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

Game Info

Kickoff: Sunday, December 17th, 2023,  8:20p PM EST

Location: EverBank Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida

Betting Odds: Jax +3.5, 44 O/U total via oddshark.com

Network: NBC

Writer: Dustin Ludke (@TheDunit13 on Twitter)

Baltimore Ravens

Quarterbacks

Lamar Jackson (Start, QB1)

If you drafted Lamar Jackson and were able to withstand the mid-season lets-downs you are now being rewarded. Jackson has the Baltimore Ravens offense clicking on all cylinders. He put up QB1 overall numbers last week coming out of the bye and now gets the Jacksonville Jaguars who are giving up the 3rd most points to the quarterback position. Lamar has 16 passing touchdowns on the year. What’s also nice to see is the running ability being worked on more. In Week 14 he had his sixth double-digit rushing attempt game and compiled 70 yards. It’s a nice added bonus to his fantasy production. Given the matchup and how well he is playing, you have to start Lamar as a solid QB1.

Gus Edwards (Sit, Flex), Keaton Mitchell (Sit, Flex), Justice Hill (Sit)

The run game for the Baltimore Ravens has been kind of junk outside of quarterback Lamar Jackson. It’s a tough matchup this week against the Jaguars who are currently giving up the 8th fewest points to running backs. Gus Edwards had been the lead guy but in the past two weeks has trailed rookie Keaton Mitchell in snaps and carries. Neither of them has seen over 10 carries in a game so the volume is lacking for either to be reliable. Neither is highly involved in the pass game so it’s hard to see an upside. Mitchell certainly has speed and was the only running back on the team to get a red zone carry so he is a risky flex play this week. I’m sitting Edwards unless I’m hoping he falls into the end zone. I’d rather sit both and look for other options with high upside.

Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends

Zay Flowers (Start, WR2), Odell Beckham Jr. (Start, WR2), Isaiah Likely (Start, TE1)

The Ravens passing game has started to click and a big part of that is the play of veteran Odell Beckham. He has three touchdowns in the last five games even with a shoulder injury. He finally hit over the 50% snap share this past week which is a number he hasn’t seen since Week 8. His presence has been valuable allowing other receivers to get better coverage matchups all while still winning his own. This week it looks like he will probably see Montaric Brown who rates as the 89th out of 106 corners. It’s a smash matchup for Beckham who will continue to produce fantasy points for those who believe in him. Solid WR2 this week.

Beckham’s production has opened up things for rookie Zay Flowers. Flowers has been able to play more outside which has seen his targets increase. He is also on a tow touchdown-game streak which he and the Ravens will be looking to continue. He gets a tough matchup. He will probably see Darious Williams in coverage who rates as the 6th best in coverage by PFF.com. The Ravens will have to get creative with Flowers to get him the ball but his speed and route running will win. I think Flowers is a solid WR2 this week.

After Flowers and Beckham, it’s hard to trust any of the other receivers. Nelson Agholor and Rashod Bateman are falling down the pecking order in terms of targets. Sit them this week. Part of what has moved them down is Isaiah Likely stepping into the void left by Mark Andrews. He has seen his snap share jump to the 75% mark and coming out of the bye last week he had seven targets catching five of them for 83 yards and a score. The Jaguars are giving up the 4th most points to tight ends so it’s a great matchup for Likely. Start him as a solid TE1

Jacksonville Jaguars

Quarterbacks

Trevor Lawrence (Start, QB2)

It was a shocker to see Trevor Lawrence come out and play Week 14 after suffering an ankle injury in Week 13. It looked like it had no effect on his game. He ended up having a decent day with 257 yards and three touchdowns but his numbers were diminished by three interceptions. I’ve been on record that I believe Tlaw is just an okay quarterback and I believe that will be on full display this week against the Baltimore Ravens who are giving up the fewest points to quarterbacks. They are ranked top ten in both pass rush and coverage by PFF.com. Does that mean you should bench Lawrence? No. It just means you should temper expectations. I think he is a solid QB2. He just doesn’t have the upside to get into the higher end of the QB1 range.

Running Backs

Travis Etienne (Start, RB2)

It looks like the Jaguars have found their running back for the future in Travis Etienne. There were questions about him being able to carry a full work load but that has been proven false. In the last four games, he has averaged 14 carries and has scored in the last two games. This week will be a tougher matchup as the Ravens are giving up the 5th fewest points to running backs. What helps Etienne is that he is being used in the pass-catching game more and more. He has at least three targets in every game this season and 44 receptions on the year. He hasn’t been scoring on those passes but it’s a sign that he can be out there in all situations. That’s what you want to see from your running backs. He’s a solid Rb2 this week. The likes of D’Ernest Johnson and Tank Bigsby don’t worry me at all.

Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends

Calvin Ridley (Start, WR3), Zay Jones (Sit, Flex), Parker Washington (Start, WR3) Evan Engram (Sit, TE1)

The loss of Christian Kirk from the Jaguars passing offense certainly hurt but it has made some targets available for others and so far they have done well with them. It starts at the top with the man they brought in to be the number one receiver, Calvin Ridley. While Ridley is seeing a ton of targets recently he hasn’t done much with them. Despite having 21 targets over the past two games he only has four receptions. Its a massive drop from the previous two games where he caught 12 of his 15 targets and scored three touchdowns. I expect the more recent trend to continue as he will see coverage from the Ravens’ top corner in Brandon Stephens who PFF.com rates as the 28th best cover corner. I’m still willing to start Ridley as a WR3 but I worry about his upside.

Zay Jones has had to pick up a good chunk of Kirk’s snaps seeing his snap share rise from the low 70% to the high 80s. He also saw 22 targets over the past two games and caught 10 of them. His yards per target worry me as it is down to a meager 4.57 on the year. He dealt with injury most of the season so he still might not be 100%. He has flex appeal as he will see a lot of Marlon Humphrey who rates as the 74th best corner. I’m sitting him as a flex this week and looking for more upside.

One of the big winners in the Kirk injury is rookie Parker Washington who went from not playing to a 60% snap share. On top if that he has scored in the last two games and has a 9.78 yards per target. He is just getting comfortable on the team and building the chemistry with Lawrence. He plays primarily from the slot which usually isn’t great against the Ravens. They have a great slot corner in Kyle Hamilton who rates as the 7th best corner. Washington will benefit from Hamilton dealing with an MCL sprain which will either keep him out this week or limit him. It provides a great matchup for Washington to continue his late-season breakout. I see him as a solid WR3 this week.

We save the best for last as the biggest winner is Evan Engram at tight end. On top of seeing at least six targets in every game except Week 1, Engram has seen 21 targets the past two weeks and has caught all but one of them. He has two games over 50 yards since Kirk went down and three touchdowns. He has a tougher test this week against the Ravens who are giving up the 9th fewest points to tight ends. The fact that Engram is lining up 50% of the time in the slot gives him a mismatch against weaker corners or linebackers. I expect him to continue to be a TE1 even if it is on the lower side