Fantasy Football Week 15: Start 'Em, Sit 'Em

The fantasy football playoffs are here.

In the majority of fantasy leagues, only four teams remain in the hunt for a championship. Those fantasy managers have drafted well, made savvy trades, added talent off the waiver wire and inserted the right players into the starting lineup each week.

And they may have had just a little good luck.

Of course, now things are that much harder. There are no easy wins at this point in the season. Every team is stacked with talent, and the next loss your team suffers will be the last.

It's a pressure-packed and nerve-wracking time of year, and fantasy managers can use all the help they can get—help just like this piece.

Each week, I examine lineup questions on the Bleacher Report app and provide answers to help fantasy managers set the best possible lineup.

Do that a few more times and championship glory will be yours.

Say It Ain't So, Julio!

From the Bleacher Report App

We'll kick off this week's column with a wide receiver question, as well as a sobering fact fantasy managers would really just as soon not hear.

You can't trust Julio Jones of the Atlanta Falcons in the fantasy playoffs.

It has been a miserable season for the 31-year-old. Jones has missed four games, including last week's loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. The 771 yards he has accrued this season would be the second-worst total of his 10-year career.

And with Falcons interim head coach Raheem Morris intimating last week that shutting Jones down for the season is on the table, odds are as good as not that we won't see him on the field again until 2021.

It's a bummer. But it is what it is.

That leaves four wideouts and three slots, and Keenan Allen of the Chargers is an easy "yes" since he leads the NFL in targets and ranks fifth among wide receivers in point-per-reception (PPR) fantasy points.

Cooper Kupp of the Los Angeles Rams is a go, as well. His target share has been a little up and down in 2020, but he has been a top-20 receiver overall and draws a New York Jets "defense" surrendering the sixth-most PPR points to the position this season.

The final spot comes down to Robby Anderson of the Carolina Panthers and Corey Davis of the Tennessee Titans.

Anderson has been the more productive player this year. The 27-year-old has already set a career high with 996 receiving yards. But he also has a tough Week 15 matchup with cornerback Jaire Alexander and a Green Bay Packers defense allowing the sixth-fewest PPR points to wideouts.

Davis is admittedly riskier. But the Detroit Lions pass defense has been a mess in 2020. With a top-five fantasy matchup looming, his upside is worth rolling the dice.

The Call: Keenan Allen (DraftKings DFS Value: $7,800), Cooper Kupp (DraftKings DFS Value: $7,000), Corey Davis (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,800)

They Can't All Be Standouts

From the Bleacher Report App

It can be quite comforting to have a lineup that sets itself in the fantasy playoffs. Obvious lineup calls are like a cup of hot cocoa on a cold winter's day.

But unfortunately, that's not always how it works.

At one point this season, Tyler Boyd of the Cincinnati Bengals would have been an obvious "yes." But that was before Joe Burrow was lost to a season-ending knee injury. Boyd got nine targets a week ago against the Dallas Cowboys, but he parlayed them into just five catches for 43 yards. Unfortunately, that's essentially his fantasy ceiling with Brandon Allen at quarterback.

Tim Patrick of the Denver Broncos is trending in the opposite direction. The target share hasn't been as large as Boyd's, but the third-year pro has touchdowns in each of his last two games ahead of Saturday's matchup with the Buffalo Bills. He's in.

That leaves Sterling Shepard of the New York Giants and Keke Coutee of the Houston Texans.

Again, there was a time at which Shepard would have been an easy call. But the return of Daniel Jones last week didn't break the fifth-year veteran out of his funk. He has just four catches for 57 yards the past two games and hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 7.

Coutee might not inspire one to break into song, but he has 11 receptions for 165 yards and a score since Will Fuller V was suspended after Week 12.

He gets spot No. 2.

The Call: Tim Patrick (DraftKings DFS Value: $4,300), Keke Coutee (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,300)

Can Hilton Stay Hot?

From the Bleacher Report App

Injuries are an unfortunate fact of life in the NFL and fantasy football. But it still stings when one hits in the playoffs.

The rib injury Matthew Stafford suffered last week doesn't just affect the veteran quarterback. It dings the fantasy value of everyone around him. Stafford wasn't on the practice field Wednesday, and the Detroit Lions signed quarterback Jordan Ta'amu to their practice squad, which doesn't inspire much confidence about the veteran's Week 15 status.

Meanwhile, T.Y. Hilton of the Indianapolis Colts has finally been playing like the wide receiver who was drafted as a fantasy WR2 in most leagues. In each of the last three weeks, the 31-year-old has caught at least four passes, topped 80 yards and found the end zone.

Between that hot streak and the impact Stafford's injury could have on running back D'Andre Swift (whose workload has already fluctuated considerably this season), Hilton is a relatively easy call in the flex spot.

The quarterback choice involves a pair of veterans who should roll over overmatched opponents this week.

Ryan Tannehill and the Tennessee Titans face a Lions team allowing the eighth-most points per game to quarterbacks in 2020. But as good as that matchup is, Jared Goff's is even better.

The Los Angeles Rams square off against a winless New York Jets team that has surrendered the second-most points per game to the position. Last week, Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks torched it for four touchdown passes in just three quarters.

The Call: T.Y. Hilton (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,500), Jared Goff (DraftKings DFS Value: $6,300)

The All-Caps All-Stars

From the Bleacher Report App

Are you kidding me with these running backs? I'd certainly hope you are in the playoffs with that stable.

You could probably just draw two names out of a hat with that bunch and be fine. But this is the playoffs, and you need every point you can get.

One thing is for sure: You have to start Dalvin Cook of the Minnesota Vikings. He's fantasy football's No. 2 back after 14 weeks. Even though the Chicago Bears held him out of the end zone in Week 10, he still had 112 total yards. You just can't sit him in the rematch.

As great as James Robinson of the Jacksonville Jaguars has been this season, he has the worst matchup of the remaining options, so he's out against the Baltimore Ravens.

Cam Akers of the Los Angeles Rams is coming off a huge game and has a top-10 fantasy matchup against the New York Jets, but Jonathan Taylor of the Indianapolis Colts is coming off an even bigger game against the Las Vegas Raiders and draws a Houston Texans team giving up more PPR points per game to running backs than any team in the league.

At wide receiver, Julio Jones is out. Even if he does play in Week 15, you don't want to risk him re-aggravating his injury. Chris Godwin of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is in because of his matchup. Only the Seattle Seahawks have allowed more PPR points to receivers than the Falcons in 2020.

We're left with one spot and two receivers: T.Y. Hilton of the Colts and Brandon Aiyuk of the San Francisco 49ers. Both receivers are red-hot of late, and they draw top-10 matchups for wide receivers in the Texans and Dallas Cowboys, respectively.

But with Deebo Samuel hurt again, Aiyuk should see a boatload of targets Sunday, and rolling him out keeps you from putting all your eggs in Indy's basket.

It's close, but Aiyuk gets the final slot.

The Call: Dalvin Cook (DraftKings DFS Value: $9,000), Jonathan Taylor (DraftKings DFS Value: $7,200), Chris Godwin (DraftKings DFS Value: $6,200), Brandon Aiyuk (DraftKings DFS Value: $6,300)

Searching for That Sweet Repeat

From the Bleacher Report App

We'll knock this one out in steps.

At wide receiver, you'll get no argument from me that Allen Robinson II of the Chicago Bears gets one spot since only Keenan Allen and Stefon Diggs have been targeted more.

I have essentially already answered the second spot. Julio Jones' injury (and the real possibility he sits) eliminates him from consideration, and while T.Y. Hilton and Brandon Aiyuk are a virtual toss-up, I lean toward the latter because of the target share he will all but certainly command in Week 15.

At running back, Cam Akers gets one of the spots. He piled up 171 rushing yards last week against the New England Patriots and faces a putrid New York Jets defense this week.

Mike Davis of the Carolina Panthers is a pass even if Christian McCaffrey sits out. The matchup with the Green Bay Packers is favorable for running backs, but Davis hasn't had 65 rushing yards in a game since Week 8.

Miles Sanders of the Philadelphia Eagles vs. Chris Carson of the Seattle Seahawks is a close call, and the tiebreaker is matchup since Carson's is terrible. The Washington Football Team has allowed the third-fewest PPR points to running backs this year.

For the flex spot, I tend to favor running backs, if only because they touch the ball more often. But given how well Washington's front seven is playing and with the PPR settings giving Hilton's value a boost, the higher upside play here is the wideout.

The Call: Allen Robinson II (DraftKings DFS Value: $7,400), Brandon Aiyuk (DraftKings DFS Value: $6,300), Cam Akers (DraftKings DFS Value: $6,600), Miles Sanders (DraftKings DFS Value: $6,900), T.Y. Hilton (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,500)

Beating Mr. Big Mouth

From the Bleacher Report App

I will freely confess that this question was included mostly because this user of the Bleacher Report App said they are trying to take down their league's Mr. Big Mouth.

A little smack talk is fine. It's fun, even. But just about every league has that one manager who just will not stop, and it's annoying.

In a vacuum, I would favor Chris Carson of the Seattle Seahawks, who looked to be fully healthy last week against the New York Jets. But the Washington Football Team is a truly rotten matchup for running backs, allowing just 107.2 yards per game and only 10 rushing scores all season long.

Melvin Gordon III of the Denver Broncos is a no-go, as well. The sixth-year veteran has been a top-20 fantasy option for the year in PPR leagues, but he also has just three games with 70 rushing yards since Week 4.

Chris Godwin of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is tempting, especially against an Atlanta Falcons defense allowing the second-most fantasy points per game to wideouts. He also may have the highest ceiling of this bunch. if you feel the need to swing for the fences, he's the play. But target share for the Tampa wideouts has been something of a crapshoot this season.

However, I'm going to go out on something of a limb here and suggest starting rookie running back JK Dobbins of the Baltimore Ravens. The workload split in Baltimore is a legitimate concern. So is the fact that Gus Edwards had two touchdowns last week.

But Dobbins has emerged as the lead back for the Ravens. He has over 10 carries and a touchdown in each of the last three games, and the Ravens now face a hapless Jacksonville Jaguars team giving up the fourth-most PPR points per game to running backs in 2020.

The Dobbins breakout comes Sunday.

The Call: JK Dobbins (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,900)

Quarterback Quandary...Plus

From the Bleacher Report App

As problems go, this is a good one to have at quarterback.

Lamar Jackson had arguably his best game of the season in Week 14 with 163 passing yards, 124 rushing yards and three total scores. He was the No. 1 quarterback for the week in many scoring systems.

But Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills has been a top-five fantasy quarterback for the season, outscoring Jackson by a tad over three fantasy points per game. Jackson's top-five fantasy matchup is tempting, and this is a close call. But while the two quarterbacks have a similar fantasy ceiling, Allen provides the higher floor.

He gets the nod under center.

The defensive call is an easy one. The Washington Football Team plays one of the best offenses in the NFL in the Seattle Seahawks. The Baltimore Ravens get a Jags team that has lost 12 in a row.

Ravens all the way.

In the flex spot, the Carolina Panthers' DJ Moore and Seattle's Tyler Lockett are out. The former's production has been inconsistent, and the latter draws a bottom-five matchup with Washington. Meanwhile, Cooper Kupp's fluctuating target share with the Los Angeles Rams takes much of the shine off a juicy matchup with the New York Jets.

I've already mentioned that while Melvin Gordon III has been a decent option overall, his weekly upside of late has been limited. Therefore, the play here is the guy no one would have considered in September.

Wayne Gallman of the New York Giants had a down Week 14, but he has either 100 rushing yards or a touchdown in six of his last seven games. He also faces a Cleveland Browns team that was shredded on the ground by the Ravens a week ago.

The Call: Josh Allen (DraftKings DFS Value: $7,200), Baltimore Ravens (DraftKings DFS Value: $3,800), Wayne Gallman (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,600) 

The Defense Rests

From the Bleacher Report App

I'm always down to talk a little defense. If someone ever asked an IDP question, I'd probably faint from glee.

You're wise to have reservations about the New Orleans Saints this week. They have been one of the league's better defenses for much of the season, but the team sprung a couple of leaks last week against the Philadelphia Eagles and has to face the buzzsaw that is the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 15.

The Washington Football Team has been playing lights-out defense of late, but they have to take on Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks this week. That's a rough matchup.

The Tennessee Titans have a great matchup with the Detroit Lions, but they have produced next to nothing in terms of big plays and rank near the bottom of the NFL in fantasy points among defenses. No thanks.

The New England Patriots have had their moments defensively in 2020, but this week's matchup isn't great. The Miami Dolphins are 22nd in fantasy points per game allowed to defenses this year. Pass.

So, we're down to two teams with top-five fantasy matchups in the Buffalo Bills (who face the Denver Broncos on the road) and the San Francisco 49ers (who travel to square off with the Dallas Cowboys).

The two defenses are similar in terms of production, averaging within a point per game of one another. Given that and the fact both are on the road this week, I'm inclined to defer to the better team overall.

That's the Bills, who face a Broncos team that leads the league in giveaways with 29.

The Call: Buffalo Bills (DraftKings DFS Value: $3,000)

DraftKings DFS Question of the Week

From the Bleacher Report App

Here's a news flash for you: Derrick Henry is good at the whole running the ball thing.

Henry has everything a fantasy manager could want from a running back in Week 15. His talent and upside are undeniable, and he's a threat to peel off a 200-yard game in any given week. The Tennessee Titans will undoubtedly give him a heavy workload Sunday against the Detroit Lions, who lead the NFC in DraftKings points allowed to running backs.

Unfortunately, he also carries a price tag of $9,500, which means having to cut costs at other positions—and significantly so.

David Montgomery of the Chicago Bears and James Robinson of the Jacksonville Jaguars carry much lower sticker prices. Both young backs have demonstrated the potential for big stat lines, but the matchups just aren't there in Week 15 for that pair, at least relative to the other options here.

However, Jonathan Taylor of the Indianapolis Colts is an interesting case. He carried the ball 20 times for 150 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the Las Vegas Raiders last week, and he faces a porous Houston Texans defense in Week 15.

Best of all, Taylor carries a salary over two grand less than Henry this week.

From a value perspective, he's the top play.

The Call: Jonathan Taylor (DraftKings DFS Value: $7,200)

Rapid Fire

Kyusung Gong/Associated Press

We'll wrap this semifinal edition of start/sit the same way as always. It's time to fire up the speed machine and crank out some more answers to app questions in rapid-fire style.

Have more Week 15 lineup questions? Leave them in the comments. I try to spend at least a few hours there every Friday and Saturday to assist readers in setting their lineups.

caseypivonka needs a wide receiver: "Robby Anderson, Diontae Johnson, Tim Patrick or Marquez Valdes-Scantling?"

Tim Patrick of the Denver Broncos and Marquez Valdes-Scantling of the Green Bay Packers aren't even the No. 1 options on their respective teams, so they are out. Diontae Johnson of the Pittsburgh Steelers has had his moments this season, but he also spent much of last week's loss on the bench thanks to drops. The matchup with the Packers is far from ideal, but Robby Anderson (DraftKings DFS Value: $6,200) of the Carolina Panthers is the best bet.

For jonathansu911, it's a RB call: "Cam Akers or JK Dobbins?"

As much as I like JK Dobbins of the Baltimore Ravens this week, he continues to split work with Gus Edwards (and Lamar Jackson) in the ground game. Cam Akers (DraftKings DFS Value: $6,600) of the Los Angeles Rams has logged 50 carries over the last two games, and that featured-back workload could portend a huge outing against the New York Jets in Week 15.

dhyl_chill1 is looking for a quarterback: "[Justin] Herbert or [Jalen] Hurts?"

Jalen Hurts played well in his first career start for the Philadelphia Eagles last week with 167 passing yards, 106 rushing yards and a score. But Justin Herbert (DraftKings DFS Value: $6,900) of the Los Angeles Chargers has demonstrated top-five fantasy upside in the right matchup and gets a Las Vegas Raiders team that ranks just outside the top 10 in fantasy points allowed to the position.

aburgosv needs flex help: "Standard flex. Tim Patrick vs. Bills, Jarvis Landry vs. Giants or Gus Edwards vs. Jaguars?"

Without the benefit of PPR, running backs have a clear edge as flex plays. But Edwards also hasn't had 10 touches in a game since Week 9. That leaves the two receivers, and while Patrick has some upside, Jarvis Landry (DraftKings DFS Value: $6,400) of the Cleveland Browns has tallied a 22/257/2 line over the past three weeks, averaging 10 targets per game over that span.

bautery has an embarrassment of riches at the flex spot: "PPR. [DK] Metcalf or Aaron Jones for flex?"

This feels like a humblebrag. Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf is capable of a ridiculous stat line regardless of matchup, but the Washington Football Team has given up the fourth-fewest PPR points per game to wideouts this year. Packers running back Aaron Jones (DraftKings DFS Value: $7,300) is a top-five fantasy back who gets a top-10 matchup for his position with the Panthers. Ride with the running back.

mking2 has a two-parter: "Cam [Akers] or [James] Robinson and [Adam] Thielen or [Michael] Thomas? Full PPR in semi-final game."

James Robinson of the Jacksonville Jaguars is fantasy football's biggest surprise RB1 this season. But while he plays a stout Ravens defense, Cam Akers (DraftKings DFS Value: $6,600) of the Rams gets the tissue-soft Jets. Adam Thielen of the Minnesota Vikings and Michael Thomas (DraftKings DFS Value: $7,200) of the New Orleans Saints are both solid fantasy options this week despite bad matchups, but Thomas has been targeted a ton since returning to action. He gets the nod here.

Back to the running backs for jakemarchese: "Mike Davis or Josh Jacobs for RB2?"

Mike Davis of the Panthers found the end zone twice last week and gets a top-five fantasy matchup for the position against the Packers. But his yardage totals haven't been especially impressive, and Josh Jacobs (DraftKings DFS Value: $6,500) of the Raiders offers more upside in a matchup with the Chargers that is only marginally less favorable.

DFS player salaries courtesy of DraftKings. Fantasy scoring data courtesy of FFToday. Fantasy points per game against data courtesy of My Fantasy League.

Gary Davenport is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year.

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