Week 15 Wide Receiver & Tight End Starts & Sits: Is It Time To Sit Mike Evans?
In case you’re new to the column, here’s a quick explainer of what we’re trying to do here (skip down if you’ve been here before). We’re here to wrestle with the decisions that are keeping us up at night. Do you bench a struggling player you took in the second round? Do you take a chance on the guy who has seemingly been playing over his head? Do you sit the high-floor/low-ceiling player for the low-floor/high-ceiling player? We won’t know the “correct” answers until the games are over. But we’re going to do our best to talk through it.
With quarterbacks and running backs out of the way, let’s dig into the Week 15 wide receiver and tight end start/sit decisions that are keeping us up at night.
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Wide Receiver
Start ‘Em
START OF THE WEEK: Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers
I didn’t realize this until I looked it up, but Watson has finished his last four games as WR3, WR8, WR10, and WR8. He’s seen at least six targets in each of those games and has EIGHT touchdowns over that span. That’s really, really good! I can’t promise you he’ll score two touchdowns every week, but Aaron Rodgers is obviously looking in his direction and Watson is a must-start against the Rams (and beyond).
D.J. Chark, Detroit Lions
He’s back! It’s taken all of two years, but Chark seems to be back to doing big things. He’s put up back-to-back weeks of 90-plus receiving yards and has scored in two of his last three games. More importantly, Chark is seeing consistent usage (at least five targets in three straight games) and has been seeing more and more involvement in the Lions' offense each week. I don’t love the matchup against a good Jets defense, but I still feel good about Chark this week.
Chris Moore, Houston Texans
I’m going to put the caveat of needing Nico Collins and Brandin Cooks to sit (both are questionable as of writing this), but Chris Moore is a must-start for me if that happens. He saw 12 targets last week and caught eight balls for 114 yards, and should see similar usage if the aforementioned players are out again this week. The Texans are likely going to be playing catchup against the Chiefs, which means Moore has a chance to put up big numbers – even if they’re just garbage time stats. Those still count!
Sit ‘Em
SIT OF THE WEEK: Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
I realize this sounds crazy, but Evans has finished the last three weeks as WR75, WR43, and WR50. And his two games before that were finishes of WR33 and WR39. That’s not winning you any fantasy matchups. Tom Brady and the Buccaneers' offense looks like it’s stuck in the mud and most of the targets are going to Chris Godwin at this point. Sitting Evans is a bold move, but I honestly think it’s the right move this week (assuming you have other options).
Nelson Agholor, New England Patriots
Don’t let the high target count from last week fool you. And avoid the revenge narrative. Agholor may be the Patriots' WR1 if Jakobi Meyers and Devante Parker sit this week, but that really doesn’t mean much in this context. He saw 10 targets last week (that’s awesome!) and only put up five catches for 32 yards (that’s not awesome) while dropping multiple passes. Could he prove me wrong? Sure. Do I want to risk my fantasy football playoff chances on him? NOPE.
Marquise Brown, Arizona Cardinals
I was excited to get Brown back too, but Kyler Murray’s injury dampened my excitement quite a bit. So did watching him drop yet another long pass last week. While Hollywood has seen eight targets in each of these last two games, he’s only turned those into 10 catches for 80 yards. That’s just not enough production to feel good about during such an important week – and Colt McCoy throwing him the ball doesn’t make me feel better about the situation in the slightest.
Tight End
Start ‘Em
START OF THE WEEK: Chigoziem Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans
Two weeks in a row for Mr. Okonkwo in this spot. He’s come on like a freight train toward the end of the season and now has three straight games with five-plus targets (and he’s put up 13 catches for 148 yards and a touchdown in those three games). While the Titans' conservative offense caps Okonkwo’s ceiling a bit, he’s also one of the better non-Kelce/Andrews/Kittle tight end plays out there this week.
Hunter Henry, New England Patriots
The Patriots' offense is a mess (and that’s putting it kindly), but Henry is still chugging along somehow. With Jakobi Meyers out and Devante Parker injured on the first drive of the game, Henry became a focal point of the offense last week and should continue to be this week with both Meyers and Parker questionable. Like Okonkwo, Henry’s ceiling is a bit limited by his situation, but he’s seen 13 targets over his last three games and is worth a look if you’re struggling at tight end.
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Sit ‘Em
SIT OF THE WEEK: Tyler Conklin, New York Jets
I keep seeing Conklin ranked as a TE1 every week and I’m not really sure why. Sure, he’s seeing targets (18 over his last three games), but he’s not really doing much with them (10 catches for 87 yards during that span). I’d much rather take a shot on someone like Henry or Okonkwo (or even Noah Fant or Cade Otton) this week.
Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams
Higbee’s fortunes have more or less mirrored those of the Rams this year. After a decent start to the season, Higbee has finished his last two games as TE33 and TE28. He’s seen eight targets over those games (which isn’t horrible), but he’s only put up 25 TOTAL receiving yards on those targets. With other streamable tight end options out there, Higbee is just way too risky right now.
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