Fantasy Football Quarterback Start/Sit Week 15: Should You Start Trevor Lawrence, Tua Tagovailoa, or Jared Goff?
A look at each quarterback's fantasy prospects for Week 15
Welcome to Week 15. C.J. Stroud and Brock Purdy are top-7 fantasy quarterbacks on a points per game basis. Geno Smith is closer to Mac Jones on a points per game basis than he is to Josh Allen. And Sam Howell has been a better fantasy quarterback than Patrick Mahomes, Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, Jared Goff, and Russell Wilson on a points per game basis. Exactly how we all drew it up!
All that to say, we've got our work cut out for us as we try to figure out what to do with our start/sit decisions moving forward. You're obviously not benching any of those guys (more on that below), but there are plenty of other borderline fantasy starters we need to sift through.
I'm going to use the list below to cover every quarterback start/sit situation for Week 15. The list is broken into tiers (which as pretty self-explanatory based on the names of them), and you can simply look at the list and make start/sit decisions -- because it's in order of preference! Think of it as my weekly quarterback rankings.
This week is EXTRA important with the fantasy playoffs starting in most leagues. No pressure!
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No-Brainer Start 'Em
You drafted these guys as your starter. There's no reason to waffle on them based on matchups or anything like that. We don't even need to talk things through on any of these guys -- let's stop over-thinking things. Here's the order in which I'd start them this week:
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Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
- Allen leads all fantasy quarterbacks in points this season and should be able to keep the ball rolling this week despite the tough Cowboys matchup.
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Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
- Jackson is coming on at the right time and should be able to FEAST against the Jaguars.
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Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
- Hurts hasn't been quite as good lately, but has a solid matchup against the Seahawks. He's still very much a must-start.
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Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
- Dak has been one of the best fantasy assets over the last month and is a must-start agaist the Bills.
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Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
- I still can't believe Purdy is in the MVP race, but here we are. Keep him in there against the Cardinals.
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Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
- Mahomes continues to be off (and has a tough matchup), but there's no way you can sit Patrick Mahomes.
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Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
- Stafford has been on a heater lately, and should be a great start against a bad Commanders defense.
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Justin Fields, Chicago Bears
- Fields has a rough matchup, but I think he's still worth starting on the road against the Browns.
Still Start 'Em
These guys are a little more of a borderline decision, but they're worth starting this week. Here's the order in which I'd start them this week:
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Sam Howell, Washington Commanders
- Howell is a bit of a rollercoaster, but he ends up putting up fantasy points. Start him with confidence against a Rams defense that has been gashed lately.
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Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
- Love came back to Earth a bit last week, but he should be in your starting lineup against the Bucs this week.
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Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
- I don't love the matchup, but Lawrence has been a QB1 for the last four weeks so I think we have to keep rolling with him.
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Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos
- Russ is a borderline QB1 and is worth starting if you don't have a better option -- the Lions have been giving up points lately.
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Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
- Goff has fallen off a bit lately -- and the Broncos defense has improved -- but he's still a solid start.
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Jake Browning,Cincinnati Bengals
- Browning has been a top-5 fantasy quarterback in each of his last two starts and should be a solid start again this week against the Vikings.
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Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
- Tua has been pretty bad lately with finishes of QB23 and QB26 in two of his last three games. He also has a tough matchup with the Jets. While I think he's still a viable start, he's very bordlerline this week.
Deep League Starts
These guys are basically "sits" in a 12-team league. But they're likely someone you should start in a superflex league or a 16-team league. Here's the order in which I'd start them this week:
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Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
- Murray has fallen off a bit, and I don't like his matchup. Start him at your own risk against a tough 49ers defense.
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Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks
- IF Smith starts this week (which is still an if), he has a nice home matchup against a struggling Eagles defense. However, I'm not exactly champing at the bit to start him coming off an injury.
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Joe Flacco, Cleveland Browns
- Flacco has five touchdowns and two interceptions in his two starts. The Bears have been better against the pass lately, but I think Flacco is a sneaky decent start.
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Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Baker has been a QB2 lately and will likely continue to be on the road against the Packers.
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Gardner Minshew, Indianapolis Colts
- Minshew is in a similar boat to Baker. He's not someone to avoid, but there are likely better options on your roster.
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Nick Mullens, Minnesota Vikings
- What will Nick Mullens' first start bring? I don't know, but the Bengals defense has been very iffy all season and Justin Jefferson is likely to play. I'm ok with a dice roll here.
Sit 'Em
These guys are "sits" in pretty much any league except a superflex. Here's the order in which I'd start them this week if you absolutely have to:
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Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints
- Carr is finishing the season on a down-note and the Giants defense has been much better as of late. Avoid Carr if you can.
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Will Levis, Tennessee Titans
- Levis has shown flashes of brilliance, but I don't trust him enough to roll with him in the fantasy playoffs.
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Tommy DeVito, New York Giants
- While DeVito has been a great story, the Saints defense is really good. Sit him.
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Bailey Zappe, New England Patriots
- Zappe looked fantastic in the first half of last week's game, but he looked like a career backup (which is what I think he'll end up being) during the second half. While the Patriots may have to throw a lot to keep up with the Chiefs, I don't think Zappe is safe enough for the fantasy playoffs.
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Zach Wilson, New York Jets
- Wilson had a decent week last week, but I can't stomach using him in the fantasy playoffs.
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Desmond Ridder, Atlanta Falcons
- Ridder put up big numbers as the Falcons played catchup last week, but you can't count on that happening every week. Bench him.
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Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
- Young's very forgettable rookie season is coming to an end. Don't let him put an end to your fantasy season.
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Davis Mills, Houston Texans
- Mills has some upside if he ends up starting against the Titans, but he's just way too risky -- especially with the Texans' receiver hurt en masse.
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Mitchell Trubisky, Pittsburgh Steelers
- Trubisky is awful. Don't be fooled by his garbage time points last week.
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