The Baltimore Ravens will face the New York Giants in Week 15. Here’s fantasy football start-sit advice for every Ravens and Giants skill player who has the potential to make a fantasy impact during the game.
Looking for more lineup advice? Head over to our Week 15 Fantasy Start-Sit Cheat Sheet, where we cover every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Drew Lock, QB | NYG
Drew Lock completed just 12 of 22 passes (54.5%) on balls thrown less than five yards downfield on Sunday against the Saints (the NFL average completion percentage on those passes this season is 76.5%).
Lock won’t start in Week 15, but long-term, there’s no need to go this deep in any fantasy format, and that includes DFS GPPs where almost anything is on the table.
Lamar Jackson, QB | BAL
I’d have to work hard to sell you on being skeptical of Lamar Jackson in any spot. Maybe next week (Saturday vs. Pittsburgh) will be the time to make that case, but for the here and now, there should be zero hesitation in getting as much exposure to Jackson as humanly possible.
I assume that there will be game-script concerns, with the thought being that the Ravens could pound Derrick Henry 30 times and be on their way. I don’t doubt that is possible, but Baltimore is plenty confident in what it can do on the ground.
Why not use the Week 14 bye to hone the passing game and this soft landing spot as a way to test some new things out in preparation for a long playoff run?
That, of course, is speculation on my part, but we did see it last season. Following the Week 13 bye, Baltimore posted their highest pass rate of the season in Week 14. Part of that was due to a shootout, but it was also the Ravens’ third-highest pass rate when the game was within a single score.
The Giants rank in the bottom third of the league in terms of creating pressure when blitzing, and if they can’t make Jackson sweat, he could single-handedly win your matchup for you.
Jackson’s passing production when not pressured:
- 2021: 90.4 passer rating, 69.1% completion percentage, and 1.1 TD-to-INT
- 2022: 102.3 passer rating, 70.2% completion percentage, and 2.6 TD-to-INT
- 2023: 105.9 passer rating, 73.8% completion percentage, and 2.8 TD-to-INT
- 2024: 125.6 passer rating, 75% completion percentage, and 6.7 TD-to-INT
Jackson has been a top-six producer at the position 10 times this season, and there’s no reason to think he doesn’t offer up his seventh such performance in his past eight games this weekend.
Tommy DeVito, QB | NYG
Tommy DeVito has missed out on consecutive starts, partly due to a forearm injury. He’ll get the start in Week 15 due to Drew Lock’s injury, but it shouldn’t matter to you in any situation, whether this week or long-term.
You’d need to sell me on a high-volume projection for an inefficient DeVito to get him ranked as a QB2 for me, and I’m telling you right now that you will be unable to do that in this matchup. DeVito doesn’t have a touchdown toss in four straight appearances (83 pass attempts) — he’d have to really overachieve to be of use, even in two-QB formats.
Derrick Henry, RB | BAL
Derrick Henry hasn’t finished worse than RB18 in 10 of his past 12 games. The “game script” concerns have always followed The King around, but at this point, that’s kind of like a bald person fearing lice.
The ceiling is elite, and there’s no reason to think he can’t flirt with that as a two-touchdown favorite. Henry already has four top-five finishes on his 2024 résumé, a number I like to extend to five by the time Week 15 ends.
Devin Singletary, RB | NYG
I think we are done with Devin Singletary at this point.
This is a profile that includes seven straight single-digit carry games, and with a total of four targets over his past five games, there’s just no path to viable production as long as Tyrone Tracy Jr. is active.
Yes, in theory, Singletary is a single injury away from a lead role, but this isn’t an offense I’m tying up roster spots with unless they are actively producing. I wouldn’t hesitate to move on from the veteran back in favor of a receiver with home-run ability or a Cam Akers type who fills a similar role as a part of a better offense.
Justice Hill, RB | BAL
I preached the ignoring of potential game script issues with Lamar Jackson, and I stand by that. But Justice Hill’s stock isn’t nearly as stable.
Hill doesn’t have more than five carries in a game this season (two more targets than rush attempts this year), and that tracks. Why take Derrick Henry off the field in a running situation?
Is there a world in which Hill repeats his season-high seven targets in Week 11 (at Pittsburgh) next week for the rematch and gives you low-end PPR value? We can cross that bridge when we get to it, but for Week 15, you’d be wise to look just about anywhere else for double-digit PPR points.
Hill turned seven touches into 6.1 PPR points before the bye, and that’s about what I’m penciling in this weekend.
Tyrone Tracy Jr., RB | NYG
Tyrone Tracy Jr. bailed you out with a late touchdown last week, but all scores matter, and as the lead back in this offense, he put himself in a position to be the beneficiary of that break.
The rookie back has been a viable option in four straight games; while Devin Singletary gets some work, he’s clearly a change-of-pace option more than a realistic threat to Tracy’s value.
The Ravens rank as the second-best run defense in terms of success rate, and that’s a concern, but we have seen Tracy earn 17 targets on 73 routes over his past three games. That gives him an alternate path to top-20 production that I feel good about.
Darius Slayton, WR | NYG
Darius Slayton has totaled just four catches on 14 targets over his past three games. I’m willing to overlook efficiency concerns in the name of volume for an elite role like Malik Nabers’, but Slayton doesn’t get that benefit of the doubt.
Last week, Slayton was busy streaking down the field (16.2 aDOT) and nearly paid it off with a chunk gain. If I were confident that this offense would get above-average quarterback play, I’d overlook a missed deep target and cite this role as one that carries enough upside to consider in the right position.
What’s the problem? I’m not at all confident that is the case.
Diontae Johnson, WR | BAL
Diontae Johnson has been suspended for this week, with the team citing “conduct detrimental to the team” as the reason why.
On the bright side, his conduct hasn’t been detrimental to fantasy teams, as he’s been invisible since the trade. I can’t imagine that you realistically needed an excuse to part ways with the troubled receiver, but now you have it.
Malik Nabers, WR | NYG
Try to remember all the way back to Week 3. The high-flying Saints were taking the league by storm, Justin Fields was under center for the Steelers, and J.K. Dobbins was pacing for north of 1,700 rushing yards.
Yeah, it was a while ago.
That was the last time Malik Nabers offered production above expectation. The rookie leads the league in games with double-digit targets (eight), but those have been empty calories more often than not.
If there is a defense that can play a volume receiver into value, you’d think it would be the Ravens. I don’t have a problem with that logic, but it’s worth noting that 10 of 11 WRs who scored 15 PPR points against this vulnerable defense benefited from, at the very least, aggressive QB play (Davante Adams in Week 2 being the lone exception).
Nabers obviously doesn’t get that benefit of the doubt, but we can essentially pencil in 10+ targets, which should allow him to fall into WR2 production.
Rashod Bateman, WR | BAL
Rashod Bateman has three top-20 finishes this season. While the range of outcomes is great, you could squint and get there for a player like this coming off a bye and facing a defense that allows the second-most yards per deep pass this season (16.3).
There is, of course, a ton of risk going in this direction. Bateman has caught more than three passes just once since mid-October, and while John Harbaugh is downplaying the knee injury he suffered before the bye week, it cost him time in Week 13 against the Eagles and has to at least be considered.
This season, Bateman is scoring once every 11 targets, a rate that far exceeds what he had put on film before in his career (once every 38 targets). You’re aware of the type of profile that Bateman holds — this matchup isn’t prohibitive, so assuming reasonable health, there’s a path to Flex value with Baltimore as a heavy favorite.
Wan’Dale Robinson, WR | NYG
Wan’Dale Robinson led the Giants with 11 targets on Sunday against a vulnerable Saints pass defense. Given his role and route diet, if you came into my life from the future and presented that sentence as fact ahead of lineup lock, I would have Flexed him in every league possible.
No dice — Robinson finished tied for the 68th-most receiving yards in Week 14.
The Ravens’ pass defense is a glaring weakness, and, on occasion, they are gashed in the slot. Five times this season has Baltimore allowed a triple-digit passer rating on passes thrown to that area with three instances sticking out.
Slot machines vs. BAL:
- Cowboys (Week 3): 8-of-14 for 121 yards and two touchdowns
- Bengals (Week 5): 9-of-10 for 164 yards and three touchdowns
- Browns (Week 8): 11-of-15 for 120 yards and a touchdown
By no means am I suggesting that this Giants offense can produce anything to that level of production, but would 6-8 catches in a blowout loss surprise you in the least for Robinson?
I have him as a very low-end PPR Flex under that general assumption, though I’ll admit that my exposure is far more likely to come as a punt play in a DFS setting more than an annual league.
Zay Flowers, WR | BAL
Zay Flowers hasn’t been a top-30 receiver since Week 9 despite consistent volume (6+ targets in six straight games). Is he not as good as we thought? Is he simply running cold?
Efficiency is at the core of Flowers’ struggles. Last season, he caught 71.3% of his targets but just 63.8% this season.
In a run-centric offense with a lower aDOT role, that dip is impacting Flowers’ fantasy stock more than it would most (15% or more under expectations in three of his past four games). It’s been a frustrating year to roster Baltimore’s WR1, but I’m willing to give him this week to iron things out.
Not only should Flowers get a design bump coming out of the bye, but he also faces a Giants defense that does very little to discourage opponents from throwing to the slot. This season, New York owns the eighth-highest opponent slot passer rating and is one of three defenses yet to intercept a pass thrown to that area of the field.
I’m not writing off Flowers for average numbers against the Steelers, Chargers, and Eagles. I’m not sure the struggling receiver will be a popular pick in the DFS streets, and if there is significant leverage to be had on that front, you best believe I’ll be taking advantage.
Isaiah Likely, TE | BAL
Isaiah Likely saw his involvement spike in Week 13 before the bye (five catches on eight targets against the Eagles with a touchdown) and with an elite athletic profile, that level of involvement requires our analysis.
I really want to speak Likely into happening, but I think that’s going to be more of an offseason project than one during the playoffs. All of those looks netted just 38 yards against Philadelphia, leaving him with just one 50-yard game since he burst onto the scene with a 9-111-1 season opener against the Chiefs.
Through 14 weeks, Likely has a 58% snap share and 19% on-field target rate, a profile that doesn’t land him in the streaming range with Mark Andrews being used with regularity in scoring situations.
Mark Andrews, TE | BAL
Mark Andrews has found his footing as a fantasy producer after a slow start, saving managers from a complete waste of a mid-round pick this summer.
Since Week 6, despite ranking tied for 13th at the position in targets, Andrews has two more touchdowns than any other tight end (seven). As a result, he’s been a top-eight producer in three of his past four games and a top-12 play in six of eight. The touchdowns are one thing, but the 73.2% snap share in Week 13 (his second-highest of the season) is what has my attention.
The veteran tight end has caught 78.8% of his targets over his past seven games and has established himself as the TE1 in this elite offense. Of course, that doesn’t make him as bulletproof of an option in years past, especially with a peaking aDOT that introduces new variance into the equation.
Andrews is my TE10 this week, a ranking that is fueled by Baltimore’s implied point total of 29.
