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Kev Mahserejian answers fantasy football start/sit questions for Week 15, giving lineups advice and help from the reader mailbag with his weekly Q&A session.
This article's content may vary week-to-week, but generally, it will be answering questions fielded from either the @RotoBallerNFL twitter account or my personal one (@RotoSurgeon). This week, the focus is on start/sit questions, and there were plenty. Every week, many of us struggle with which quarterback to start, or who to flex, and I am here to help.
The questions selected will combat difficult decisions that might be specific to Week 15 starters. The fantasy playoffs are brutal and require more precision than usual to get through but with the help of our team at RotoBaller, we plan to make things as easy as possible.
If you need any questions answered in the coming weeks, feel free to follow and ask either account and we will make sure to respond promptly.
Editor's Note: Identify fantasy football draft busts, overvalued ADPs, and key players to avoid so you can draft with confidence this season.
Week 15 Mailbag
Verdict: Austin Hooper
Hooper missed three games this year and is ranked just one spot below Waller in 0.5PPR rankings for the year. He has been a favorite target of Ryan's and will continue to feed on targets with Calvin Ridley now out for the season. The 49ers are a stout defense and all, however, they have been gashed by tight ends in recent weeks and are missing several key defensive pieces this Sunday leaving them even more vulnerable. The Falcons are still more likely to play from behind than Waller's Raiders meaning that there should be more opportunities for Hooper.
Waller's matchup is also excellent and while he is going to play more without fellow TE Foster Moreau available, there are not many more targets to be distributed. He's a fine start, just not over Hooper.
Verdict: Austin Ekeler
Ekeler's touches might be limited, but he maximizes what he does with them (unlike Montgomery). Montgomery's been presented with an increased snap and touch (at last 15 each a game since Week 8) share in recent weeks and he has failed to provide much fantasy value. Although Montgomery has a great matchup against the Packers' porous run defense, the game script might not be in his favor and the Bears might be forced to throw in much more Tarik Cohen than they would like.
Ekeler is a staple in the Chargers' game plan regardless of game script. If they are in a negative situation being forced to throw, Ekeler has nowhere to go but up. His red-zone usage and occasional overlap in snaps with Melvin Gordon make him much more than just a third-down back. He is a must-start and should produce well, even against a tough Minnesota run defense upfront.
Verdict: Christian Kirk
While Laird and Shepard are solid flex options this week, Christian Kirk is a WR2 with upside. This matchup against Cleveland could be a smash spot at home, coming off of an ugly loss to a tough Pittsburgh defense. The Cardinals are now up against a lighter Cleveland pass rush that is without its top-two edge-rushers Myles Garrett and Olivier Vernon. This leaves Kirk more time to run his routes and Kyler Murray with more time to throw. Given that this game is a potential shoot-out, Kirk should see plenty of quality targets.
Laird's bloated snap-share (82% in Week 14) is a huge plus, however, most of his value comes via the receiving game and while the Giants are vulnerable to passing threats, the Dolphins might be good enough to hold a lead over them, even in New York. The Giants run defense is sneakily underrated, leaving a single avenue for value. Sterling Shepard is in a good spot as a middle-of-the-field weapon for Eli Manning. He should be targeted heavily on shorter passes, but might not get enough quality looks downfield to boom, especially with the projected high winds.
Verdict: Terry McLaurin
While Dwayne Haskins and Terry McLaurin have failed to recreate their college connection throughout most of this season, they did finally produce something last week. On seven targets, McLaurin scored for the first time since Week 6 and gained a total of 57 yards on four receptions. This might not seem like a lot, but it is progress. They will look to build on this rapport this week in a matchup against one of the worst secondaries in the league. The Washington Football team is without Derrius Guice and Paul Richardson for the rest of the season, leaving a chunk of targets on the table that may swing McLaurin's way.
John Brown has had himself a productive, consistent 2019 season, but his playoff schedule has been brutal. It is tough to trust him this Sunday against a much improved Pittsburgh secondary. Josh Allen is probably going to be under pressure for the majority of the game, leaving Brown mostly empty-handed. Singletary could receive an increase in dump-offs in the matchup which bodes well for his value and even that would not be enough to trust him.
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