It’s crazy that we have reached Week 14 already, and not only the Fantasy Football season, also the NFL season is coming down the stretch. It has been a great season, filled with excitement and surprises.
However, as the season comes down the stretch, the games become more important, and the money you have spent on your fantasy league is up for grabs. At this point, it could be up to one performance that could make or break your season.
That is why every position is very crucial, and it is intensely important to make the right decisions. That’s what I am here for, as I’ll help you make those crucial decisions by giving my researched insight.
Remember: If you win, thank me. But if you lose, it’s your team. Let’s get started.
Week 14 Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em
Start Of The Week: Josh Gordon vs. Indianapolis
Projected Fantasy Points: 14
I am not going to lie, I’ve been off with my start of the weeks; however, I’ve been really good with my starts and sits, and I’m confident about this one. Gordon has been very productive since returning from his suspension, as he had 12 fantasy points, followed by 7 last Week. Not to mention, he has been a target monster, getting targeted a total 29 targets over a two-week span. The Browns have had the most explosive offense this season, and that is without their most explosive player-Gordon. Come Sunday, Gordon will have a home matchup with the Colts, a team that allowed Colt McCoy to rip through their secondary. Although Gordon should face a matchup with Vontae Davis, I’m confident in him, and I expect Gordon to have a monster game this week.
Bust Alert Of The Week: Keenan Allen vs. New England
Projected Fantasy Points: 7
Allen has found fantasy re-emergence, and he posted a 121 yard-2 TD performance last week (I had him as a start). That was the second week in a row that Allen had scored. However, Allen faces the Patriots this week, a team that has been outstanding against opposing receivers this season. Allen should also see a lot of time faced up with Darrelle Revis, which doesn’t help his cause. Jordy Nelson was held to just 2 catches last week against the Patriots, and he has been the number 1 fantasy receiver this season. If you can afford to, I may consider sitting Allen this week.
Quarterbacks Start ‘Em: Russell Wilson at Philadelphia
Projected Fantasy Points: 23
Last week presented a tough matchup for Wilson; however, on the road, Wilson managed to come up with a good performance, managing 18 fantasy points. This week, Wilson will see a great matchup, against Philadelphia. The Eagles have allowed an average of 21.7 fantasy PPG to opposing quarterbacks this season, which ranks 29th in the NFL. Not only should Wilson do well passing, but Philadelphia has also been weak against the run, which should allow Wilson to rack up rushing yards, as well. I am expected a very productive game from Russell Wilson on Sunday afternoon.
Other QBs To Start:
Jay Cutler (vs. DAL): Dallas allowed Mark Sanchez to 22 fantasy points last week.
Colin Kaepernick (at OAK): The Raiders have been horrible against QBs this season.
Ryan Tannehill (vs. BAL): Tannehill has played very well in every home game.
Quarterback Sit ‘Em: Ben Roethlisberger at Cincinnati
Projected Fantasy Points: 14
Ever since Big Ben’s big performance all the way back in Week 9, he has died down a bit. Last week was the first time since then that Ben reached over 20 fantasy points, and a lot of his production last week came from garbage time. Even including last week, Roethlisberger has thrown an interception in two of his last three games, with two of those games having two interceptions each. He plays his division rival-the Bengals this week, a team he has been historically bad against. In fact, Ben has thrown just 1 TD in his last five games against the Bengals, and Roethlisberger has just 6 TDs in his last six road games. Plus, the Bengals rank 2nd in the NFL against opposing fantasy quarterbacks this season. All these factors scream that Ben will struggle on Sunday.
Other QBs To Sit:
Mark Sanchez (vs. SEA): He could struggle this week against Seattle.
Joe Flacco (at MIA): The Dolphins have been tough against QBs this season.
Cam Newton (at NO): He has only scored over 20 fantasy points twice this year.
Running Backs Start ‘Em: Eddie Lacy vs. Atlanta
Projected Fantasy Points: 15
Lacy has been on fire since Week 6, as Eddie has scored double-digit fantasy points in every game since. Lacy didn’t get his TD last week, but he still managed to reach 98 rushing yards, and he racked up 2 catches for 17 yards through the air. I think the biggest factor helping Lacy’s production has been that he’s been a factor in the passing game, and has caught at least two balls in every game since (Stop if you’ve heard this before) Week 6. He gets another great matchup against the Falcons, which has allowed the 30th most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season. Atlanta even allowed Matt Asiata to explode for 3 TDs back in Week 4. It shouldn’t even be in question that you start Lacy this week.
Running Backs Start ‘Em: Jonathan Stewart at New Orleans
Projected Fantasy Points: 11
It has been a roller coaster season for J-Stew up to this point, but he has had some games where he’s put up fairly good performances. Stewart scored against the Eagles, ran well against the Seahawks, scored against Detroit, and was very good last week against the Vikings. Something that all those games have in common was that in each of those games Stewart saw at least 11 carries, which lead to his success. Well, Stewart could be in for a hefty workload this week, as DeAngelo Williams broke his finger and it is looking like he will sit out this week. The matchup will also be there, as the Saints have let tons of running backs tear them apart this season, including Justin Forsett and LeVeon Bell the last two weeks. Look for Carolina to establish the run game this week, and Stewart should see himself has a very good game.
Other RBs To Start:
Isaiah Crowell (vs. IND): He saw more carries than Terrance West last week, and has a plus matchup against the Colts.
Ryan Mathews (vs. NE): He has scored in each of his last two games.
Justin Forsett (at MIA): The Dolphins allowed speedster Chris Johnson to run all over them last week.
Running Backs Sit ‘Em: Doug Martin at Detroit
Projected Fantasy Points: 5
Since returning from injury, aside from many doubts, Martin has regained his role as the lead back in the Buccaneers’ offense. As proof, Martin led the way last week against the Bengals, carrying the ball 18 times for 58 yards and a touchdown. Although his YPC continues to struggle, at least Martin will get the carries. However, this week Martin faces off with the Lions, which has allowed 14.7 fantasy PPG to opposing running backs this season, which is 9th in the NFL. As we saw on Thanksgiving, Detroit wouldn’t let Matt Forte do anything on the ground, and Forte has averaged 4.1 YPC this season, opposed to Martin’s 2.9 YPC. Martin has been hard to trust all season, so I see no reason to start him this week.
Other RBs To Sit:
Trent Richardson (at CLE): He has been outplayed, and out-touched by newcomer Dan Herron.
Chris Ivory (at MIN): Ivory has not done much with his carries the last couple of weeks.
Matt Asiata (vs. NYJ): He is touchdown reliant when Jerick McKinnon plays.
Wide Receivers Start ‘Em: Kenny Stills vs. Carolina
Projected Fantasy Points: 14
Stills has played great over the last couple weeks, as he had 9 fantasy points for two weeks straight, followed by a 22 fantasy point performance last week. More on last week, he caught 5 balls for 162 yards and a TD. With Brandin Cooks out, Stills has stepped up as the main target for Drew Brees, and he continues to produce like a number one receiver. Stills also enters a great matchup this week, as Carolina has allowed the 25th most fantasy points to opposing receivers this season, including allowing Jordan Matthews to explode for 25 fantasy points in Week 10. I look for Stills to continue his success this week, and have another very productive game.
Wide Receivers Start ‘Em: Mike Wallace vs. Baltimore
Projected Fantasy Points: 12
Wallace is another player that has had an up and down season to this point, but he has picked it up over the last two weeks. Wallace scored two weeks ago against Denver, and he was targeted 11 teams, leading the team in receiving last Monday Night. That is an intriguing sign, because I know many of you have been on the fence on whether to start Wallace each week. I’m expecting Wallace to continue his recent success this week against the Ravens, a team that has allowed the most points to opposing receivers this season. Just last week, we saw Kennan Allen score two touchdowns on the Ravens. Wallace should have productive numbers on Sunday, and should be a main factor in the Dolphins’ passing attack.
Other WRs To Start:
Julian Edelman (at SD): He has been targeted 43 times over the last four weeks.
DeSean Jackson (vs. STL): He has double-digit fantasy points in both games that Colt McCoy has started.
Mike Evans (at DET): The Lions allowed Alshon Jeffrey to score twice last week.
Wide Receivers Sit ‘Em: Andrew Hawkins vs. Indianapolis
Projected Fantasy Points: 5
It seems like every time you feel like you can trust Hawkins, he disappoints. Before last week, Hawkins had scored double-digit fantasy points in two straight games, but failed to produce last Sunday. Hawkins was targeted just three times and caught just 2 balls for 24 yards against the Bills. That’s not the first time Hawkins has been a dud, as against Tampa in Week 9 he had just 3 catches for 34 yards, and that was in a good matchup. However, this week he doesn’t have a good matchup as the Colts have allowed the 4th least fantasy points to opposing receivers this season. Indianapolis has been able to shut down secondary receivers, take Pierre Garčon last week for instance. I don’t expect much from Hawkins this week, and neither should you.
Other WRs To Sit:
Michael Crabtree (at OAK): The Raiders have been quietly good against opposing receivers this year.
Steve Smith (at MIA): Torrey Smith has taken away all of Steve’s early year production.
Eric Decker (at MIN): Decker can’t be trusted due to the quarterback situation in New York.
Tight Ends Start ‘Em: Antonio Gates vs. New England
Projected Fantasy Points: 9
Gates bounced back from his struggles, as last week he put together a 7 catch 83-yard performance against the Ravens. The previous weeks Gates had failed to reach over 3 fantasy points in three straight games. However, I’ll cut Gates some slack, as all of those games were against teams that have been very good against opposing tight ends. This Sunday, is not the case as the Patriots have allowed a tight end to score in four out of their last five games, and rank 26th in the NFL against opposing tight ends. Gates should score on Sunday Night Football, and should have a good game in this plus matchup.
Other TEs To Start:
Martellus Bennett (vs. DAL): The Cowboys rank 29th in the NFL against tight ends this season.
Kyle Rudolph (vs. NYJ): He scored last week, and the Jets have allowed a tight end to score in two of the last three weeks.
Larry Donnell (vs. TEN): Donnell has scored in two of his last three home games.
Tight Ends Sit ‘Em: Eric Ebron vs. Tampa Bay
Projected Fantasy Points: 3
Ebron has been a major disappointment in fantasy this season, and has failed to live up to the hype caused by many. He was expected to be a key pass-catcher in the pass heavy Lions’ offense; however, that hasn’t happened. In fact, I was expecting him to come in to his own over the last three weeks, as Ebron had very good matchups with Arizona, New England, and then Chicago. But, to my dismay, Ebron failed to reach over 2 fantasy points in each of those games. It has become quite clear to me that Ebron will be used more in the future, and has a very bright future, but this year he will not produce. This week, it definitely won’t happen as the dreadful Bucs’ defense has actually been good against opposing tight ends, ranking 11th in the NFL in that aspect.
Other TEs To Sit:
Jordan Reed (vs. STL): Reed may struggle against a team that ranks 6th in the league against tight ends.
Anthony Fasano (at ARI): Fasano is strictly touchdown dependent.
Brent Celek (vs. SEA): He only caught one ball in a good matchup last week.
Defense/Special Teams Start ‘Em: Houston Texans at Jacksonville
Projected Fantasy Points: 16
The Texans’ defense has been very good in fantasy, and you have to give half the credit to J.J. Watt, because that man is a monster. The Texans’ defense has scored double-digit fantasy points in all but two games this season, and that includes matchups against the Colts, Eagles, Cowboys, Bills, and Bengals. That means they are a must-start every week, especially with the amount of turnovers and defensive TDs they accumulate. This week, against the low scoring Jaguars, they should have no problem putting up fantasy points.
Other DSTs To Start:
Minnesota Vikings (vs. NYJ): They should have their fair share of turnovers and sacks in this one.
Denver Broncos (vs. BUF): The Broncos’ defense has put up significant fantasy points at home this season.
Detroit Lions (vs. TB): The Lions’ defense should have a field day of sacks against the weak Tampa Bay line.
Defense/Special Teams Sit ‘Em: Buffalo Bills at Denver
Projected Fantasy Points: 4
Although the Bills’ defense has been truly amazing this season, and I thank them for all their 20+ fantasy point performances, they play the Broncos this week. And you don’t start a defense against Peyton Manning and the Broncos, especially when they’re on the road.
Other DSTs To Sit:
Indianapolis Colts (at CLE): The Browns’ offense has been productive at home this season.
Kansas City Chiefs (at ARI): A banged up Chiefs’ defense shouldn’t do much on the road in the desert.
Carolina Panthers (at NO): The Panthers’ defense isn’t the same as it was last year, and they’ll be in the superdome Sunday.
I hope everybody enjoyed this Week 14 Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em, and I’ll be back next week! Follow me on Twitter: @Nadelman99 for Fantasy talk, advice, or any questions you may have. Feedback on my articles is always appreciated.
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