Start ’em, Sit ’em Fantasy Football Week 14 – All Positions

Welcome to week 14 of the NFL season and in many fantasy formats this is the final week of the regular season. That’s right, positioning is at stake as well as a postseason birth. And to top it off there are SIX teams on their bye week! And those six teams will sway many decisions. There are some players you might not start on a weekly basis that could be in your Flex or a WR3/RB2. I’m already feeling the pressure as I type this…

But first, let’s quickly take a look back before we move forward. Week 13 was pretty damn good for us with really only two misses. I’ll admit I whiffed on the Bucs in Carolina as Baker Mayfield really let me down, and the Steelers relied heavily on Najee Harris in Cincinnati which I didn’t see coming. But we nailed sitting Kyler Murray, Zay Flowers, Cole Kmet, and the Dolphins defense. And I was spot on starting Rico Dowdle, Ladd McConkey, and the Cowboys defense.

So, let’s keep the train rolling and see who to start and sit in Week 14.

***Disclaimer*** I give this statement every week but it’s important to remember there are players you’re basically starting or sitting each week. I tend to try and pick some of the more 50/50 players and write about them. You’ll see that trend as you go.

Quarterbacks

Start ’em – Baker Mayfield

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Baker Mayfield – Your eyes aren’t deceiving you…yes, I’m loading up with Baker again this week. I’m guessing if he’s on your roster you’ve probably been riding the train for much of the season. If that’s the case, you mid as well not jump off now. Let’s hope for a bounce back after Tampa Bay’s disastrous performance last week, plus the Raiders are pretty middle of the road against the pass.

Sit ’em – Jameis Winston

Jameis Winston – I know I’m the bad guy by sitting Winston. He’s a fan favorite and, let’s be honest, he had a crazy good game on Monday night. In most leagues he scored 33 points despite having 3 INT! But if the past tells me anything it’s that he will come crashing back down to earth. Every time this season Winston has put up a big game (weeks 8 and 11) he didn’t do much the following week. In week 9 he scored just 10 points against the Chargers and in week 12 he totaled just 13 points against the Steelers. And now, the Browns play those same Steelers on the road. I just think it’s a combination of Winston’s play evening out and a tough matchup on the Steelers who have more INT than TD allowed at home this season.

Running Backs

Start’ em – Isaac Guerendo

Isaac Guerendo – I watched Guerendo quite a bit in college so it’s fun seeing him get a chance in the pros…and not surprising either. If you remember back to February’s combine, he actually had the fastest 40-yard dash time of any RB. And if we’re being honest the Niners really have nowhere else to turn. Plus, when he’s been giving the chance (weeks 6,8,13) his numbers were pretty good…28 carries, 203 yards, 1 TD. If you picked him up off waivers I’d toss him in your lineup.

Sit ’em – Isiah Pacheco

Isiah Pacheco – If you can limp to your fantasy playoffs then maybe in a week or two you might be able to unleash Pacheco. But for this week I just can’t quite pull the trigger. And, trust me, that’s hard to do. There’s always a chance Pacheco could see an uptick in production in his second week back from injury. In fact, last week Pacheco outplayed Kareem Hunt as the two split carries but Isiah had more yards and a better per carry average.

Wide Receiver 

Start ’em – Calvin Ridley & Nick Westbrook-Ikhine

Titans WR – I find both Titans WRs, Cavlin Ridley and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, as firm “starts” despite being on a bad team with sketchy QB play. If you’re in need of a WR3 or a Flex option, both players should be on your radar. Let’s start with Ridley…according to SI.com, Ridley is Will Levis’ first read 29% of the time. Sure, last week was a dud (2 catches, 7 targes, 45 yards) but the previous seven weeks he totaled 68 targets! As for Westbrook-Ikhine, he’s stormed onto the fantasy scene the last three weeks with 4 TD and an average of nearly 18 points per game. In fact, since week 6 he’s totaled 8 TD! Combine all of this with a favorable matchup with Jacksonville and somehow the lowly Titans present two pretty solid options if you’re in need this weekend.

Sit ’em – Amari Cooper

Amari Cooper – At this point if you’re starting Cooper, you must be extremely desperate because no way you’ve been playing him week in, week out. Since being traded to Buffalo in week 7 he’s caught just 10 balls and scored only 29.6 points. Perhaps he’s due to break out but if a lot is on the line this weekend, he’s a big-time gamble.

Tight End

Start ’em – Luke Schoonmaker

Luke Schoonmaker – There are a ton of interesting TE options this weekend. It feels like the “bye megaton” didn’t crush this position too much. But if you are in trouble Schoonmaker might be a viable option. For one, he’s rostered in just 9.5% of ESPN leagues and the last three weeks he’s been pretty solid…14 catches, 20 targes, 144 yards and 1 TD. Plus, the Cowboys play the sketchy Bengals defense this week who have allowed a TE TD in 4 consecutive games.

Sit ’em – Kyle Pitts

Kyle Pitts – There was a time earlier this season (weeks 5-8) that Pitts was actually a big-time fantasy TE for the first time in his career. Unfortunately, that’s not no longer the case. In fact, the last 4 weeks he’s averaged just 3.3 points and has only 6 catches in that timeframe. What really stinks is that the matchup isn’t that bad, and in theory, Kirk Cousins should be able to spread the wealth and get him the ball. That just has happened since October.

Defense

Start ’em – Minnesota Vikings

Vikings – Minnesota’s defense has been very fantasy relevant this season, but the last two weeks may have left you confused and wondering…scoring only 8 points and last week getting just 1 sack. But I think you have to ride the matchup in week 14. The Vikings host the Falcons and turnover machine Kirk Cousins whose been picked 6 times in the last 3 weeks, including 4 last week!

Sit ’em – New York Jets

Jets – I’ll be quick and easy…the Jets have mostly given up and their best corner Sauce Gardner is very iffy for Sunday’s game in Miami. Plus, the Dolphins are in a must win situation and have to be licking their wounds after Thursday’s embarrassment in Green Bay.