Fantasy football start/sit advice, Week 15

If you’ve made it this far, congratulations. You’re either starting your playoffs, or you’re continuing your battle to the top.

We won’t waste any time talking about injuries or what happened over the past week. Let’s get right to it. Here are some of the best and worst matchups for Week 15.

His best game of the year: Week 5 at Oakland. Rivers posted 359 yards and four touchdowns that game. With 10 turnovers in the last four games, Rivers hasn’t exactly won owners over, but he does have 10 touchdowns in that span as well. Oakland’s defense improved after Week 5. However, the Raiders have only faced one top-10 fantasy quarterback since they saw Rivers. With some tough matchups on the slate for some of the league’s better passers, Rivers looks appealing in the game with the third-highest over/under for Week 15.

QB Carson Palmer vs. Saints
The Saints have give up at least two passing touchdowns in 8 of 13 matchups. Palmer has at least two touchdowns in each of his last four starts. The New Orleans-Arizona matchup has the highest over/under for this week, with the Cardinals projected to score 28. I’ll roll will Palmer at home in a dome (thankfully he’s out of the rain in Miami).

RB Bilal Powell vs. Dolphins
Powell is averaging 0.80 fantasy points per touch in 2016, which is actually a better mark than running backs like Ezekiel Elliot, DeMarco Murray and Devonta Freeman. Matt Forte has a torn meniscus, and while he says he still plans on playing, it would not be surprising to see Powell receive a sizable workload again. He went off with 145 yards and two touchdowns on the ground against the 49ers last week. Powell can carry that momentum into a matchup with Miami even if he’s still in a timeshare.

RB Tevin Coleman vs. 49ers
Like Powell, Coleman has been extremely efficient with his touches. He’s the No. 1 running back in terms of fantasy points per touch. He scored two touchdowns on 10 touches last week and now he takes on the league’s worst run defense. The 49ers have by far allowed the most rushing yards, rushing touchdowns and fantasy points to running backs. Bank on another big day for the Falcons backfield.

WR Tyreek Hill vs. Titans
Take a look at the Titans stats against wide receivers over the last four games. It’s brutal. That span includes two games with two wide receivers each hitting the 100-yard mark. Hill has been targeted at least five times in seven straight games. He’s also been a monster on special teams, so assuming your league awards points for that, he’s come up huge for you. Hill is a playmaker, and his matchup with Tennessee is the best he’s seen all year.

WR Taylor Gabriel vs. 49ers
Might as well keep this train moving. Julio Jones looks unlikely to play on Sunday. Gabriel only caught three passes last week, but one of them went for a 64-yard touchdown. We know what he brings to the table. He’s scored a touchdown in five of his last six games. The 49ers have given up the second-most touchdowns to wide receivers.

TE Kyle Rudolph vs. Colts
While Rudolph can certainly be a boom-or-bust starter at times, he’s the TE7 for the year, and he’s scored a touchdown in six games. He’s also seen the most red zone targets (18) of any tight end. The Colts give up the 10th-most fantasy points to tight ends. Trust Rudolph among his inconsistent position.

QB Dak Prescott
The rookie is the QB7 for the year, but his last three starts produced weekly finishes of QB11, QB 22 and QB26. Now he goes up against a Tampa Bay defense that has been surprisingly solid over the last four games. In that span, the Buccaneers have only allowed the fifth-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks, giving up four touchdown passes and forcing 10 interceptions. The pressure is on for Prescott, and given the Cowboys pace and ability to run the ball, his fantasy outlook isn’t projecting as starter for your playoff lineup.

QB Andrew Luck at Vikings
As Rotoworld’s Rich Hribar notes, the highest weekly finish versus Minnesota is QB12. The Vikings allow the third-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks. The Colts are going on the road potentially without Donte Moncrief, who injured his hamstring last week. Luck offers a solid floor every week, but given the Vikings track record against quarterbacks in 2016, his ceiling looks capped at a relatively low projection.

RB Spencer Ware vs. Titans
The RB15 for the season, Ware really hasn’t blown anyone away since Week 6. He scored two touchdowns against Atlanta two games ago, but his yardage totals continue to be lackluster. The Titans allow the second-fewest fantasy points to running backs. Only two backs have scored on this defense. Ware will presumably punch out for the day with another 19 touches for 80 yards.

RB Mark Ingram/Tim Hightower at Cardinals
Ingram is practicing, but his toe issue isn’t going away. He’s been ineffective and hobbled by the injury in the last two game. Hightower is mixing in with Travaris Cadet for snaps. There’s no winner in the Saints backfield. The Cardinals allow the third-fewest fantasy points per game to running backs. It’s a situation you just want to avoid.

WR Randall Cobb at Bears
He hasn’t finished as a WR2 (WR24 overall or better) since Week 7. Guess who he played that game? Chicago, of course. Cobb went off for 11 catches, 95 yards and a touchdown against the Bears the first time around. But since that game, no wide receiver has done better than 76 yards receiving against Chicago. The Packers have honed in on Jordy Nelson and Davante Adams in the receiving game. Cobb isn’t 100 percent, either.

WR Brandon Marshall vs. Dolphins
Another stud who isn’t living up to expectations, Marshall has just three touchdowns in 2016. The Jets quarterbacks change didn’t make any difference for him. Bryce Petty loves to target Robby Anderson. Marshall has caught seven passes for 76 yards with Petty starting the last two games. Miami is particularly stout against wide receivers, but Marshall finished his first meeting with the Dolphins with 46 yards, and now he’s dealing with several ailments.

TE Coby Fleener at Cardinals
We’ll keep this brief. The Cardinals have allowed one touchdown to a tight end all season. That was Dion Sims last week. Fleener is one of the most unreliable options in fantasy, and now he’s taking on the toughest matchup for any tight end. No thanks.