Week 14 of NFL action only has a couple of teams on bye weeks, leaving fantasy managers with a lot of choices to make in their lineup. This weekly article is meant to make those lineup decisions a little bit easier. You can always listen to The Footballguys Fantasy Football Show, which releases episodes every weekday - also, check out the free Week 14 Player Rankings.
QUARTERBACKS
START: Jordan Love @ NYG
- Avg Fantasy Points: 18.1
- Opponent vs QBs: 13th
- Week 14 Rank: QB9
- Projected Points: 18.3
Jordan Love has been a Top-10 fantasy quarterback in each of his last three games and Top-12 in five of his last seven games. The Giants have been a much more competitive team lately, requiring opposing teams to pass the ball a lot more. From weeks 1-9, opposing quarterbacks averaged just 31 pass attempts against the Giants. However, over the last four weeks, opposing teams have averaged 41 pass attempts per game. Expect Love to be on the higher end of those pass attempts in week 14. The pass attempts matter for Love in this game because he's been a Top-12 fantasy quarterback in eight of nine games where he's thrown at least 31 pass attempts.
SIT: Matthew Stafford @ BAL
- Avg Fantasy Points: 14.9
- Opponent vs QBs: 1st
- Week 14 Rank: QB22
- Projected Points: 13.2
Matthew Stafford has been HOT over the last two weeks, throwing for over 500 yards and 7 touchdowns. But here come the Ravens, the #1 defense against fantasy quarterbacks. Over the last nine weeks, Baltimore has only allowed one quarterback to pass for multiple touchdowns. Not to mention, the Ravens are also coming off a bye week where they got some extra time to prep for this Rams offense.
TIGHT ENDS
START: Isaiah Likely vs LAR
- Avg Fantasy Points: 8.0 (Week 12)
- Opponent vs TEs: 27th
- Week 14 Rank: TE9
- Projected Points: 10
Bye weeks matter. Offenses tend to incorporate new players in creative ways. In week 12, we saw Isaiah Likely run a route on 83% of Lamar Jackson's dropbacks. We should see that number remain very high. The Rams give up the sixth-most points to tight ends and allowed 13 or more fantasy points to tight ends in four of their last five games.
RUNNING BACKS
START: Javonte Williams @ LAC
- Avg Fantasy Points: 10.4
- Opponent vs RBs: 22nd
- Week 14 Rank: RB16
- Projected Points: 14.3
Denver remains a very run-heavy team that likes to control the clock and keep things simple for their offense. That means we should see a healthy dose of Javonte Williams this week against the Chargers. Williams has been a Top-24 running back in four of his last six games while also recording at least three receptions in five of his last six games. The overall volume should be there for Williams regardless of the game script because no team targets the running back more than the Denver Broncos. That said, expect the Broncos to control the pace of the game against Justin Herbert and utilize their backfield a lot.
SIT: Devin Singletary @ NYJ
- Avg Fantasy Points: 8.3
- Opponent vs RBs: 26th
- Week 14 Rank: RB34
- Projected Points: 8.7
Devin Singletary had his moment in the sun and it seems to be already gone. While the Texans could very well get an early lead and try to run the clock, the Jets have held good offenses in check and been a little tougher on running backs than their ranking would indicate. Dameon Pierce is back in the mix, and we saw him take the majority of the snaps and carries in the backfield.
SLEEPER: Keaton Mitchell vs LAR
- Avg Fantasy Points: 12.5 (Since Week 9)
- Opponent vs RBs: 7th
- Week 14 Rank: RB27
- Projected Points: 11.1
Keaton Mitchell has seen his snap rate increase every week since joining in on the action. Coming out of the bye week, I'd expect his role to continue to grow. Right now, Mitchell is 2nd in the NFL in yards per carry (9.3) behind only De'von Achane. Mitchell has scored double-digit fantasy points in three of his last four games while never actually getting more than 11 touches in any of those performances. I'd imagine he should see a bigger role this week and some major upside for breakaway runs.
WIDE RECEIVERS
START: Jaxon Smith-Njigba @ SF
- Avg Fantasy Points: 10.7 (since Week 6)
- Opponent vs WRs: 25th
- Week 14 Rank: WR36
- Projected Points: 11.2
when the Seahawks take on the 49ers, they'll need to pass a ton to keep up. We saw Smith-Njigba get targeted 11 times when Geno Smith had to throw against the Cowboys. Smith-Njigba led the team in receptions, targets, and target share. He's become a security blanket for Smith as the season has gone on.
SIT: Tee Higgins vs IND
- Avg Fantasy Points: 9.8
- Opponent vs WRs: 5th (Since week 6)
- Week 14 Rank: WR40
- Projected Points: 9.9
I know that Jake Browning looked better in week 13, but Higgins didn't get to reap the benefits. It's hard to imagine Browning being the quarterback to sustain two fantasy-relevant receivers. Ja'Marr Chase appears to have a stranglehold on the targets in that offense. The Colts have drastically improved in the secondary over the last seven weeks. Higgins has just three games with double-digit PPR points this season. It's a coin flip whether he reaches that in this game.
SLEEPER: Dontayvion Wicks @ NYG
- Avg Fantasy Points: 9.1 (since Week 6)
- Opponent vs WRs: 29th
- Week 14 Rank: WR48
- Projected Points: 9.3
As mentioned for Jordan Love, this game should feature more passing than previous Giants games. Wicks has been a Top-48 fantasy receiver in each of the last four weeks, with Christian Watson active. Watson likely sits out this week, and we see Wicks get an expanded role. He's fourth in the NFL yards after contact per reception, so there's always the possibility of a broken tackle for a long touchdown. Wicks gives you a solid floor in this Packers offense while offering an intriguing upside.