{"id":77787,"date":"2019-12-11T20:35:52","date_gmt":"2019-12-12T01:35:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/?p=77787"},"modified":"2021-06-01T05:16:02","modified_gmt":"2021-06-01T09:16:02","slug":"fantasy-football-running-back-week-15-start-sits-patrick-laird-boston-scott","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2019\/12\/11\/fantasy-football-running-back-week-15-start-sits-patrick-laird-boston-scott\/","title":{"rendered":"Fantasy Football Running Back Week 15 Start Sits: Patrick Laird, Boston Scott, More"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Week 15 of the NFL season is right around the corner, and fantasy football owners everywhere are trying to optimize their lineups. Deciding on who to start and sit isn\u2019t easy, especially when <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/L\/LairPa00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Patrick Laird<\/a><\/strong> receives a great opportunity.\u00a0Let\u2019s take a dive into all of the best start em\u2019, sit em\u2019 matchups of the week to put together the best possible lineup.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/2019\/12\/10\/fantasy-football-wide-receiver-week-15-start-sits-darius-slayton-cooper-kupp\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><strong>Week 15 Wide Receiver Start Sits<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/2019\/12\/10\/fantasy-football-week-15-quarterback-start-sits-jameis-winston-carson-wentz\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><strong>Week 15 Quarterback Start Sits<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Patrick Laird, Sony Michel Highlight Fantasy Football Running Back Week 15 Start Sits<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h3>Start: Patrick Laird<\/h3>\n<p>Patrick Laird is not a talented running back, but opportunity matters more than talent in fantasy football. Last week, Laird played in 82% of the offensive snaps and recorded 48 rushing yards on 15 attempts. This stat line on its own isn\u2019t anything to write home about, but he carries a decent amount of value in the passing game. Over the past two weeks, Laird recorded eight receptions for a combined 91 yards. With <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/P\/ParkDe01.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DeVante Parker<\/a><\/strong> in concussion protocol, Laird could see an increase in targets and should be able to be somewhat efficient against the New York Giants. Don\u2019t expect elite production by any means, but he should be a solid flex play.<\/p>\n<p>Keep your eye on the injury report. If Conner continues to practice in full throughout the week, then you can probably start him. However, if he\u2019s limited or missing practices entirely, you\u2019re better off going for a safer pivot.<\/p>\n<h3>Sit: Sony Michel<\/h3>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/M\/MichSo00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sony Michel<\/a><\/strong>, like most running backs, is entirely a product of his surroundings. Last year, he had the fortune of playing behind a top-three offensive line with <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/G\/GronRo00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rob Gronkowski<\/a>, Dwayne Allen,<\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/D\/DeveJa00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">James Develin<\/a><\/strong> serving as additional blocking support. This year, New England\u2019s offensive line is one of the worst, the tight ends can\u2019t block, Develin in hurt, and the offense isn\u2019t as good as it was in 2018. Michel is splitting time with <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/B\/BurkRe00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rex Burkhead<\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=WhitJa02,WhitJa20&amp;search=James+White&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">James White<\/a><\/strong>, doesn\u2019t have the blocking to consistently make positive plays, and doesn\u2019t have the explosiveness to rip off a big play. The only way he has any sort of fantasy relevance is if he finds his way into the endzone, which he hasn\u2019t done since Week 7.<\/p>\n<h3>Start: Boston Scott<\/h3>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/S\/ScotBo02.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Boston Scott<\/a><\/strong> came out of nowhere to help the Philadelphia Eagles pull off a last-second win against the New York Giants. The second-year running back finished his night with 10 carries for 59 yards and a score to go along with six receptions for 69 yards. This was easily his best game of the season, and he should have similar success in Week 15. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/S\/SandMi01.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Miles Sanders<\/a><\/strong> is still going to be a part of the backfield, but Scott should receive enough opportunities to be fantasy-relevant. The Eagles should be able to move the ball against the Washington Redskins, and Scott should see plenty of targets with <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/J\/JeffAl00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alshon Jeffery<\/a><\/strong> on the injured reserve.<\/p>\n<h3>Sit: James Conner<\/h3>\n<p>I reserve the right to change my mind on this one, but right now, there\u2019s simply no way you can trust <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/C\/ConnJa00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">James Conner<\/a><\/strong>. The oft-injured running back missed the past couple of games and appears to be ready to return in Week 15. At his best, Conner is one of the better running backs in fantasy football. However, you simply cannot trust him coming back from injury. Last time Conner forced his way back into the lineup, he recorded only five carries before re-aggravating his injury.<\/p>\n<h3>Start: Adrian Peterson<\/h3>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/G\/GuicDe00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Derrius Guice<\/a><\/strong> is gone, which means <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=PeteAd01,PeteAd00&amp;search=Adrian+Peterson&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Adrian Peterson<\/a><\/strong> has full command of one of the most run-heavy backfields in football. Peterson is a far cry from the player he once was, but he\u2019s still capable of putting up solid production when given a full workload. Surprisingly enough, Peterson is averaging 4.3 yards-per-carry on the season and is a safe bet to record 15-20 carries. He obviously won\u2019t do anything in the passing game but he\u2019s still a safe flex play with RB2 upside.<\/p>\n<h3>Sit: Tevin Coleman<\/h3>\n<p>Remember when <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/C\/ColeTe01.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tevin Coleman<\/a><\/strong> recorded four touchdowns in one game? Those days are long gone, as Coleman is currently buried on the San Francisco 49ers depth chart. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/M\/MostRa00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Raheem Mostert<\/a><\/strong> is the star of the show and should be the feature back with <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/B\/BreiMa00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Matt Breida<\/a><\/strong> as the first man off the bench. This leaves Coleman with a minimal workload, making him completely unreliable for fantasy football. Forget starting him, you can probably cut Coleman without suffering any negative repercussions.<\/p>\n<h3>Auto-Start (Better Than Patrick Laird, No Particular Order)<\/h3>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/M\/McCaCh01.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Christian McCaffrey<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/K\/KamaAl00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alvin Kamara<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/C\/CookDa01.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dalvin Cook<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/H\/HenrDe00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Derrick Henry<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/B\/BarkSa00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Saquon Barkley<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/E\/ElliEz00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ezekiel Elliott<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/C\/CarsCh00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chris Carson<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/G\/GurlTo01.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Todd Gurley<\/a>, <\/strong>James White<strong>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/E\/EkelAu00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Austin Ekeler<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/G\/GordMe00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Melvin Gordon<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=JoneAa00,JoneAa20&amp;search=Aaron+Jones&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Aaron Jones<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/B\/BellLe00.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Le\u2019Veon Bell<\/a>, <\/strong>Raheem Mostert<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/2019\/12\/10\/fantasy-football-wide-receiver-week-15-start-sits-darius-slayton-cooper-kupp\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><strong>Week 15 Wide Receiver Start Sits<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/2019\/12\/10\/fantasy-football-week-15-quarterback-start-sits-jameis-winston-carson-wentz\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><strong>Week 15 Quarterback Start Sits<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Main photo:<br \/>\n<a id=\"C9TC57QFSuF9QhSwZ3tViA\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1192943133\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'C9TC57QFSuF9QhSwZ3tViA',sig:'73Kh4bkSqPwG3Uj2CckylUqx9_XJ8RNGsE3_oLvWGBE=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'1192943133',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fantasy Football Week 15 Running Back Start Sits: Patrick Laird and Boston Scott are both smart starts, but you should leave Sony Michel on your bench.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2376,"featured_media":77788,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[59,54,2],"tags":[62,1573,3971,922,1586,596,294,61,2364,40,5892,3645,851],"class_list":["post-77787","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fantasy","category-editorials","category-featured","tag-adrian-peterson","tag-alvin-kamara","tag-boston-scott","tag-christian-mccaffrey","tag-dalvin-cook","tag-derrick-henry","tag-fantasy-football","tag-football","tag-james-conner","tag-nfl","tag-patrick-laird","tag-sony-michel","tag-tevin-coleman"],"modified_by":"David Latham, Managing Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77787","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2376"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77787"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77787\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/77788"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77787"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77787"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77787"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}