Fantasy Football: Tight Ends to start and sit in Week 15

Week 15 of the NFL season is here and so is BTSC to advise you what tight ends should end up in your lineup and which players you should leave on the waiver wire. In the NFL, the teams are focused on the potential playoff seeding now, but in fantasy football the playoffs are already here. There is no room for error in the playoffs and the right moves combined with a little luck could have you hoisting whatever your league’s version of the Lombardi trophy is. Tight End has been a notoriously fickle position this year, but the right choice could prove to be the difference between playing next week and you’re season being over. Below are three tight ends to start, three to sit, and three additional suggestions to fill in for those players to sit for this week.

Start:

Antonio Gates – Gates has reclaimed the starting tight end spot in San Diego’s offense after dealing with injury issues early in the season. This week the Chargers play their divisional rival, the Raiders, who have proven to be susceptible to tight ends this year. As additional motivation, Gates is within striking distance of becoming the record holder for most touchdowns in a career for a tight end. Since Gates may retire at the end of the year, it wouldn’t be surprising if San Diego finds a way to work him the ball more often than usual over his last three games.

Kyle Rudolph- Rudolph gets to face the awful Indianapolis defense at home on Sunday. If Adrian Peterson is able to provide anything like his old self on the ground, it should open up Rudolph for some easy completions. The Minnesota offense has struggles lately, but Rudolph has such a juicy matchup that it’s worth playing him and hoping he can come through.

Ladarius Green – Green is still a bit of gamble, but a worthy one. Green only put up two points last week, but Roethlisberger had a rough afternoon throwing the football so it’s not like any other Steeler receiver had a big game at Green’s expense. Ben Roethlisberger has struggled on the road this year, but Green has been targeted enough times and is such a phenomenal athlete that it’s worth giving him a start this week.

Sit:

Gary Barnridge – This choice may go without saying, but some owners assume that with Robert Griffin III back at quarterback Barnridge could be a sneaky play. This is a classic case of outsmarting yourself. The entire Browns organization is a tire fire right now, and that includes their fantasy players.

Start instead: Cameron Brate TB

Eric Ebron – Ebron is in the unenviable position of having to deal with a knee injury himself, and a finger injury to Matthew Stafford. Ebron has been held to three points or less in the last three weeks and hasn’t scored since week one. On the road against a desperate Giants team while dealing with injuries is not a likely scenario for a big game.

Start Instead: Tyler Eifert Cin

Delanie Walker – This is the second consecutive week Walker has appeared in this section despite being the third best tight end in fantasy this year. Unfortunately for Walker’s fantasy owners, back to back matchups against the Broncos and Chiefs during the playoffs is an unlucky draw. Start Walker if you feel confident that a high volume of catches will lead to success, but Ladarius Green is still available in over 40% of ESPN leagues and arguably has more upside against a weaker opponent over Walker.

Start Instead: Jason Witten