Week 15 Fantasy Picks: Start 'Em, Sit 'Em for Atlanta Falcons vs San Francisco 49ers

Now that we're in the heart of the fantasy football playoffs, every single lineup decision you make can be the difference between victory and the end of your season. And since we're done with bye weeks for the year, there are also a huge number of plays to consider at every position. Some matchups carry more weight than others for fantasy production, and this one is no exception.

With that in mind, here's some start 'em, sit 'em advice for Sunday's matchup between the Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers.

Who to Start in Fantasy Football

Start Raheem Mostert, RB, San Francisco 49ers:  Mostert has taken over as the 49ers' top RB, playing at least 60 percent of the offensive snaps and topping 20 PPR fantasy points in each of the last two weeks. Tevin Coleman has completely fallen off the radar and Matt Breida didn't see much work in his Week 14 return from injury. The Atlanta Falcons rank 26th in defensive DVOA, and Mostert should have little trouble converting his volume into production again this week.

Start Austin Hooper, TE, Atlanta Falcons: A matchup with the 49ers' pass defense is always intimidating, but the Falcons' thin passing attack can still bring some value. Hooper has already been the team's No. 2 receiving option when healthy, and the absence of Calvin Ridley makes him an even safer bet for a big target total here. Hooper only scored 5.2 PPR fantasy points in his Week 14 return, but he played a 65 percent snap share and saw six targets, even though Atlanta cruised to a 20-point blowout win. There should be even more volume available with Atlanta likely playing from behind this week, and Hooper checks in at TE8 in our Week 15 PPR fantasy football rankings.

Sit Deebo Samuel, WR, San Francisco 49ers: With nine receptions, 167 yards and two TDs, Deebo Samuel has posted solid fantasy numbers over the last three games. His volume has been worrying though, averaging 4.7 targets per game over those three. It's no coincidence either, as those are the first three games in which Emmanuel Sanders has played at least 50 percent of the snaps since getting banged up in Week 10, and also the first three since George Kittle returned. Samuel's upside is still intriguing, but that low volume makes him tough to trust, even in a plus matchup.

Sit Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons: Matt Ryan has turned in a solid fantasy season, ranking 13th among QBs in fantasy scoring despite having missed a game. He's in for a rough one in this matchup though, as the 49ers rank second in Football Outsiders' pass defense DVOA metric and have held opposing QBs to the NFL's eighth-fewest fantasy points per game.

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Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.