Fantasy football advice, Week 15: Who to start/sit for Oakland Raiders vs. San Diego Chargers

With only four teams remaining in each fantasy league across the board, it’s not exactly a news flash to say that fantasy owners have to be at the top of their game. Several factors present themselves for the matchup between the Raiders and Chargers on Sunday, and fantasy owners will absolutely have to examine them closely to get the upper hand on their opponent. Let’s take a look:

It will be tough to imagine fantasy owners who have stock in the Raiders’ offense to even be competing after Week 14’s dud against the Chiefs. With Derek Carr tallying just 114 yards in frigid conditions, fantasy owners can be happy that cold weather won’t be a factor in sunny San Diego. Carr remains a QB1, and Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree can also be penned into lineups despite having their own concerns. Crabtree is dealing with a finger injury, and Cooper may have to do battle with shutdown cornerback Casey Heyward. It is worth mentioning that when these teams last met, Cooper posted a 6-138-1 line while Crabtree found the end zone in a more modest 3-47-1 outing.

As for the ground game, Latavius Murray continues to be effective while garnering enough volume to put him firmly in RB2 territory against the Chargers’ seventh-ranked run defense. Despite their ability to shut down runners between the 20s, the Chargers have allowed 17 rushing touchdowns, a total that only three other teams have eclipsed thus far.

Complementary pass catchers such as Seth Roberts and Clive Walford can remain on fantasy benches for Week 15 and beyond.

Much has been said about Melvin Gordon’s unfortunate hip injury, and the trickle down may be significant. Without their workhorse in the backfield, the Chargers may take to the air early and often against the AFC’s bottom-ranked pass defense. In a pass heavy game plan, Philip Rivers and Tyrell Williams make for attractive options in leagues of all formats. Dontrelle Inman even garners flex consideration with Rivers potentially airing it out often, especially if the Chargers have to play catchup with a potent Raiders offense.

Kenneth Farrow is the new de facto running back with Gordon out, but his path to fantasy points isn’t a given. Ronnie Hillman is expected to be active and may cut into Farrow’s chances. Farrow had the backfield to himself in Week 14, but Hillman was a healthy scratch during that game. Fantasy owners would be playing with fire starting a relatively unknown commodity at running back when the stakes are so high.

Antonio Gates, Hunter Henry and the rest of the Chargers’ complementary pass catchers would be difficult to trust even in a high upside matchup.