Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

In a pinch for a skill player that will produce at a high level during your fantasy football playoffs, but not sure what route to go? Well, no need to fret the small stuff because the Bruno Boys will help make your lineup decision easier. From Quarterbacks to Defenses we have you covered on who you should feel comfortable about plugging into your Week 15 lineup. Now, it’s time to cut to the chase and read our Fantasy Football Week 15 Start Ems advice.

QUARTERBACKS – START ‘EM

Kurt Warner (Arizona Cardinals) @ Detroit

If your playoffs started last week and Warner was your starting quarterback, you may not need advice this week. The awful game he posted against the San Francisco 49ers (178 yards, 2 interceptions, 1 fumble) could have all but lost your chance at a title. However, if you’re still playing this week Warner has the match-up to completely redeem himself. The Detroit Lions allow nearly 19 fantasy football points a game to opposing QBs, have allowed a league high 29 passing touchdowns and are fresh off of letting Baltimore Ravens signal caller Joe Flacco throw for 230 yards and a touchdown in only three quarters of play. When on track Warner and the Cardinals offense is explosive and taking on an inferior opponent in Week 15 should help them find their groove. Even with a slightly injured Larry Fitzgerald, there are enough weapons in Arizona to start Warner and ride him to a playoff win.

Matt Schaub (Houston Texans) @ St. Louis

Unlike Kurt Warner, if you were fortunate enough to have Schaub in the first week of your playoffs, you probably are still playing for the championship, or as we like to call it, the Shiva Bowl (The League reference). Schaub was dominant against the Seattle Seahawks last weekend throwing for 365 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. Schaub gets to face a St. Louis Rams defense that has been awful all season and ranks 31st in the NFL in points allowed. Expect the Texans’ to attack St. Louis’ banged up secondary over the top and for the Schaub to Andre Johnson connection to be in full swing once again. If you rode the coattails of Schaub in Week 14, start your stud again this weekend, as it should provide some huge benefits.

Matt Cassel (Kansas City Chiefs) vs. Cleveland

Unless you are in dire need during the playoffs, you should have your quarterback situation pretty well in hand. However, if you’re worried about the Indianapolis Colts taking it easy with Peyton Manning (not this week…but Week 16 could be a different story), you are going to need guys like Matt Cassel, Kyle Orton and Jason Campbell to produce down the stretch. It’s tough to play Cassel with your season on the line but if you look deep into this match-up he could provide a solid option as a risk/reward play. He faces a Cleveland Browns defense that allows over 15 fantasy points per game to the quarterback position, and do you really believe the odds are in Cleveland’s favor to have two good defensive games in a row? Another plus about this match-up is that Cassel gets back his best target in wide out Dwayne Bowe, so he should be able to post numbers competitive with his best of the season (2 touchdowns, 262 yards against Jacksonville in week 9). 

POTENTIAL QB SLEEPER OF THE WEEK

Chad Henne (Miami Dolphins) @ Tennessee

If you’re looking for a potential sleeper for this weekend, look no further than Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Henne. The second year signal caller out of Michigan faces a Tennessee Titans defense that allows nearly 17 fantasy points per week to the opposition’s quarterback. Henne’s best game as a professional came two weeks ago versus the New England Patriots, racking up 335 yards and 2 touchdowns versus 1 interception. With the Titans run defense being as good as it advertised of late (7th in the NFL, 99.4 rushing yards per game), the Dolphins could be forced make a bigger commitment to throwing the football, which would make Henne a potential sleeper in week 15.

RUNNING BACKS – START ‘EM

Laurence Maroney (New England Patriots) @ Buffalo

Maroney was an average start last week totaling 10 fantasy points (94 rushing, 17 receiving), but we are encouraged by his 22 carries in Week 14 and his match-up against the Buffalo Bills this week is quite intriguing. Even with Kevin Faulk playing the role of touchdown vulture (at least in Week 14), Maroney goes up against a Bills defense that is dead last against the run while allowing over 25 fantasy points per game to opposing running backs. The Bills have allowed over 150 rushing yards in three straight games and with Bill Belichick known to exploit opponents weaknesses, don’t be surprised if New England game-plan features Maroney and the run game right out of the gate. Expect Maroney to shine when it matters most —your fantasy playoffs.

Knowshon Moreno (Denver Broncos) vs. Oakland

Moreno’s Week 14 might have been overshadowed a little bit by wide receiver Brandon Marshall’s 21-catch performance. That is probably a good thing however, because he only totaled just seven fantasy football points against an Indianapolis Colts defense that did a good job of limiting his opportunity. However, his Week 15 opponent, the Oakland Raiders, are putrid against the run and have allowed a league high 20 rushing touchdowns through 13 games. Washington Redskins running back Quinton Ganther (before last week, most fantasy owners would say: Ummm, who?) scored 21 fantasy points with 93 total yards and two touchdowns against the Raiders in Week 14. In Moreno’s only career game against the Raiders, he ran for 90 yards and scored a TD, and that alone should be the least of your expectations this weekend. In fact, we guarantee you that Moreno runs for 100-yards for the first time in his NFL career.

Cedric Benson (Cincinnati Bengals) @ San Diego

In case you were wondering if Benson is healthy, he is. He ran for 96 yards on the Minnesota Vikings defense, who entered Week 14 tops in the NFL against the run. Now, he gets to face a San Diego Chargers defense that allows 17.6 fantasy points per contest to opposing running backs. Benson was a must-start before his injury, and despite not having all the hype surrounding him he’s a running back you can count on for big things this week. The Bengals have had no success throwing the ball of late and if they are going to travel to San Diego and upend the Chargers it’s because Benson controlled the game from the start. Prior to the Bengals Week 14 loss to the Vikings it was reported that Benson would share the workload with Larry Johnson but that wasn’t the case. Johnson managed just three carries while Benson ran the ball 16 times which leads us to believe it’s not exactly a running back by committee. Benson should be relied upon for your fantasy playoffs this week and undoubtedly in Week 16 against the Kansas City Chiefs.