This is a big week for Fantasy managers since it's the semifinals of the playoffs in most leagues. Hopefully your lineups are ready to go, and you're not dealing with too many injuries. Unfortunately, we know that's not the case, and there are several players we're still keeping an eye on heading into the weekend.
For example, we were hoping to get Christian McCaffrey (thigh) back by Week 15, but it appears like he will remain out again. Julio Jones (hamstring), Kenny Golladay (hip) and Joe Mixon (foot) are also out, and we're not expected to have Antonio Gibson (toe), Ronald Jones (finger) and Michael Thomas (ankle), among others.
It would be great to have all the stars we drafted and counted on all season, but that's not realistic. The flip side of that is some of these injuries have created opportunities for other players to help us where needed. You know about guys like Mike Davis and J.D. McKissic, and this week we could be relying on players like Emmanuel Sanders, Benny Snell and Salvon Ahmed.
Imagine when the season started thinking about some of the players you might be using now in the Fantasy playoffs. There's no way many of these guys were on your radar. But here we are. And hopefully, if needed, they can deliver in a big way.
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Start 'Em & Sit 'Em
Start of the Week
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J.K. Dobbins is the official Start of the Week, but we're also going to make Gus Edwards the Sleeper of the Week for this matchup against Jacksonville. Both have the potential to go off in Week 15.
The Jaguars' run defense has been miserable all season, but it's been exceptionally bad of late against opposing running backs. In their past three games against Cleveland, Minnesota and Tennessee, the running backs on those teams have combined for 561 rushing yards and three touchdowns, along with 14 catches for 128 yards and a touchdown.
Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt combined for 29 carries, 206 rushing yards and a touchdown in Week 12, along with three catches for 32 yards on three targets. Then Dalvin Cook went for 179 total yards in Week 13, including six catches. And Derrick Henry capped it off with 26 carries for 215 yards and two touchdowns in Week 14.
There should be plenty of production for Dobbins and Edwards, and I like that Mark Ingram wasn't involved in the game plan in Week 14 at Cleveland. That will hopefully be the case again this week where he doesn't touch the ball.
Dobbins should be considered a solid No. 2 Fantasy running back in all formats. He's scored in three games in a row and has at least 70 rushing yards in two of those outings. I wish he was more involved in the passing game -- he has just two catches for 15 yards over that span -- but that shouldn't matter much this week.
He's averaging 13 carries a game, and if he continues to get just that level of work he should deliver a quality stat line in this matchup. So far, Dobbins has five games this season with double digits in carries, and he's scored at least 12 PPR points in four of them.
Edwards has either 100 rushing yards or a touchdown in each of his past three outings. He hasn't had more than nine carries in any game over that span, so he's tougher to trust, and he has just four catches for the season. But he's also averaging 5.0 yards per carry and seems to gain chunk yards every time he touches the ball.
The Ravens should roll in this game with their ground attack. Lamar Jackson will lead the way in that regard, but I also expect big things for Dobbins and Edwards given how bad the Jaguars have been in stopping the run.
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START 'EM & SIT 'EM
Quarterbacks
Start 'Em
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Tom Brady's eyes must light up when he sees the Falcons. In five career meetings in the regular season with Atlanta, he has averaged 288 passing yards with 11 touchdowns and one interception. And then there's Super Bowl LI when he rallied the Patriots from a 28-3 deficit with 466 passing yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He's facing them for the first time since joining the Buccaneers, and Brady should have another big game. The Falcons allow an average of 25.8 Fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, and three quarterbacks in Atlanta's past five games have scored at least 23 Fantasy points.
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Brees is back after a four-game absence with a rib injury, and he's worth starting against the Chiefs, even with Michael Thomas (ankle) out. Brees already played six games this season without Thomas, and he scored at least 23 Fantasy points in four of them. The Chiefs have allowed four of their past five opposing quarterbacks to score at least 27 Fantasy points, and this game should be a high-scoring affair with a projected Over/Under of 51 points. There's still the risk of Taysom Hill playing too much, even with Brees starting, and there could be some rust after the extended absence. But I'll buy back into Brees as a low-end starter this week at home.
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It's risky to trust a rookie quarterback making just his second NFL start -- first on the road -- in the Fantasy playoffs, but it might be worth it. Hurts did a solid job in his first start in Week 14 against New Orleans with 20 Fantasy points. He only passed for 167 yards and a touchdown, but he added 106 yards on the ground. He faces Arizona in Week 15, and the Cardinals have allowed five of their past seven opposing quarterbacks to score at least 23 Fantasy points. The two who failed to reach that mark were Cam Newton and Daniel Jones. And Arizona has struggled with running quarterbacks over that span as five had at least 35 rushing yards.
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Tannehill was good as the Start of the Week in Week 14 with 20 Fantasy points against Jacksonville, but I had higher expectations than that. Still, that's four games in a row with at least 20 Fantasy points, and that streak should stay intact this week. The Lions allow an average of 23.2 Fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, and two of their past three opponents have scored at least 36 Fantasy points. Now, you always have to worry about Derrick Henry just dominating the offense for the Titans, which could happen again here. But I still trust Tannehill enough to be a low-end No. 1 quarterback in all leagues.
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The Steelers offense is off, and Roethlisberger has scored 17 Fantasy points or fewer in two of his past three games. But I'll take my chances this week against the Bengals, who were torched by Roethlisberger for 37 Fantasy points in Week 10. That's the last time a quarterback had more than 19 Fantasy points against the Bengals, but they haven't exactly had a murderer's row, facing Alex Smith, Daniel Jones (who was hurt in the game), Tua Tagovailoa and Andy Dalton. Roethlisberger needs a get-right game, and this is a good spot for it to happen. In his past five meetings with Cincinnati, Roethlisberger is averaging 300 passing yards a game with 10 touchdowns and two interceptions, and he's scored at least 20 Fantasy points four times over that span.
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Sleepers
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If there was ever a week to trust Goff, it's now against the Jets. They allow an average of 25.4 Fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, and six quarterbacks in a row have scored at least 23 Fantasy points, including four with at least 31 points. Goff only has two games with more than 16 Fantasy points since Week 7, but this matchup suggests he should have a big game.
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Trubisky just had his best game of the year in Week 14 against Houston with 30 Fantasy points, and he also scored 24 Fantasy points in Week 12 against the Packers. The Vikings have allowed six quarterbacks this season to score at least 24 Fantasy points, and Trubisky has the chance to be a low-end starter in all leagues in Week 15.
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Rivers has scored at least 21 Fantasy points in four games in a row, including 23 at Houston in Week 13. For the season, the Texans allow 21.7 Fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, and four of the past six quarterbacks against Houston have scored at least 20 points.
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Sit 'Em
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Ryan comes into Week 14 with 17 Fantasy points or less in four games in a row. He's not going to have Julio Jones (hamstring), and in the previous four games Jones has missed, Ryan is averaging just 11.3 Fantasy points per game. Also, in two games against Tampa Bay last year, Ryan scored a combined 22 Fantasy points. It's tough to watch Ryan struggle as 2020 comes to an end.
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Newton was great against the Dolphins in Week 1 in his first ever start for the Patriots, scoring 25 Fantasy points, which included 75 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. A lot has changed since then. In his past three games, Newton has been under 120 passing yards in each outing, and he has three total touchdowns and three interceptions over that span. The Dolphins allow just 18.0 Fantasy points on average to opposing quarterbacks, and they have given up three passing touchdowns with eight interceptions in their past four games.
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Lock was awesome in Week 14 at Carolina with 33 Fantasy points, his best game of the season. But I'm expecting him to struggle this week against the Bills, who have held Justin Herbert and Roethlisberger to 18 Fantasy points or less in two of their past three games. Lock has shown the ability to get hot with three games with at least 25 Fantasy points, but he also has three games with 14 or fewer points in his past four outings. I would only consider him as a low-end starter in two-quarterbacks and Superflex leagues this week.
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Tagovailoa just had the best game of his rookie campaign in Week 14 against Kansas City with 30 Fantasy points, but it will be hard to trust him this week against the Patriots. It's well documented how Bill Belichick does against rookie quarterbacks, and he's now 21-5 in those matchups after New England held Herbert to four Fantasy points in Week 13. Along with that, Tagovailoa might be without DeVante Parker (hamstring) and Mike Gesicki (shoulder), which are the top pass catchers for the Dolphins. I'd be hesitant to use Tagovailoa even in two-quarterback and Superflex leagues.
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Bust Alert
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Mayfield is hot coming into Week 14, having scored at least 22 Fantasy points in three games in a row, including 69 points in his past two outings against the Titans and Ravens. But I expect him to struggle this week against the Giants, who have been excellent against opposing quarterbacks all season -- they allow an average of just 17.6 Fantasy points per game to the position on the year. Only three quarterbacks this season have scored more than 19 Fantasy points against the Giants, and this defense just held Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray to 19 Fantasy points or fewer in the past two games. Mayfield is only low-end starter in two-quarterback and Superflex leagues.
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START 'EM & SIT 'EM
Running Backs
Start 'Em
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Davis is expected to start again with Christian McCaffrey (thigh) out, and Davis should continue to play well. He's scored at least 15 PPR points in two of his past three starts in place of McCaffrey, and this is a favorable matchup against the Packers. Green Bay has allowed a running back to score or gain at least 100 total yards in all but one game this season, and the Packers are among the league leaders with 74 receptions allowed to running backs this year. Eight running backs have at least four catches against Green Bay, which bodes well for Davis in PPR.
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The Chargers run defense looks better on paper of late since it hasn't allowed a touchdown to a running back in three games in a row. But I wouldn't worry about Jacobs this week unless you're concerned about his ankle injury, which should be fine. The past three opponents against the Chargers were Buffalo, New England and Atlanta, and none of those teams have strong ground games. And Devin Singletary and Damien Harris still managed at least 95 total yards in each outing. Prior to this three-game stretch, the Chargers allowed a running back to score in five games in a row, including Jacobs and Devontae Booker in Week 9. Jacobs had 14 carries for 65 yards and the score, as well as one catch for 3 yards in that meeting, and he has at least 13 PPR points in two career games against the Chargers. He has top-10 upside Thursday night.
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The slow build for Akers becoming a standout Fantasy running back has been frustrating and exciting at the same time. Frustrating because it took until Week 12 for him to become the lead running back for the Rams. Exciting because he should be a league-winner for many Fantasy managers. He comes into Week 14 with a touchdown or at least 100 total yards in four games in a row, and he just smashed the Patriots with 29 carries for 171 yards, along with two catches for 23 yards on three targets. It's not easy to run on the Jets, and Chris Carson in Week 14 was the first running back to score against New York since Week 9. But I'm not worried about that with Akers, who has top-five upside in all leagues in this matchup at home.
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Sanders broke out of his three-game slump in Week 14 against New Orleans, and he will hopefully get hot to close the season, including this week at Arizona. Prior to Week 14, Sanders had scored a combined 16 PPR points, but he had 29 PPR points against the Saints in the first start for Jalen Hurts. While the 14 carries for 115 yards and two touchdowns were great, the better part of his stat line might have been the four catches for 21 yards on five targets. That's now seven games for Sanders with at least four targets, and he's scored at least 13 PPR points in five of those outings. The Cardinals come into Week 14 having allowed six touchdowns to running backs in their past four games.
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I originally had Johnson as a sit candidate earlier in the week, but I upgraded him for two significant reasons. The first was Duke Johnson (ankle) likely missing this game after not practicing Friday. That should give David Johnson an increased workload -- with hopefully an uptick in the passing game. And there's a chance Colts standout defensive lineman DeForest Buckner (ankle) could be out after not practicing Friday. He missed Week 12 against the Titans, and the Colts run defense fell apart, with Derrick Henry rushing for 178 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries. Johnson isn't in the same class of runner as Henry, but he could have the chance for a quality outing this week. And Johnson did have 10 carries for 44 yards and a touchdown when these teams first met in Week 13.
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Sleepers
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The Seahawks are tied for fourth in receptions allowed to running backs with 77, and eight running backs have at least four catches against them this season. McKissic won't have Alex Smith (calf) this week to help with his reception total, but I'm confident that Dwayne Haskins will still keep McKissic involved, especially with Antonio Gibson (toe) out. McKissic has scored at least 16 PPR points in three of his past six games.
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Wilson can still be a flex option even with Raheem Mostert (ankle) expected to play. The two have been splitting carries recently, and there's a chance Wilson gets more work than Mostert this week. Wilson has four games this season with double digits in carries, and he's scored a touchdown in three of them. He also has at least 21 PPR points in two of those games. The 49ers lead the NFL with 20 total touchdowns scored by their running backs (15 rushing). And San Francisco has had a running back find the end zone in 11 of 13 games this year. Also, the Cowboys have allowed a running back to gain at least 101 rushing yards in three of their past four games, with five rushing touchdowns over that span.
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We'll see what happens with James Conner (quad) this week, but if he's out Monday then consider Snell a potential starter or flex option against the Bengals. Cincinnati has allowed a running back to score or gain over 100 total yards in four games in a row, and Snell scored 12 PPR points in one of two starts in place of Conner when he was recently on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
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There's always the chance the Bills go back to Devin Singletary as the lead running back, but Moss had more carries than Singletary in Week 14 against Pittsburgh (13 to seven). He didn't do much with them with only 43 rushing yards, and he added no catches on one target. But hopefully the Bills stick with Moss this week against Denver, and he could be a flex option, with his value higher in non-PPR. The Broncos have allowed eight touchdowns to running backs in their past five games.
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Sit 'Em
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Gordon is dealing with a shoulder injury and a relatively tough matchup this week against the Bills. He should be able to play Saturday after getting hurt in Week 14 at Carolina, but keep an eye on his status. If he's out, Phillip Lindsay would be a flex option against Buffalo, and that's all you should consider Gordon this week if possible. While he has scored at least 11 PPR points in consecutive games against the Panthers and Chiefs, he's only scored in one game since Week 7. Buffalo has allowed just one rushing touchdown since Week 9, and the Bills have kept the Chargers, 49ers and Steelers running backs to 47 rushing yards or less in each of the past three weeks.
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Even though Joe Mixon (foot) is expected to remain out for the Bengals, you should still plan to avoid Bernard. He's been awful for five games in a row, and things shouldn't improve in Week 15 against the Steelers, who held him to eight PPR points in Week 10. It's now been five games in a row with eight PPR points or less, and Bernard only had six total touches in Week 14 against Dallas after he was benched following a fumble. He should return to the lead role against the Steelers, but he's only a flex option at best in PPR.
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There's no reason to trust Gurley in Week 15 against Tampa Bay. Aside from the tough matchup, Gurley has combined for nine PPR points in his past three games. He's been at nine total touches or less in each outing over that span. And he's losing work to Ito Smith, who might be better suited to lead Atlanta's backfield based on health and fresh legs. But there isn't any way you can trust a Falcons running back against the Buccaneers, who have allowed just one rushing touchdown since Week 9, and only Dalvin Cook to rush for more than 60 yards this season.
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Bust Alert
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Give Elliott credit for playing through a calf injury in Week 14 at Cincinnati, but he might be better off sitting out if he's not at 100 percent. It's been a tough year for him with injuries at quarterback and offensive line, and Elliott only has two games with at least 12 PPR points since Week 5. He hasn't scored a rushing touchdown since Week 5 as well, and Elliott could struggle against the 49ers this week. San Francisco has held the Buffalo and Washington Football Team running backs out of the end zone the past two weeks, and Elliott should be considered a low-end starting option at best in all leagues.
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START 'EM & SIT 'EM
Wide Receiver
Start 'Em
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Hilton has faced the Texans 17 times in his career, and the stats in those matchups are staggering. Over that span, Hilton has 98 catches for 1,732 and 11 touchdowns, including his performance at Houston in Week 13 with eight catches for 110 yards and a touchdown on 11 targets. He's hot right now with at least 18 PPR points in three games in a row, and he has four touchdowns over that span. After a disappointing start to the season, Hilton is playing at a dominant level heading into a matchup he typically crushes in Week 15.
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Aiyuk is on an amazing roll coming into Week 15, having scored at least 20 PPR points in four games in a row. With Deebo Samuel (hamstring) getting hurt in Week 14 against Washington, Aiyuk had 16 targets for 10 catches and 119 yards. Now, he gets Dallas this week, and no team allows more touchdowns to opposing receivers than the Cowboys at 22 and counting. In their past four games, Dallas has allowed six touchdowns to opposing receivers from Minnesota, Washington, Baltimore and Cincinnati, with five receivers scoring at least 14 PPR points. Aiyuk has the potential for another top-10 finish in Week 15.
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Smith-Schuster is on pace for 97 catches and nine touchdowns this season, which is remarkable. However, he's only on pace for 806 yards, which is frustrating. I'm going to trust Smith-Schuster this week based on his history against the Bengals, and he's scored at least 14 PPR points in three of his past four meetings against Cincinnati, including Week 10 when he had nine catches for 77 yards and a touchdown on 13 targets. He's scored at least 13 PPR points in six of his past eight games, including a touchdown in four of his past six outings. I like Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson as No. 2 Fantasy receivers in all leagues this week. Johnson had six catches for 116 yards and a touchdown on 11 targets against Cincinnati in Week 10.
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Another receiver with a great track record against his opponent is Godwin, who has five touchdowns in his past three games against the Falcons. He had a down game in Week 14 against Minnesota with just four PPR points, but hopefully his finger injury is finally healed. And prior to Week 14, Godwin had scored at least 15 PPR points in three consecutive games. I'm expecting him to be closer to that level of production this week against the Falcons, who have allowed four receivers to either score or gain 100 receiving yards in their past two games.
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In the past five weeks, the Lions have allowed 92 catches, 1,203 yards and five touchdowns on 115 targets to receivers from Washington, Carolina, Houston, Chicago and Green Bay. Over that span, eight receivers have scored at least 13 PPR points, and this should be a good week for Davis and A.J. Brown. Davis was listed as a starter here last week with his matchup against the Jaguars, but he struggled with just four PPR points. However, prior to that he had scored at least 11 PPR points in eight of his first 10 games. I'm expecting at least that level of production this week.
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Sleepers
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In two games without Will Fuller (suspension), Hansen has scored at least 12 PPR points in both outings against the Colts and Bears. He has 14 targets over that span for 12 catches and 157 yards, and Brandin Cooks (foot) was out against Chicago in Week 14. Cooks is expected to play in Week 15, but Hansen can still be reliable in deeper leagues as the No. 3 receiver for the Texans behind Cooks and Keke Coutee. Hansen had five catches for 101 yards on seven targets against Indianapolis in Week 13.
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