Thursday Night Football saw the San Francisco 49ers crowned as NFC West Champions with a win over the Seattle Seahawks. Brock Purdy looked as good as Jimmy Garoppolo once again, while Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle showed that even with Deebo Samuel sidelined that there were still multiple superstars on the field. On the IDP side of things, it was a relatively slow night at the office. We saw sacks from Nick Bosa, Talanoa Hufanga, and Samson Ebukam for the 49ers, while Cody Barton turned in another high snap outing, parlaying into six solos and four assists. Looking ahead to this weekend, we will take a look at five players fantasy managers should do their best to plug into their lineups and five others who are better left on benches despite promising upside. Let’s dig in.

Start em

Logan Wilson (LB – CIN)
Logan Wilson went bonkers in Week 14, racking up 12 solos, three assists, and 0.5 sacks. Wilson had been uncharacteristically stymied in the tackle department for weeks, so the explosion is a welcomed sign right before the fantasy playoffs from a player many drafted as their LB1 but had been getting only LB3-level production from. He is safe to treat as an LB1 again now that it appears that he is nearing a return to form. Fire him up as a top-15 option for Week 15 despite the neutral at best matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

De’Vondre Campbell (LB – GB)
De’Vondre Campbell returned in Week 13, posting seven solos and four assists after a long layoff. Campbell was impressive enough to start as an LB2 option during the fantasy playoffs and should be deployed as such despite the tough on-paper matchup against a Los Angeles Rams team limiting the position to the second-fewest fantasy points per game.

Monty Rice (LB – TEN)
Monty Rice was the star at linebacker for the Titans in Week 14, tallying seven solos, five assists, and one tackle for loss. Rice played behind Dylan Cole last week but still saw 70 percent of the snaps compared to Cole’s 81 percent. The percentages could flip this week based on their on-field performances, but regardless of who gets the 80 percent role, Rice is an LB3 option for Week 15 and the rest of the fantasy playoffs now that David Long has been placed on IR. Start him as an LB3 but feel confident knowing that Rice has LB2 value thanks to a fantastic matchup against a Los Angeles Chargers team surrendering the most fantasy points per game to the position.

A.J. Epenesa (DE – BUF)
Epenesa keeps on trucking along for the Bills, racking up four solos, one assist, one sack, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble, and one pass defended in Week 14. He has recorded a sack in each of his last three full games and seems to be hitting his stride at the right time. He is being afforded some extra snaps in high-leverage situations with Von Miller out for the season and is someone to consider as a high upside (albeit with a low floor) option for Week 15 and beyond. Fire him up as a DL3 option despite the tough on-paper matchup against a Miami Dolphins team limiting the position to the second-fewest fantasy points per game.

Marcus Williams (S – BAL)
Marcus Williams stepped right back into the starting role in Week 14, playing 98 percent of the snaps and recording a two solo, one assist, one interception, and one pass defended line. Williams was a DB1 when he was healthy early in the season and should be able to provide similar value going forward. Wiliams has four interceptions in his five full games, providing extra value for those in INT-heavy leagues. Treat Williams as a DB2 option for a plus Week 15 matchup against the Cleveland Browns.

Sit em

Malik Hooker (S – DAL)
Hooker went off in Week 13, racking up two solos, one interception, one pass defended, one fumble recovery, and one touchdown but came back to earth in Week 14 against the Houston Texans, managing just two solos on 62 percent of the snaps. Hooker should be left on benches or even the waiver wire with the byes in the books as he is not reliable enough in the tackle department to burn a starting spot on, even in 11 vs. 11 leagues. Look elsewhere for your Week 15 DB3/4 option.

Arden Key (DE – JAC)
Arden Key was excellent in Week 14, tallying two solos, two assists, one sack, one tackle for loss, and one fumble recovery. However, despite the strong performance, Key is not a suggested play for Week 15. As we have repeated a few times so far, the byes are over, so plugging fringe options into your lineup is not recommended, especially with the fantasy playoffs on hand. Arden has just three sacks all season and has never recorded more than two solos. He has hovered below 50 percent of the snaps all season, averaging just 36 percent on the year. Look elsewhere for Week 15, even with Travon Walker battling an ankle injury.

Andrew Wingard (S – JAC)
Andrew Wingard is heating up for the Jaguars, recording six solos, one assist, one tackle for loss, one interception, and one pass defended in Week 14. He has strung together consecutive strong weeks but is a risky play during the fantasy playoffs. Wingard is dealing with a shoulder injury that limited him in practice on both Wednesday and Thursday and is something that may hurt his production even with the extra snaps he is getting with Andre Cisco on the mend himself. In fact, Cisco, who is also dealing with a shoulder injury, is looking like he has a better shot at suiting up and starting this weekend, as he has managed to practice in full during the first two practices of the week. Look elsewhere for your Week 15 DB3 option.

Kareem Jackson (S – DEN)
Kareem Jackson was excellent in Week 14, racking up seven solos, three assists, and one tackle for loss. However, it was just the third time he has recorded more than four solos all season and just the second time he has managed a tackle for loss. He has offered very little in the peripheral department this season outside of the odd pass defended, keeping him out of the running for the Week 15 DB3 conversation. He can get there before the playoffs are done, so he is worth holding on to, but should not be in starting lineups despite the tasty matchup against an Arizona Cardinals team relinquishing the fifth most fantasy points per game to the position.

Damar Hamlin (S – BUF)
Damar Hamlin was producing at a DB1 level for the Bills for a good seven weeks following the Micah Hyde injury but has since vanished into the DB3 ether. He is struggling to stack tackles, failing to record more than three in the last four weeks. His ‘power outage’ comes at the wrong time for fantasy managers, and with (yes, you guessed it) the byes no longer here, Hamlin should be on benches for the time being. Keep him glued to the pine despite the plus matchup against a Miami Dolphins team allowing the ninth most fantasy points per game to the position.

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Raju Byfield is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Raju, check out his profile and follow him @FantasyContext.