Fantasy Football Start/Sit: Ladd McConkey, Woody Marks, Isaiah Likely

Fantasy football playoffs are here, which means every lineup decision suddenly feels like it carries the emotional weight of a midseason coaching change. One wrong call and you’re doom-scrolling your league chat; one right call and you’re coasting into the semi-finals like you planned it all along. To help you avoid any tragic December blunders, our Featured Pros have rounded up their favorite Week 15 sleepers and duds — the sneaky starts who can save your season and the landmines you definitely don’t want detonating in your Flex spot. Let’s survive and advance.

Fantasy Football Week 15 Start/Sit Advice

Sleepers

Which player outside of the top 100 in the FantasyPros Flex rankings is a good sleeper start, and why do you think he has upside this week?

Isaiah Likely (TE – BAL)

“If we’re diving deep this week, I’ll bet on the 101st player in the Flex rankings in Isaiah Likely. Sure, Mark Andrews will be the number one option in this one, just like he was two weeks ago when the Ravens invited the Bengals to Baltimore. Now in Cincy, the Bengals’ defense still won’t have any answers for anything opposing offenses do outside of, well, the outside. DJ Turner and Dax Hill have absolutely shut down wideouts this season, but the middle of the field has been wide open for tight ends and backs to feast in the passing game. And let’s also remember that Likely has been more involved in the Ravens’ pass game recently, with six targets in each of his last two games and posting a 5/95 line in this matchup in Week 13. As long as Likely’s touchdowns continue to count as touchdowns as he learns to hold on to the ball, he’ll dramatically exceed his TE14 ranking. I’m banking on a really nice day once again for Likely this week.”
– Jeremy Shulman (Fantasy Football Universe)

“Isaiah Likely posted 5/95 just two weeks ago versus the Bengals. The rematch brings similar upside, especially when you consider the Bengals’ season-long struggles against tight ends. They’ve allowed 7.4 catches, 96.7 yards and 1.1 touchdowns per game to enemy tight ends.”
– Kevin English (Draft Sharks)

“Starting a tight end against Cincinnati’s defense seems too obvious, but let’s do it anyway. You can’t ignore the fact that the Bengals have allowed over 100 fantasy points more to tight ends than the next closest defense. Also, there’s the fact that Isaiah Likely had his season-high in yards (95) just two weeks ago against them. The fact that he scored his first touchdown last week indicates that he may be getting more involved in the offense. I rarely advocate flexing a tight end, but this is an exception too tempting to pass up.”
– Pierre Camus (Fantasy Endgame)

Duds

Which player inside the top 40 in the FantasyPros Flex rankings is likely to disappoint fantasy managers this week?

Ladd McConkey (WR – LAC)

“If you can help it, benching Ladd McConkey seems reasonable entering the playoffs. He’s posted just eight catches for 64 yards in the last three games, and with Justin Herbert nursing a broken hand, there’s little reason to expect anything different against the Chiefs.”
– Adam Zdroik (RotoWire)

Woody Marks (RB – HOU)

“Woody Marks is a player I am avoiding versus the Cardinals. Volume has been there, but production has not. I expect an ugly game here with low fantasy production.”
– Pete Nova (FF Faceoff)