Sit/Start 2023 Week 15: Reviewing All Fantasy Relevant Players In Every Single Game

Game Info

Kickoff: Sunday, December 17th, 1:00 PM EST

Location: Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, OH

Betting Odds: CLE -3, O/U 38 via OddsShark

Network: FOX

Writer: Nick Beaudoin 

Chicago Bears

Quarterbacks

Justin Fields (Start, Low-QB1)

Justin Fields may not be the purest pocket passer, but he is still one of (if not the) most electric QBs in the league. He arguably has the lowest floor and highest ceiling of any QB and can either bury you or singlehandedly win your week. Fields is coming off another week of dominating a struggling Lions team, resulting in the QB3 finish last week. He will look to continue this momentum in a much tougher challenge, taking on a Cleveland defense ranked fifth in PPG to opposing QBs. Myles Garrett and Co. have been a force all season, and even though they forced three turnovers last week, they still showed vulnerability, allowing Trevor Lawrence to finish the day with three touchdowns and a QB11 finish.

Admittedly, I don’t love this matchup for Fields. The run game has been struggling, and the Browns’ secondary will be hyper-focused on stopping DJ Moore which may limit his passing upside, but Fields’ rushing ability gives him a high enough floor each week. Although he’s only surpassed 300 passing yards once this season, he has at least 11 rush attempts in five of the last seven games and has only two games under 46 rush yards on the season. With a litany of QB injuries at this point in the season, I’m still happy to trust Fields this week. My expectations are tempered with a team-implied total of just 17.5, Fields is a fringe QB1/QB2 this week and will be hard to leave on your bench.

Running Backs

D’Onta Foreman (Sit, FLEX), Khalil Herbert (Sit), Roschon Johnson (Sit)

After starting the season as a healthy scratch for the first five weeks of the season, D’onta Foreman has taken the lead in this three-man backfield carousel. The Browns have been slightly weaker against the run as of late, coming into the week ranked 12th in PPG to RBs, but they did just hold Travis Etienne to 35 yards on 14 carries (with one touchdown). His day was significantly improved due to his receiving skill set, adding 37 yards through the air, but Etienne is a far more capable receiver than any of the Bears’ RB and has less competition for touches as well.

Foreman led the group with 72 all-purpose yards on 13 touches last week against Detroit, while Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson combined for just 14 yards on four carries. The touch count in this backfield is far too inconsistent for me in a bad matchup, but if you have to start one, I lean toward Foreman as a low-floor, low-ceiling FLEX option, strictly on expected volume. With that said, I’d probably look for higher upside plays as underdogs in a low-scoring matchup.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

DJ Moore (Start, WR1), Darnell Mooney (Sit), Velus Jones Jr. (Sit), Tyler Scott (Sit), Cole Kmet (Start, High-TE2)

DJ Moore has cemented himself into must-start territory every week, coming into Week 15 as WR7 on the year. His performances have been far better with Fields in the lineup, and although this will be a tough matchup against a Browns secondary coming in fourth in PPG to WRs, he is averaging 10.3 targets/game over the past four weeks and has been a WR1 in three of those games. He was also involved as a runner last week, taking three carries for 20 yards and adding his first career touchdown on the ground. This offense moves through Moore, and we can expect him to remain heavily involved weekly as Fields’ favorite target. Moore matches up extremely favorably in all his individual matchups, and is a low-end WR1 in a tough matchup in Cleveland.

*DJ Moore missed practice Wednesday due to an ankle injury that he suffered on Sunday. He was able to play through the injury and is unlikely to miss any time, but his status should be monitored throughout the week.

I’m sitting on a few Darnell Mooney shares in Dynasty, and praying for him to get a new start next year. The former fifth-round pick has flashed before but has not been the same player since breaking his ankle in the ’22 season. Mooney saw seven targets last week, and very well could see about the same this week, but this passing attack can rarely support two wide receivers on a weekly basis, and we just haven’t seen it from Mooney this year. Mooney has only reached FLEX status once in the past four weeks, and I’m not betting on him in a difficult matchup this week.

Evan Engram gave fantasy managers hope last week, not only with two touchdowns of his own but by putting up 11 receptions and 95 yards on a defense ranked second in PPG to TEs (currently ranked sixth after this performance). However, it’s worth noting that Engram is used a bit differently than most TEs. Engram is the clear beneficiary in the absence of Christian Kirk, lining up in the slot on 46% of his snaps this season. Cole Kmet, on the other hand, plays inline far more than Engram, and lines up in the slot on just 33% of his snaps, meaning he will match up differently than last week. Kmet is TE6 on the year, and is a solid start if you don’t have more options, but he may find difficulty against S Grant Delpit, who has performed well all year, coming in ranked 18th in coverage of 94 qualified players. In a tough TE landscape, Kmet is a fine start, but I have him as a high-TE2 in a difficult matchup this week.

Cleveland Browns

Quarterbacks

Joe Flacco (Start, QB2)

Joe Flacco’s career looked like it might be over until two weeks ago. Now, after being announced as the Browns’ starter for the rest of the season, the team has an 81% chance of making the playoffs after last week’s win over the Jaguars.

Flacco is what he is. He is a competent QB and game manager with no rushing upside whatsoever. What Flacco lacks in athleticism, he has been making up in volume. While still learning a new playbook and system, he has 45 and 44 pass attempts in two starts, resulting in QB13 and QB10 finishes. I do think it’s worth noting that a lot of Flacco’s yardage and touchdowns came on simple throw-and-catches last week, with two of them coming on completely broken plays. Although the Bears come in 23rd in PPG to QBs, their secondary has been impressive lately, and are fresh off a shutdown game against Jared Goff and the Lions. With 311 yards and three touchdowns last week, he likely reached his ceiling performance, keeping him in the QB2 range moving forward.

Running Backs

Jerome Ford (Start, Low-RB2), Kareem Hunt (Sit, FLEX)

It doesn’t always feel like it, but Jerome Ford is statistically still the RB1 in this backfield. In the past five games, he has out-snapped Kareem Hunt 59% to 35% and out-touched him 14.8/game to 11.2/game, becoming a model of consistency with between 10 and 13 PPR points in six straight games. He is dominating the receiving work, with at least three receptions in each of the past three weeks, however, the red zone work has gone in Hunt’s favor, which is limiting his ceiling. Hunt has received double the touches (12-6) in the past five weeks, and although his burst is clearly gone, he has looked powerful in short-yardage situations. The Bears come in 20th in PPG to to fantasy RBs, making Ford a low-end RB2 assuming Hunt continues vulturing the goal line work.

*Jerome Ford had X-rays on Monday for a hand injury that came back negative. If he is unable to go, we can expect Hunt to receive 15+ touches and can be moved up to a low-end RB2. 

With seven touchdowns on the season, Kareem Hunt is a touchdown-or-bust FLEX option on a run-heavy team that is favored by three. Unfortunately, without a touchdown, he likely won’t return much value, averaging just 33.6 yards/game over the past five weeks. He missed practice on Wednesday with a groin injury, which will need to be monitored throughout the week as well. You could do worse. You could do better.

Wide Receivers / Tight Ends

Amari Cooper (Start, WR2), Elijah Moore (Start, FLEX), Cedric Tillman (Sit, FLEX), David Njoku (Start, TE1)

Amari Cooper began his connection with Joe Flacco this week, with seven receptions for 77 yards on 14 targets. Cooper likely would have had an even better week had he not put an untouched ball on the ground in the second quarter. Cooper should have his opportunities lining up against CB Tyrique Stevenson, ranking 107th out of 119 qualified players in coverage, but may see a lot more of CB Jaylon Johnson this week, who is having by far the best season of his career, currently ranked as the first overall CB in coverage. Despite a difficult matchup, Cooper should be in line for 6-8 targets and is a high-end WR2 this week.

Many had Elijah Moore as a breakout pick last week with Amari Cooper hampered by an injury, but he finished once again in his comfort zone, with 42 yards on three receptions (on six targets). If Cooper is followed by Johnson, this may benefit the secondary options on the team, including Moore who has had a great connection with Flacco going back to their time in New York. Moore plays almost half of his snaps in the slot, where on paper he is at a disadvantage against SCB Kyler Gordon, but the Browns have shown they are not afraid to use Moore in a variety of ways and try to get him open in space. Moore is a reasonable FLEX option, averaging 8.2 targets/game and putting up a single-game low of 42 receiving yards over the past five weeks, but with just one touchdown on the season, his ceiling is yet to be seen.

Cedric Tillman has played 83% of snaps over the past five weeks but has only surpassed two receptions or 23 yards just once. He is a name to watch in Dynasty leagues but provides little value to redraft leagues this season.

David Njoku was dominant last week, finishing as the TE2 overall, with 91 yards and two touchdowns on six receptions (eight targets). He was the second favorite target from Flacco and should continue that trend this week in a favorable matchup against LB Tremaine Edmunds, who ranks 66th in coverage of 77 qualified players. Njoku is known for pulling disappearing acts or getting vultured by Harrison Bryant, but I expect Flacco and the Browns to take advantage of this mismatch as much as possible. Njoku is TE7 on the season and appears to be in line for another solid day against the Bears.

Thank you for being here, and best of luck to your teams this week!

– Nick Beaudoin