With the playoffs upon us, there’s no shortage of Start/Sit questions for fantasy owners. We’re seeing the questions roll in at record numbers, whether they’re coming via our Who Should I Start? tool, Twitter, emails, snail mail, or any other way imaginable. In a nutshell, fantasy players are leaving no stone unturned given that so much is at stake.
To further help out during these exciting, yet difficult times, we’ve called on several Featured Pros to rank (Flex-style) 20 of the most-questioned players this week. Read on to see who the pros like best as well as additional players they expect to exceed expectations.
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Featured Pros
Alessandro Miglio – (Pro Football Focus)
Zach Greubel – (Win My Fantasy League)
Bretty Talley – (The Fantasy Fix)
Week 15 Players (STD Scoring)
| Player | Position | Matchup | Consensus Rank | Best Rank | Worst Rank |
| David Wilson | RB | @ ATL | 1.0 | 1 | 1 |
| Josh Gordon | WR | vs. WAS | 4.4 | 2 | 10 |
| Mikel Leshoure | RB | @ ARI | 4.8 | 2 | 7 |
| Ryan Mathews | RB | vs. CAR | 6.2 | 2 | 17 |
| Mike Williams | WR | @ NO | 6.2 | 2 | 11 |
| Lance Moore | WR | vs. TB | 6.4 | 3 | 12 |
| Vick Ballard | RB | @ HOU | 6.6 | 5 | 8 |
| T.Y. Hilton | WR | @ HOU | 8.4 | 5 | 15 |
| Michael Turner | RB | vs. NYG | 10.0 | 6 | 15 |
| Torrey Smith | WR | vs. DEN | 10.0 | 3 | 16 |
| Jonathan Dwyer | RB | @ DAL | 11.0 | 4 | 17 |
| Larry Fitzgerald | WR | vs. DET | 12.4 | 8 | 19 |
| Stevie Johnson | WR | vs. SEA | 12.8 | 11 | 18 |
| Anquan Boldin | WR | vs. DEN | 14.0 | 12 | 19 |
| Justin Blackmon | WR | @ MIA | 14.2 | 7 | 19 |
| Denarius Moore | WR | vs. KC | 14.6 | 11 | 19 |
| Joique Bell | RB | @ ARI | 14.8 | 12 | 17 |
| Montell Owens | RB | @ MIA | 15.2 | 13 | 18 |
| Kenny Britt | WR | vs. NYJ | 17.2 | 14 | 19 |
| Ahmad Bradshaw (OUT) | RB | @ ATL | 20.0 | 20 | 20 |
*View an entire list of flex rankings from 35+ experts
The experts also shared thoughts on their top ranked player from the list (all picked David Wilson) as well as a player they like to exceed expectations in week 15.
Top Rated Player
“Everyone had David Wilson as the top waiver wire add/sleeper for week 15, and they should have. He put up 300+ total yards last week and Ahmad Bradshaw (knee) is out this week. Facing the 31st ranked Falcons run defense, Wilson is shaping up to be a very interesting RB1 in one of the most important weeks of the fantasy season.” – Kevin Roberts (NFL Soup)
“David Wilson will have a nice day with Ahmad Bradshaw on the sidelines. Wilson went off against a soft defense last week. He likely won’t have the same success this week, but handling a full workload will give him plenty of opportunities to score points.” – Alessandro Miglio (Pro Football Focus)
“I don’t see anyone else in the list of 20 players who deserves to be ranked ahead of David Wilson this week. Wilson is extremely versatile, as he showed last week with 327 total yards and three touchdowns. He’s also one of the most explosive kick returners in the game, which gives him added value.” – Zach Greubel (Win My Fantasy League)
“When choosing a flex play, it’s usually best to go with a back over a receiver in standard scoring if it’s a close call. In this sample of players, there are no overly reliable receivers. With Bradshaw out, Wilson is the best back of this bunch because of the cush matchup against the Falcons who allow the 7th most fantasy points to running backs.” – Bretty Talley (The Fantasy Fix)
“I have David Wilson ranked number one on this list, as Bradshaw is on the shelf and he has a great matchup against Atlanta. Atlanta has a weak rush defense that allows 127 yards per game, 4.9 yards per carry, and 14 rushing touchdowns. That all bodes well for Wilson.” – Dan Yanotchko (EDSFootball)
Players to Exceed Expectations
“I backed Josh Gordon last week (and I am again this week, too), but this time I’ll promote Ryan Mathews. He has just one TD on the year, but he got a whopping 25 carries in a win over the Steelers last week and faces a pretty soft Panthers defense. It’s time to let Mathews out of his cage.” – Kevin Roberts (NFL Soup)
Larry Fitzgerald (ARI vs. DET)
“I don’t know if this is just stubbornness, but Larry Fitzgerald is due for a decent game one of these weeks, right? He’s been targeted plenty despite his scoring woes, and he finally gets a decent matchup against the Detroit Lions secondary this week.” – Alessandro Miglio (Pro Football Focus)
“The last time the Saints played the Buccaneers, Lance Moore caught nine balls for 121 yards. Tampa Bay is terrible against the pass and I expect Brees and Moore, who are both coming off dismal outings, to torch their defense once again. Lance Moore will exceed a lot of expectations this week.” – Zach Greubel (Win My Fantasy League)
“There is almost no better matchup for quarterbacks and receivers than the New Orleans Saints. The Saints allow the most fantasy points to quarterbacks, the third most to receivers, and they have allowed the third most passing yards this season. Josh Freeman is going to have a big day, and Vincent Jackson can’t be the only receiver who benefits.” – Bretty Talley (The Fantasy Fix)
“My number two player is Josh Gordon who is primed to exceed expectations. Gordon has a great 4 game split having 23 receptions for a 78 yard average, and will face a Redskins defense that allows 287 yards per game and 27 touchdowns on the season.” – Dan Yanotchko (EDSFootball)
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Thanks to this week’s Featured Pros for sharing their advice with us. Be sure to follow each expert on Twitter (click their names above) and visit their sites for additional advice. Best of luck in the playoffs to everyone this weekend!
