Week 15 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Play or Bench Advice on Top Fantasy Football Stars

It's win-big-or-go-home time in the fantasy football world.

Most leagues will be playing out their semifinals in Week 15, so championship dreams will be shattered in every matchup.

But our glasses are overflowing with optimism, so let's get you on the right side of your head-to-head tussles with some of our top start-or-sit recommendations for the upcoming slate.

Start: Tom Brady, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons

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Tom Brady's days as a weekly, locked-in starter are behind him, but the 43-year-old can still put big numbers in the box score. He has 10 touchdowns in his last four outings, and he cleared 300 passing yards in half of them.

But he's laid a few eggs along the way, too. He's finished five different games with fewer than 220 passing yards. Three of those contests occurred since the start of November.

So, this once super-sturdy source of production is noticeably wobbly. But with the Atlanta Falcons on the docket—a defense that has allowed more fantasy production to quarterbacks than anyone, per Yahoo—Brady will get his locked-in-starter status back, at least for one week.

Sit: Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Miami Dolphins vs. New England Patriots

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Tua Tagovailoa likely decided more than a few fantasy matchups in Week 14. The dynamic rookie engineered his most productive performance to date, setting season-highs in completions (28) and passing yards (316) while throwing two touchdown passes and scrambling for his first rushing score.

But no one should be chasing Week 15 production with Week 14 statistics. In other words, Tagovailoa might have been magnificent last weekend, but that guarantees nothing for Sunday.

In fact, his outlook is all doom and gloom with Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots coming to town. Just five rookie quarterbacks have defeated Belichick and the Pats since 2000, and this defense has been the third-stingiest against fantasy passers this season.

Start: Brandon Aiyuk, WR, San Francisco 49ers at Dallas Cowboys

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The injury-riddled San Francisco 49ers are best avoided at almost every spot.

But rookie wideout Brandon Aiyuk is the obvious exception. With no Deebo Samuel or George Kittle, Aiyuk has become the surprise focal point for the defending NFC champs. He's been targeted an incredible 56 times over his last five outings, including a season-best 16 in Week 14. He's making the most of his opportunities, too, with 36 receptions for 495 yards and three touchdowns over this stretch.

Aiyuk is on the verge of locking into a starting spot for any matchup, and this week happens to be an exceptional one. The Dallas Cowboys are dead last in scoring defense and allow the fifth-most fantasy points to the wide receiver position.

Sit: Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington vs. Seattle Seahawks

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Terry McLaurin deserves all the credit in the world for finding consistency in a season that has twisted, turned and twisted again for his team.

But without Antonio Gibson to keep defenses honest, McLaurin has seen that stability vanish. His worst two fantasy weeks have been his last two. In both games, he's had just two catches on six targets for 38 yards combined. He also hasn't sniffed the end zone since Week 9.

Upon first glance, the scheduling gods have seemingly gifted him a get-right opportunity with the Seattle Seahawks coming to town. After all, the Seahawks have surrendered more fantasy production to the position than anyone this season. But that statistic isn't quite what it seems. As Adam Rank noted for NFL.com, Seattle has actually allowed the third-fewest points to wideouts over the last month.

If you have a reasonable alternative for McLaurin, make the change.