Fantasy Football Week 15 Quarterback Start Decision: Brock Purdy, Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield, Matthew Stafford, Patrick Mahomes and More

Week 15 of the NFL regular season is about ready to get rolling, so it’s time for the weekly fantasy quarterback start decision article!

This week, we’ll compare Brock Purdy, Matthew Stafford, Sam Darnold, Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, Bo Nix, Jayden Daniels, Baker Mayfield, Jordan Love, Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, Kyler Murray, Joe Burrow and Jared Goff.

Looking for start/sit help? Be sure to check out the FantasySP Who Should I Start tool.

Season Stats

Purdy has accumulated 3,032 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and eight interceptions on 66.8% passing this season. He also has 282 rushing yards and four scores. Purdy got back on track with a 22-point fantasy showing last week.

Stafford has 3,303 passing yards, 19 touchdowns and seven picks on the season. He’s completed 66.7% of his passes and only rushed for 11 yards. Stafford scored 21 fantasy points last week and has had 16 or more in four straight.

Darnold now has 3,299 passing yards, 28 touchdowns, 10 picks and a 68.4 completion percentage. He’s rushed for 194 yards and one score. Darnold scored 35 fantasy points last week and has 20 or more in four straight.

Mahomes has totaled 3,189 yards, 20 touchdowns and 11 interceptions on 68.1% passing. He’s also rushed for 248 yards and a score. Mahomes scored 14 fantasy points last week, his lowest mark in the past seven contests.

Hurts is up to 2,602 passing yards, 16 touchdowns and five interceptions on 68.3% passing. He’s also got 544 yards and 13 scores on the ground. Hurts scored 24 fantasy points last week and has 15 or more points in 10 straight contests.

Nix has completed 63.8% of his passes for 17 touchdowns, eight interceptions and 2,842 yards. He’s also rushed for 304 yards and four scores. Nix scored 12 fantasy points in his last game, his lowest mark in the past nine games.

Daniels now has 2,819 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, six interceptions and a 69.6 completion percentage. He’s got 590 yards and six scores on the ground. Daniels tallied 28 fantasy points in his last game and had 30 the week before that.

Mayfield has posted 3,329 passing yards, 28 touchdowns and 13 interceptions on 70.2% passing this season. He also has 241 rushing yards and three scores. Mayfield scored 19 points last week, bouncing back from a 10-point showing.

Love is up to 2,724 passing yards, 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He’s completed 62.8% of his passes and rushed for 71 yards and a touchdown. Love scored 15 fantasy points last week, which is a mark he’s reached in each of the past four games.

Tagovailoa has totaled 2,456 yards, 17 touchdowns and four interceptions on 73.8% passing this season. He’s rushed for an additional 50 yards. Tagovailoa scored 24 points last week, which is his lowest mark over the past four contests.

Herbert, who is dealing with an ankle injury, has 2,764 passing yards, 14 touchdowns and just one pick this season. He’s completed 63.9% of his passes and rushed for 224 yards and two more scores. Herbert scored 14 points last week, a nice bounceback from an eight-point showing in week 13.

Murray has accumulated 2,862 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and eight interceptions on 68.4% passing. He has 444 rushing yards and four scores. Murray scored 18 fantasy points last week after a 15-point outing in week 13.

Burrow, who is dealing with wrist and knee injuries, has 3,706 passing yards, 33 touchdowns and six interceptions this season. He’s completed 68.4% of his passes and rushed for 158 yards and a score.

Goff has completed 72.4% of his passes for 3,265 yards, 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also has 47 rushing yards. Goff tallied 22 fantasy points last week after scoring 28 combined points over the previous two contests.

Week 15 Matchups

Purdy and Stafford square off on Thursday night. The Rams allow opposing quarterbacks to score 19 fantasy points a game, while the Niners allow 15.

Mayfield and Herbert are playing in the same game. Tampa Bay surrenders 21 fantasy points per game, while Los Angeles only gives up 15.

Darnold is part of one Monday night game against the Bears, who allow only 13 points a week. Mahomes takes on the Browns this week. Cleveland surrenders 19 fantasy points per week.

Hurts matches up against the Steelers, who are allowing 13 points per contest. Nix faces the Colts, who give up 17 points a week.

Daniels takes on the Saints, who give up 15 points a week. Love faces the Seahawks on Sunday night. Seattle allows 16 points a week.

Tagovailoa goes up against the Texans, who allow 17 points per week. Goff takes on the Bills, who are allowing 13 points per week.

Murray will battle the Patriots, who allow 17 points a week. Burrow faces the Titans, who also allow 17 points per contest.

Projections and Starting Recommendations

In the week 15 projections, Murray leads this group of 14 QBs with 21 points. Purdy, Daniels, Hurts, Love, Burrow and Goff are all projected for 20 points.

Mayfield is at 18 points, while Herbert, Mahomes, Tagovailoa and Darnold are all at 17. Nix is projected for 16 points, while Stafford is at 15.

At this point of the season, I want to trust the guys who have delivered all season, even if the matchups are a bit tougher.

Burrow is the top fantasy quarterback among these 14 guys, and I trust him to deliver again this coming week. The Bengals’ offense is a juggernaut, and I expect Burrow to keep delivering monster results as long as he’s playing.

Hurts is another must-start fantasy QB, and I’m not letting his tough matchup sway me. He can put up fantasy points with his legs if the Steelers’ stop the pass, and I think Hurts delivers another good fantasy score as a result.

Daniels and Mayfield are close in terms of what they’ve done as fantasy players this season, and they have similar matchups this week. I’d give Daniels the slight edge because he’s the better runner.

Give me Tagovailoa next. He’s been on a tear of late and the matchup is favorable enough to expect more fireworks from the Dolphins’ offense.

I’d then go with Purdy. His matchup is one of the best remaining, and the Niners will likely need to pass a bunch to either keep up with the Rams and because so many of the San Fran backs are out or injured.

Give me Darnold here. The matchup is tough on paper, but he delivered 21 fantasy points the last time these teams met. I’d expect another big showing from Darnold this week.

I’d go with Mahomes next. I really like his matchup this week, and think that gives him the edge over who I have left to pick from.

I’d take Murray here. I’m not as high as the projections are on him, but still think he’ll deliver a good fantasy score.

Next for me is Love. He could easily finish a lot higher than this, but after some of his 14-point showings of late, I’m most comfortable putting Love here.

Give me Stafford next. He’s another fantasy QB who I could easily see finishing as one of the best options this week, but in a tougher matchup, I’m most comfortable placing him here. 

Goff, Herbert and Nix are all close in my eyes, and I’d be fine starting any of them in a standard league still.

I’d give Goff the slight edge because of the offense he’s on. He’s got the toughest matchup, but I trust him the most too. Herbert gets the slight edge over Nix because of their matchups.

I really don’t think you can go wrong with any of these quarterbacks in week 15. Sure, there’s quarterbacks with better matchups and more consistency this season, but all of them are capable of good fantasy outings.