Hello and welcome back, Nerds! The Dynasty Nerds writers are here to provide you with weekly starts and sits. I will be doing the WR starts and sits for the 2023 season! We, as a group, will be making our recommendations based on weekly consensus PPR rankings from FantasyPros. Here is our squad and the position groups they will be covering to help you each week. Follow, DM, and Tweet us.

We look forward to hearing from you!

One thing to keep in mind when making your start/sit decisions, it will ALWAYS depend on who your other options are. The players listed below are WRs that I expect to finish above/below their respective rankings. But it doesn’t mean you need to take them out of (or put them into) your lineup unless your alternatives are worth it.

NOTE: Rankings are based on a 12-team PPR league. So, saying WR2 means top 24, or TE1 means top 12, etc., and are pulled from Fantasy Pros consensus expert rankings.

RECAP

Before we get into the recap of last week’s picks, let’s go over how I determine the success and failure of my picks:

1. Regardless of whether I have a player listed as a start or sit, if they get injured during the game where it significantly impacts their fantasy output, it is ruled a no decision based upon injury.
2. If a player finishes within a handful of spots of their ranking, either above or below, it is considered a push. 
3. My goal is always to get all my picks correct. 

However, I consider above 50% a moderately successful week. Let’s get to it.

Week 15 was not a great week. My best call of the week was to ‘sit’ Adam Thielen. He finished 17 spots lower than his ranking at WR47. Unfortunately, I had a few bad calls last week. My worst call was to ‘sit’ Terry McLaurin and Amari Cooper. I also had Jaylen Waddle as a ‘sit.’ It was before Tyreek Hill was ruled out, which obviously impacted the analysis. However, it was still a miss. Week 15 is a bad week to have a bad week—time to do better.

START

Jordan Addison, Vikings – WR 26

Week 15 Stats | WR 1 | FPts: 29.1 | Tgts: 6 | Rec: 6 | Yds: 111 | TDs: 2

My first ‘start’ for the week is Jordan Addison. He is in the midst of an incredible rookie season, with 62 receptions for 824 yards and 9 scores. Last week, Addison had a monster game, leading all receivers in fantasy scoring with 29.1 points. Despite Minnesota using four different starting quarterbacks this year (Cousins, Hall, Dobbs, Mullens), Addison has been a reliable fantasy option.

My reasoning for having Addison as a ‘start’ is simple. This week, the Vikings take on the Detroit Lions. Detroit has a below-average pass defense and the 8th-best run defense in the league. The Lions will likely do even more to load up and stop the run to make Nick Mullens beat them. Their passing defense will have to focus on Justin Jefferson, which should leave Addison plenty of scoring opportunities. He is likely already a ‘start’ for you, but I am extra confident this week.

Chris Godwin, Buccaneers – WR 24

Week 15 Stats | WR 3 | FPts: 25.5 | Tgts: 12 | Rec: 10 | Yds: 155 | TDs: 0

My next ‘start’ is Chris Godwin. After having a quiet couple of games, Godwin exploded last week against the Packers for 155 yards on 10 catches. It was a nice change up from Week 13 when he was held catchless on 3 targets, and Week 14, where he was only able to turn 11 targets into 32 yards on 5 catches. Godwin is trending upward, and I believe he should be a surefire ‘start’ in your Week 16 lineup. Tampa is facing the Jaguars this week. Jacksonville allows 256.6 passing yards per game, which is 4th worst in the entire league. Godwin should be a safe option with the upside for a WR1 week. Get him in your lineup.

Courtland Sutton, Broncos – WR 25

Week 15 Stats | WR 29 | FPts: 12.1 | Tgts: 6 | Rec: 5 | Yds: 71 | TDs: 0

Courtland Sutton is my third ‘start’ of the week. He managed a serviceable game last week in Denver’s embarrassing defeat at Detroit. Courtland was held without a touchdown last week, which is only the fourth game all season in which he hasn’t scored. He looks to have developed a nice rapport with Russell Wilson and might be finally in the midst of the long-awaited breakout season.

This week, the Broncos face off against the New England Patriots. I tend to target defenses for one of three reasons. First, they have a very poor pass defense, or they have a very good rush defense or both. New England falls into the second category. The Patriots are allowing a mere 84.9 rushing yards per game. That is second-best in the entire league. Their pass defense is right in the middle of the league, so I expect Denver to have more success through the air than on the ground. That means that Courtland Sutton should have a solid day at the office, and if he can get into the end zone again, he will pay off handsomely.

Calvin Ridley, Jaguars – WR 20

Week 15 Stats | WR 44 | FPts: 8.9 | Tgts: 12 | Rec: 5 | Yds: 44 | TDs: 0

My penultimate ‘start’ is Calvin Ridley. He has been frustratingly inefficient over the last few weeks. Over the last three games, Ridley is 4th in the NFL in targets but 60th in the NFL in yards receiving. His catch percentages of 50, 30.7, and 41.7 are extremely poor. There has to be a time when that changes. I believe that time is this week against the Bucs.

As I have highlighted, Tampa Bay has a very porous pass defense and a strong run defense. That puts us into the “both” category of defenses I like to target. I expect Jacksonville to come out throwing the ball, and I think Ridley will be heavily involved. Fire him up with confidence. Those targets will turn into fantasy points.

Garrett Wilson, Jets – WR 23

Week 15 Stats | WR 65 | FPts: 5.9 | Tgts: 4 | Rec: 3 | Yds: 29 | TDs: 0 

My final ‘start’ for Week 15 is Garrett Wilson. He burned me last week, catching 3 passes for only 29 yards. However, with Zach Wilson’s injury, Trevor Siemian is slated to start for New York. This normally would be a bit of a concern, but with how poor the QB play has been for the Jets, I don’t think it hurts Wilson much.

But my cause for optimism for Wilson is solely on the opponent. As I’ve mentioned, I like to target defenses that are particularly poor against the pass. New York’s opponent this week (Washington) is the poorest in the league, at 264.8 passing yards allowed per game. I expect Siemian to look Wilson’s way early and often. This game could be one of the lowest scoring of the week, and the only reason I’m interested in Garrett Wilson is because of how bad Washington is against the pass.

SIT

Terry McLaurin, Commanders – WR 29

Week 15 Stats | WR 3 | FPts: 26.1 | Tgts: 12 | Rec: 6 | Yds: 141 | TDs: 1 

My only ‘sit’ for Week 15 is Terry McLaurin against the Jets. McLaurin also burned me last week. He had been quiet all game until Jacoby “the brisket” Brissett entered the game and sparked the Washington offense. That fourth-quarter performance cost me a championship appearance, but I still recommend avoiding McLaurin.

The reasoning here is simply the inverse of my ‘starts.’ Washington is playing the New York Jets this week. New York has allowed the second-fewest passing yards per game and the fifth-most rushing yards per game. The analysis here is simple. I expect Washington to have success running the ball, not throwing it.

Furthermore, this game has a betting total of 37 points. That is the second-lowest of the week. I think this game will be low-scoring, so I’m staying away.

That’s it for Week 15. Feel free to reach out to me on Twitter (@THEtristancook) if you have any specific questions about who I would start. 

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