2013 Week 15 Fantasy Advice

If you're still alive in your fantasy playoffs (I'm not), congrats on surviving one more week. If your league is weird and starts playoffs this week, good luck. The matchups on paper aren't on quite the same plane as last week, and probably won't live up to the craziness, but the fantasy implications are important for everyone, so check below to see what you can do to help yourself win and survive.

Who to Start:

QB Nick Foles (PHI) vs. MIN: It's pretty obvious by this point, isn't it? He's one of the league's hottest QB's, playing against one of the league's most banged up and bad pass defenses. He could have another monster game on Sunday.

RB DeMarco Murray (DAL) vs. GB: It's certainly not his fault that the Cowboys are losing games again in December; he's been doing his part. The Packers rush defense has been downright abysmal recently, so Murray could have another massive day.

WR Torrey Smith (BAL) vs. DET MON: Even though his QB has struggled mightily on the road this season, it's kind of hard to avoid this matchup for Smith, who is going up against the Swiss cheese secondary that is the Lions secondary.

WR Alshon Jeffrey (CHI) vs. CLE: A man on a mission, Jeffrey has been one of the breakout stars of the season. Even going up against Joe Haden, one of the best cover corners in football, it will be hard to bench Jeffrey in what will be an amazing individual matchup.

TE Tony Gonzalez (ATL) vs. WSH: I hope he comes back for one more season after this one, because he shouldn't go out on a team that will win at most 4 games. His fantasy matchup against the flaming dumpster fire that is the Washington Redskins is awesome, so he's a must-start.

DEF Carolina vs. NYJ: Ignore what you saw last week, the real Panthers defense will show up on Sunday against the Jets, who have won only once away from home and Geno Smith has been incredibly bad away from the Meadowlands as well.

Who to Sit:

QB Eli Manning (NYG) vs. SEA: Not only do the interceptions scare me in this very important matchup, but the Seahawks usually perform well off a loss, and they are probably going to take out their frustrations on the Giants and Eli on Sunday.

RB Bobby Rainey (TB) vs. SF: He's had 2 good home fantasy performances in a row, but those have been against the Falcons and Bills. His game against the 49ers is likely a lot less favorable, and in fantasy crunch-time, it's not a risk worth taking.

WR Mike Wallace (MIA) vs. NE: It's not that this matchup is particularly bad, it's really just the inconsistency Wallace has displayed. He was great for 2 weeks before laying another egg against Pittsburgh. In the fantasy playoffs, consistency is your number one friend, and Wallace has not been that all season.

WR Michael Floyd (ARZ) vs. TEN: He was pretty good for a stretch, but an ankle injury seems to have slowed him up some of late. The Titans matchup isn't as bad as it might look on paper, but injury risks aren't ones worth taking at this point in the season.

TE Heath Miller (PIT) vs. CIN: The consistency aspect once again plays huge here. Miller hasn't been consistent this season, and he's not usually played well against the Bengals in his career, including the first meeting back in September.

DEF St. Louis vs. NO: The fact that they've been a Top 10 fantasy defense all season shows you how bad defenses are now in the NFL. The Saints matchup is, as you would expect, putrid, so starting this unit is not a good idea.

3 Super Sleepers:

QB Ryan Tannehill (MIA) vs. NE: He's been decent fantasy-wise the last month, and against decent defenses too. The Patriots matchup is more favorable than any of his others since Week 9, so he could be a decent option if you need one.

RB Andre Ellington (ARZ) vs. TEN: He was running very well before injuries derailed him somewhat. The Titans are not the best team in the NFL when it comes to stopping the run, so Ellington could have a good day on the ground in Nashville.

TE Cordarrelle Patterson (MIN) vs. PHI: The Eagles defense is particularly bad despite how they've played of late, and Patterson has been used in unique ways by the Vikings offense too. He could have another breakout game Sunday.

Buyer Beware:

QB Carson Palmer (ARZ) vs. TEN: I was saying above that his matchup against the Titans doesn't look as bad on paper as you might think; namely I don't think the Titans secondary is that impressive unless their pass rush connects as it did against the Colts 2 weeks ago. Still, Palmer hasn't been nearly as good away from home as he has in Glendale, so this matchup is tricky.

Good Luck in Week 15!