues. 

• Harry Douglas, Atlanta Falcons: It looks like superstar Falcons receiver Julio Jones will either miss the game on Sunday or be limited in his play. This mean that Douglas, who has been fantastic when stepping up in relief of fellow Falcons receiver Roddy White, could be an excellent play. He'll be a healthy target for quarterback Matt Ryan against a very weak Pittsburgh Steelers pass defense. He'll also be a very low-cost, high-reward play in daily fantasy leagues. 

Tight Ends to Start  

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

This stat may surprise you a little bit: Chicago Bears tight end Martellus Bennett is the leader in receptions among tight ends with 77. He's also second in targets with 108 and third in yards with 821. Simply put, Bennett is quietly having himself a Pro Bowl-caliber season but is receiving very little recognition for it. 

With star receiver Brandon Marshall out for the remainder of the year, Bennett will continue to be a reception machine and will likely see an increase in red-zone targets as well. 

• Nine catches, 89 yards and a touchdown = 14 points (23 in PPR)

Other Fantastic Tight Ends

• Delanie Walker, Tennessee Titans: Jake Locker is back as quarterback for the Titans, which means Walker will receive what seems like an endless amount of targets. Locker is a huge fan of throwing to Walker, and I full expect the duo to hook up and exploit this extremely weak matchup against the New York Jets.  

• Larry Donnell, New York Giants: Did you see what St. Louis Rams tight end Jared Cook did against the Redskins defense last Sunday? Well, he had 61 yards and two touchdowns. Will Donnell replicate this? Probably not, as Cook is a more athletic talent than Donnell, but I do think the New York Giant will post a solid game worthy of at least eight fantasy points. 

• Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Saints: Just kidding, you're starting him. But if you were thinking of getting cute and benching Graham after two bad games, don't. You may hate him right now, but come Monday night you'll love him. The Saints take on the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football, and I fully expect Graham to have a huge game opposite the league's worst defense against tight ends. I'm calling for two touchdowns, and I wouldn't be surprised with three. 

Joe Rapolla Jr. covers fantasy football and the Denver Broncos for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JoeJr_Fantasy. 

All stats are courtesy of NFL.com and FFToday.com.