FantasyPros - Fantasy Football Podcast
Ep. 1893: Week 15 Lineup Advice – Starts, Sits, Player Debates, and Touchdown Calls
Date: December 11, 2025
Host: Ryan Warmley
Guests: Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros) & Jake Seeley (The Athletic)
Episode Overview
In this playoff edition, the crew dives deep into Week 15 start/sit dilemmas, waiver wire pickups, player debates, and bold touchdown predictions. Helpful both for managers deep in the postseason and those questioning who to trust amid late-season chaos, the episode is brimming with actionable advice, transparency from the hosts’ own leagues, and insight into key matchups, usage changes, and risk levels.
Table of Contents
- Hosts’ Fantasy Playoff Reflections
- Consolation Bracket Rants
- Scott Fishbowl and League Luck
- Start or Sit: Waiver Pickups
- Blake Corum (Rams)
- Jalen Wright (Dolphins)
- Bam Knight (Cardinals)
- Flag Plant Players
- Christian Watson (Packers)
- Stefon Diggs (Jaguars)
- Running Back Debates
- Breece Hall vs. Ashton Jeanty
- Omarion Hampton vs. D’Andre Swift
- Wide Receiver Debates
- Stefon Diggs vs. Jacoby Myers
- Terry McLaurin vs. Wan’Dale Robinson
- Michael Pittman Jr. vs. Brian Thomas Jr.
- Kenneth Walker vs. Justin Jefferson
- Michael Wilson vs. Kyle Monangai
- Rapid-Fire Start/Sit Decisions
- Quarterback & Tight End Debates
- Touchdown Calls
- Notable Quotes
1. Hosts’ Fantasy Playoff Reflections
00:00-05:15
- Each host shares transparency about their own fantasy playoff performances:
- Pat Fitzmaurice: In all 5 home leagues’ playoffs, 4 first-round byes, ~40–50% playoff rate in analyst leagues.
- Ryan Warmley: Playoffs in 11 out of 14 leagues, 4 byes—one league missed due to bad luck despite high points.
- Jake Seeley: About 50% playoff reach, bad luck stories in charity and industry leagues; commiserates with bizarre injuries and brutal scheduling.
Notable Quote:
“It’s nice to have a little accountability as people who do this professionally and share how our years actually went, you know, putting our money where our mouth is.” – Ryan (04:59)
2. Consolation Bracket Rants
01:54–03:09
- Pat, Ryan, and Jake universally hate consolation brackets, finding them pointless in today’s era of multi-league fantasy managers. Some have value only in dynasty for draft order, but mostly it's a “put me out of my misery” sentiment.
3. Scott Fishbowl and League Luck
05:15–06:12
- Quick Scott Fishbowl check-in:
- Pat: Out after one playoff week, lucky to qualify.
- Ryan: Still alive, despite Drake London being perpetually out.
- Jake: Observes the complexity of the format and jokes about trusting league commish, Scott Fish.
4. Start or Sit: Waiver Pickups
07:03–14:41
Blake Corum (Rams):
Pat (07:03):
- More desperation FLEX than proactive start.
- Awesome last two weeks (19 carries, 209 yards, 3 TDs—11 YPC, 16% TD rate on carries), but Lions are a much tougher matchup ("some real Christmas magic" needed).
- Usage: 1/3 of snaps, 7-13 touches.
Jake (08:19): - Lions have allowed as many single-digit RB games as double-digit ones.
- Corum only a RB3/fringe play this week.
Jalen Wright (Dolphins):
Jake (09:39):
- Interest only if De’Von Achane is OUT; if declared out before Sunday, Wright is RB2 fringe.
- Warns the split could revert; Steelers D isn’t a pushover. Pat (10:56):
- Mid-RB3 (around RB30) if Achane is out; lack of track record, trust issues with Dolphins' split.
Bam Knight (Cardinals):
Pat (12:27):
- “Running back 38 for me… usage split with Michael Carter, tough matchup, not wanting to start.”
- Houston has allowed 4th-fewest RB yards, only 3.8 YPC allowed. Jake (13:01):
- Jokes about not liking Bam Knight at all (has him RB42); doesn’t want playoff hopes hinged on him.
Notable Quote:
“I do not want to hinge my fantasy playoffs on Bam Knight.” – Jake Seeley (13:01)
5. Flag Plant Players
Christian Watson — Packers
Jake (14:47):
- Risk is a “4,” but upside is high: Watson has delivered when healthy; Jaden Reed returning helps the offense.
- Even against Patrick Surtain: big WRs with speed can beat him on deep plays.
- Has him top-24 WR, confidently starting. Pat (16:30):
- Loves the upside: Packers’ O-line playing better, only need 1-2 big Watson plays for a fantasy win.
Stefon Diggs — Jaguars
Pat (19:04):
- “Revenge game gets overdone, but this means more to Diggs.”
- Big first game vs. Bills (10 for 146); two poor games since, “get-right-spot” for Diggs. Jake (19:34):
- On board; thinks matchup is excellent, has Diggs inside top 24 and above Jefferson.
6. Running Back Debates
Breece Hall (Jets) vs. Ashton Jeanty (Raiders) [24:11]
Pat:
- Jeanty: “Eight straight games below 3.5 YPC, one rushing TD in last seven, only saves floor with receiving.”
- Jets O-line better; Hall a safer start.
Jake: - Slight lean to Hall (especially if Justin Fields ruled out for Raiders), but if Fields is in, may give Jeanty edge; both are close.
Omarion Hampton (Chargers) vs. D’Andre Swift (Bears) [29:02]
Pat:
- Leans Swift: Chargers backfield still a split, O-line is terrible. Bears’ O-line elite, freezing game favors run, expect heavier workload for Swift. Jake:
- “Total toss up” (has them back-to-back), but Swift’s ability to avoid stuffs and the weather tips things to his side for safe plays.
“I'd actually call Swift the safer play, if I needed the ceiling, maybe Hampton.”
7. Wide Receiver Debates
Stefon Diggs (Jaguars) vs. Jacoby Myers (Jaguars) [33:52]
Jake:
- Likes them both, leans Diggs for ceiling; expects both to outperform Jefferson. Pat:
- Diggs (WR15), Myers (WR19)—prefers Diggs; Myers more TD reliant, but both are strong starts.
Terry McLaurin vs. Wan’Dale Robinson [36:19]
Jake:
- Strong for McLaurin (top-15 WR): Marcus Mariota targets him heavily, great matchup vs. Giants secondary. Pat:
- Slightly favors Wan’Dale due to steadier volume (avg 8.5 targets/game), but both are close and “agonizing” start/sit decision.
Michael Pittman Jr. (Colts) vs. Brian Thomas Jr. (Jaguars) [44:26]
Jake:
- Pittman’s value down with Philip Rivers’ limitations; prefers Brian Thomas if healthy “by a bit,” but risk is high on both. Pat:
- Agrees: “I just don’t want to play Colts pass catchers this week,” elevates Brian Thomas to WR25.
Kenneth Walker vs. Justin Jefferson [48:14]
Jake:
- “If you need ceiling play, maybe Jefferson, but if you want safety it’s Kenneth Walker all the way. We have to stop starting Jefferson just on name value.” Pat:
- “I’ve decided I don’t want to go down with the Titanic on Jefferson anymore.” Opts for Walker’s bankable floor.
Michael Wilson (Cardinals) vs. Kyle Monangai (Bears) [51:39]
Pat:
- If Marvin Harrison Jr. is out, chase Wilson’s volume even against Texans' D. Jake:
- Agrees: volume and opportunity for Wilson outweigh a likely TD-dependent Monangai performance.
8. Rapid-Fire Start/Sit Decisions
Zach Charbonnet (Seahawks) vs. Kenneth Gainwell (Eagles) [41:15]
- Both: Lean Charbonnet. Seahawks’ run-heavy script vs. crumbling Colts should mean plenty of runs; Charbonnet more likely to see volume and goal line.
Cortland Sutton (Broncos) vs. Jalen Warren (Steelers) [53:05]
- Jake: Slightly prefers Warren (higher floor with RB touches). Sutton is boom-or-bust; end zone hopeful.
- Pat: Running back typically wins flex tiebreakers; Warren incredibly stable (RB22 per game, 7.3 pts lowest total all season).
Tony Pollard (Cowboys) vs. Jordan Addison (Vikings) [55:15]
- Both: Surprisingly, Pollard due to volume (despite being low on Pollard for weeks).
- Addison suffers from poor QB play and multiple mouths to feed.
9. Quarterback & Tight End Debates
Jordan Love (Packers) vs. Sam Darnold (Seahawks) [57:25]
- Jake: Slight edge to Love (“matchup tough for both, but Love’s late-season surge wins out”).
- Pat: Edges Darnold, thinks expected low pass volume is a concern but the Denver defense scares him for Love.
Mark Andrews (Ravens) vs. Colston Loveland (Bears) [59:31]
- Both: Stick with Andrews, almost purely because the Bengals have been historically awful against tight ends.
- “I don’t want to bench a tight end against the Bengals.” – Fitz (60:36)
- But both caution: Andrews’ yardage and TDs have been disappointing despite being the clear TE1.
10. Touchdown Calls
[64:56–66:41]
- Ryan: Travis Etienne Jr. – back in top form and scoring at will for Jacksonville.
- Jake: George Pickens – even with a tough matchup, sees him breaking the Vikings’ long TD drought allowed to WRs.
- Pat: Harold Fannin Jr. – two straight games with a TD, makes it three vs. the Bears.
11. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- On Blake Corum’s usage:
“Just routinely averaging 11 yards per carry and scoring touchdowns on 16% of your carries. Not bad... but pulling something like that off for a third straight week, that would be some real Christmas magic.” – Pat Fitzmaurice (07:03)
- On risk tolerance and flag-planting:
“The risk is like a four, but Christian Watson is strongly ahead of consensus because I think people are worried about the matchup. I'm okay trusting him in my playoffs.” – Jake Seeley (14:47)
- On Justin Jefferson:
“If his name was Justin McNichols, like, nobody would care. He would be on waiver wire and he'd be waiver wire forgotten at this point. Like, that's how bad it's been.” – Jake Seeley (48:14)
- On tight end matchup:
“Cincinnati has given up 1258 receiving yards to tight ends. No other team is allowed more than 933 yards to tight end. Bengals have given up 15 touchdown catches to tight end. No other team has given up more than nine. I just, I don't want to bench a tight end against the Bengals.” – Pat Fitzmaurice (60:04)
Timestamps for Key Segments
- [07:03] – Blake Corum waiver start/sit
- [09:39] – Jalen Wright if Achane is out
- [12:27] – Bam Knight vs. Houston
- [14:47] – Jake’s flag plant: Christian Watson
- [19:04] – Fitz’s flag plant: Stefon Diggs
- [24:11] – Breece Hall vs. Ashton Jeanty debate
- [29:02] – Hampton vs. Swift
- [33:52] – Diggs vs. Myers
- [36:19] – McLaurin vs. Wan’Dale Robinson
- [41:15] – Charbonnet vs. Gainwell
- [44:26] – Pittman vs. Brian Thomas
- [48:14] – Walker vs. Jefferson
- [51:39] – Monangai vs. Michael Wilson
- [53:05] – Sutton vs. Jalen Warren
- [55:15] – Pollard vs. Addison
- [57:25] – Love vs. Darnold
- [59:31] – Andrews vs. Loveland
- [64:56] – Touchdown calls
Final Notes
This episode provided a highly detailed look at critical Week 15 start/sit conundrums, with the hosts offering not only clear advice and rankings but also valuable context, player usage trends, and “risk tolerance” honesty that can help fantasy managers make winning choices.
Find all rankings and tools at fantasypros.com/rankings. Good luck in the playoffs!