Who Should I Start for Fantasy Football Week 15? Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Elijah Moore

3 months ago by John Johnson

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Nothing beats having a solid team, going on a nice winning streak early in the season, feeling like you're in good shape to make a run in the playoffs, and then having your team decimated by injury. It's been a brutal year for some of the NFL's best wide receivers.

Many fantasy managers find themselves in a position where they're considering starting one or more of the players in the title of this piece, though. Scraping whatever points you can off the waiver wire can make a difference in close matchups, as miserable as it may be to see them in your lineups.

Let's dive into three boring players who you might have been forced to roster in Week 15 and whether it's a good idea.

Should I Start Nick Westbrook-Ikhine for Fantasy Football?

After scoring eight touchdowns over his last eight games, Tennessee Titans wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine dropped a dud in Week 14, despite having a dream matchup. He was only targeted two times, catching one pass for 19 yards, against the NFL's worst pass defense.

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine has 8 touchdowns on 20 receptions.

That’s tied for the most touchdowns on 20 or fewer receptions in the Super Bowl era.

His 40% TD rate is the highest of any player in NFL history with at least 15 receptions. pic.twitter.com/wmLOMesmH2

— Easton Freeze (@eastonfreeze) December 2, 2024

Flukes do happen in the NFL, and NWI's streak was ridiculously rare. That's not to say he was a bad receiver, but his proportion of TDs to catches was historic. Since his team's bye week in Week 5, he's had exactly one game with more than three catches. To some degree, Titans head coach Brian Callahan's offense is partially responsible for this anomaly.

He values establishing the vertical passing game, which is generally very inconsistent. Westbrook-Ikhine does have a nice, soft matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 15, but it's hard to recommend starting him in any league. You're completely dependent on a touchdown.

Should I Start Marquez Valdes-Scantling for Fantasy Football?

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling was targeted a season-high seven times in Week 14, hauling in four passes for 51 yards. Unfortunately, his QB1, Derek Carr (hand, concussion), is set to miss Week 15, leaving quarterback Jake Haener (supposedly) in line to make the start.

Darren Rizzi has named Jake Haener the starting QB for this week's game against the Commanders, according to a source. Rizzi informed him and the other QBs of the decision this afternoon. Formal announcement coming soon.https://t.co/PDL9PDjrOX

— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) December 13, 2024

We've hardly seen any of Haener in the NFL, so it's difficult to evaluate him properly, but he's almost certainly a significant downgrade from Carr. That said, it will come down to how many times he decides to target MVS. Also, the Saints will face the Washington Commanders, who now likely have healthy cornerback Marshon Lattimore (hamstring).

It'll be Latty's revenge game, and he's a great cornerback. Valdes-Scantling will likely draw his coverage often. Saints offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is known for making absolute magic happen, but the deck is substantially against him. We'd prefer to bench MVS this week.

Should I Start Elijah Moore for Fantasy Football?

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Elijah Moore has the benefit of a gunslinger in quarterback Jameis Winston throwing the ball to him. We like Moore the best out of this group of three wideouts (NWI, MVS, and Moore). Sure, he only caught three passes for 34 yards in Week 14, but the Browns won't face the elite Pittsburgh Steelers defense every week.

FLEX'EM🍓

Elijah Moore vs KC
KC 2nd-most completion to slot WRs
17.1 FP/G to Slot WRs
6 TDs allowed to Slot WRs
5 of 6 TDs on passes 10+ yards
Winston 3rd in completions 10+yds (WK8-)
Projected coverage: Chamarri Conner 36 PFF cov. grade

— LaQuan Jones (@RealDealFantasy) December 12, 2024

He plays a lot in the slot and faces a defense that's vulnerable against slot receivers. Winston is likely to want to make the game a shootout, too. We'd start him over MVS and NWI all day.

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Who Should I Start for Fantasy Football Week 15? Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Elijah Moore

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