Week 15 Start/Sit Questions

By: Mike Johnson (@mjohnson86)

Some things in fantasy football are easy. We know we should start Puka Nacua and Bijan Robinson. We know we should bench the backup running back who is only on our roster in case of injury and the guy who was ruled out early in the week. A lot of the decisions are made for us. However, there are a lot of things that are not so simple. All of the “in between” situations are what can make the difference between a few wins and losses, and therefore it can be the difference between a successful season or a failed season. Every Friday, we are here to help!!

I’ll take questions each week in our #fantasy-football channel in our Discord from people looking for Start/Sit advice and give my thoughts. This article will feature a few of those questions and responses each Friday, so join our Discord to be a part of the conversation or ask questions of your own!!

Question 1 :: I have a playoff dilemma: Travis Kelce or Harold Fannin Jr.? (tdawg5636)

Answer:: A good problem to have, as I have both as top-six tight ends this week. My lean is slightly to Fannin as he comes off a massive game last week against the Titans. This game sets up as another spot where we would expect the Browns to be playing from behind and Fannin is very clearly the favorite target for Shedeur Sanders. The routes Fannin runs are such that a defense isn’t going to just take many of them away and the Bears are a great matchup. It won’t shock me if Fannin has double-digit targets once again this week and the only tight ends I would start over him this week are Trey McBride, Brock Bowers, George Kittle, and Kyle Pitts.

Question 2:: Devin Neal, Woody Marks, Jaylen Warren, or Omarion Hampton? (Start Two) (Smitty)

Answer:: Marks is a lock here as he is coming off a game with a huge workload, Nick Chubb seems likely to miss this week, and the matchup is elite against a Cardinals defense that was just destroyed by both Kyren Williams and Blake Corum in Week 14. For the second spot, my lean is to Jaylen Warren for his Monday night showdown with the Dolphins. Hampton’s explosiveness is tempting and Neal should have a bell-cow role for the Saints, but I slightly prefer Warren over both.

Question 3:: Tyler Warren or Isaiah Likely at tight end?  (Steelcityboy)

Answer:: This is a spot where we need to separate some of our DFS and weekly matchup-type of plays from the reality of a situation and likely outcomes between players for our season-long teams. While we have Likely in a terrific matchup against a Bengals team that he was about a foot from dropping 20 on just two weeks ago and Warren on the road against an elite defense, I would still start Warren in this spot. Whoever starts at QB for the Colts, they will have to pass the ball at some point and Warren’s big body and short-area skill set is likely to lead to a lot of targets. Likely is still a secondary receiving option in a severe cold game with an elite matchup for his running game. He could certainly have a solid game, and I love him for DFS this week, but I wouldn’t bench Warren for him.

Question 4:: 2 Flex spots (PPR): Jerry Jeudy, Chimere Dike, Ricky Pearsall, DJ Moore, Darren Waller, Pat Bryant, or Devin Neal? (Swingdog)

Answer:: Neal is a lock here as a workhorse running back. Volume is king in fantasy and regardless of the matchup, when you have a decision among a group of questionable options like this and one has a massive edge in volume you go with that one. I wouldn’t consider Bryant or Waller in this spot, which leaves the other four receivers for the decision. My lean here is actually probably going to surprise you as I think Chimere Dike has a strong chance of high volume himself in this game. He has emerged as the best receiver for the Titans and they should be trailing for most of this game. Jeudy is playing in some cold weather against a solid secondary, Pearsall is the fourth option on his team (although it does feel like he will have a big play soon), and Moore’s production has been all over the place. I think Dike gives you the strongest floor from a volume perspective while his explosiveness and trailing game script give him an obvious path to a potential big play.