Bench Justin Jefferson? Three stars to sit, three midrange players to start in Week 15 - ESPN

Roster decisions in the fantasy football playoffs are tough. And sometimes we get a little too emotional about — or attached to — a player because of his name, where we drafted him, the team he plays for, etc. So we keep him in the lineup and ignore the numbers that demonstrate that player is trending down. And then we wonder why we get knocked out in the first round.

Season over. See you next summer. The end.

We've all been there, right? I have. Bad decision-making gets you beat in the tournament.

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For managers in ESPN standard leagues, you're playing in a two-week window for the first round (Weeks 14 and 15), which means roster decisions include different variables. Maybe you're up big after Week 14 and stick with the high-floor types, instead of chasing the upside. Or vice versa. The idea here is to make decisions based on your team needs.

For leagues like mine, meanwhile, where Week 15 is the start of the playoffs, the moves we make will ultimately decide whether we get to play again next week in the fantasy semis. So there's a lot at stake here.

That's why I want to look at three players who have disappointed recently to consider sitting in Week 15, and there are some big names here. Plus, I've listed some replacements, based off our composite PPR rankings at ESPN. I have also come up with three midtier players you should consider starting this week.

Good luck. Let's get a win.

Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings: In a 31-0 Week 14 win over a subpar Commanders team, Jefferson scored just 3.1 points, catching two of four targets for 11 yards. You can't win with that. And this continued a negative trend for Jefferson, who has fewer than 10