The fantasy football playoffs have finally arrived, placing even more importance on matchups and setting lineups. Starting the right quarterback is more important now than ever with everything on the line.
At this point in the fantasy football campaign, most managers have a quarterback they trust with their seasons. That can often make benching them a difficult decision, but sometimes it is the necessary move.
Winning requires risk, and sometimes that means trusting players off bad games and benching others who seemingly have the hot hand. The fantasy football championship will all come down to making the right lineup decisions, beginning in NFL Week 15.
Before matchups begin, take a look at which players to start and which to sit in our Week 15 fantasy football quarterback rankings.
Start: Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Lamar Jackson has not been impressive lately, but his Week 15 matchup is too juicy to begin doubting him now. Jackson surprisingly has just one double-digit fantasy performance in the last month, making it seem like he might be worth benching down the stretch.
Jackson now faces the Cincinnati Bengals, against whom he was ineffective in Week 13. The numbers and history still suggest backing the 28-year-old is any Jackson owner's best bet.
Not only has Jackson historically thrived against Cincinnati — throwing eight touchdowns and zero interceptions against the Bengals in 2024 — but their defense has still been a fantasy football gold mine against quarterbacks in 2025. The Bengals have been better as a team with Joe Burrow back in the lineup, but their defense still ceded 37.8 fantasy points to Josh Allen in Week 14.
The Bengals have successfully stymied one quarterback all season, and it happened to be Jackson. Expect the two-time MVP to rebound and regain control of the NFC North in Week 15.
Sit: Drake Maye, New England Patriots
If there were official fantasy football awards, Drake Maye would win the Most Improved Player award by a landslide. He has arguably been the most consistent fantasy quarterback all season, but his managers might still need to look elsewhere in Week 15.
As good as Maye has been all year, his production has dipped over the last month. He is averaging just 17.28 fantasy points per game since Week 9, lowering his season-long average to 20.0.
Maye's worst performance of the season came against the Buffalo Bills in Week 5. He was sensational on the field, completing 22 of 30 passes for 273 yards in a win, but his failure to reach the end zone hurt his fantasy football box score.
Considering Maye's recent slump, he does not appear to be in line for a redemption performance against the Bills, who have allowed the fifth-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Temper expectations with Maye, even if he is the reason you are in the playoffs.
Start: Jaxson Dart, New York Giants
After a two-game absence, Jaxson Dart returned in Week 13 with a mildly disappointing performance against a tough New England Patriots defense. The game was Dart's first since the New York Giants fired former head coach Brian Daboll.
Dart had been on a tear before the injury, scoring at least 19 fantasy points in six of his first seven starts. The expected drop-off after Dart lost Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo was simply not as severe as many feared.
Dart and the Giants have had an extra week to prepare for a disinterested Washington Commanders defense that has allowed the fourth-most fantasy football points to quarterbacks all season. Washington just allowed 20.4 fantasy points to Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy in Week 14.
Any concerns about the Giants tanking the rest of the season, now that they control the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, should be put to rest with a lot riding on interim head coach Mike Kafka's shoulders in the final four games.
Sit: Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
With the Tampa Bay Buccaneers suffering through a 2-5 stretch, it is easy to forget all about Baker Mayfield's early-season MVP campaign. The 30-year-old has struggled through the Buccaneers' recent skid, failing to reach 200 passing yards in five of his last six games.
The situation does not get any easier for Mayfield in Week 15, when the Buccaneers face the Atlanta Falcons' top-10 passing defense. Atlanta has allowed the 9th-fewest passing yards per game with its man-heavy defense. Mayfield has struggled against similar coverage schemes all season long.
The Falcons have already faced Mayfield once before, holding him to 167 passing yards while completing 53.1 percent of his passes. Mayfield tossed three touchdowns to salvage his fantasy performance, but managers cannot rely on that this time around, particularly given the veteran's slump.
Start: Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams will welcome the Detroit Lions to the SoFi Stadium in Week 15, pitting Matthew Stafford against his former team for just the third time in his career. Everything points to the MVP hopeful having another vintage performance against a familiar organization.
His puzzling Week 13 aside, Stafford has been virtually unstoppable since October. He recently broke Tom Brady's consecutive touchdown streak, which has propelled him to become a top-five fantasy football quarterback in 2025.
The Lions have been up-and-down against quarterbacks all season, but they will be without two key secondary defenders in Week 15. Detroit has already ruled out cornerback Terrion Arnold and safety Brian Branch, with Kerby Joseph also questionable on the injury report.
Detroit cannot be underestimated, even with the injuries, but Stafford has additional motivation against his former team and the NFC's No. 1 seed in sight. Stafford has been one of the best in the league throwing against man coverage all year, and now draws a Lions defense deploying such looks at a top-10 rate.
Sit: Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
On the opposite side of Stafford's matchup is Jared Goff, who will also be facing his former team. Goff, however, is in a different situation against his former head coach, who has given him fits in two previous meetings.
Aside from Dan Campbell, no coach knows Goff better than Sean McVay, who has used that to his advantage well. Goff and McVay are 1-1 against each other, but the former has kept the latter in check on the box score. Goff has thrown at least one interception and taken two sacks in each of his two games against the Rams, leading to an average of 11.2 fantasy points in the pair of matchups.
Goff's worst fantasy performances of the year have come when he has been under pressure. Los Angeles enters Week 15 sixth in the league with 36 sacks.
The former No. 1 overall pick has a lot to prove, and he enters the meeting riding high as the most accurate quarterback in the NFL. There is just no history suggesting he will gain the upper hand against his former coach on the road.
