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Fantasy football start em, sit em SNF lineups advice for Cowboys vs. Vikings on Sunday Night Football in Week 15 (2025). NFL matchups analysis and SNF starts/sits.
The 2025 NFL regular season continues to wind down, and we close the Week 15 Sunday action with an intriguing primetime battle between the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings.
Dallas continues clinging to their dwindling postseason hopes following a loss last week to the Lions. Minnesota's playoffs dreams have been all but dashed, but they are largely concerned on the future of the franchise with second-year QB J.J. McCarthy.
We will bring you Sunday Night Football analysis all season, focusing on who to start, who is on the fence, and who should find the bench. Let's dive into this SNF matchup for Week 15 of the season. Good luck in 2025 fantasy football, RotoBallers!
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Minnesota Vikings at Dallas Cowboys
Sunday December 4, 8:20 PM ET
Notable Fantasy Injuries:
- CeeDee Lamb (concussion) - Expected to play
- Jake Ferguson (calf) - Expected to play
Matchups We Love
J.J. McCarthy delivered his best performance of the season, throwing for 163 yards and a career-high three passing touchdowns. Now, he gets a great matchup against a Cowboys defense that has allowed the most fantasy points to opposing QBs this year. So, McCarthy will be a solid QB2 play in Superflex formats this week. 12 of 13 QBs have scored at least 16 fantasy points against this Dallas secondary.
Vikings WRs
Things are bleak for both Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison heading into Week 15. Jefferson has totaled just four passes for 15 yards over his last two games, and Addison has finished outside the top 30 at the WR position in six of the past seven weeks. However, both WRs could be in for a solid fantasy day. The Cowboys rank 32nd in fantasy points, 32nd in receiving yards, and 32nd in receiving touchdowns to WRs through 14 weeks.
So, Jefferson will be a WR2 option this week, while Addison could be started in some 14-plus team leagues.
It’s weird seeing Justin Jefferson this low in the rankings, but this isn’t the week to bench him
100+ yards AND a touchdown incoming in the same game for the first time this season https://t.co/3LCXqMWEzm
— Adam Koffler (@AdamKoffler) December 13, 2025
Matchups We Hate
None
Other Notable Matchups
QB Dak Prescott
Dak Prescott has been cooking lately. He has thrown for over 300 yards in three straight games and has scored over 20 fantasy points in four consecutive weeks. While the Vikings have allowed the third-fewest fantasy points to QBs, Prescott will still come in as a solid QB1 play. No team has blitzed more than Minnesota this year, but Prescott has excelled against the blitz with the second-most pass yards.
The Cowboys have been a better run defense since acquiring Quinnen Williams. They haven't allowed a rusher to total over 60 yards on the ground in four straight games and held Gibbs to 43 rush yards. So, this isn't as easy a matchup for Aaron Jones as it may seem. However, Jones will be a solid RB2 play due to his receiving potential. Dallas has allowed three different RBs to catch at least six passes in a game since Week 11.
Javonte Williams has cooled off a bit in fantasy, scoring under 15 PPR fantasy points in three of his last four games. Nevertheless, Williams will come in as a solid RB2 play this week against the Vikings. He is one of three players to lead his team in rushing in every game this year and has seen at least 17 carries in four straight games.
Cowboys WRs
CeeDee Lamb (concussion) is on track to play in Week 15, so fantasy managers should have him available. Even though Minnesota has given up the fewest fantasy points to opposing WRs this season, Lamb and George Pickens remain must-starts. Lamb is starting to look like his former self with back-to-back games of 100-plus receiving yards, and Pickens ranks as the WR5 in terms of fantasy points per game.
CeeDee Lamb Practices in Full on Thursday, Clears Concussion Protocol, "On Track" to Play in Week 15 https://t.co/ooqJhNIyXs
— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) December 12, 2025
Injury Update: Ferguson is on track to play in Week 15.
There's a chance that Jake Ferguson misses this week's game after being downgraded at Thursday's practice due to a calf injury. If he plays, though, Ferguson will continue to be a solid TE1 play. He has caught at least five passes in three consecutive games, and the Vikings have allowed their fair share of big fantasy games to opposing TEs this season.
#DallasCowboys HC Brian Schottenheimer relieved TE Jake Ferguson (calf) will be able to “answer the bell,” and play Sunday vs Vikings, after not practicing Thursday pic.twitter.com/9Ju0I2LOpU
— The Cowboys Network (@TheCowboysNet) December 12, 2025
T.J. Hockenson has finished as a top-16 fantasy TE in back-to-back weeks. However, Hockenson will be more of a TE2 play this week against the Cowboys. He is only averaging 7.8 PPR fantasy points per game, and the Cowboys have only allowed four receiving touchdowns to TEs this season. So, he's better left on the bench.
Minnesota Vikings Start/Sit Matchups
See the full stats in our Fantasy Football Matchup Ratings Projections
| Player | Start/Sit | Matchup Rating ▾ |
Game Matchup |
| Aaron Jones Sr., RB | Start | 106.5 | @ DAL |
| Justin Jefferson, WR | Start | 105.8 | @ DAL |
| Will Reichard, K | Risky Start | 103.2 | @ DAL |
| Jordan Addison, WR | Risky Start | 102.7 | @ DAL |
| T.J. Hockenson, TE | Risky Start | 102.5 | @ DAL |
| Jalen Nailor, WR | Sit | 100.9 | @ DAL |
| J.J. McCarthy, QB | Sit | 100.8 | @ DAL |
| Jordan Mason, RB | Sit | 100.4 | @ DAL |
| Josh Oliver, TE | Sit | 97.7 | @ DAL |
| Zavier Scott, RB | Sit | 96.9 | @ DAL |
| Tai Felton, WR | Sit | 95.6 | @ DAL |
| Ben Sims, TE | Sit | 95.5 | @ DAL |
| Max Brosmer, QB | Sit | 94.1 | @ DAL |
| Minnesota Vikings, DEF | Sit | 90.9 | @ DAL |
Dallas Cowboys Start/Sit Matchups
See the full stats in our Fantasy Football Matchup Ratings Projections
| Player | Start/Sit | Matchup Rating ▾ |
Game Matchup |
| CeeDee Lamb, WR | Start | 116.9 | vs. MIN |
| George Pickens, WR | Start | 116.5 | vs. MIN |
| Javonte Williams, RB | Start | 115 | vs. MIN |
| Dak Prescott, QB | Start | 114.2 | vs. MIN |
| Brandon Aubrey, K | Start | 111 | vs. MIN |
| Jake Ferguson, TE | Start | 110.4 | vs. MIN |
| Dallas Cowboys, DEF | Risky Start | 102.9 | vs. MIN |
| Ryan Flournoy, WR | Sit | 101.9 | vs. MIN |
| KaVontae Turpin, WR | Sit | 99.9 | vs. MIN |
| Jalen Tolbert, WR | Sit | 98.7 | vs. MIN |
| Luke Schoonmaker, TE | Sit | 97 | vs. MIN |
| Malik Davis, RB | Sit | 96.7 | vs. MIN |
| Hunter Luepke, RB | Sit | 95.1 | vs. MIN |
| Joe Milton III, QB | Sit | 95.1 | vs. MIN |
| Brevyn Spann-Ford, TE | Sit | 94.2 | vs. MIN |
| Jonathan Mingo, WR | Sit | 93.1 | vs. MIN |
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 15 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like J.J. McCarthy, Aaron Jones, Jake Ferguson, and more. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 15.
Week 15 Player Decisions. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 15 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed, we've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circles), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 15 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 15 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 15 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 15 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool:
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