Fantasy Football Week 15 Wide Receiver Start/Sit: Adam Thielen, Jakobi Meyers, Calvin Ridley, DeAndre Hopkins, Jordan Addison, DeVonta Smith

Welcome to FantasySP’s Week 15 fantasy football wide receiver start/sit breakdown! As always, I’d like to start by taking a look back at last week’s results ... unfortunately, they weren't so hot. The one clear hit was Jauan Jennings, coming through with a massive 24.5-point outing. But my other two Starts, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Keenan Allen, combined for just 7.9 Half-PPR points. Meanwhile, all three Sits hit double digits, with Amari Cooper and DeVonta Smith providing good-not-great results and Jaylen Waddle making me look stupid with nine catches for 99 yards.

Luckily, the great thing about fantasy football is that there is always another week. We are now into the fantasy football playoffs, so I will do my best to bounce back with good picks across the board. We have zero teams on bye this week, so standards are higher to make it into fantasy lineups. With that in mind, here are the wide receivers to start and sit for fantasy football in Week 15.  

For more help with your toughest Week 15 Start/Sit decisions, check out FantasySP’s NFL Start/Sit tool!

Fantasy Football Wide Receivers To Start Week 15

Adam Thielen, Carolina Panthers vs. Dallas Cowboys

Since returning from IR three weeks ago, Adam Thielen ranks 16th among wide receivers in Half-PPR points per game. He also ranks 19th in targets per game and 24th in air yards per game. His usage is only getting better, too, as he has trended upwards from a 70% route participation rate in his first week back to 78% in Week 13 to 85% last week.

This all sets up perfectly for Thielen heading into a matchup with the Cowboys’ struggling defense. For the season, the Cowboys are the 11th-softest schedule-adjusted matchup for fantasy receivers. Believe it or not, the Panthers are actually favored in this matchup, with a decent 22.5-point team total. Bryce Young is playing at a much-improved level, and Thielen is clearly his top target, with a 25% target per route run rate since returning from injury. Fire up the 34-year-old veteran with confidence for your fantasy football playoff matchups.

Jakobi Meyers, Las Vegas Raiders vs. Atlanta Falcons

I know, I know. Nobody wants to have to rely on one of Desmond Ridder’s weapons for the fantasy football playoffs. However, there’s a chance that Aidan O’Connell recovers in time to start for the Raiders on Monday night. Even if he doesn’t, Meyers will still have a decent chance of providing a respectable fantasy outing.

While he may not have elite quarterback play, the former does have two key factors in his favor: volume and matchup. He has averaged an elite 25% target share since Davante Adams left Las Vegas, including target shares of 25%, 29%, and 27% over the last three weeks. Meanwhile, wide receivers have been absolutely tearing up the Falcons' defense. After last week’s explosions by Jordan Addison and Justin Jefferson, Atlanta ranks as by far the softest schedule-adjusted matchup for receivers. For the season, they also give up the sixth-most yards per game and the most touchdowns per game to WRs. It might not be pretty with Ridder under center (or even with AOC), but Meyers should see enough chances against the Falcons’ paper-soft secondary to come through with a Monday night miracle if needed. 

Calvin Ridley, Tennessee Titans vs. Cincinnati Bengals 

Since DeAndre Hopkins departed for Kansas City, Calvin Ridley has seen elite WR1 usage in this Tennesee offense. He ranks sixth in the league with a 28% target share and fourth with a 46% air yards share. The one issue has been making good on those targets, as he is vastly underperforming his expected production. A 12.3 Half-PPR average is nothing to scoff at, but it’s well below his 16.7-point-per-game expectations, which land him as the WR9 since Week 8.

However, if there were ever a week for Ridley to make good on his usage, this would be it. The Bengals have struggled defensively this season, giving up the third-highest EPA per play in the league. That shows up on the fantasy scoreboard, where they are the fifth-friendliest schedule-adjusted matchup for wide receivers. The Titans will also likely be playing from behind in this one, which means Will Levis will be dropping back early and often. That’s not necessarily a recipe for winning football games, but it sure is a recipe for Calvin Ridley targets. 

Fantasy Football Wide Receivers To Sit Week 15

DeAndre Hopkins, Kansas City Chiefs @ Cleveland Browns

DeAndre Hopkins has been a staple in the Sit section since his move to Kansas City, for one simple reason: He’s not running enough routes. Hopkins posted a new high in route participation rate as a Chief in Week 14, and it was still just 64%. For context, here are some players who ran more than 64% of their team’s routes last week: Michael Mayer, Ricky Pearsall, Noah Fant, Tyler Boyd, and Daniel Bellinger.

Obviously, Hopkins is earning targets more than those names when he is on the field. But he is still averaging just a 16% target share for 6.4 targets a game since moving to Kansas City. Even with four touchdowns in seven games, that has converted to a fairly mediocre 10.7 Half-PPR points per game. To be fair, D-Hop is scoring those touchdowns because he sees a lot of red zone work, with one end zone target per game during his time in the Chiefs’ offense. He also has a decent matchup against the Browns, who have been racking up shootouts since Jameis Winston took over.  

However, with the fantasy playoffs on the line, I’d rather make my bet on someone who will at least consistently be on the field. Volume is king, and it’s hard to rack up targets if you’re not running routes. There’s a chance that Hopkins comes through with a TD or two; otherwise, he’s probably going to have a lackluster outing. 

DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

I listed Smith as a Sit last week, and he had a decent game, finishing with 11.7 fantasy points. However, that was mostly thanks to a touchdown, as he caught just four passes for 37 yards. Playing on the Eagles’ high-powered offense does mean Smith always has a shot at finding pay-dirt, but the volume simply hasn’t been there for him to be reliable otherwise.

Since the Eagles’ Week 5 bye, they rank dead last in the league with a pass rate 9.3% below expectation. And their expectation is already low, given how well their defense has been playing. That means that Smith’s 21% target share, which normally wouldn’t be too bad, has converted to just 4.6 targets per game.

I don’t expect that to change this week. If anything, Smith might see fewer targets than usual. The Steelers have a good defense and a run-heavy offense, ranking as the fifth-worst schedule-adjusted matchup for receivers. Meanwhile, Smith’s fellow receiver A.J. Brown is in a bit of a squeaky wheel situation coming off a drama-filled week (sure, AJB clarified his comments, but I still wouldn’t be surprised if he gets a few extra deep shots this week). Put it all together, and this is a tough situation for Smith. 

Jordan Addison, Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears

Addison is coming off a massive game against that aforementioned terrible Falcons secondary, in which he caught eight of 12 targets for 133 yards and three touchdowns. However, the second-year receiver’s season has been characterized by boom-or-bust performances, with five weekly finishes outside the top 40 receivers in 11 games. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see his biggest boom followed up by a classic bust.

The Bears’ defense ranks as the third-worst opponent for wide receivers, holding opposing WRs to 4.9 points below their averages. To be fair to Addison, he already beat up on these Bears once, catching eight passes for 162 yards and a touchdown in Chicago just two weeks ago. I’m not here to say it’s impossible for him to repeat that performance, or even that he is a must-bench. But Addison has been up-and-down all season, and this isn’t an ideal matchup. If you have another decent option, I would strongly consider leaving him on your bench for Week 15.

Ted Chmyz is a fantasy football contributor for FantasySP. Find him on Twitter @Tchmyz for more fantasy content or to ask questions.