Week 14 is here, which means fantasy football managers everywhere are doing the same delicate dance: Pretending they’re calm while frantically refreshing injury reports and wondering why their most reliable starter suddenly turned into a decorative bench piece. With the fantasy playoffs looming, every lineup decision feels like it should come with its own dramatic score and slow-motion montage.
Fortunately, you don’t have to navigate the chaos alone. Our Featured Pros have once again sorted through the matchup quirks, usage trends, and late-season weirdness to highlight the Sleepers who can save your week… and the Duds who might quietly derail it. Let’s dive into who deserves a spot in your lineup and who’s better left on the fantasy equivalent of airplane mode.
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Fantasy Football Week 14 Start/Sit Advice
Sleepers
Which player outside of the top 100 in the FantasyPros Flex rankings is a good sleeper start, and why do you think he has upside this week?
Aaron Jones Sr. (RB – MIN)
“Aaron Jones Sr. The list of options outside the top 80 in Flex rankings is actually fairly strong this week. A few “sleepers” who fall just barely inside the top 100 that are possibly available on your waiver wire are Devaughn Vele, John Metchie III, Dontayvion Wicks and Zach Ertz. However, our exercise dictates that we pick outside of the top 100 rankings, where there is also a reasonable share of recognizable players with name value and brand ID this week. Players like Isiah Pacheco, Marvin Harrison Jr., Omarion Hampton, Rashid Shaheed and my choice for sleeper of the week, Aaron Jones. Jones is on the back nine of a sneaky impressive career, but he still has some juice. He is still a three-down running back. He still contributes in both the rushing and passing game, and he faces a Washington Commanders defense ranked fourth-worst in points allowed to running backs. Three things I look at strongly when trying to find a sleeper: Opportunities, explosive ability and an easy matchup. Jones has nine rushing attempts or more in four of his last five games and four targets or more in the passing game in his last four games, as well as 55 total yards from scrimmage or more in four of his last five games. Jones wouldn’t be ranked outside of the top 100 if he’d just scored a few touchdowns along the way. Red-zone touches are fickle and fleeting, but the ingredients are there for a top-10 running back day from a player without a top-100 overall ranking.”
– Chris Mitchell (FantasyData)
Duds
Which player inside the top 40 in the FantasyPros Flex rankings is likely to disappoint fantasy managers this week?
Kenneth Walker III (RB – SEA)
“While Kenneth Walker led the Seahawks in rushing during Week 13, he was sniped of another goal-to-go touchdown by Zach Charbonnet. In total, Walker only has one rushing touchdown dating back to Week 4 compared to Charbonnet’s six scores in that period of time. That is not great. Because of the general split between Walker and Charbonnet, plus the clear lack of touchdown upside for Walker, he can’t be considered as anything more than a high-end Flex play because of volume for Week 14.”
– Ed Birdsall (Talking Points Sports)
Christian Watson (WR – GB)
“Christian Watson has 17 targets over his last two games, but in his four other games, he had no more than five targets. The target trend is upward, which we like, but it wouldn’t be shocking if Watson only had four or five targets in any given week. Packers quarterback Jordan Love spreads the ball around. Tucker Kraft is out for the season, but the Packers still have Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks and Matthew Golden, and there’s a chance they get Jayden Reed back from his broken collarbone this week. The Bears look like a favorable matchup on paper, but they played nearly the entire season without their two best cornerbacks, Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon, and both are now back. Watson has compelling upside, but his floor might not be sturdy.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros)
Bucky Irving (RB – TB)
“I look to the matchup more than anything when evaluating a player’s potential value, more than even their ability, but Bucky Irving is the exception. Irving wasn’t filthy good, 61 total rushing yards and a touchdown in Week 13 against an Arizona Cardinals team that ranks ninth in points allowed to running backs. The key to Irving’s success is his contributions as a receiver. He rarely rushes for 70 yards a game, and he doesn’t punch it in in the red zone as a runner. Almost all of his touchdowns are in the passing game. With Chris Godwin and Emeka Egbuka available, and Irving in only his second game back from a relatively serious injury, a No. 12 overall ranking in this week’s top 100 is too rich for my blood. I expect a lot of points for Tampa Bay, but to be ranked this high with this much uncertainty, I’m fading Irving and putting my chips on Irving being a bust.”
– Chris Mitchell (FantasyData)
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