Fantasy Football Week 15 Mailbag: Answering Start/Sit, Waiver Wire Questions
It’s championship time for many fantasy football owners, which means lots of money and bragging rights will be at stake over the next two weeks.
Finding the best waiver-wire additions to replace injured stars and determining which players to start and sit make all the difference at this time of the season. Many of this week’s fantasy mailbag questions involve those two topics. We’ve answered five of them below.
Luke via Twitter: Big Ben vs. Denver or Alex Smith vs. Baltimore?
Ben Roethlisberger has been a fantasy stud in his last five games, with four 300-yard performances and 10 touchdowns with five interceptions in that span. He should be productive again despite a tough matchup against a Denver Broncos defense that allows the fewest passing yards per game. Denver hasn’t faced an offense with a group of receivers as talented as Antonio Bryant, Martavis Bryant and Markus Wheaton.
Alex Smith just isn’t likely to throw for enough yards or touchdowns to be fantasy relevant. He has zero three-touchdown games and hasn’t even eclipsed the 200-yard mark in the last two weeks. Smith has a good matchup against a banged-up Baltimore Ravens defense, but unless he gives owners fantasy points in the running game, he’s probably not going to be more productive than Roethlisberger.
The Steelers are in a must-win situation to remain in the AFC playoff picture, so we should expect Roethlisberger to rise to the occasion like he’s done so many times in the past.
Dennis via Twitter: Lost Thomas Rawls for my matchup this week, are any Seattle running backs worth picking up to replace him?
Don’t pick up any Seattle running backs, whether it’s Fred Jackson, DuJuan Harris or Bryce Brown. There’s not a clear starter in this group and the carries likely will be split. The Seahawks are relying on quarterback Russell Wilson’s passing attack in Marshawn Lynch’s absence and the results have been extremely positive — 16 touchdown passes and no interceptions in the last four games. We shouldn’t expect Seattle to deviate from this game plan, especially against a poor Cleveland Browns pass defense.
Paul via Twitter: Possibly lost both Jonathan Stewart and T.J. Yeldon for my semifinal matchup. I only have Danny Woodhead and Ronnie Hillman left on my bench. Any ideas on deep FA finds?
Denard Robinson, Yeldon’s backup on the Jacksonville Jaguars, is a good pickup after rushing for 75 yards and a touchdown last week. New York Jets running back Bilal Powell has tallied at least five receptions and 40 receiving yards in three of the last four games, so he’s not a bad pickup in PPR leagues. Tim Hightower will start for the New Orleans Saints this week and he has a great matchup against a Detroit Lions defense that’s given up the most rushing touchdowns.
Those three running backs are worth a flex start.
Anthony via Facebook: Start Dez Bryant or Willie Snead?
Bryant hasn’t tallied more than 62 receiving yards in five straight games and he’s scored only one touchdown in that span as well. The real problem for Bryant is Cowboys quarterback Matt Cassel, who hasn’t proven he can consistently move the ball in the passing game or connect on deep plays down the field. Bryant also has a tough matchup against a New York Jets defense that ranks fifth in both points allowed per game and total yards allowed per game.
The smarter play here is Snead, who had seven receptions on eight targets for 122 yards last week. He also has been targeted seven or more times in his last five games. Saints quarterback Drew Brees has averaged 323 passing yards with a total of 17 touchdowns in the last six games, and all of his top receivers, most notably Snead and Brandin Cooks, are must-starts each week.
Derek via Twitter: Which three would you start at WR and flex this week? T.Y. Hilton, Brandin Cooks, Doug Baldwin, Martavis Bryant and Allen Hurns.
The best bet is Cooks, Baldwin and Hurns.
Baldwin has eight touchdowns in the last three games and a great matchup against a horrendous Browns defense. Hurns has scored a touchdown in eight of his last 10 games, he’s coming off a 110-yard performance in Week 14 and has a favorable matchup against the struggling Atlanta Falcons. Cooks has six touchdown receptions and an average of 7.5 targets in the last six games. The Saints rank second in passing yards per game and Cooks is the No. 1 receiver in that offense.
You could maybe start Bryant over Hurns, but the Steelers wideout likely will be matched up against one of the two elite Broncos cornerbacks, Chris Harris Jr. or Aqib Talib.
Thumbnail photo via Derick E. Hingle/USA TODAY Sport Images
