Thursday Night Football was certainly interesting. Unfortunately, it was for all the wrong reasons. The Las Vegas Raiders abused the Los Angeles Chargers in such a way that some were surprised that Los Angeles Chargers head coach made it through halftime. While most of the discussion will revolve around the massive point total and Brandon Staley’s fall from being a media darling, there were some big games from Aidan O’Connell, Zamir White, Davante Adams, Easton Stick, and Josh Palmer. On the IDP side of things, Eric Kendricks, Divine Deablo, and Malcolm Koonce were the standouts. The biggest disappointments were Kenneth Murray and Alohi Gilman. 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.

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IDP Start em, Sit em – Week 15

Start em

Josey Jewell (LB – DEN)
Josey Jewell finally showed up in Week 14, going off with four solos, five assists, one sack, one tackle for loss, one fumble recovery, and one pass defended. It was just the fifth time all season he recorded more than three solos, but it is the peripheral stats that have us excited. The Jewell we know and love has been a contributor in the peripherals, but that aspect, along with his solo production, had been absent from his game this season. His strong performance puts him back on the LB3/LB4 radar for a plus Week 15 matchup on Saturday Night Football.

Josh Metellus (S – MIN)
Josh Metellus continues to shine for the Minnesota Vikings, most recently racking up four solos, three assists, and one forced fumble. He has four or more solos in three of his last four games and remains a DB2 option despite no teams being on bye. The S11/DB16 in fantasy points per game on the season, Metellus should be started everywhere for semifinals week. Fire him up with confidence as a DB2 play for a plus Week 15 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Marcus Williams (S – BAL)
Marcus Williams seems to be a forgotten man in IDP land, as he entered this week on just one percent of Yahoo rosters. He was solid again in Week 14, recording five solos and one pass defended, and should be viewed as a DB2 option for Week 15. He has posted five solos in two of his last three games and seems to be hitting his stride at the right time. Lean on your stud for Week 15’s plus matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Start him everywhere as a DB2/3 play where needed.

Jordan Howden (S – NO)
Howden was elite in Week 14, reeling off eight solos, two assists, one sack, one forced fumble, and one pass defended. He is expected to start at safety for the rest of the fantasy playoffs, and if his Week 14 production is any indication, he will be an impact player. Marcus Maye was sent to injured reserve with a shoulder injury, meaning the rookie safety will likely need to fall flat on his face before the team turns to other options. Tap Howden as a DB3 option with DB2 upside for a terrific Week 15 matchup against the New York Giants.

Nick Bolton (LB – KC)
Bolton returned in Week 14 to the tune of five solos, three assists, one tackle for loss, and one pass defended. Multiple multiple-week injuries have derailed the majority of his season, but now that he is back healthy and put up a five solo game on 91 percent of the snaps, he is safe to trust as an LB1 option again. No one on the Chiefs roster is a threat to his snap count and with Willie Gay Jr. appearing on the other side of this column, Bolton is the only linebacker anyone should be considering starting from the Chiefs roster. Start him everywhere as an LB1 for a plus Week 15 matchup against the New England Patriots.

Sit em

Xavier Woods (S – CAR)
Woods was excellent in Week 14, posting five solos, one interception, and one pass defended. It was his second straight strong week, which could lead some IDP managers to believe that he should be an option for quarterfinals week. He shouldn’t. This was the first time in four games that he recorded more than two solos, as his fantasy point spike in Week 13 was the result of an interception. Woods has recorded more than two solos in just four of his 10 games played this season. Suffice it to say that Woods probably shouldn’t even be rostered in most leagues. Starting him should not be an option for Week 15. Look elsewhere for your DB3.

Willie Gay Jr. (LB – KC)
Willie Gay continues to struggle to produce for IDP managers. He is back to playing starter snaps but still has not recorded more than four solos since Week 6. He had a solid four solos in Week 14, but when four solos are seen as your ceiling, you have no place on a fantasy playoff roster. Those in 16+ team leagues may beg to differ, but no one outside of those dealing with multiple key injuries at the position should even be considering Gay this week, regardless of league size. Look elsewhere for your Week 15 LB4.

Emmanuel Ogbah (DE – MIA)
Ogbah needs to remain on benches (or the waiver wire) for Week 15. He has a magical five sacks on the season despite playing more than 30 percent of the snaps just three times all season and seeing less than 11 percent four times. He earned a slightly expanded role in Week 14, seeing a season-high matching 38 percent of the snaps, but his two game sack streak was snapped, and he offered little else to satiate fantasy managers. Ogbah simply does not have a consistent enough role to trust outside of 20+ team leagues. Look elsewhere for Week 15.

Blake Cashman (LB – HOU)
Cashman is dealing with a hamstring injury that is going to limit his snaps this weekend, that is, if he is even cleared at all. He has missed the first two practices of the week, so there is a chance that he will be ruled out altogether, but the suggestion here is to look elsewhere, even if he is active. The rotation with Christian Harris, Denzel Perryman, and Henry To’oTo’o has been a frustrating one all season, but with Harris playing well lately, Cashman may be limited to special teams as the Texans look to limit his snaps to protect him from injury. Look elsewhere for your Week 15 LB3 option.

K.J. Britt (LB – TB)
Devin White has returned to practice. That’s it. That’s the end of the analysis. In all seriousness, Britt flashed onto IDP radars in Week 14, recording four solos, four assists, and one pass defended on 90 percent of the snaps. The defensive snap count was a massive surprise as JJ Russell and SirVocea Dennis were both serviceable in Week 13, and then there is also the fact that Britt hadn’t played more than seven defensive snaps in any game this season. Britt should no longer be on fantasy rosters with Devin White ready to return from his foot injury. Look elsewhere for your Week 15 flex2.

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