Remember this?
Of course you do, and there’s a darn good chance that come the NFL postseason, you hear the squeaky voice of Jim Mora ranting and raving about his Colts’ chances of making any sort of playoff run.
I especially hear it come fantasy football playoff time, because how can you not? It’s an earworm that surfaces every December, and gets stuck in your brain, and stays there until your fantasy team — or, for that matter, your reality team — is sent to Cancun.
In some larger fantasy leagues — like 16-teamers, which I legit hate — the playoffs kick off on Thursday, so the NFL Week 15 Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em column is more crucial than ever.
NFL Week 15 Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em
Here’s who to consider throwing into your lineup or parking on the bench.
49ers QB Brock Purdy: Start ‘Em
49ers vs. Titans - 4:25 p.m. ET
When Brock Purdy fell to me in the eighth round of my fantasy draft, I was thrilled. (Then again, this was a league that allowed me to grab Colts stud RB Jonathan Taylor and Bucs stud RB Bucky Irving, so these dudes weren’t exactly the sharpest tools in the chandelier.) When Purdy missed almost two months of the season with turf toe, the thrill was gone. FWIW, I’ve had turf toe, and it’s no joke.
Admittedly, Purdy hasn’t lit it up since his return — we’re talking an average 15.5 fantasy points, which, spread out over a season, would land him around QB16 — but facing a Titans D that just allowed Cleveland’s rookie signal caller, Shedeur Sanders 30.5 fantasy points, and coming off of a bye week, and playing at home, well, suffice it to say that Mr. Irrelevant might help clinch my playoff spot. And hopefully yours.
Brock Purdy PrizePicks Projection: 241.5 Pass Yards
Saints QB Tyler Shough: Start ‘Em
Saints vs. Panthers - 4:25 p.m. ET
Let the Ben Roethlisberger comparisons begin.
Last Sunday against the Bucs, the rookie out of Louisville had himself one helluva ground game in N’Awlins’ 24-20 upset, twice scampering into the end zone and racking up 77 yards and 22.3 fantasy points along the way.
He wasn’t Roethlisberger. But he was fantasy’s QB5, and for a slinger who some labeled a bust — not me, but some — well, suffice it to say that Drew Brees might be right.
Tyler Shough PrizePicks Projection: 216.5 Pass Yards
Cardinals QB Jacoby Brissett: Sit ‘Em
Cardinals @ Texans - 1:00 p.m. ET
Looks like Jacoby Brissett’s semi-magical ride hit a speed bump.
It’s not like the Arizona field general has been lousy or anything — his 20.0 fantasy points landed him at fantasy’s QB12 — but his 80.8 QBR was the worst since he took over the starting gig from Kyler Murray in Week 6, and he managed 271 yards through the air, also the lowest mark over that stretch.
On Sunday, he gets the Texans in Houston, a defense that, this past Sunday night, held Chiefs future Hall of Fame QB Patrick Mahomes to a season-worst (by far) 8.3 fantasy points (QB 25…yikes).
Brissett ain’t Mahomes. Hard stop.
Jacoby Brissett PrizePicks Projection: 231.5 Pass Yards
Falcons QB Kirk Cousins: Sit ‘Em
Falcons @ Buccaneers - 8:15 p.m. ET (Thursday Night Football)
Ever so quietly, journeyman QB Kirk Cousins has had himself a helluva career. His 43,824 passing yards rank him 20th all time, ahead of Joe Montana, Dan Fouts, and Johnny Unitas. Not Hall of Fame digits, mind you, but impressive.
Now, however, Cousins is 37 and has a fair amount of tread on the tires, as evidenced by his QB46 spot in FantasyLand, and last week’s 4.5 fantasy point stinker against Seattle.
As mentioned in the Tyler Shough portion of our program, the Bucs are coming off a near-shocking loss to the Saints, so with a postseason berth on the line, this game is massive. And their 21st-ranked defense could step it up against the elderly QB from Michigan State.
Me, I’m averting my eyes.
Kirk Cousins PrizePicks Projection: 205.5 Pass Yards
Bears RB Kyle Monangai: Start ‘Em
Bears vs. Browns - 1:00 p.m. ET
After watching Tennessee RB Tony Pollard abuse Cleveland’s (theoretically) stud defense on Sunday — we’re talking 28.1 fantasy points (RB2), by far his highest total of the season — one could theorize that the Bears, who boast the league’s sixth-best rushing game — could go off.
The question then becomes, should fantasy managers roll with Monangai or D’Andre Swift?
Welp, in each of the last three games, the Rutgers product has taken at least 41% of the backfield snaps, and Bears head coach Ben Johnson likes to give the bruiser the rock inside the five, so we’ll roll with the rook.
Kyle Monangai PrizePicks Projection: 60.5 Rush Yards
Titans RB Tony Pollard: Start ‘Em
Titans @ 49ers - 4:25 p.m. ET
Remember all that nice stuff I said about Pollard like 200 words back?
Yeah, that.
Tony Pollard PrizePicks Projection: 40.5 Rush Yards
Cowboys RB Javonte Williams: Sit ‘Em
Cowboys vs. Vikings - 8:20 p.m. ET (Sunday Night Football)
The Vikings are one of those teams that everybody thinks has good defense. But the numbers say, yeah, not so much.
For instance, their D allows the 21st-most points to opposing running backs and, newsflash, Javonte Williams is a running back.
In his first year in a Cowboys uni, Williams is fantasy’s RB8, ahead of Derrick Henry (RB10) and Saquon Barkley (RB16), among many others who you drafted ahead of the former Bronco.
All that said, he’s topped 11 fantasy points in two of his last five games, and on a Sunday night tilt against a desperate Vikes squad, we could see another single-digit outing.
Javonte Williams PrizePicks Projection: 66.5 Rush+Receiving TDs
Broncos RB RJ Harvey: Sit ‘Em
Broncos vs. Packers - 4:25 p.m. ET
Over the last two weeks, the first-year backfielder out of Central Florida has been in beast mode, finishing as fantasy RB8 in Week 14 and RB7 in Week 13.
That said, I just watched the Packers hold my Bears to 138 total yards, and with an NFC North title in their sight-line, Packers EDGE Micah Parsons and his cohorts could make life miserable for Denver’s emerging RB1.
RJ Harvey PrizePicks Projection: 52.5 Rush Yards
Giants WR Wan’Dale Robinson: Start ‘Em
Giants vs. Commanders - 1:00 p.m. ET
In Week 12, Jints WR1 Mr. Robinson went bazonkers, racking up 21.6 fantasy points, the best output of his career. The following week, he very much fell back to earth, managing just 34 yards and 3.4 fantasy points.
But the Commanders aren’t super-good at defense, ranking 15th in the league, and looked positively lackadaisical in last Sunday’s 31-0 beatdown at the hands of the offensively-challenged Vikings.
With QB Jaxson Dart back to full health, this could be a get-well game for the Kentucky product.
Wan’Dale Robinson PrizePicks Projection: 60.5 Receiving Yards
Patriots WR Stefon Diggs Sr.: Start ‘Em
Patriots vs. Bills - 4:05 p.m. ET
Somehow, Pats QB Drake Maye is in the MVP conversation despite not having a true WR1. Diggs, his theoretical top pass catcher, sits at fantasy’s WR40, yet Maye is still a beast.
Now if you say, “But Alan, Diggs has averaged 2.3 fantasy points over his last two games,” I’ll come back with, “Buffalo has the 25th-worst defense in the league, and this’ll be another revenge game for the former Bill, so into my DFS lineup he goes.”
Stefon Diggs PrizePicks Projection: 49.5 Receiving Yards
Broncos WR Courtland Sutton: Sit ‘Em
Broncos vs Packers - 4:25 p.m. ET
In this week’s winners/losers piece, I wrote, “This one is personal.
Coming into the 2025 season, I targeted Sutton in my fantasy draft, nabbing him in the sixth round. He’s been eminently mediocre, currently fantasy’s WR17. And yesterday, against a Raiders team that’s playing out the string, Denver’s theoretical WR1 caught just 6 of his 10 targets for 62 yards and 6.2 fantasy points (WR32).
Granted, Bo Nix has a predilection for getting all of his receivers involved — 11 Broncos caught passes in their 24-17 dub. But if you’re a WR1 — even a theoretical WR1 — catch the damn ball and find the damn end zone.
Not that I’m bitter or anything."
So, that.
Courtland Sutton PrizePicks Projection: 44.5 Receiving Yards
Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr: Sit ‘Em
Colts vs. Seahawks - 1:00 p.m. ET
I feel terrible for the Colts. Poor Daniel Jones tore his Achilles and is out for the year, and his backup, rookie Riley Leonard, is out with, “...an unspecified knee issue.”
Things are so gnarly that Indy worked out 44-year-old retiree Philip Rivers, which probably won’t end well.
Visiting Seattle and their second-ranked pass defense means you need to keep any Colt not named Jonathan Taylor out of your lineup, end of story.
Michael Pittman Jr. PrizePicks Projection: 46.5 Receiving Yards
Jaguars TE Brenton Strange: Start ‘Em
Jaguars vs. Jets - 4:25 p.m. ET
Jags TE Brenton Strange posted his second-worst fantasy game of the season (2.7 points, TE21), but he was on the field for 80% of Jacksonville’s snaps, and he’s fourth on the team with 39 targets, and the Jets allow the 20th-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends, so the math is in Strange’s favor.
Browns TE Harold Fannin Jr.: Start ‘Em
Browns @ Bears - 1:00 p.m. ET
As noted, Browns QB Shedeur Sanders was a fantasy beast last Sunday, in part thanks to rookie Fannin, who posted a career-best 17.4 fantasy points (TE1). The Bears pass defense is blah in general, allowing the sixth-most yards in the NFL.
Granted, this game is in Chicago, and as of this writing, the high temperature is predicted to be seven degrees, so this could be a run-centric game. But it could also be a short-pass-centric game, which plays right into Fannin’s hands.
Harold Fannin Jr. PrizePicks Projection: 42.5 Receiving Yards
Falcons TE Kyle Pitts Jr.: Sit ‘Em
Falcons @ Buccaneers - 8:15 p.m. ET (Thursday Night Football)
I’ve said so many bad things about Pitts — who’s this season’s fantasy TE22 — that I’m running out of mean adjectives. Just revisit the above Cousins capsule and you’ll get the point.
Kyle Pitts Jr. PrizePicks Projection: 60.5 Receiving Yards
Broncos TE Evan Engram: Sit ‘Em
Broncos vs. Packers - 4:25 p.m. ET
I love, love, love Evan Engram, as over his nine-year career, he’s been good to me in the world of DFS.
This season, however, he’s been a fantasy bust in season-long, daily, and dynasty. And as noted in my Courtland Sutton diss, the ‘Hawks are dang good at stopping the pass, so, um, take a pass.
See what I did there?
Evan Engram PrizePicks Projection: 24.5 Receiving Yards
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