Booms and Busts - Fantasy Football Starts and Sits for Week 15 Lineups (2025)

December 14, 2025

Dave's fantasy football start 'em and sit 'em booms and busts for Week 15 of 2025. Sneaky starts that may boom, and typical starters who will disappoint.

The fantasy football playoffs are here! Congratulations are in order if you’ve made it this far. Now that you’ve made the dance, it’s a brand new season, and anything can happen. One player could go on a major heater, and that might be all you need to win a title.

Speaking of players who could get hot, that’s one of the topics we will cover here this week. The time has come to analyze several players who can help you secure a spot in the fantasy semi-finals, as well as some who could end your season on a sour note.

Make sure you’re following RotoBaller on X and download the RotoBaller app for all your fantasy football needs. Let's dive into our boom/bust picks for Week 15 of the 2025 NFL season.

Sonic Boom of the Week

Brock Purdy - QB, San Francisco 49ers vs. Tennessee Titans

The 49ers were on a bye in Week 14, but Purdy’s most recent performances were not great. He posted a QB20 finish in Week 12 against the Carolina Panthers and followed that up with a QB16 effort against the Cleveland Browns two weeks ago. However, Week 15 is shaping up as a fantastic get-right spot for the 49ers QB1.

The Titans' defense ranks 28th in FTN Fantasy’s defensive passing DVOA and was just shredded by rookie Shedeur Sanders for 364 passing yards and three touchdowns. Tennessee has also allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks per Fantasy Football Today.

This also projects as a potential blow-up game for Christian McCaffrey as Tennessee owns one of the worst rushing defenses in the league. So, there is a chance Purdy disappoints due to this factor. However, Tennessee’s rush defense did play surprisingly well last weekend, and the team could sell out to stop McCaffrey here.

Regardless, this is still a plus matchup for Purdy. He could throw multiple touchdown passes, and is still capable of producing a high-end fantasy finish even if McCaffrey goes off.

Gamers should view Purdy as a backend QB1 this weekend, and he’s one of the top streaming options. Purdy’s schedule during the fantasy playoffs is also very friendly, so gamers would be wise to hold onto him past this week.

Other Week 15 Fantasy Football Booms

Travis Etienne Jr. - RB, Jacksonville Jaguars vs. New York Jets

Etienne is fresh off a strong game against the Indianapolis Colts. He ran for 74 rushing yards on 20 carries and scored two rushing touchdowns en route to a PPR RB5 finish.

Travis Etienne Jr.'s second TD of the first half!

INDvsJAX on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/XCqeXZj9HM

— NFL (@NFL) December 7, 2025

Now, Jacksonville faces a Jets run defense that is finally starting to show some cracks after trading away star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. New York allowed 239 rushing yards to the Miami Dolphins last week. Jacksonville is listed as an 11.5-point favorite here, which means Etienne should be looking at a highly favorable game script.

Look for Jacksonville to continue relying on its strong rushing attack to pick up a victory this weekend. Gamers should start Etienne as a back-end RB1 and don’t be shocked if he single-handedly carries your team into the fantasy semi-finals.

DeVonta Smith - WR, Philadelphia Eagles vs. Las Vegas Raiders

We listed Smith as a bust in this column last week and promptly posted a 4-37-0 line against the Los Angeles Chargers and finished Week 14 as the PPR WR40.

However, he gets a very favorable matchup in Week 15, as the Las Vegas Raiders defense has struggled against wide receivers. Las Vegas has allowed the sixth-most PPR points per game to opposing wide receivers and also ranks 24th in DVOA against opposing WR2s.

With the Philadelphia offensive line banged up, Saquon Barkley and the team’s rushing attack continuing to struggle, we could see the Eagles forced to throw the ball more than they’d like in this game. That would mean good things for Smith, as this is a matchup where he could excel.

Start him as a WR3 or flex play.

Theo Johnson - TE, New York Giants vs. Washington Commanders

Johnson has been targeted consistently in the Giants' offense over the second half of the season. He has five TE1 finishes in PPR leagues this year, including three TE1 finishes since Week 9.

He now gets an excellent matchup this weekend against the Washington Commanders. Washington has had its issues against opposing tight ends and ranks 30th in DVOA against the position. The Commanders also allow the sixth-most PPR points per game to tight ends.

With both these teams’ defenses being among the worst in the league, this game has sneaky shootout potential and could be one of the higher-scoring games of the weekend. That would also ensure more opportunities for Johnson to find the end zone and accrue fantasy points.

If you’ve been streaming tight ends all year and are looking for a starter in your quarterfinal matchup, Johnson is a good name to target. He could very well post another TE1 finish this weekend.

Landmine of the Week

Jacoby Brissett - QB, Arizona Cardinals at Houston Texans

Since taking over as the Cardinals' starting quarterback, Brissett has done nothing but post QB1 finishes for fantasy managers. Brissett has finished as a QB1 in eight consecutive games dating back to Week 6. However, this weekend looks like the right time for managers to hop off the Brissett Express.

The Houston Texans' defense is the best in football and has shut down both Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes this year. If you weren’t sure how good this defense is, just throw on some of the all-22 film from Sunday night’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs and look how this unit made Mahomes look like prime Zach Wilson.

It should surprise nobody that Houston has allowed the fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks this year and also ranks first in defensive passing DVOA. If the two best quarterbacks in the NFL could not succeed against Houston's defense, then why would we expect a good outing from Brissett this weekend?

The answer to that question seems fairly obvious.

Starting Brissett in this matchup feels like fantasy suicide. That means gamers in all formats should pivot to other options.

Other Week 15 Fantasy Football Busts

Caleb Williams - QB, Chicago Bears vs. Cleveland Browns

Williams turned in an okay fantasy performance in Week 14 against the Green Bay Packers. He only completed 19 of 35 passes for just 186 passing yards. Williams threw two touchdowns to finish the week as the overall QB16, but he had a very bad interception that cost Chicago a potential victory.

CALEB WILLIAMS PICKED OFF BY KEISEAN NIXON! pic.twitter.com/KlOz0gv1rT

— NFL (@NFL) December 8, 2025

That interception highlights some of the issues that Williams has had this year, as he’s only completed 57.8% of his passes. Among 44 quarterbacks with 100+ dropbacks (Data courtesy of Fantasy Points Data Suite), Williams ranks:

-36th in adjusted completion percentage
-35th in highly accurate throw percentage
-39th in catchable throw percentage
-9th highest off-target throw percentage (a high finish is bad here)

These are horrific scores and highlight just how bad Williams has been from a real-life standpoint.

Now he goes up against one of the best defenses in the league this weekend. The Cleveland Browns have an outstanding defensive front, and it gives them a great chance to shut down Chicago’s ground attack. If that happens, it would place more pressure on Williams, and given how he’s been playing, that’s not a good thing.

Gamers should look elsewhere for a streamer and leave Williams on the bench.

David Montgomery - RB, Detroit Lions at Los Angeles Rams

Jahmyr Gibbs has emerged as arguably the best running back in football. As a result, Montgomery has not had more than eight carries in a game since Week 10.

This weekend doesn’t look like the time Montgomery will break that streak. The Rams remain one of the best run defenses in the NFL and now rank first in PFF’s run defense grade. Los Angeles has also allowed the fourth-fewest PPR points to opposing running backs this year.

The Lions' offense has looked much more explosive since making Gibbs the team’s primary back. That trend is likely to continue here in this game, as Gibbs is more likely to pop for a few explosive games compared to Montgomery.

Combine that with the fact that we will likely see Detroit attack this Rams defense through the air, and this doesn’t feel like a good spot to deploy Montgomery. He should be left on your bench.

Xavier Worthy - WR, Kansas City Chiefs vs. Los Angeles Chargers

Worthy’s sophomore season has been extremely disappointing. Things got off on the wrong foot in Week 1 when Travis Kelce ran into him, and he suffered a shoulder injury that forced him to miss several games. Perhaps that injury derailed his season, but the fact remains that Worthy just hasn’t been very good.

He draws a rematch against those same Chargers this weekend, and it’s looking like another tough matchup for the sophomore receiver. Los Angeles has allowed the second-fewest PPR points to opposing wide receivers.

The Chiefs' offensive line has also been decimated with injuries, and that’s made it hard for Patrick Mahomes to find Worthy on downfield routes that take time to develop. That could be a factor again this weekend.

It also doesn’t help matters that Worthy has struggled to consistently beat man coverage. Among 128 receivers with 100+ routes, Worthy ranks 92nd in Fantasy Points Data Suite’s average separation score against man coverage.

Look elsewhere for a WR3 play this week.

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