5 must starts for fantasy football in Week 15

Another up and down week for must starts, with Ryan Tannehill the standout player as he finished Week 14 as the QB6 with 27.5 points against the Raiders. Philip Lindsay provided a handy 13.5 points as the RB17 but you were probably left a little flat by Alexander Mattison’s 8.4 points as Dalvin Cook (15.5 points) played more than I expected (and scored a touchdown). James Washington had an OK day (7.3 points), but was left in the shade by Diontae Johnson, who went off for 25.6 points thanks to 2 all purpose touchdowns. Finally Alshon Jeffery went out injured early on MNF and has landed on IR so unfortunately gave you a big, fat 0 points this week.

Onto Week 15, and I’ve picked through the match ups to find those diamonds in the rough to roster this week to keep you on track for that fantasy championship.

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TE O.J. Howard, Buccaneers @ Lions - 45.4% owned

With Mike Evans now done for the season with a torn hamstring, there are targets up for grabs in the Bucs’ offense and Howard is primed to see an uptick. Coming off back to back double digit games and facing what I have ranked as the league’s 31st rated defense, wouldn’t it be nice to see Howard have the sort of game his talent says he’s capable of having?

WR Deebo Samuel, 49ers vs Falcons - 50.4% owned

Over the past 2 weeks, Samuel has been right up there with George Kittle and Emmanuel Sanders in terms of targets with 12 and he has at least 13 fantasy points in each of the last 5 weeks. The Falcons have the leagues second worst pass defense so Samuel is a must start in all formats as the 49ers are building momentum as they roll towards the playoffs.

RB Kareem Hunt, Browns vs Cardinals - 88.5% owned

Since finishing his suspension, Hunt has been an invaluable piece of the Browns’ offense in both the passing and running game. Hunt has at least 11 fantasy points in each of his 5 games. The Cardinals defense has been the league’s worst against the pass and this is where Hunt can make hay with his versatility as a receiver. The Browns are not out of the playoff race and a big game from Hunt can help them keep touch into the final 2 weeks of the season.

WR DK Metcalf, Seahawks @ Panthers - 84.8% owned

Against the lowly Panthers, there are plenty of fantasy points to go round for the Seahawks who need a bounce back performance after getting worked over by the Rams last week. With Tyler Lockett seemingly struggling to put together a big game at the moment, and Josh Gordon a bit-part player, Metcalf is trending towards finishing this season as the Seahawks’ WR1. He has at least 11 fantasy points in 5 of his last 6 starts and is averaging 7 targets a game since week 7. A top play for Week 15.

RB Miles Sanders, Eagles @ Redskins - 90.0% owned

The cupboard is bare in Philadelphia when it comes to the receiving corps and this opens up opportunities for Miles Sanders who has proven to be a useful receiving back in his rookie season. He’s also still the lead back despite Boston Scott’s breakout game against the Giants and this week’s match up against the Redskins who have a bottom 8 run defense favors Sanders’ workload converting into some serious fantasy points.

Bonus Start: Tampa Bay Buccaneers D/ST @ Lions - 14.1% owned

This is one where the owned percentage just doesn’t tally up with the match up and team performance on the season. The Bucs have been a decent fantasy defense in 2019, ranking 15th in fantasy points and face a Lions team that has been decimated of their skill position talent, especially with both Marvin Jones and TJ Hockenson both now on IR. It’s a risky prospect to put the Bucs defense in for a key fantasy week but one that should be considered if you need to stream with your main defense facing a tough opponent.