Thursday Night Football Matchups Analysis - Week 15

What a tremendous upset to kick off the fantasy playoffs (in most league formats)! The Chicago Bears pulled off a tremendous upset of the NFC East leading Dallas Cowboys last Thursday, with Mitch Trubisky throwing for three scores and David Montgomery getting 20 touches in the win. Most of Dallas' playmakers returned solid days, but it wasn't enough to come back.

As teams move on in the fantasy playoffs, every start-sit decision becomes even more important! Rotoballer has you covered for Thursday night when the New York Jets head to Baltimore to take on Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. Let's dive in to Thursday Night Football Matchups Analysis for Week 15.

Good luck with your lineups this week RotoBallers!

New York Jets @ Baltimore Ravens

Date and Start Time: December 12 at 8:20 PM ET

Notable Injuries and Status:

• Sam Darnold (QB, NYJ) - Knee/Left Thumb - Active
• David Fales (QB, NYJ) - Right Elbow - Active
• Le'Veon Bell (RB, NYJ) - Illness - Active
• Bilal Powell (RB, NYJ) - Ankle/Illness - Out
• Ty Montgomery (RB, NYJ) - Foot/Hip - Questionable
• Demaryius Thomas (WR, NYJ) - Hamstring/Knee - Doubtful
• Ryan Griffin (TE, NYJ) - Ankle - Out
• Lamar Jackson (QB, BAL) - Quad - Active
• Mark Ingram (RB, BAL) - Undisclosed - Active
• Mark Andrews (TE, BAL) - Knee - Questionable

Offensive and Defensive Rankings in 2019:

Must Starts

Top Performers That Have To Be In Your Lineups

Lamar Jackson (QB, BAL)

Jackson seems ready to play through a quad injury that he has been nursing in practice this week, meaning he should be a fixture in fantasy owners' lineups for his passing upside and rushing floor.

Solid Options and Potential Sleepers

Which Players Will Have Solid Games and Which Could Surprise?

Solid Option: Le'Veon Bell (RB, NYJ)

It doesn't look like Bell is at risk of being disciplined by the Jets for calling in sick for last week's game and subsequently going bowling for a night out.  Practicing in full ahead of Thursday, Bell should be ready to get his usual workload which, albeit, won't have as great a chance for high fantasy scoring against a stout Baltimore run defense.

Solid Option: Mark Andrews (TE, BAL)

Although the Jets are a tough matchup for tight ends, Andrews is one of Lamar Jackson's go to targets and has scored a touchdown in three of his last five games. He should be valued as a mid-range TE1 for fantasy heading into Week 15.

Sleeper: Robby Anderson (WR, NYJ)

Anderson has been riding a hot streak in recent weeks, eclipsing 100 receiving yards or finding the end zone in for consecutive weeks. Baltimore is undoubtedly a smothering defense, but the Jets are going to need to throw if they hope to keep up with the Ravens high-powered offense.

Consider Sitting

Players To Avoid Putting In Your Lineup If Possible

Sam Darnold (QB, NYJ)

There is no way fantasy owners can trust Darnold against a Baltimore defense that gives up the second-fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. Those owners who are in need of a quarterback streaming option should look elsewhere.

Jamison Crowder (WR, NYJ)

Crowder will be tough to start outside of deep leagues given the recent quarterback play of one Sam Darnold and the propensity for Baltimore to look down opposing offenses' passing attacks. The former Washington Redskin doesn't carry anything higher than WR4 value ahead of Thursday.

Mark Ingram (RB, BAL)

The one thing the Jets Defense can do is stop the opposing team's run game. While Ingram has been getting the volume to support a starting fantasy running back, I would err on the side of caution ahead of Thursday night.

Marquise Brown/Willie Snead (WRs, BAL)

While a wide receiver's upside can potentially make or break a team in a fantasy playoff matchup, there does need to be some measure of consistent production to draw from so that said player won't ruin your week. Brown and Snead aren't likely to make much of an impact both on the field and in fantasy lineups on Thursday.

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