Fantasy Football Week 15 Starts, Sits: Lineup Decisions For Playoff Opener

Fantasy football managers now will face added pressure when making their starts and sits as Week 15 marks the playoff opener in most leagues. These decisions now mean bragging rights and even finances are on the line.

With that, we’ve highlighted a handful of starts and sits fantasy football managers should consider before Week 15 in the NFL kicks off.

Starts
Isiah Pacheco, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
Pacheco and the Chiefs have an incredibly favorable Week 15 matchup against the Houston Texans. Houston allows the most fantasy points to running backs while also giving up more touchdowns to running backs (18) than any team in the league. Pacheco started seeing more snaps and touches in Week 10, and since that point, he’s averaged 12.20 points per game in full-point leagues, per Sportradar. He ranks RB23 in average scoring during that span. The Kansas City rookie has two touchdowns in his last three games and has eclipsed 80 total yards in each of the previous five contests.

Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys
Prescott’s fantasy season has been a bit of a whirlwind with the Cowboys relying heavily on their running game in addition to the quarterback’s interception troubles. However, the Cowboys will face the Jaguars in Week 15 and Jacksonville has allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks in the past month and eighth-most on the season. The Jaguars also have allowed the fourth-most passing yards and have the fifth-worst defense in the red zone. Since Week 6, only Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson failed to finish as a top-12 fantasy quarterback against Jacksonville, per NFL.com. Additionally, the recent success of Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence could turn this one into more of a high-scoring affair.

Mike Williams, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
Injuries have plagued Williams in the second half of the season, but the Chargers wideout was still quite productive against the Miami Dolphins in Week 14. Williams, coming off a performance in which he caught all six balls thrown his way for 116 yards and one touchdown, now will go against a Tennessee Titans defense that is allowing the most points, second-most touchdowns and third-most yards to receivers. It could line up to be a perfect matchup for Williams, whose ceiling is very high entering the slate.

J.K. Dobbins, RB, Baltimore Ravens
Dobbins returned to the field in Week 14 after missing the last eight weeks due to injury. The Ravens’ second-year running back didn’t miss a beat as he turned 26 offensive snaps into 15 carries for 120 yards and one touchdown. We can’t help but think Dobbins could see similar production in Week 15 with the Ravens set to face the Cleveland Browns, who have allowed the third-most points and second-most touchdowns to players at the position. Regardless of who starts at quarterback for Baltimore, it’s fair to believe the ground game will be a key focus for the Ravens. Dobbins will split reps with Gus Edwards, but his ceiling is too high to overlook.

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Sits
Samaje Perine, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
Perine might have singlehandedly helped fantasy managers reach the postseason given his production when Joe Mixon was sidelined. But with Mixon returning in Week 14, Perine’s snaps were slashed. He played 43% of snaps with five touches for 24 yards and one result-saving touchdown. If the Bengals continue to feel like Mixon is back to full health, Perine’s snap count might further decrease in Week 15. And Cincinnati goes up against a Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense that has allowed the seventh-fewest points to running backs.

Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Miami Dolphins
Tagovailoa and the Dolphins will head to Buffalo for a crucial matchup with the Bills. The Bills have allowed the sixth-fewest points to quarterbacks this season and there’s a chance the Tagovailoa-led offense will be competing in the cold with an injury-impacted Tyreek Hill. Tagovailoa also has struggled over the last few contests as he ranks QB20 in average scoring since Week 11, scoring just 14.12 points in full-point leagues over that span, per Sportradar.

Amari Cooper, WR, Cleveland Browns
Cooper continues to deal with a core muscle/hip injury which has caused him to be listed on the injury report ahead of Week 15 against the Ravens. It’s perhaps the biggest reason Cooper managers should proceed with caution, especially given his latest production. Since Deshaun Watson took over behind center in Week 13, Cooper has finished WR54 in scoring (Week 13) and WR61 in scoring (Week 14). He has not been the same player the last few weeks whether it be due to the quarterback change or injury. Meanwhile, the Browns now will face a Ravens defense that held Cooper to just three receptions earlier this season.