Lions Start-Sit: Week 15 Fantasy Advice for Jameson Williams, Sam LaPorta, and Others

The Detroit Lions will face the Buffalo Bills in Week 15. Here’s fantasy football start-sit advice for every Lions skill player who has the potential to make a fantasy impact during the game.

Looking for more lineup advice? Head over to our Week 15 Fantasy Start-Sit Cheat Sheet, where we cover every fantasy-relevant player in every game.

Jared Goff, QB

Jared Goff threw “a” bad pass on Thursday night, and it was intercepted, but he was predictably efficient again (78.1% complete) in leading the offense that sits at the top of our Offensive+ power rankings.

This is as positive of a scoring environment as there is in the NFL today, which means that starting any Lions player any week is reasonable, if not suggested.

The Bills’ defense is good, there’s no denying that. Some would argue “great,” and I’d listen. But good offense beats good defense in the year 2024, and with two damning boxes checked, I’m not hesitating to play Goff this week with extended rest.

First is the obvious. This game will take place in the great state of Detroit, and that alone demands our attention. Since 2021, Goff has owned the top home-game passer rating (106.9 over the 32-game sample) in the sport, fueled by a 6.4% touchdown rate.

During his nearly four-year stint as the Lions’ shot-caller, Goff has cleared 26 fantasy points on eight occasions:

• Week 11, 2024 vs. Jaguars: 34.6 fantasy points
• Week 4, 2022 vs. Seahawks: 33.2
• Week 15, 2023 vs. Broncos: 31.1
• Week 1, 2021 vs. 49ers: 28.9
• Week 5, 2023 vs. Panthers: 27.4
• Week 4, 2024 vs. Seahawks: 26.2
• Week 14, 2022 vs. Vikings: 26.1
• Week 2, 2022 vs. Commanders: 26

Notice anything? Yep, each one of them came in front of the Detroit faithful. Each of those games also saw at least 57 total points scored — a home game where the offense is pushed to the core. Could that be the case in this spot?

The second is how the Bills play. They refuse to bring heat, instead banking on their talented secondary to hold up in coverage. For the most part, that strategy has held up this season. However, I think, after 14 weeks, we’ve established that the Lions aren’t like “most” matchups.

Goff’s passer rating when not blitzed:

• 2019 (Rams): 86.5
• 2020 (Rams): 86.6
• 2021 (Lions): 87.3
• 2022 (Lions): 95.7
• 2023 (Lions): 97.0
• 2024 (Lions): 101.8

Whether you think that is a Goff stat or is more reflective of the talent around him, I really don’t care. The fact of the matter is that when he’s comfortable, he’s dicing up opponents. And with Josh Allen likely to apply game pressure the way the Packers did on Thursday night, it’s not hard to rank Goff among the best pocket passers for the week.

Maybe the best among them?

David Montgomery, RB

David Montgomery has seen his yards per carry decrease in three straight games, but with three catches in four straight and a TD in 10 of 13, this profile is as rock solid as any Tier 3 running back in the game.

Montgomery is unlikely to break any given slate, but you’re rarely going to lose ground in playing him. Buffalo can be had on the ground, and while the Lions are capable of lighting up the scoreboard though the air, I’m expecting Montgomery to be the focal point of Detroit’s early-game offense.

The Bills’ defense is solid, but the Lions’ offense is elite — if you have a Detroit player, you’re starting him every week. Easy game.

Jahmyr Gibbs, RB

There’s nothing to say here when it comes to Jahmyr Gibbs and this Detroit powerhouse backfield. The second-year back has 100 scrimmage yards or a touchdown in eight straight games, and that’s with David Montgomery playing at a high level.

The touch count is never going to be elite, but with Detroit’s offense consistently in scoring position, it doesn’t matter. The Bills have, for the most part, encouraged their opponents to try to kill them with papercuts — the Lions would be happy to do so by giving their running backs 15+ touches apiece.

Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR

Amon-Ra St. Brown has gone three straight games without a score, and this is coming on the heels of a franchise-record eight-in-a-row stretch with a TD.

I’m not the least bit worried, and a matchup with a defense that allows the fourth-highest red-zone completion percentage (65.1%) could easily see this streak coming to an end. The Bills make their bones on the defensive end by taking away your chunk plays on the perimeter — the Lions are the type of versatile offense that is happy to take its medicine.

Could this be St. Brown’s third double-digit reception game of the season?

Jameson Williams, WR

For the first time in his short career, Jameson Williams has hauled in five passes in three straight games.

I’ve heard plenty of complaints over the past few weeks from those who roster JaMo, and I get it. You’d assume that a run like that would net more than 34.4 PPR points. That said, did you draft Williams for the talent with hope for volume or the other way around?

Exactly. Your bet from the jump was on raw talent and the hope that he could develop as a target earner in his third season. If I told you back in September that the looks wouldn’t be an issue entering the fantasy playoffs, you would have asked me where to sign.

All of that said, this is a tough spot. Whether it’s completion percentage, TD rate, or passer rating, Buffalo is one of the best units in the NFL at taking away the deep ball. And while there has been development, that is still Williams’ calling card in our game.

Both the Bears and 49ers rank in the bottom third in yards per deep completion, so I think there will be an opportunity to unleash Williams’ upside in your hopeful run to glory. Still, I think patience is the play this week.

Sam LaPorta, TE

To call this season a grind for Sam LaPorta managers would be an understatement. We are talking about a player who we thought might be the future of the position and has just one finish better than TE8 this season.

That said, if you’ve survived up to this point, I think you’re set to be rewarded. LaPorta has earned at least six targets in four straight and four of his looks over that stretch have come with his feet planted in the end zone. Efficiency hasn’t been the issue (9% more PPR points per target this year than last) and I can’t imagine volume is a concern as the Lions, a team who peaks at home, gets to attack a Bills defense that allowed Matthew Stafford to complete 23-of-30 passes for 320 yards and two touchdowns last week.

I think you can feel safe about starting LaPorta in all formats this week and having him finally live up to something close to the value we assigned him during draft season.