Week 15 of the NFL Season is already here. It’s flying by, sadly, so make sure you sit back and enjoy it. It’s mind-boggling it’s already this deep into the season. Also, enjoy the chaos, as this fantasy football season is unlike anything we have ever experienced. It’s a scary sight. Look below at my running back start/sit for Week 15. Make sure to enjoy this NFL Sunday because there aren’t many left. The first week of the playoffs is here! Let’s go win a championship!
Week 14 is in the books, and it was a chaotic week again. We saw big-time performances from names like James Conner, Isiah Pacheco, and others. At the same time, we saw injuries occur to others. Sigh. Now we are onto Week 15 in what will hopefully be a much better football week. I’ll be helping the Nerd Herd out this season with some running back Start/Sit for that week of fantasy football. Analysis and reasoning will be provided for every player that I mentioned. I’m here to help you win your fantasy football week and, ultimately, the championship. You might remember me from last year as I covered whom to start/sit at tight end. This year, I’m covering the running back start/sit.
Be sure to follow our other start/sit articles and authors; they contain great advice to help you each week.
Changing the Call (QB): Jayson Snyder
The Cutback (RB): Jake Oliver
Slant Pattern (WR): Tristan Cook
12 Formation (TE): Ethan Wyatt
Flex on ‘Em (FLEX): Evan Brown
IDP Start/Sit (IDP): Jon Glosser
There is one thing I want to note. For this article and every running back start/sit article I write, I won’t be including players like Jonathan Taylor or Austin Ekeler. These are apparent starts so long as they aren’t on bye or injured. If you don’t start them, well, you’re a Taco. I’ll be focusing on players that are a bit harder to decide whether to start or what to expect from them. All scoring in this article series will be PPR. All stats/RB# number finishes come from FantasyPros. So, let’s make this a great season as we get to watch over 200+ games of NFL football. It’s back! Good luck with this dynasty fantasy football season.
Week 15 Running Back Start/Sit
Start: Isiah Pacheco, KC, RB15
This is a smash start for Pacheco. He’s facing the second-worst defense against running backs in the Texans. The Texans give up, on average, 27.4 ppg to running backs, so you might want to start Jerick McKinnon too. Pacheco has been really good since taking over RB1 duties in Week 10. From that period, he’s had 80 rushes for 394 yards and an average ypc of 4.92. That’s really good. He’s added in six catches for 56 yards and two touchdowns. If he gets a touchdown this week, you’re golden. Either way, I’d expect an RB1 finish for him.
Start: Zonovan Knight, NYJ, RB20
The Jets are facing the Lions, who are vulnerable on defense. They are middle-of-the-pack against running backs, but with Zach Wilson starting this week, the Jets will rely on a high-volume rushing attack. That’s key for Knight, who’s impressed since taking over for the injured Michael Carter three weeks ago. Even with Carter back last week, Knight still had 17 rushes and two receptions. He’s averaging nearly 5 yards per carry and has had at least 17 touches in each game over the last three weeks. With this consistent usage, you have to start him. He could be a league winner and carry you past the first week of playoffs.
Honorable Mentions: Antonio Gibson (RB35), J.K. Dobbins (RB25)
Sit: Travis Etienne, JAC, RB16
Etienne has a super tough matchup this week versus the Dallas Cowboys, who have given up only the fourth-lowest fantasy points to running backs. Combine that with the fact that Travis has struggled for the last three weeks, and I would look elsewhere, if possible, to start someone else. I get that you probably still have to start him, but lower your expectations. The bright side is that Etienne has had 16 and 17 touches in the last two games, respectively.
Sit: Cordarrelle Patterson, ATL, RB28
The Saints rank middle of the pack defending opposing running backs, but that doesn’t mean that Patterson is a start this week. Admittedly, you probably have to start him, but if you have anyone else that’s similarly projected, I’d be looking hard at starting them. Patterson’s coming off a bye week but hasn’t done much since Week 9. He’s seen only 37 rushes since that week. The good news is he’s averaging over 5 yards per carry, but without enough rushes, he’s reliant on a touchdown. In what is the first game started by rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder, they could rely more on the pass instead of the run with a pass-first quarterback. Either way, this is shaping up to be a rough week for Atlanta.
Honorable Mentions: Raheem Mostert (RB31), Samaje Perine (RB38)
Good luck this week with your running back start/sit dilemmas!
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As always, May the Force be with You…
