Week 15 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Projecting Stats for Top 10 Players at Each Position

It's playoff time, baby!

And that means every last lineup decision is crucial. Every waiver claim in a season with so many injuries is especially important now. Every matchup deserves dissection. Every move you make could be the difference between an offseason of smug satisfaction and one of disappointment and regret.

Don't worry, folks—I got your back. Check out my top players at each position for the week and start 'em, sit 'em advice so you get the most out of each lineup slot.

Matt Camp's Fantasy Advice

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player	Opponent	Projected Points
1	Tom Brady, NE	TEN	25
2	Cam Newton, CAR	NYG	24
3	Carson Palmer, ARI	PHI	23
4	Russell Wilson, SEA	CLE	21
5	Aaron Rodgers, GB	OAK	20
6	Drew Brees, NO	DET	19
7	Tyrod Taylor, BUF	WAS	18
8	Blake Bortles, JAC	ATL	18
9	Philip Rivers, SD	MIA	17
10	Ben Roethlisberger, PIT	DEN	15

Start 'Em: Blake Bortles, Jacksonville Jaguars

Blake Bortles has been red-hot in the past three weeks, scoring a combined total of 80 points his last three contests. Meanwhile, he faces an Atlanta defense that has generally been pretty tough against opposing quarterbacks but gave up 18 fantasy points to Jameis Winston and 23 points to Cam Newton in the past two weeks.

Bortles is having a breakout season, especially for fantasy owners, and he has plenty of weapons in the passing game in Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns and Julius Thomas. Expect another big week from Bortles.

Sit 'Em: Eli Manning, New York Giants

The Carolina Panthers have given up 20 or more fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks just twice this season. In their last five games, they've given up seven points, six points, seven points, 22 points—Drew Brees had a solid game against them in Week 13—and two fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks.

This is a trap game for Carolina, and Eli Manning and the Giants offense can be scary. But the Panthers have a corner in Josh Norman who can slow down Odell Beckham Jr., and Carolina's defense will keep the pressure on Manning all game long. I'd recommend sitting him.

Running Backs

Rank	Player	Opponent	Projected Points
1	Lamar Miller, MIA	SD	20
2	Adrian Peterson, MIN	CHI	19
3	Chris Ivory, NYJ	DAL	17
4	LeSean McCoy, BUF	WAS	16
5	DeAngelo Williams, PIT	DEN	16
6	Eddie Lacy, GB	OAK	15
7	Tim Hightower, NO	DET	14
8	Latavius Murray, OAK	GB	13
9	Devonta Freeman, ATL	JAC	12
10	Frank Gore, IND	HOU	12

Start 'Em: Tim Hightower, New Orleans Saints

Matt Hazlett/Getty Images

In relief of Mark Ingram last week, Tim Hightower—who spent several years out of the NFL before catching on with the Saints this season—rushed 28 times for 85 yards and a touchdown, instantly vaulting himself into the RB1 conversation for the rest of the season.

Against a Detroit defense that just gave up 140 rushing yards and two touchdowns to Todd Gurley, Hightower should have a big afternoon. 

Sit 'Em: Isaiah Crowell, Cleveland Browns

It might be tempting to start Isaiah Crowell this week after he rushed for 145 yards and two scores last week. And honestly, given the flood of injuries at the position, you may have no choice but to start him.

But sit him if you can. The Seattle Seahawks haven't allowed opposing running backs to rush for over 40 yards in a game against them in their last four contests. They've given up a paltry four touchdowns to opposing backs all season, and they have only allowed opposing backs to rush for over 100 yards against them twice.

Crowell's upside basically doesn't exist in this matchup. If you can afford to sit him, do so.

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player	Opponent	Projected Points
1	DeAndre Hopkins, HOU	IND	20
2	A.J. Green, CIN	SF	18
3	Julio Jones, ATL	JAC	17
4	Alshon Jeffery, CHI	MIN	16
5	Odell Beckham Jr., NYG	CAR	16
6	Antonio Brown, PIT	DEN	15
7	Brandon Marshall, NYJ	DAL	15
8	Allen Robinson, JAC	ATL	14
9	Doug Baldwin, SEA	CLE	14
10	Demaryius Thomas, DEN	PIT	13

Start 'Em: Demaryius Thomas, Denver Broncos

Dustin Bradford/Getty Images

Demaryius Thomas hasn't had a great season, but his 16 catches for 156 yards and a score in the past two weeks suggest he's building a solid rapport with Brock Osweiler.

The Pittsburgh Steelers give up 25.1 fantasy points to opposing wideouts per week, 26th in the NFL—and Emmanuel Sanders has basically disappeared from the team's offense with Osweiler under center—meaning Thomas is in line for a big day against Pittsburgh. 

Sit 'Em: Travis Benjamin, Cleveland Browns

The vaunted Legion of Boom has been shaky this season, but it's still hard to trust Travis Benjamin in a game where he'll see plenty of Richard Sherman throughout. It's also hard to trust Benjamin considering he's scored four or fewer fantasy points five times since Week 7. 

Basically, it comes down to this: Will Sherman and company shut down Johnny Manziel and the Cleveland Browns passing attack, or will Manziel and Benjamin post huge numbers against one of the hottest teams in the NFL and arguably its best defense?

The odds heavily favor the former.

Tight Ends

Rank	Player	Opponent	Projected Points
1	Rob Gronkowski, NE	TEN	15
2	Gary Barnidge, CLE	SEA	13
3	Greg Olsen, CAR	NYG	13
4	Julius Thomas, JAC	ATL	12
5	Delanie Walker, TEN	NE	11
6	Jordan Reed, WAS	BUF	11
7	Travis Kelce, KC	BAL	10
8	Benjamin Watson, NO	DET	9
9	Richard Rodgers, GB	OAK	8
10	Antonio Gates, SD	MIA	7

Start 'Em: Julius Thomas, Jacksonville Jaguars

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Jacksonville's splashy free-agent signing from this past offseason is finally starting to pay off. The big tight end has notched seven or more fantasy points in each of his last four games, scoring a touchdown in each contest. 

Thomas was one of the league's best red-zone threats in Denver, and that has carried over to his time with the Jaguars. With Bortles and the passing game red-hot, Thomas is pretty matchup-proof at this point. Atlanta is 20th in the NFL in points given up to touchdowns, meanwhile, so the Falcons should have a tough time slowing down Thomas.

Sit 'Em: Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys

It's been a rough year for Witten, who has a total of 22 fantasy points in his last seven games. The Dallas offense is a mess, and Witten's production has suffered.

Worse, he faces a New York Jets defense giving up a paltry 4.8 fantasy points to opposing tight ends per week, fourth in the NFL. Witten should be planted firmly on your bench.

Defense/Special Teams

Rank	Team	Opponent	Projected Points
1	SEA	CLE	15
2	CIN	SF	14
3	KC	BAL	13
4	NE	TEN	12
5	NYJ	DAL	11
6	PIT	DEN	9
7	ARI	PHI	9
8	CAR	NYG	8
9	DEN	PIT	7
10	MIN	CHI	7

Start 'Em: New England Patriots

The Patriots defense has been hot and cold all season long, but you can't pass it up against a Tennessee team giving up the second most fantasy points to opposing defenses per week. Yes, Marcus Mariota is a threat, but this is a team that has given up nine or more fantasy points to opposing defenses 10 times this season.

The Patriots defense is a must-start this week.

Sit 'Em: Philadelphia Eagles

No team allows fewer fantasy points to opposing defenses per week than the Arizona Cardinals. There is no upside for the Eagles defense whatsoever in this game, as Carson Palmer and company haven't allowed more than seven fantasy points in a week to an opposing defense all season long.

Kickers

Rank	Players	Opponent	Projected Points
1	Stephen Gostkowski, NE	TEN	15
2	Graham Gano, CAR	NYG	14
3	Josh Brown, NYG	CAR	13
4	Chandler Catanzaro, ARI	PHI	12
5	Cairo Santos, KC	BAL	12
6	Brandon McManus, DEN	PIT	11
7	Justin Tucker, BAL	KC	10
8	Steven Hauschka, SEA	CLE	10
9	Robbie Gould, CHI	MIN	9
10	Dan Bailey, DAL	NYJ	9

I give the same advice every week—make sure you have a top-10 or top-12 kicker on your roster. Don't get cute with matchups. The kicker position is fickle, so you should always go with a player who has proven to be consistent.

All fantasy stats, ownership percentages and points-against totals via ESPN standard leagues.