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Week 15 MNF Matchups Analysis & Start/Sit Recommendations

By Mike Morbeck (Flickr: Calvin Johnson) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Vladimir De Wet analyzes the Week 15 Monday Night Football matchups for 2015, and provides fantasy football start/sit advice. Set your optimal lineups based on fantasy football matchups.

Remember when Matthew Stafford and Drew Brees were throwing for 40+ touchdowns a year and being talked about as potential MVP candidates?

Well they are no longer those guys, but they're still pretty good. Both quarterbacks have teams no longer in the NFL playoff hunt, but have rosters that are still filled with all sorts of fantasy talent.

I'm here to give you my take on tonight's Monday Night Football matchup, and break down the players from a fantasy perspective. I'll outline who we love, who we hate, and everyone in between. For those of you who are still in it, and have fantasy outcomes to be determined by tonight's game, good luck!

 

Monday Night Football Analysis - Lions @ Saints

Players We Love

Tim Hightower, RB, Saints - Hightower had an unusual high amount of carries last week because of a Saints blowout. He probably won't match his 28 carries from a week ago but should still be a real threat for a touchdown and 80+ total yards. While he doesn't offer great upside, Hightower's touches make him worthy of a start. Also, in case you weren't aware, stay away from C.J. Spiller.

Golden Tate, WR, Lions - Tate has had four straight weeks of at least seven receptions. He also has a touchdown in three of those four weeks. The Lions offense as a whole has looked better the second half of the season. It is well documented how bad this Saints defense is. Tate is on a hot streak going against the Saints. He is a must start.

 

Players We Hate

Detroit RBs - Ameer Abdullah leads the team in rushing attempts and yards, Joique Bell leads the team in rushing touchdowns, and Theo Riddick is third on the team in both receptions and receiving yards.

All three backs offer something, but not quite enough to make them worth the start. Riddick might be worth starting in PPR leagues because he has four straight weeks with five or more receptions, but he doesn't get into the end zone often enough for me to risk it.

Willie Snead/Marques Colston, WR, Saints - Snead and Colston are constantly battling to be Drew Brees' third option. They both have three receiving touchdowns on the year while Snead leads in every other category. While the Saints do pass it enough to keep everyone happy, after Brandin Cooks and Benjamin Watson the fantasy value drops off too much for me to consider starting either one.

 

Prove It to Me Matchups

Brandin Cooks, WR, Saints - Cooks is too talented and dangerous of a player not to start him every week. He also disappears too often to fully trust him. The Saints are at home and the Lions are an average defense that has been playing better of late.

Cooks hasn't gotten less than five balls thrown his way this season. He is a must start but I'd like to see him start taking on the role of "the guy" a lot more. Young receivers seem to be taking over the league and with a QB like Brees, I would expect Cooks to want and get the ball a lot more. Or maybe he's just not that guy.

Brandon Coleman, WR, Saints - Coleman is on the pecking order after Snead and Colston. He is very young though and only starting to become a part of the Saints offense again after showing some pormise the first few weeks of the season. Will Coleman be a candidate for breakout star next year?

Calvin Johnson, WR, Lions - The only question with Megatron is can he ever stay healthy. Two weeks ago he had an ankle injury that hasn't kept him out of any games, it has just made him unable to produce at Megatron like levels. He missed practice during this week so the injury hasn't fully healed yet. If he plays, he is worth the start - but don't be surprised if he doesn't play well for the third straight week.

Drew Brees, QB, Saints - Brees has looked a lot more like the MVP from a few years ago the second half of the season. Not including a bad performance against the Houston Texans, he has had seven straight weeks of two or more passing touchdowns. The Saints team has had two bad years back to back but Brees hasn't been the problem.

Matthew Stafford, QB, Lions - Like Brees, Stafford has come on strong the second half of this year. Last week, Jameis Winston was the first QB in a long time to not have a great day against the Saints defense. With a pretty healthy stable of WRs, TEs, and RBS, I fully expect Stafford to light the Saints up.

Benjamin Watson, TE, Saints - He is a must start TE1.

Eric Ebron, TE, Lions - He is a must bench/stay away from TE.

 

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