Start ‘Em & Sit ‘Em is the ultimate weekly look at NFL matchups and how they’ll affect your fantasy football team. Fantasy superstars such as Patrick Mahomes and Christian McCaffrey will not be featured in this column. All player matchups are based on a PPR scoring system. For your final starting lineup decisions, check my weekly fantasy football lineup rankings.
Start ‘Em
Start of the Week – Jimmy Garoppolo vs. Atlanta Falcons
Garoppolo was an absolute stud in last week’s win over the Saints, and he’ll be a starter in countless fantasy leagues when the Niners host the Falcons in Week 15. Atlanta’s defense that allowed a total of 24 touchdown passes and the third-most fantasy points to opposing field generals, so Jimmy G should put up another solid stat line.
Jameis Winston vs. Detroit Lions
Winston is coming off a monster performance, scoring nearly 35 fantasy points against the Colts. Assuming he isn’t hindered due to a tiny fracture in his hand, Winston is a virtual must start when the Bucs face the Lions in Detroit. Their defense has allowed an average of more than 20 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks in 2019.
Ryan Tannehill vs. Houston Texans
Tannehill continues to play at a league-winning level, as he’s now put up at least 18.9 fantasy points in all but one of his seven starts for the Titans. He’s in a good spot to succeed once again, as the Texans have given up 20-plus fantasy points to quarterbacks in two straight weeks, including rookie Drew Lock‘s nearly 24-point game just a week ago. Keep Tannehill in your starting lineups this weekend.
Baker Mayfield vs. Arizona Cardinals
Mayfield is not a lock to produce huge totals by any stretch, but he does have one heck of a good matchup in Arizona. Over the last four weeks, their defense has allowed the most passing yards per game and the fifth-most fantasy points to enemy quarterbacks. That bodes well for Baker in what could turn into a real shootout in the desert.
Jared Goff vs. Dallas Cowboys
Goff hasn’t been a reliable fantasy option all season, but he is a viable super flex or two-quarterback leaguer against the Cowboys. Their defense has been hammered by enemy signal-callers in recent weeks, as Jeff Driskel, Josh Allen and Mitchell Trubisky have all had big games against them. That makes Goff worth a roll of the dice.
Start ‘Em: Kyler Murray vs. Cleveland Browns, Tom Brady at Cincinnati Bengals
Sleepers: Gardner Minshew at Oakland Raiders, Derek Carr vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Sit ‘Em
Sit of the Week – Mitchell Trubisky vs. Green Bay Packers
Trubisky has been on fire lately, but his success has come in two games against the Lions, a game against the Giants and another versus a Cowboys team that seems to have quit. Next up are the Packers, who have allowed just nine touchdown passes and an average of 12.6 fantasy points to quarterbacks at Lambeau Field.
Kirk Cousins vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Cousins has been one of the better fantasy quarterbacks in the second half of the season, but he has failed to score 18 points in each of his last two games. He has a tough matchup in Week 15 in Los Angeles, as the Chargers have allowed 18 touchdown passes and the sixth-fewest fantasy points to enemy quarterbacks this season.
Josh Allen vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
I am a huge fantasy fan of Allen, but we saw last week what can happen when he faces a really good defense. He has the same issue in Week 15, as the Steelers have allowed a mere 11.5 fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks at Heinz Field. In fact, Pittsburgh is the lone team to keep Lamar Jackson out of the top 15 in 2019.
Jacoby Brissett vs. New Orleans Saints
Brissett is coming off a strong fantasy performance in Tampa Bay, posting nearly 23 fantasy points. Still, a road matchup in New Orleans on Monday night doesn’t bode well for a repeat performance. With T.Y Hilton and others injured, Brissett could struggle against a Saints defense that can be tough on quarterbacks on their home field.
Ryan Fitzpatrick vs. New York Giants
Fitzpatrick has a great matchup against the Giants this week, but I can’t start him unless he gets his stud wide receiver, DeVante Parker (concussion), back on the field. The Dolphins could also be without Albert Wilson, who is dealing with a concussion as well. In a worst-case scenario, Fitzpatrick would be tough to trust in this contest.
Sit ‘Em: Sam Darnold at Baltimore Ravens (Thur.), Andy Dalton vs. New England Patriots
Busts: Matt Ryan at San Francisco 49ers, Philip Rivers vs. Minnesota Vikings
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on NFL.com and NFL Network and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. You can follow Michael on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram for all of the latest fantasy football news, notes and in-depth analysis!