NFL Week 15 Fantasy Football IDP Start 'Em, Sit 'Em

The 2021 fantasy football playoffs are finally here, as are the most crucial IDP sit/start decisions of the season. With bye weeks in the past, remaining fantasy rosters will have access to every player who got them here. 

With fantasy titles on the line, here are some of the tougher start/sit decisions to consider heading into Week 15.

Click here for more PFF tools:

Rankings & Projections | WR/CB Matchup Chart | NFL & NCAA Betting Dashboards | NFL Player Props tool | NFL & NCAA Power Rankings

DEFENSIVE LINE

START: DI SHELDON RICHARDSON, MINNESOTA VIKINGS VS. CHICAGO BEARS

The Vikings have lacked a viable pass-rush threat off the edge since Danielle Hunter and Everson Griffen were lost for the season. But after tinkering with their remaining players, they may have found a solution. The Vikings used interior rusher Sheldon Richardson in more of an edge role since Week 11, and the results have been much better than what we were getting out of the nine-year vet in the weeks prior.

Richardson has generated a greater pressure rate in his new role while playing a higher snap share. This bodes well for Richardson’s matchup this week against the Bears, whose offensive tackles rank 28th overall in pass-blocking grade (60.6) and have allowed 14 sacks on the year — fourth-most among team tackles this season. Justin Fields also owns the fourth-highest pressure to sack conversion rate (25.0%) among quarterbacks who have played at least 20% of snaps this season. With Richardson designated a defensive tackle in the majority of IDP leagues, he now has a leg up on a lot of his peers at that position.

Sheldon Richardson splits at edge and interior | 2021

SIT: EDGE ODAFE OWEH, BALTIMORE RAVENS VS. GREEN BAY PACKERS

Oweh has generated his share of hype this season as a rookie, with five sacks and a handful of big plays in his young career. Oweh has been solid, but at this point in the season we can't get caught up in the hype of a few plays. While Oweh has done a nice job generating pressure, currently sitting second among all rookies with 41, he has cooled down quite a bit over the last two weeks, which has coincided with a decrease in his playing time. Oweh has managed just one pressure and a 50.0 pass-rush grade on 56% of the team snaps since Week 13. Prior to these two games, Oweh averaged 66% of snaps played and over 3.5 pressures per game. This is a significant enough decrease to cause concern, especially going up against a tough opponent in the Packers in Week 15.

Green Bay is top-10 in the NFL in overall pass-blocking grade (70.8), allowing just two sacks per game on the year, which is a below average rate. The Ravens have leaned more heavily on Tyus Bowser lately while deploying more of a rotation among their other edge rushers, making Oweh very difficult to trust in these important weeks of the year. 

START: EDGE JONATHAN GREENARD, HOUSTON TEXANS VS. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS