Week 15 Rankings: Standard | PPR
The Lineup Cheat Sheet combines Fantasy analysis and game-flow predictions with a confidence scale to give you a definitive answer on who to start in your leagues.
The higher the number next to a player's name, the more confident you should be to start him. If a player isn't listed, don't start him.
Numbers are based on non-PPR scoring but are typically applicable to PPR formats.
To find a specific player, use your search function -- CTRL-F on PCs and Command-F on Macs. If neither of those are options, or if you're on a mobile device, you can search by game.
If you're still unsure, just send a note on Twitter (@daverichard) using #CBSFLCS and I'll give it a look, time permitting.
Rams at Seahawks
| Rams | Seahawks | ||
| Jared Goff | 1.7 | Russell Wilson | 7.0 |
| Todd Gurley | 5.8 | Thomas Rawls | 8.4 |
| Kenny Britt | 5.2 | Doug Baldwin | 6.6 |
| Tavon Austin | 3.0 | Tyler Lockett | 2.8 |
| Lance Kendricks | 2.4 | Jimmy Graham | 8.5 |
| Rams | 3.9 | Seahawks | 9.7 |
Sit Him
Even back when we were drafting Gurley we knew this was the matchup to fear. The Seahawks' run defense has allowed 3.6 yards per rush on the year and three scores to running backs in six home games. Gurley had a nice game at Seattle in '15, but that was then.
Already once this season, Gurley totaled just 70 yards on 20 touches versus the Seahawks, and that's probably the max of what you can expect in Week 15. Isaiah Crowell, Tevin Coleman and Kenneth Farrow should get you more Fantasy points.
Dolphins at Jets
| Dolphins | Jets | ||
| Matt Moore | 3.3 | Bryce Petty | 1.8 |
| Jay Ajayi | 7.2 | Bilal Powell | 8.1 |
| Damien Williams | 4.1 | Robby Anderson | 5.4 |
| DeVante Parker | 7.15 | Brandon Marshall | 4.4 |
| Jarvis Landry | 6.1 | Jets | 3.3 |
| Kenny Stills | 3.1 | ||
| Dolphins | 6.9 |
Start Him
This is just too good an opportunity for Powell. With Matt Forte not expected to play, Powell should be in line for 20 touches against a Dolphins defense that has melted against backs with heavy workloads. Miami has also given up a minimum of 12 Fantasy points to a running back in each of its last six!
Powell's averaging 5.8 yards per carry and should be in position to score and rack up yardage at home.
Sneaky Sleeper
Anderson has been productive lately, but he's not without flaws. He's a limited route runner, he's tall but lean and his smallish hands make for some ugly drops (he had one last week). But there's no denying his speed -- he's easily the fastest Jet -- and Bryce Petty has recognized it with 23 targets in the last two weeks. And wouldn't you know it? The Dolphins have been burned the most by speedy complementary receivers lately (like J.J. Nelson last week). Anderson's a perfect No. 3 feast-or-famine receiver this week.
Packers at Bears
Note: There are weather concerns for the game. Check the local weather forecast on Sunday before setting your lineup.
| Packers | Bears | ||
| Aaron Rodgers | 7.2 | Matt Barkley | 2.5 |
| Christine Michael | 3.6 | Jordan Howard | 7.3 |
| Jordy Nelson | 8.2 | Jeremy Langford | 2.9 |
| Davante Adams | 7.2 | Alshon Jeffery | 6.75 |
| Ty Montgomery | 6.2 | Bears | 1.7 |
| Randall Cobb | 4.2 | ||
| Packers | 5.5 |
Sneaky Sleeper
The Bears were the first team to go up against Montgomery as a backfield runner -- and they yielded 126 total yards. That was a season-high for Montgomery, who won't see an improved Bears run defense on Sunday with linebackers Danny Trevathan and Jerrell Freeman out of action.
Last week against Seattle, Montgomery had nine carries and three catches but still totaled over 80 yards with his first score of the year. Without a legit alternative for the Packers to turn to in the backfield, Montgomery should return at least 80 total yards again.
Browns at Bills
| Browns | Bills | ||
| Robert Griffin III | 1.9 | Tyrod Taylor | 6.7 |
| Isaiah Crowell | 7.4 | LeSean McCoy | 9.4 |
| Duke Johnson | 4.6 | Mike Gillislee | 5.5 |
| Terrelle Pryor | 4.9 | Sammy Watkins | 7.8 |
| Corey Coleman | 3.5 | Robert Woods | 3.2 |
| Gary Barnidge | 2.6 | Charles Clay | 4.0 |
| Browns | 2.9 | Bills | 8.5 |
Start Him
This is simply playing the odds. There have been only two quarterbacks to face the Browns this season and not hit the magical 20 Fantasy point mark. One was Ryan Fitzpatrick, who has since been benched, and the other was Ben Roethlisberger, who played in a windstorm. Maybe the biggest risk is that the Bills run the ball so much that Taylor doesn't throw, but short of that, we should see another successful passer against Cleveland.
He's a safer start than Roethlisberger this week.
Sit Him
Was last week an anomaly or will Pryor really start underperforming? No doubt Pryor struggled in a tough matchup against a Bengals defense that did a lot to take him away, but Robert Griffin III looked awful out there. RG3 completed 42.9 percent of his passes for a nauseating 3.7 yards per attempt. The Browns' leading receiver had under 30 yards, and Pryor had under 5 yards on three targets.
Expect his targets and catches to go up, but against a Bills pass defense that has allowed just two 100-yard receiving games all season to wideouts, Pryor's in for a tough day.
Eagles at Ravens
| Eagles | Ravens | ||
| Carson Wentz | 3.9 | Joe Flacco | 6.6 |
| Ryan Mathews | 5.3 | Kenneth Dixon | 6.1 |
| Jordan Matthews | 5.0 | Terrance West | 5.9 |
| Zach Ertz | 6.8 | Mike Wallace | 5.1 |
| Trey Burton | 3.4 | Steve Smith | 4.3 |
| Eagles | 4.3 | Breshad Perriman | 3.9 |
| Dennis Pitta | 4.2 | ||
| Ravens | 7.6 |
Start Them
Dixon really established himself as a good passing downs back last week -- a role he should retain moving forward (including next season). West's two carries was more a by-product of game flow than anything else against the Pats. Look for both to get plenty of touches versus Philadelphia.
A running back has tallied 10 Fantasy points or more against the Eagles in three of their past four, and the Eagles have yielded a touchdown in each of their last four. West has the better chance to score and Dixon could see 80-plus total yards. Both are middle- to low-end No. 2 Fantasy running backs in non-PPR.
Titans at Chiefs
| Titans | Chiefs | ||
| Marcus Mariota | 4.7 | Alex Smith | 5.4 |
| DeMarco Murray | 8.7 | Spencer Ware | 6.2 |
| Derrick Henry | 3.2 | Tyreek Hill | 7.3 |
| Rishard Matthews | 4.6 | Travis Kelce | 8.4 |
| Delanie Walker | 6.2 | Chiefs | 7.3 |
| Titans | 4.5 |
Start Him
To put it bluntly, there's no one on the Titans roster who can effectively cover Hill. Furthermore, the Titans probably realize they can't dedicate two defenders to Hill and still keep Travis Kelce under wraps. It has been outside receivers who have done the most damage against the Titans over their past eight games -- the team's seen a wideout score at least once in that span. Six receivers have had at least 97 yards on Tennessee over its last four.
Hill has a minimum of nine Fantasy points in five of his past eight, including games where he wasn't a focal point of the offense. He's the reason why Alex Smith is a sleeper this week.
Risky Starter
Chances are you'll start Walker because he's got week-to-week potential to deliver big stats. But the Chiefs are among the best in the NFL at shutting down tight ends. No tight end has more than seven Fantasy points (non-PPR) against them all season!
If you can find another tight end you feel comfortable with, start him over Walker, who last scored against the Chiefs in 2014 ... and still had less than 10 Fantasy points.
Steelers at Bengals
| Steelers | Bengals | ||
| Ben Roethlisberger | 5.0 | Andy Dalton | 4.5 |
| Le'Veon Bell | 9.2 | Jeremy Hill | 5.7 |
| Antonio Brown | 9.0 | Rex Burkhead | 3.0 |
| Ladarius Green | 6.0 | Tyler Boyd | 4.8 |
| Steelers | 6.5 | Brandon LaFell | 3.3 |
| Tyler Eifert | 7.0 | ||
| Bengals | 4.1 |
Sit Him
The narrative is that Big Ben is Bad Ben on the road. That's true based on recent results, and bad weather is to blame, but he's historically had a hard time at Cincinnati. In 14 games there, Roethlisberger has been above 20 Fantasy points just four times. Of the six quarterbacks to notch multiple touchdowns on the Bengals this year, only one has had more than 22 Fantasy points.
With a bad track record and a low ceiling even if he has a good game, Roethlisberger is a risk not worth taking.
Lions at Giants
| Lions | Giants | ||
| Matthew Stafford | 3.5 | Eli Manning | 5.7 |
| Dwayne Washington | 5.1 | Rashad Jennings | 4.8 |
| Golden Tate | 5.75 | Paul Perkins | 3.5 |
| Anquan Boldin | 3.8 | Odell Beckham | 9.2 |
| Marvin Jones | 2.6 | Sterling Shepard | 5.6 |
| Eric Ebron | 5.0 | Will Tye | 2.0 |
| Lions | 5.9 | Giants | 6.4 |
Risky Starter
This Giants pass defense is for real. Only two receivers have had over 100 yards against the G-Men and only 13 touchdowns have been scored on them, second-best in the NFL.
Tate's monster game at New Orleans is a reminder of why we'd want to use him, but really he's had two explosive plays in his past three games. Furthermore, his quarterback will play outdoors with a broken finger on his throwing hand. Why take the risk in non-PPR?
Colts at Vikings
| Colts | Vikings | ||
| Andrew Luck | 5.8 | Sam Bradford | 3.1 |
| Frank Gore | 6.45 | Adrian Peterson | 5.35 |
| Robert Turbin | 3.1 | Jerick McKinnon | 5.25 |
| T.Y. Hilton | 8.5 | Adam Thielen | 6.8 |
| Jack Doyle | 5.4 | Stefon Diggs | 5.8 |
| Dwayne Allen | 2.2 | Kyle Rudolph | 6.6 |
| Colts | 3.5 | Vikings | 8.4 |
Sit Him
If he had a good offensive line in front of him, Luck would still have a chance to put up a big game. Unfortunately, his starting left guard, starting right tackle and backup right tackle are all out, as will be receiver Donte Moncrief. Luck himself is banged up (shoulder) but not on the injury report. On the road against a good Vikings defense, this is a problem.
We've seen Luck under serious duress before and his numbers aren't pretty. The expectation is that he'll gut it out, find some rushing opportunities mixed in with his dropbacks and do what he can to move the chains. But Minnesota has allowed just one quarterback to get 20-plus Fantasy points against them. It's a long shot Luck will be the second. I've benched him for Trevor Siemian in one of my leagues.
Jaguars at Texans
| Jaguars | Texans | ||
| Blake Bortles | 5.3 | Brock Osweiler | 2.3 |
| T.J. Yeldon | 4.7 | Lamar Miller | 8.0 |
| Marqise Lee | 6.3 | DeAndre Hopkins | 4.5 |
| Allen Robinson | 4.0 | Will Fuller | 2.7 |
| Jaguars | 5.1 | Ryan Griffin | 3.7 |
| Texans | 8.6 |
Sneaky Start
Lee has scored or amassed 100 yards in three of his last four games, tallying 16 catches on 31 targets with 14.8 yards per catch in that span. Compared to Allen Robinson's past four games (24 targets, nine catches, 10.0 yards per catch, one score), it's clear as day that Lee is the Jags' new No. 1 receiver. That's good news because the Texans have been burned by top receivers of late, giving up a touchdown to a wideout in six of their past seven.
With Jacksonville's run game in the tank, bank on Lee coming up with some good stats.
Saints at Cardinals
| Saints | Cardinals | ||
| Drew Brees | 7.6 | Carson Palmer | 6.3 |
| Mark Ingram | 5.4 | David Johnson | 9.3 |
| Tim Hightower | 4.2 | J.J. Nelson | 5.9 |
| Michael Thomas | 6.35 | Larry Fitzgerald | 4.7 |
| Brandin Cooks | 6.25 | Jermaine Gresham | 4.8 |
| Willie Snead | 5.7 | Cardinals | 6.3 |
| Coby Fleener | 3.8 | ||
| Saints | 3.7 |
Sit Him
Cooks has struggled in each of his past four games, struggled in a game at Arizona last year and typically struggles when he plays on a natural surface. The Cardinals have done a masterful job against No. 1 receivers for much of the year -- only Mike Evans bested 'Zona for a big game. Others like Julio Jones and DeSean Jackson couldn't deliver much.
The return of Michael Thomas theoretically helps loosen up the coverage on Cooks, but if last week is any indication the Cardinals will keep Patrick Peterson and Marcus Cooper to specific sides and not match them up in man coverage. Even if they did, there's a good chance Peterson would draw Cooks. Maybe as a No. 3 receiver you could get by with him but otherwise you shouldn't expect a ton.
Risky Starter
In PPR leagues it's not risky to start Fitzgerald, even though he caught just three passes last week. But that was in a rainstorm, not in the comfort of the Cardinals' dome. It's more concerning that Fitzy has scored in just one of his last 11 games and delivered even 80 yards in just two of those 11.
The Saints have been OK against slot receivers like Fitzgerald -- it's really the fast ones who take advantage of the matchup. Fitzgerald isn't as fast as he once was, so in non-PPR leagues he's just not as appealing.
49ers at Falcons
| 49ers | Falcons | ||
| Colin Kaepernick | 4.1 | Matt Ryan | 8.7 |
| Carlos Hyde | 8.6 | Devonta Freeman | 8.3 |
| Shaun Draughn | 4.0 | Tevin Coleman | 6.9 |
| Garrett Celek | 2.8 | Taylor Gabriel | 6.4 |
| 49ers | 1.9 | Mohamed Sanu | 3.55 |
| Austin Hooper | 4.4 | ||
| Falcons | 7.1 |
Start Them
Speed doesn't suit the San Francisco defense well -- Robby Anderson, Kenny Stills and Malcolm Mitchell all have done well recently against them. It has to be viewed as a big positive that Gabriel tied for the team lead in targets (six) and played 79 percent of the snaps last week. Assuming Julio Jones rests his toe for another week, Gabriel's a great No. 2 receiver.
Coleman should also pick up lots of work against the Niners' awful run defense. Maybe the Falcons work in Devonta Freeman more after he had just six carries last week, but if this game becomes a blowout, we'll see more touches than usual for Coleman. The Niners have allowed five touchdowns to running backs in the last two weeks -- someone's gotta score them.
Raiders at Chargers
| Raiders | Chargers | ||
| Derek Carr | 8.5 | Philip Rivers | 7.3 |
| Latavius Murray | 8.8 | Kenneth Farrow | 6.5 |
| Jalen Richard | 3.3 | Dontrelle Inman | 7.1 |
| Amari Cooper | 7.25 | Tyrell Williams | 6.9 |
| Michael Crabtree | 7.7 | Antonio Gates | 5.8 |
| Raiders | 4.7 | Hunter Henry | 5.2 |
| Chargers | 3.1 |
Start Them
This game has all the makings of a shootout. Oakland will put up plenty of points, and with no reliable run game to speak of, San Diego will have to take to the air to compete. The Raiders have afforded at least one score to a receiver in six of their past seven. That's what we're looking for.
Inman has scored in three straight and has at least five grabs in four of his past five. Williams' four-game touchdown streak ended last week, but he should see an uptick in targets and catches, bad shoulder and all, because the Bolts will throw a ton.
Patriots at Broncos
| Patriots | Broncos | ||
| Tom Brady | 6.9 | Trevor Siemian | 5.9 |
| LeGarrette Blount | 6.8 | Justin Forsett | 5.0 |
| James White | 4.9 | Devontae Booker | 4.7 |
| Dion Lewis | 3.9 | Demaryius Thomas | 8.1 |
| Julian Edelman | 6.5 | Emmanuel Sanders | 7.6 |
| Malcolm Mitchell | 5.5 | A.J. Derby | 3.2 |
| Chris Hogan | 2.9 | Broncos | 7.0 |
| Martellus Bennett | 5.6 | ||
| Patriots | 5.3 |
Start Him
This is obvious to some, shocking to others. Be it because he's chasing points or because of an ineffective run game, expect Brady to throw plenty. He's come through with 23-plus Fantasy points in four of his past five against the Broncos and has a pretty good track record against Wade Phillips-led defenses (24-plus Fantasy points in five of his last six against him). He even has 20-plus Fantasy points in five of nine games at Denver.
Missing Gronk is a big deal, but he still has Martellus Bennett. Denver's pass defense has been great, no doubt, but expect Brady to find a way by leaning on his tight ends, running back and Julian Edelman en route to a good stat line.
Sneaky Sleeper
This isn't because Bennett came through with a touchdown and a bunch of yards last week. This is because Bennett should draw some favorable matchups in pass coverage and use his size to help make some plays.
True, Denver has been outstanding against tight ends all season, even bottling up Delanie Walker last week, but guys like Travis Kelce and the Chargers duo have done some damage. The wager here is that Bennett will see more targets and have a shot to score.
Buccaneers at Cowboys
| Buccaneers | Cowboys | ||
| Jameis Winston | 5.6 | Dak Prescott | 5.5 |
| Doug Martin | 6.4 | Ezekiel Elliott | 9.1 |
| Charles Sims | 4.5 | Dez Bryant | 7.5 |
| Mike Evans | 8.6 | Cole Beasley | 3.6 |
| Cameron Brate | 6.4 | Jason Witten | 3.6 |
| Buccaneers | 4.9 | Cowboys | 2.7 |
Risky Starts
No one expected either of these defenses to play well, but they are. The Bucs have held four of the past five quarterbacks they've taken on to 18 Fantasy points or less, including guys like Drew Brees, Philip Rivers and Russell Wilson. Not to be outdone, the Cowboys have held six of the last eight quarterbacks they've seen to 17 Fantasy points or less, including guys like Eli Manning and Aaron Rodgers.
Both Prescott and Winston are on skids that aren't pleasing anyone. Sit them for guys with some legitimate upside like Tyrod Taylor and Joe Flacco.
Panthers at Redskins
| Panthers | Redskins | ||
| Cam Newton | 6.4 | Kirk Cousins | 8.6 |
| Jonathan Stewart | 6.6 | Rob Kelley | 7.9 |
| Ted Ginn | 4.1 | Chris Thompson | 3.4 |
| Kelvin Benjamin | 3.4 | DeSean Jackson | 7.4 |
| Devin Funchess | 2.5 | Jamison Crowder | 6.7 |
| Greg Olsen | 8.0 | Pierre Garcon | 3.7 |
| Panthers | 2.5 | Jordan Reed | 7.1 |
| Redskins | 6.7 |
DeSean - Start Him
The dude has 11 or more Fantasy points in three of his past four games and is taking on a beleaguered Panthers secondary. He's also playing in prime time, which is when some of his most impressive games have happened.
We all wish he had more targets but considering the success he's had lately, Jackson is more boom than bust.
