Welcome to the fantasy football playoffs everyone! You’ve fought long, you’ve fought hard, and now it is time to figure out who are the best teams in all of your leagues. I’m sure you have a very different looking roster than you did in August, and deciding who to start is agonizing right now. Do you try to ride a hot hand that is on a roll at the end? Or do you try to stay with the players who got you there? At no time are your choices more important, so look no further when deciding who to start and who to sit. Good luck everyone!
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Fantasy Football Start/Sit Week 14
Quarterbacks
Start: Eli Manning, New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys. It might not have been pretty, but last Sunday Eli Manning threw multiple touchdowns for the fifth consecutive week, totaling 14 scores over that span. The yardage isn’t always impressive, but the touchdowns is where fantasy football bread is buttered. This week he goes into a primetime, must win, monster matchup against the Dallas Cowboys who are allowing over 275 yards and two passing touchdowns per game. Eli comes up big in big games, and I am expecting 300 yards and three scores.
Sit: Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans vs. Denver Broncos. Mariota has been on an even more impressive streak than Manning, as he has had double digit touchdown throws in eight straight games. He is coming off of his bye, which is also a good thing, but he is facing one of the top passing defenses in Denver. The Broncos gave up no touchdowns to Derek Carr and Blake Bortles, and just one to Alex Smith in the last month. I know Mariota is better than most of them, but I am not expecting an aerial show this week. I would definitely start Demarco Murray, but Mariota should ride your pine unless you really don’t have another option.
Running Backs
Start: Matt Forte, New York Jets vs. San Francisco 49ers. The Patriots really bottled him up last week, but the four weeks before that were all over 80 yards and he scored five times over that span. He also had 100 rushing yards against a strong Ravens run defense, so things are going well for Forte. This week brings the easiest matchup possible for Forte against the 49ers. After a couple of weeks where they looked good, the Niners allowed 117 yards and three touchdowns to the Bears Jordan Howard, and while the three touchdowns might not be matched, I would be SHOCKED if Forte didn’t go over 100 yards. Get him in your lineups.
How do you not like Matt Forte this week? He’s facing the 49ers. They let RB’s walk all over them every week. #fantasyfootball #NFL
— Fantasy Studs (@FantasyStuds101) December 7, 2016
Start: Spencer Ware, Kansas City Chiefs vs. Oakland Raiders. It has been a rough five or six weeks for Ware as he hasn’t been finding the same running lanes that he was earlier in the season. However, he is still a threat catching the ball as he showed last week scoring through the air and on the ground. This Thursday he gets to face another easy defense in the Raiders, who give up just under 117 yards on the ground, and just over a rush touchdown per game. This looks like another good week to play Ware as you enter the playoffs.
Sit: LeGarrette Blount, New England Patriots vs. Baltimore Ravens. It was rough sledding last week for Blount, outside of his 43 yard touchdown run in which it looked like the Rams forgot how to tackle. He also struggled the week before against the Jets, and this week it is the best run defense on the other side of the field. It has been a very strange season for Blount where he looks like a man possessed one week, and can’t do anything the next. I fear that this is going to be the one where he struggles to put up many stats. Hopefully if you have to play him that he can break another long touchdown like last week, but I am not confident.
Sit: Carlos Hyde, San Francisco 49ers vs. New York Jets. It has been a pretty good season for Hyde, although he has struggled against good defenses. Even though the gameplan was to just pound the run and give him the ball repeatedly last week, he still failed to crack 100 yards. He also lost some touches to Shaun Draughn, who would have had a big game outside of a couple of runs called back by penalty. The Jets are not even allowing 90 yards a game on the ground and are one of the stingiest teams when it comes to allowing running touchdowns. Start Hyde if you must, but don’t be disappointed if you don’t get much in return.
Wide Receivers
Dontrelle Inman is proving he is a viable fantasy option down the stretch with great options
Start: Dontrelle Inman, San Diego Chargers vs. Carolina Panthers. It has been a nice run in the last month for Inman as he has become the second best receiver in San Diego. The Chargers have a very balanced offense with running and passing, but quarterback Philip Rivers doles the ball around well. Inman has had either five catches, more than 50 yards, and/or a touchdown for six straight weeks. He has scored in two straight and will face a very porous Carolina defenses this week which is one of the worst in the league against the pass. Look for Inman to continue his run of success in Week 14.
Start: Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati Bengals vs. Cleveland Browns. I’ve often said that fantasy football is a lot about opportunity, and that is what Boyd has been given in the last few weeks. In the three weeks since A.J. Green went down with injury Boyd has 15 catches for nearly 200 yards and a score. This week he will face the Browns. Do I need to say more? The Browns. The Browns defense. Look for Boyd to have his best game as a pro and score a touchdown.
Sit: Devante Parker, Miami Dolphins vs. Arizona Cardinals. As bad as the season has been for the Cardinals, you can’t blame their defense. They are among the best pass defenses in the league, and allow less than 200 passing yards per game. The Cards have also only allowed ten passing touchdowns this season. Parker wasn’t supposed to play last week, but was able to and had a good game against the Ravens. However, Miami was way behind early and had to spend the rest of the game throwing as evidenced by Ryan Tannehill’s 40 pass attempts. I don’t expect that to be the case again, and I don’t expect the Dolphins to be able to pass well and will keep Parker under 60 yards and without a score.
Sit: Randall Cobb, Green Bay Packers vs. Seattle Seahawks. Ever since Week 7 where he went over 100 yards, it has been a lot of disappointment from Cobb. The Packers offense has started to look more like it used to, but it hasn’t always equaled production from their once electric receivers. This week the Packers face the Seahawks, who are among the most physical defenses in football. Combining a rough defense with a small figured buy like Cobb doesn’t add up to a spectacular day. Look in another direction.
Tight Ends
Start: C.J. Fiedorowicz, Houston Texans vs. Indianapolis Colts. It has been a bit of a touchdown draught for Fied, but he is still among the most targeted outlets in the Texans offense. He is definitely held back by the lack of talent at the quarterback position in Houston, but he still has been getting his. The Texans will play indoors this week which helps, and against the Colts defense, which helps a lot. Indy doesn’t give up the most yardage in the league, but they are allowing an average of two passing touchdown through the air each week. If Osweiler can do that, one of them has to go to Fiedorowicz.
Sit: Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Vikings vs. Jacksonville Jaguars. The Vikings offense falls apart a little bit more each week. The running game is nearly nonexistent, and Sam Bradford and the passing game looks worse with every game. I know the Jags are bad and you’d think this could be a “get well” game for the Vikings, but Jacksonville is actually among the top ten pass defenses in the league. Rudolph has been a nice safety blanket for Bradford, but this looks like it will be another week where the Vikings don’t do well.
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