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

Patriots@Bengals

 

Game Info

Kickoff: Sunday, December 15th at 1:00 PM EST

Location: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, OH

Betting Odds: NE -9, 40.5 total via Oddsshark

Network: CBS

Sleeper Spotlight: Rex Burkhead, N’Keal Harry (Deep)

 

New England Patriots

 

Quarterback:

• Tom Brady (Sit)

 

The GOAT was nursing an elbow injury heading into the game against Kansas City, and after being ineffective for most of the night he was spotted with a wrap on that same elbow during his postgame press conference. The injury bothered him as he left a few downfield throws short and missed an open Julian Edelman on fourth down midway through the second quarter that set them back.

 

After the 65,000 of us in attendance booed the Patriots offense off the field at the end of the first half, Brady came back out in the second half and made enough plays to get them back in the game before ultimately falling short. Many think the Brady of old is long gone at this point but his failures this year have largely been a result of the poor offensive line in front of him. Brady’s happy feet in the pocket have led to a lot of inaccurate throws downfield to receivers that haven’t been getting separation in the first place.

 

Brady’s numbers historically against Cincinnati are good but this year’s offense is nowhere near as deep as it used to be. The Bengals have given up the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing QBs this year but between the Patriots’ recent offensive woes and Brady’s elbow injury, I simply can’t recommend starting Brady in a playoff matchup. 

 

Running Backs:

• Sony Michel (Sit)
• James White (Start/RB3/FLEX)
• Rex Burkhead (Sleeper)

 

The defending champions lost center David Andrews and fullback James Develin early in the season and their absence, along with the crater on the edge left by Rob Gronkowski’s retirement, has largely been the reason why the offensive line has been among the worst in football this season. It also hasn’t helped that right guard Shaq Mason and right tackle Marcus Cannon have both regressed into average linemen at best after being among the best at their respective positions in recent years. 

 

3rd string center James Ferentz (son of Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz) suited up at center last week after 2nd stringer Ted Karras injured his knee in Week 13, and Ferentz will likely be there again against the Bengals. Both of these guys struggle making blocks at the second level against linebackers, which is a big reason why the backs have had a hard time breaking runs for longer than three or four yards.

 

With all of that said, the Bengals have given up more yards on the ground than any other team in football and have given up the fourth-most yards per attempt at 4.9. Their run defense simply isn’t any good, and this is the best chance for the Patriots to reestablish their running game before the playoffs. 

 

Sony Michel is listed at number one on the RB depth chart but the Patriots need to look somewhere else for the majority of their carries this week. Just look at his six touches against Kansas City’s terrible run defense – consistently running straight into the line, slowing down, seeing a defender and just giving up. He’s running with zero confidence right now and I simply cannot recommend him.

 

James White quietly had a good game on the ground last week and also hauled in 5 catches. He’s a smaller guy but he’s shown in the past that he can make defenders miss at the second level if he can get there. White has had less success through the air this year due to tougher matchups against safeties who in the past matched up against Rob Gronkowski, but Brady will continue to look his way under pressure. I still wouldn’t trust him to save your season but if you’re desperate or your other backs have much tougher matchups you could do a lot worse.

 

My sleeper spotlight this week is Rex Burkhead for two reasons: It’s a revenge game against his former team, and he hasn’t been featured yet in a game this year. I never own Patriots RBs because they’re so unpredictable but I have a gut feeling that we’ll see a lot of Burkhead this week. His line against KC wasn’t great but he always runs hard and is fully healthy, which is rare for him this time of year. This offense needs a spark and he could be the one to provide it.

 

Wide Receivers/Tight End:

• Julian Edelman (Start/WR1)
• Mohamed Sanu (Sit)
• Phillip Dorsett (Sit)
• N’Keal Harry (Deep Sleeper)

 

The Patriots offense has been a shell of its former self and there have been no signs of the squad turning it around anytime soon. Julian Edelman has been the lone bright spot despite playing through nagging injuries. While he’s averaged 3.7 catches, 33.3 yards, and 0 TDs in three games against the Bengals in his career, the Patriots offense was much deeper in those years and the squirrel will need to be a factor if the Patriots are going to put up points this week. However, Edelman missed practice Wednesday with a knee injury and was limping after every play near the end of the KC game. According to The Athletic’s Jeff Howe, Edelman was held out for load management purposes so keep an eye on this one but if he’s in there start him with confidence. 

 

As far as Brady’s other options are concerned, avoid Mohamed Sanu, Phillip Dorsett and Jakobi Myers like the plague. Sanu has been nursing a lingering high ankle sprain since Week 11 and isn’t even seeing the field on third down. Dorsett can’t get any separation against even league average corners and Myers literally couldn’t catch a beach ball if his life depended on it. They can not and should not even be on your roster at this point.

 

The other rookie, N’Keal Harry, only played two snaps last week and left the game with a hip injury in the fourth quarter. However, he showed some playmaking ability on his lone 12-yard reception that should have been a touchdown, something the New England offense has been lacking all season. Josh McDaniels himself said during a conference call Tuesday “I need to do a better job of finding ways to get him in space, get him the ball and letting him have an opportunity to do those things.” Coaches say a lot of meaningless things but it’s clear that the Patriots need Harry to step up and finally become a bigger part of their offense. He’s gotten some red-zone looks in the few snaps he’s taken this season and that could increase in this game. Keep an eye on Harry’s injury status this week and if you’re in a super deep league and are desperate for a WR, or you need a cheap DFS filler with a good matchup then Harry may be a good choice for you.

 

One more guy to keep an eye on in the final weeks is Matt Lacosse. I don’t recommend starting him but he did play 81% of the snaps against KC and even had a target in the end zone (one that Brady misfired on). Stay far away in a playoff matchup but if you need a bottom of the barrel tight end in a tournament DFS then Lacosse should get you 3 catches for 20 yards with potential for a TD.

 

Cincinnati Bengals

 

Quarterback:

• Andy Dalton (Sit)

 

As a Patriots fan, I tend to ramble on about them but I’ll keep this section short to make up for it. The Boogeymen are real and the Bengals offense is going to struggle to move the ball against them. New England’s secondary is very deep and they’ll work together to take out Dalton’s few options. If you’re in a worst ball league that rewards interceptions and fumbles then Dalton should be your QB1, otherwise stay far far away.

 

Running Backs:

• Joe Mixon (Start/Flex)
• Gio Bernard (Sit)

 

If you’re dead set on starting a Bengal this week then you should consider Joe Mixon. New England has shown some vulnerability on the ground this year has given up 4.2 yards per attempt. This is still good for 12th best in the league, but a good back can give them some trouble. Mixon finally erupted last week just in time for fantasy playoffs so if he can carry over some momentum then he has the potential for a 15 point game this week. Temper your expectations and slot him into your flex spot.

 

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends:

• Tyler Boyd (Borderline Flex)
• Auden Tate(Sit)
• John Ross(Sit)
• Tyler Eifert (Sit)

 

Don’t take a chance with the Bengals receiving core this week against the deepest secondary in the NFL. Stephon Gilmore is arguably the best corner in the league, Jason McCourty is back from injury and has been playing well all year, slot corner Jonathan Jones has been playing lights out and you can’t forget J.C. Jackson who made a great play to pick off Patrick Mahomes last week.

 

Tyler Boyd will get his targets but he’ll struggle to get any yards after the catch. John Ross has the speed to make a play similar to Mecole Hardman’s 48-yard touchdown last week but I wouldn’t count on it. It should be a tough day for this entire group and you’re best off avoiding them all.

-Ben Brown (@FelixTheDog23 Twitter, iamatechnician Reddit)