In-Season Strategy: Week 15 Start/Sit

In-Season Strategy: Week 15 Start/Sit

This article is part of our In-Season Strategy series.

Week 15 is relatively standard from a scheduling perspective. Keep an eye out for players on the Pacers, Timberwolves and Magic, as they're the teams on a two-game week. Here's the full breakdown:

Teams with four games: CHI, CLE, DAL, DEN, DET, HOU, SAC, TOR, UTA

Teams with three games: ATL, BOS, BKN, CHA, GS, LAC, LAL, MEM, MIA, MIL, NOP, NYK, OKC, PHI, PHO, POR, SAS, WAS

Teams with two games: IND, MIN, ORL

And here are some players to consider starting and some to consider sitting:

Point Guard

Consider Starting: Reggie Jackson, DET

Opponents: Cle, @Bkn, Tor, Den

Jackson played well in his return from a back injury Wednesday, posting 22 points (8-14 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 2-3 FT), four assists, three rebounds and two steals across 19 minutes. He hasn't been an elite fantasy player in the past, but given the injury situation for Detroit -- mainly, Blake Griffin being out for the year -- Jackson could find himself in a significant role. With four games on tap, he's worth a flier start in a variety of formats.

Consider Sitting: Spencer Dinwiddie, BKN

Opponents: Det, Chi, @Was

With the return of Kyrie Irving, Dinwiddie's production has dipped. Over the past two weeks, he's ranked just 151st. His efficiency (40.2 FG%, 63.9 FT%) has been a big issue. If you're in need of assists (8.3) and threes (2.1), Dinwiddie has been your guy and he could still be worth starting. Otherwise, see what other options are

Week 15 is relatively standard from a scheduling perspective. Keep an eye out for players on the Pacers, Timberwolves and Magic, as they're the teams on a two-game week. Here's the full breakdown:

Teams with four games: CHI, CLE, DAL, DEN, DET, HOU, SAC, TOR, UTA

Teams with three games: ATL, BOS, BKN, CHA, GS, LAC, LAL, MEM, MIA, MIL, NOP, NYK, OKC, PHI, PHO, POR, SAS, WAS

Teams with two games: IND, MIN, ORL

And here are some players to consider starting and some to consider sitting:

Point Guard

Consider Starting: Reggie Jackson, DET

Opponents: Cle, @Bkn, Tor, Den

Jackson played well in his return from a back injury Wednesday, posting 22 points (8-14 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 2-3 FT), four assists, three rebounds and two steals across 19 minutes. He hasn't been an elite fantasy player in the past, but given the injury situation for Detroit -- mainly, Blake Griffin being out for the year -- Jackson could find himself in a significant role. With four games on tap, he's worth a flier start in a variety of formats.

Consider Sitting: Spencer Dinwiddie, BKN

Opponents: Det, Chi, @Was

With the return of Kyrie Irving, Dinwiddie's production has dipped. Over the past two weeks, he's ranked just 151st. His efficiency (40.2 FG%, 63.9 FT%) has been a big issue. If you're in need of assists (8.3) and threes (2.1), Dinwiddie has been your guy and he could still be worth starting. Otherwise, see what other options are available with Dinwiddie only on a three-game week.

Shooting Guard

Consider Starting: Kendrick Nunn, MIA

Opponents: Orl, Bos, @Orl

After a rough December (41.8 FG%, 29.8 3P%), Nunn is back on track. This month, his efficiency is at 50.7 FG% and 37.5 3P%, which has helped him average 16.8 points per game. While he won't give you much as a rebounder or shot-blocker, Nunn is acceptable as a passer and overall defender (2.9 APG and 1.0 STL over the past two weeks, fueling a rank of 43 over that time period). All together, it's enough to be worth a start on a three-game week.

Consider Sitting: Andrew Wiggins, MIN

Opponents: Sac, @LAC

Even if Wiggins had three-plus games, I'd still recommend sitting him. He simply hasn't been good lately. Over the past two weeks, he's ranked 177th, shooting a poor 40.0 FG% on an impactful 15.0 shots per game. His 68.0 FT% is also problematic. While Wiggins can provide some fantasy owners with enough assists (4.7 over the past two weeks) to be worth a start, the damage he's causing in other areas is significant.

Small Forward

Consider Starting: Glenn Robinson, GS

Opponents: @Phi, @Bos, @Cle

I doubt Robinson will continue to shoot 55.3 percent from the field like he has the past two weeks, but he's been a solid contributor in other areas as well recently. In the past five games, he's averaging 13.0 points (1.6 threes, 100 FT%), 5.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.2 steals in 30.0 minutes. The solid all-around play and safe workload make him a decent starting option for many fantasy teams, especially in leagues with 14 teams.

Consider Sitting: Aaron Gordon, ORL

Opponents: @Mia, Mia

I keep expecting Gordon to make a leap, and he just doesn't. Over the past two weeks, he's been ranked 136th, and he's crushed fantasy teams by hitting just 55.6 percent of his free throws. He's also provided essentially nothing defensively, with a combined 1.0 steals-plus-blocks per game. Gordon's passing (3.8 APG) and field-goal percentage (50.7) have been respectable, but it hasn't been enough to make up for his otherwise modest contributions.

Power Forward

Consider Starting: Michael Porter Jr., DEN

Opponents: @Mem, Uta, @Mil, @Det

Porter's play has been excellent, and I think he's locked himself into a secure role of about 25 minutes moving forward. His past six games have seen him ranked 52nd despite only garnering 21.9 minutes per game. Porter is averaging 13.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.7 threes and 1.2 steals while hitting 54.7 percent of his field goals and 85.7 percent of his free throws. On a four-game week, he simply needs to be started regardless of what players for the Nuggets return from injury.

Consider Sitting: Marcus Morris, NYK

Opponents: @Cha, Mem, @Ind

Morris is a fine start this week if you simply need points and threes. He's averaging 19.0 and 2.5, respectively, over the past 14 days. But if you need anything else, it's best to look elsewhere. The forward is providing just 6.3 combined rebounds, assists and blocks over this stretch in 34.2 minutes per contest. The upside for starting him exists in 14-team formats given that Charlotte and Memphis should be two opponents that Morris could excel against. In shallower formats, give some thought to whether or not to deploy Morris.

Center

Consider Starting: Ian Mahinmi, WAS

Opponents: @Mil, Cha, Bkn

Yes, that Ian Mahinmi. Prior to this season, he was 3-of-24 from distance for his career. In 2019-20, he's gone a respectable 5-of-18 while also seeing increased run lately, even getting the start alongside Thomas Bryant on Thursday. Over the past 14 days, Mahinmi has collected 11.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.1 blocks across 27.6 minutes. He's also shot a solid 51.9 percent from the field. Whether or not the Wizards are playing him just to trade him, he's been good lately, and he's worth starting in many formats.

Consider Sitting: Myles Turner, IND

Opponents: Chi, NY

Turner has been fine lately, ranking 63rd over the past two weeks, but that's not quite enough to be an automatic start on a two-game week, even against some pretty weak competition. If you need blocks and steals, you should send him out there. He's been blocking 1.9 shots and racking up 1.4 steals lately. But he's a non-factor passing the ball, and his shot has been off lately. Fantasy owners in 10-team leagues should certainly look for other options.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alex Barutha
Alex is RotoWire's Chief NBA Editor. He writes articles about daily fantasy, year-long fantasy and sports betting. You can hear him on the RotoWire NBA Podcast, Sirius XM, VSiN and other platforms. He firmly believes Robert Covington is the most underrated fantasy player of the past decade.
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