Here are my fantasy football rankings, tiers and outlook for notable players Week 14.
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Fantasy Football Rankings, Tiers & Start/Sit Lineup Advice: Week 14
Quarterbacks Rankings & Tiers
Fantasy Football Start/Sit Lineup Advice: Quarterbacks
It feels strange to rank Lamar Jackson outside the top seven at quarterback, but Jackson has gone three straight games without a TD pass and hasn’t run for a touchdown since Week 1. Over the last four weeks Jackson is QB31 in fantasy points per game. This week, he faces a Steelers defense that has historically given him trouble. In eight career starts against the Steelers, Jackson has averaged 160.5 passing yards per game, with eight TD passes and nine interceptions. Jackson has never had a rushing touchdown against Pittsburgh.
Baker Mayfield hasn’t averaged 7.0 passing yards per attempt in a single game since Week 6. He’s averaged 5.5 yards per pass attempt over his last six starts, and he’s only had one game with multiple TD passes over that stretch. Mayfield’s Week 14 matchup against the Saints is promising. The Saints have the eighth-highest opponent passer rating (100.2), the eighth-highest opponent completion percentage (67.2%), and the eighth-highest opponent yards per pass attempt (7.4). Still, the slumping Mayfield barely sneaks into low-end QB1 range.
If the final bye week of the regular season has left you in a pinch at quarterback, Tyler Shough might be a sneaky streaming option. The Buccaneers are allowing the fourth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks (20.3), and Shough has produced 18 or more fantasy points in two of his last three games.
Running Backs Rankings & Tiers
Fantasy Football Start/Sit Lineup Advice: Running Backs
Saquon Barkley has been held to 83 or fewer rushing yards in four straight games and hasn’t scored a touchdown since Oct. 26. I though Saquon might have a big Black Friday game against a Bears defense that was missing a couple of starting linebackers, but both of the Bears’ running backs – D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai – more than doubled up Saquon Barkley‘s rushing yardage. Monangai had 130 rushing yards, Swift 125, Barkley 56. As disappointing as Saquon and the Philly running game has been, I couldn’t bring myself to bench a running back who’s averaging 19.4 touches a game and is going up against a Chargers run defense that ranks 25th in DVOA. I’m ranking Saquon as a high-end RB2.
Travis Etienne investors are undoubtedly nervous that Etienne completely bricked in a great matchup against the Titans last week, with 12 carries for 28 yards, plus one catch for 13 yards. But it’s not as if Bhayshul Tuten was especially effective as a runner last week either (eight carries for 17 yards and a touchdown). Before the bad game against the Titans, Etienne had scored at lead 14 half-point PPR points in four straight games. Don’t hesitate to start him vs. the Colts.
D’Andre Swift & Kyle Monangai (CHI)
I have D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai ranked back-to-back as low-end RB2s. Swift has produced 90 or more yards from scrimmage in three of his last four games and has averaged 105.6 scrimmage yards a game since the start of October. Monangai has had double-digit carries in three straight games and a TD run in four straight games. The Bears’ offensive line has been phenomenal in the running game. Chicago is second in the league in rushing yardage, 22 yards behind Buffalo. Since the Bears’ Week 5 bye, they’ve averaged 179.6 rushing yards per game and have run for at least 140 yards in all but two of those eight games. Cold weather in Green Bay might incentivize the Bears to go with a run-heavy gameplan on Sunday, and while the Packers’ run defense has mostly been good this year, it has been weakened by the loss of DT Devonte Wyatt to a season-ending ankle injury.
Devin Neal hasn’t done all that much as a runner in his two games as a starter, with seven carries for 18 yards against the Falcons in Week 12, then 14 carries for 47 yards against the Dolphins in Week 13. But Neal has eight catches for 65 yards over the last two weeks, and he has a Week 14 matchup against a Buccaneers defense that’s really been giving it up to RBs in the passing game. The Bucs have allowed 681 receiving yards to running backs – 120 more receiving yards than any other team has allowed to RBs. Consider Neal a low-end RB2 or high-end RB3.
When I was studying RB prospects early this year, I thought Woody Marks was going to be a good pass-catching back – more of a third-down back in the NFL than an early-down guy. And yet, over his last five games, Marks has only five catches, but he’s averaged 15.4 carries a game over that stretch. For fantasy, Marks’ floor has been fairly sturdy because of the consistent rushing volume, but the ceiling is limited because he isn’t contributing much as a pass catcher and because he hasn’t run for more than 74 yards in a single game. Marks is averaging 3.6 yards per carry, and he has a tricky Week 14 matchup against a Kansas City defense that’s always tough to run on with defensive coordinator Steve Sapnuolo calling the shots.
Wide Receivers Rankings & Tiers
Fantasy Football Start/Sit Lineup Advice: Wide Receivers
Justin Jefferson has two touchdowns on the year and only one over his last 11 games. He’s had fewer than 50 receiving yards in four of his last five games. He hasn’t reached 80 receiving yards in a game since Week 5. Obviously, this is more about the Vikings’ nightmarish QB situation than it is about Jefferson himself. That’s the hope for Jefferson stakeholders – and the reason I’m still ranking him as a midrange WR2 – is that a great receiver can pop against a bad Washington pass defense. It’s just sad that I’m trying to justify ranking a future Hall-of-Fame receiver who’s in his prime inside the top 20 at the position.
Christian Watson has played six games since coming back from his knee injury. He had four targets in each of his first three games back, then five, seven and 10 targets in his three most recent games. The target trend is positive, but Watson is far from a high-volume target earner, which is why I’m reluctant to rank inside the top 20 (but am doing so anyway). Jordan Love spreads the ball around, so it wouldn’t be shocking if Watson had only a handful of targets against the Bears this week. There’s a chance the Packers could get Jayden Reed back from his broken collarbone this week, which would further complicate the target outlook for Watson. On the other hand, Watson is averaging 17.3 yards per catch and 10.7 yards per target, and he’s scored three touchdowns in his last three games. He’s been a big-play machine of late.
In four games with the Jaguars, Jakobi Meyers has an 85.7% catch rate and is averaging 11.7 yards per target. Meyers only played 27 snaps in his first game with the Jags and had 41 yards. In the three games since, he’s averaged 68 receiving yards, and he’s had a touchdown catch in each of his last two games. Consider Meyers a low-end WR2 if Parker Washington misses Week 14 with a hip injury, and a high-end WR3 if Washington plays.
Nine weeks into the season, Michael Pittman was WR10 in PPR fantasy points per game and had just rattled off three straight 20-point games. In three games since then, Pittman has eight catches for 59 yards and one touchdown. The dip in production is more of a Daniel Jones thing than a Michael Pittman thing. Jones is playing with a fibular fracture. He’s not moving around well, so it’s hard for him to elude pass rushers and buy time for his receivers. And the Colts are throwing less – possibly because of the injury. Jones is averaging 28 pass attempts over his last three games. The Jaguars aren’t a bad matchup, but I’m fading Pittman and the Colts’ passing game. I’m ranking Pittman as a high-end WR3.
After looking like 80% of himself earlier this season while coming back from a major leg/ankle injury, Chris Godwin looked sharp last week. He saw only five targets against the Cardinals and had three catches, but those catches went for 25, 31 and 22 yards. His day could have been even better had he not botched what should have been a touchdown pass. I don’t think Godwin is a foolproof play against the Saints this week in light of Baker Mayfield‘s recent struggles, but Godwin is a reasonable WR3 or flex option.
Troy Franklin played 52.9% of the Broncos’ offensive snaps Monday night against the Commanders – his lowest snap share of the season. Rookie Pat Bryant played 12 more snaps than Franklin in that game. I don’t know if that usage sticks, but it’s worrisome if you’ve been starting Franklin. It’s not as if Franklin has been efficient. He’s averaging 6.3 yards per target and 1.42 yards per route run this season. Franklin isn’t a safe play in Week 14, even in a good matchup against the Raiders, against whom he had 40 yards and a touchdown three weeks ago.
Tight Ends Rankings & Tiers
Fantasy Football Start/Sit Lineup Advice: Tight Ends
If Falcons WR Drake London remains out with a knee injury, I’ll be ranking Kyle Pitts as a midrange to low-end TE1 for Week 14. If London plays, Pitts will fall outside the top 12 at tight end. In the two games that London has missed, Pitts has had 2-25-0 on five targets against the Saints, and 7-82-0 on eight targets against the Jets. The high catch volume against the Jets was encouraging, but Pitts’ touchdown output is downright depressing. He’s scored one touchdown in 12 games this year and has 11 TDs in 73 career games.
Some people have Harold Fannin ranked as a midrange TE1 this week. I think he’s more of a low-end TE1 bordering on a high-end TE2. I just can’t get excited about Fannin’s Week 14 outlook. He’s playing with a rookie QB, Shedeur Sanders, who’ll be making his third NFL start. Fannin is playing in a game with a Vegas total of 34. And he’s facing a Titans defense that has allowed the ninth-fewest points to the position.
Darren Waller is an intriguing TE option for Week 14. He’s averaging 13.7 yards per catch, according to Pro Football Reference, which is high for a tight end. His average depth of target is 10.9 yards, which is really high for a tight end. On a team that lacks decent options at wide receiver beyond Jayen Waddle, Waller is basically Miami’s No. 2 receiver. In the fantasy realm, he’s a boom/bust, big-play tight end with a wide range of weekly outcomes.
When the Eagles played the Packers in Week 10, Dallas Goedert had six targets, four catches and 43 yards – not a very exciting stat line. Those were the most targets, catches and receiving yards Goedert has had in a game since Week 6. He had two touchdowns against the Giants in week 8, but otherwise he’s been a dud lately. Goedert is TE26 in PPR points per game since Week 7. Fade him this week in a tough matchup against a Chargers defense that’s giving up the seventh-fewest fantasy points per game to TEs.
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