The Atlanta Falcons will square off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night and tight end Kyle Pitts, quarterback Kirk Cousins and wide receiver Darnell Mooney are all expected to be in the lineup.
While Cousins and Mooney are both fully healthy, Pitts remains questionable to play, but there hasn't been any indication he's in danger of sitting out, so we're assuming he's going to suit up.
One player we know won't be active is No. 1 wide receiver Drake London, which removes a huge weapon for the Falcons but also gives Pitts and Mooney a better chance to put up big numbers.
This week begins the playoffs in the vast majority of fantasy leagues, so it's do-or-die time. That's why it is crucial to make the right lineup decisions this week, as a failure to do so will get you knocked out of the playoffs and, in turn, feeling sick until next season.
There are no guarantees in fantasy football. Your best player could you-know-what the bed at the most crucial time while the last guy on your bench lights it up. That's just the world we fantasy players live in.
That said, the best you can do is make the most informed decisions possible, and that's what we're trying to do here.
Without further ado, some fantasy football start or sit advice for Pitts, Mooney and Cousins going into their Week 15 matchup against the Bucs.
Kyle Pitts start or sit advice
We thought the presence of Cousins would be a detriment to Pitts given their lackluster history together, but that has not been the case.
Over the last two games, only three tight ends have scored more fantasy points than Pitts, who is averaging 15.1 per game in that span, good enough for TE4 overall.
Tampa Bay has actually surrendered the ninth-fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends this season, but they also sport a bottom-six pass defense.
With Drake London out and Darnell Mooney struggling the last two weeks, we expect Cousins to once again lean heavily on Pitts this week.
Putting it all together, Pitts is a no-brainer starter in Week 15, just make sure to double check the inactives before kickoff to make sure he's playing.
Verdict: Start
Darnell Mooney start or sit advice
When it comes to deciding who to start in the fantasy football playoffs, you have to ask yourself two questions:
1. What has this player done for me all season?
2. What has this player done for me lately?
If the answer to those two questions are not much or nothing, you probably shouldn't start that player in the most important game of the year.
Mooney has had one solid showing in 11 games this season and that came in Week 12 when he posted three catches for 74 yards and a touchdown.
We thought Mooney would explode with Drake London not in the lineup and with Cousins replacing an injured Michael Penix Jr., as Cousins and Mooney have a strong history together.
But that has not happened and instead Mooney has just three catches for 31 yards the last two weeks. There just isn't enough meat on the bone here to trust Mooney.
Verdict: Sit
Kirk Cousins start or sit advice
Since taking over as the starter for the rest of the season in Week 12 in the wake of Michael Penix Jr.'s season-ending injury, Cousins ranks as QB33 overall in fantasy points per game.
Even if you take out his dreadful showing in Week 14 against an elite Seattle Seahawks defense, Cousins ranks as QB20 overall.
You obviously can't trust that in the fantasy football playoffs, but we understand not everyone is in an ideal spot at this point in the year and desperate times call for desperate measures and starting Cousins qualifies as such.
If you are forced to make a decision between Cousins and another lackluster option for whatever reason, Cousins might be the better bet, as the Bucs are giving up the fifth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season.
But if you're in anything less than a desperate situation and have a starter who you have trusted all season long, there's no way you can stream Cousins, even in a positive matchup.
Verdict: Sit