Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 15: Smartest Matchups to Exploit, Sleeper Plays and More

The deeper we probe into the 2019 NFL season, the harder it becomes for fantasy football owners to identify potential sleepers.

But with injuries mounting and hidden gems continuing to fall through the cracks, potential producers are out there if you know where to look.

This is where you're supposed to look, as we've laid out our top sleeper—available in 50-plus percent of Yahoo leagues, per FantasyPros—and run through some start-or-sit options based on matchups at the marquee offensive positions.

Quarterback

Start 'Em

Tom Brady at Cincinnati Bengals

Ryan Tannehill vs. Houston Texans

Jimmy Garoppolo vs. Atlanta Falcons

Sit 'Em

Matt Ryan at San Francisco 49ers

Sam Darnold at Baltimore Ravens

Kirk Cousins at Los Angeles Chargers

Sleeper: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Miami Dolphins, at New York Giants (23 Percent Owned)

If you're shopping for a quarterback streamer in Week 15, you should already be prepared to take some bad with the good.

Luckily, that's the best recipe for treating a Ryan Fitzpatrick recommendation, too.

It's hard not to notice his volume. Sunday marked the fourth time in four weeks he has attempted at least 37 passes. Of course, it's also hard not to notice his-egg laying potential. He went without a score on Sunday and has almost wiped out his 13 passing touchdowns with 12 interceptions.

But risk-takers can look tremendous in the right matchup, and the Giants sure look like an exploitable one. They've allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to the position, per Yahoo Sports, and just watched Carson Wentz pile up 325 passing yards and two scores against them on Monday night.

Running Back

Start 'Em

Phillip Lindsay at Kansas City Chiefs

David Montgomery at Green Bay Packers

James White at Cincinnati Bengals

Sit 'Em

Le'Veon Bell at Baltimore Ravens

Joe Mixon vs. New England Patriots

Bo Scarbrough vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Sleeper: Patrick Laird, Miami Dolphins, at New York Giants (20 Percent Owned)

No, we're not endorsing a Miami stack for any Week 15 daily fantasy lineups. But the Giants defense is vulnerable in most facets, and as with Fitzpatrick, it's easy to be encouraged by the opportunities for Patrick Laird.

The rookie rusher got his second consecutive extended look in Week, and he seemed streamable again. While he didn't find the end zone this time, he did rack up 19 touches and converted them into 86 scrimmage yards.

If you're in a point-per-reception league, Laird's value jumps considerably. He's not only had four receptions each of the last two weeks, he's also corralled 16 of the 19 targets to come his way this season. That should help him sustain this recent volume, if not increase it.

The Giants haven't been especially generous to running backs (17th-most fantasy points allowed), but they sure seemed it on Monday night. Rookie Miles Sanders and sophomore Boston Scott combined for 104 rushing yards and a score on 25 attempts, plus the added 10 receptions on 11 targets for 93 yards.

Wide Receiver

Start 'Em

Kenny Golladay vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Deebo Samuel vs. Atlanta Falcons

Terry McLaurin vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Sit 'Em

Stefon Diggs at Los Angeles Chargers

Tyler Boyd vs. New England Patriots

JuJu Smith-Schuster vs. Buffalo Bills

Sleeper: Darius Slayton, New York Giants, at Miami Dolphins (25 Percent Owned)

It certainly wasn't our intention to make this Giants-Dolphins matchup your one-stop shop for streamers, but here we are.

This probably won't be the cleanest game, but with Miami sitting dead last in scoring defense and New York only three spots better, it could yield a mountain of fantasy production.

That can only mean good things for Giants rookie wideout Darius Slayton, who keeps commanding a bigger share of this offense. Monday marked the third time in seven games that he's scored two touchdowns, and he's averaged 6.9 targets in this stretch.

Those won't always turn into receptions—remember whom he's catching passes from—but he's doing a better job of maximizing his chances. After only catching 54.8 percent of his targets through his first seven games, he's upped that number to 64.1 his last four times out.

Considering the Dolphins surrender the fourth-most fantasy points to the position, the good times should keep rolling for the young pass-catcher.