Every week, Justin Boone profiles some underrated fantasy football players for you to consider starting the week, as well as potential busts you might want to keep on the bench.
For the rest of the lineup decisions, consult his Week 15 Rankings.
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start
Brock Purdy, quarterback, 49ers
vs titans
It hasn’t been a great year for Purdy, but that’s mostly due to injuries that have kept him out of the lineup for much of the season. He also has struggled against tougher opponents in the 49ers’ last two games before their Week 14 bye.
Luckily for him, his schedule is one of the easiest in the fantasy playoffs — starting this week, the Titans defense has allowed the sixth-highest fantasy points to quarterbacks.
In the past two games alone, Tennessee has had Shaddell Sanders and Trevor Lawrence as top-five fantasy quarterbacks. Purdy offers similar upside this week.
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If you need a reminder of his abilities, Purdy has been a top-12 fantasy quarterback in every game the past two seasons. In his only easy game of the season, he threw for over 300 yards and two touchdowns against the Jaguars.
Other QBs to start:
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Jackson Dart vs. Commander – Even if designed against less runs, Dart should have no problem providing a great fantasy day against a Washington defense that allows the fourth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks.
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Trevor Lawrence vs Jets – The Jaguars are 11.5-point favorites against the Jets, who may be forced to move Brady Cook to quarterback. Jacksonville will control this game and score a lot. Lawrence will play a big role in scoring before the game gets out of hand.
Travis Etienne Jr., running back, Jaguars
vs jets
Since the Jaguars’ Week 8 bye, Etienne has re-established himself as the dominant back, ranking seventh in points per game during that span.
He’s also found the end zone with impressive speed, scoring six touchdowns in his last five games.
You can expect him to add to that total against a Jets defense that has given up 10 touchdowns to seven different running backs over the past four weeks.
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Fantasy head coaches should feel confident starting Jaguars players this week, and that’s especially true for Etienne, who is in my top 12 RBs.
Other RBs that need to be started:
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Chase Brown vs Ravens – Brown had over 100 scrimmage yards in six straight games before last week, when he made up the difference with two touchdowns. Now, he will face the Ravens for the second time this month after throwing for 112 yards and seven catches in Week 13.
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Trayvonne Henderson vs. Beal – Even with the separation from Ramond Stevenson, Henderson remains the more explosive option. That bodes well for him, allowing the RB to score the sixth-highest fantasy points against a Bills team.
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Tyrone Tracy Jr. vs. Commander – Tracy had at least 130 scrimmage yards in back-to-back games before getting injured and leaving early in the last game. Meanwhile, Washington is the fifth-best matchup among fantasy backs, making Tracy an interesting low-end RB2.
Chris Olave, wide receiver, Saints
vs panthers
With a stable amount of games, Olaf ranks WR16 in points per game this season. The 25-year-old ranks seventh in the league in goals per game through 14 weeks, and that’s no fluke.
The last time he faced the Panthers, he had one of his best performances of the season in Week 10. In that game, Olave turned eight targets into five receptions for 104 yards and one score, ultimately finishing as WR6 this week.
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Despite allowing only the eighth-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers this year, Carolina has posted some quality statistics for the position as of late.
|
Week |
player |
Number of yards |
TD |
|
8 |
Khalil Shakir, Bill |
88 |
1 |
|
9 |
Romeo Dukes, Packers |
91 |
0 |
|
10 |
Chris Olave, Saints |
104 |
1 |
|
11 |
Derek London, Falcons |
119 |
0 |
|
12 |
Ja’an Jennings, 49ers |
41 |
1 |
|
13 |
Davante Adams, Rams |
58 |
2 |
Olave, who is about to appear on this list again, could be available this week as a strong fantasy WR2.
Other WRs to start:
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Terry McLaurin, Giants – Since returning to the lineup two weeks ago, McLaurin has 10 catches for 137 yards and a touchdown on 20 targets. He should add to his total against the Giants defense, which is the fourth-easiest matchup for fantasy receivers.
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Jakobi Meyers vs. Jets – Meyers quickly became a favorite target of Trevor Lawrence and was having his first 10-target game as a member of the Jaguars. He will make it three straight games against the Jets.
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Ja’an Jennings vs. Titans – Jennings has scored touchdowns in four of his last five games with stats of 4-41-1, 6-71-1, 4-54-0, 5-41-1 and 4-39-1. The Titans are one of the top 10 most generous to perimeter defense this season, so expect Jennings to fill that void.
Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Browns
at the bears
Fanning was the TE11 this season, but those numbers have risen to TE4 over the past three weeks as David Njoku battles injuries and Shedeur Sanders takes over as the starting quarterback.
Njoku injured his knee in Week 14 and will likely miss this Sunday, which only strengthens Fanning’s status as a quality fantasy option.
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While we shouldn’t expect another eight-catch, 114-yard, one-TD performance from him like last week, Fanning is currently the Browns’ de facto No. 1 receiver.
In this role, the rookie is a must-have fantasy TE1 with top-five upside.
Other TEs that need to be started:
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Mark Andrews on Bengals – The Bengals defense is giving up tight ends at a near-historic rate. Cincy allows seven more fantasy points per game than the second-place team in that category. Andrews didn’t have the best performance against the Bengals a few weeks ago (4-47-0), but it’s still a place to attack fantasy.
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Isaiah could be on Bengals – For the first time ever we’re highlighting two teammates in this section. Likely to go 4-25-1 against Pittsburgh and 5-95-0 against the Bengals in Week 13, and he also missed the opportunity to score another touchdown in each game. Now, potentially facing a Bengals defense, three of the Bills’ tight ends either threw for 93 yards or a touchdown last week.
sit
Jacoby Brissett, QB, Cardinals
in texas
Brissett often appears at the beginning of this column, and for good reason. The veteran pass rusher has been a top-12 fantasy quarterback in all eight games he’s started for the Cardinals.
I’m sorry to tell you that this trend is coming to an end and the Texans defense has been tormenting opposing quarterbacks.
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Houston has allowed the fewest passing touchdowns and the fifth-fewest passing yards, so it’s no surprise that they are the most difficult matchup among fantasy quarterbacks.
This is not the place to risk your fantasy season. Put Brissett on the field this week and if you advance, you’ll be able to start him against the Falcons and Bengals over the next two weeks.
Other quarterbacks who could sit:
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Justin Herbert on Chiefs – The road matchup in Kansas City isn’t great, but Herbert hasn’t cracked 15 points in four straight games and hasn’t finished higher than QB17 in that stretch. A devastated offensive line, coupled with his own hand injury, were too much to overcome.
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Bonix vs. Packers – The Knicks have been hit and miss this season, and the Packers are the ninth most challenging defense a quarterback has faced.
Tony Pollard, running back, Titans
on the 49ers
Pollard burst out for 161 yards and two touchdowns against the Browns last week. He had not reached double digits in fantasy points in any of his previous seven games.
Now he’s heading to San Francisco and the Titans will be 12.5 points underdogs, so I’d be very cautious about pursuing such a strong performance. When Tennessee falls behind, this tends to lead to an uptick in Teja Spears’ usage.
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The 49ers defense may be in tatters after being devastated by injuries this season, but it’s still able to hold off the rushing attack.
If you start Pollard and hope he can continue the job he did last week, good luck to you. He’s more likely to revert to being a mediocre fantasy RB3.
Other RBs sit:
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Kareem Hunt vs. Chargers – Hunter is still a low-ceiling TD or half-time fantasy RB3, and he could always hand more work to teammate Isiah Pacheco.
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David Montgomery, Rams – Montgomery has taken a back seat to Jameer Gibbs lately, but has saved his fantasy days with touchdowns at times. That will be difficult to do against a Rams defense that has allowed the third-fewest fantasy points to running backs, including just two rushing touchdowns this year.
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Bam Knight plays for Texans – Houston was a bad game for everyone in the Cardinals offense, especially Knight, who has been held to 35 yards in each of his past three games against tougher opponents (Seahawks, Jaguars, Rams).
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Khalil Shakir, wide receiver, Bills
on the patriots
Shakir is a fantasy WR3 who occasionally puts up higher statistics. The result is a player who is more of a seat-filler than a player who can help you win a fantasy championship.
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The 25-year-old is a quality starter in real life for the Bills, but he ranks just 46th among WRs in fantasy points per game this season.
The game against the Patriots is especially worrisome, as Shakir hasn’t had more than 45 yards in any of his six games against New England. He has yet to score a touchdown against them.
View Shakir as a WR4/flex option this week and do your best to find a better starting option in the first round of the fantasy playoffs.
Other WR agents:
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Courtland Sutton vs. Packers – Sutton has been held to 62 yards or fewer in five straight games and has only made his mark in fantasy when he finds the end zone. The Packers had a negative game for fantasy wide receivers, which puts Sutton down into WR3 range this week.
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Alec Pierce on Seahawks – Daniel Jones’ departure is bad news for Pierce, as it will result in lower passing volume and none of his potential replacements will be likely to successfully move the ball down the field. Pierce will also have to contend with the Seahawks defense, which is the fourth-toughest opponent among fantasy WRs.
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Xavier Worthy vs. Chargers – Worthy has only reached double-digit fantasy points once this year and has not done so in any of his last nine games. I doubt that will happen this week against a Chargers defense that is the second-worst matchup among fantasy WRs.
Dallas Goedert, TE, Eagles
vs. raiders
Selecting tight end in the sitting position is always my least favorite part of this column because the position is already so thin and one touchdown can put a player in the top 12 on any given week.
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So, if you feel strongly about tight ends, trust your instincts and go play them this week.
Goedert had one of his best games of the season, catching eight passes for 78 yards. However, these types of performances tend to be rare for him.
The 30-year-old has gained less than 45 yards in 10 of 12 games this year and had three straight games of less than 27 yards before last week.
The Raiders, meanwhile, have been great against tight ends this year. Vegas only allowed two TEs to surpass the 50-yard mark and only gave up three touchdowns.
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Goedert is a higher-risk TE2 anchor this week who needs a TD to perform in fantasy.
Other TEs that need to be attended:
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Mike Gesicki vs. Ravens– Gesicki is another tight end coming off a big game that hopefully managers should think twice about heading into the week. The Ravens have the seventh-toughest matchup among fantasy tight ends. Even if Higgins fails to clear concussion protocol, this is a dangerous position for Gesicki.
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Oronde Gadsden II with Chiefs – The rookie hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 8 and has gained just 27, 41, 13 and 7 yards in his past four games. He’s well off the fantasy streaming radar.
