Keagan Smith outlines three must-start players with smash potential for NFL DFS lineups in Week 15, including Jaxson Dart, Chase Brown and Nico Collins.

Yet another NFL Sunday is upon us, meaning it’s time for the latest edition of our weekly must-starts column.

In Week 15, the byes are finally over and the fantasy playoffs have arrived for season-long leagues. While this column leans toward the NFL DFS side of things, the same advice can apply to other formats as well — we just want to help you win your leagues. After crunching the numbers, we’ve got another three must-start players for your fantasy football contests. Whether a standout talent to build lineups around or an intriguing value with matchup and salary, these are guys who can smash and win the week. Let’s jump right in.

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QB Jaxson Dart, Giants vs. Commanders ($5,600)

If you read my column weekly, you’ll be quite glad to see Jacoby Brissett’s name left off this list for the first time in what feels like a month. Yes, the Cardinals will throw 40+ times again, but the matchup against the Texans is just too bad to even play the volume in. That leads us to Jaxson Dart, who leads the Giants at home against a soft Commanders defense. The rookie quarterback averages 17.9 FPPG but has a better ceiling than most players in this league thanks to his rushing upside, running for 33.7 yards per game with seven touchdowns on the season. He’s also tossed 11 touchdowns to just three interceptions, contributing at least two scores whether on the ground or through the air in all but one of his starts. Sure, Dart comes off his worst performance of the campaign, but he’s also hit a floor of 18.6 DKFP in every other game he’s played with the aforementioned ceiling around 27-30 points.

The Commanders fall dead last in defensive EPA/pass and opponent yards per pass; 28th in passing touchdowns allowed; 30th in passing yards per game allowed; 27th in opponent completion percentage; 25th in defensive EPA/rush; 30th in opponent yards per game; and 28th in opponent points per game. Is that a laundry list of stats? Yes. Does it mean Washington’s defense can’t stop a parked car? Also yes. Please play Dart at this salary, I’m begging you.

RB Chase Brown, Bengals vs. Ravens ($6,700)

Last week, I wrote a long blurb about Chase Brown and how great he’s been if you toss out the ugly Jake Browning weeks from his fantasy season. Well, the halfback scored 18.5 DKFP last week thanks to a pair of touchdowns but was held under 100 scrimmage yards for the first time in seven weeks. Despite the momentary dip in efficiency, he still has at least 15 DKFP in every game since Week 7 with an average of 19.0 FPPG over that span. He’s finally paying off ADP in season-long leagues and remains an RB1 candidate at the ninth-highest salary among the position this week. Between 12+ carries a game with a handful of targets in an exciting offense, there’s a lot to like there, yeah?

The Bengals take on the Ravens for the second time in three weeks after beating the AFC North rival 32-14 on Thanksgiving. Brown posted 18.3 DKFP in that game with 15 carries for 78 yards, plus seven receptions for an additional 35 yards. The touchdown didn’t come, but it very well may this week in the rematch with Baltimore sitting middle of the pack in defensive EPA/rush and rushing touchdowns allowed (13). With Tee Higgins out, there may be additional red-zone work up for grabs since Cincinnati’s top end-zone threat won’t suit up. Do they hand it off to Brown more? I hope so!

WR Nico Collins, Texans vs. Cardinals ($6,700)

The Texans’ offense is far from the most consistent in the NFL, but the unit does have some upside to it even if the results haven’t looked great at times. While it’s tough to trust most of their fantasy assets, Nico Collins is the lone man who belongs in weekly lineups. With 16.2 FPPG, he produces like a low-end WR1 and sees a very reliable target share of 25.7%. There’s some big-play threat to his game with a catch of 24+ yards in nine contests this season, and he’s racked up at least 75 yards through the air in five of his last six outings with four games of 92+ yards and two games of 121 or more. As a prototypical big-bodied alpha wideout, he also brings the red-zone ability you want to see in top options and even converted a rush attempt for a score a couple weeks back.

Week 15’s game against the Cardinals feels like a great spot for Collins. That defense ranks 23rd in EPA/pass, 24th in aDOT, 22nd in yards per pass and 20th in passing yards allowed per game. Arizona also has a pair of defensive backs ruled out between safety Jalen Thompson and cornerback Max Melton, so there are probably some matchups the Texans can pick on. Collins should put up a quality outing.