Fantasy Football Week 14 Rankings: Flex and PPR Listings for Top 50 Players

At this stage of the 2016 season, fantasy football owners have either completely checked out, or they're poring over the waiver wire for any edge they can get in the playoffs.

Getting an unexpectedly good performance from a player on your roster is always a pleasant surprise, and that effect is magnified given the stakes of this week's games. Imagine advancing in the playoffs because you started Isaiah Crowell on a whim and he went for 145 rushing yards and two touchdowns—which he did in Week 14 last year.

Below is a projection for the top 50 flex players in points-per-reception leagues in Week 14, followed by three players who could play above expectations.

Top 50 PPR Rankings

Rank	Player	Position	Team	Opponent
1	Antonio Brown	WR	Pittsburgh Steelers	BUF
2	Mike Evans	WR	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	NO
3	Ezekiel Elliott	RB	Dallas Cowboys	NYG
4	David Johnson	RB	Arizona Cardinals	MIA
5	Le'Veon Bell	RB	Pittsburgh Steelers	BUF
6	Larry Fitzgerald	WR	Arizona Cardinals	MIA
7	Melvin Gordon	RB	San Diego Chargers	CAR
8	Julio Jones	WR	Atlanta Falcons	LAR
9	Jordan Howard	RB	Chicago Bears	DET
10	DeMarco Murray	RB	Tennessee Titans	DEN
11	Odell Beckham Jr.	WR	New York Giants	DAL
12	Mark Ingram	RB	New Orleans Saints	TB
13	Davante Adams	WR	Green Bay Packers	SEA
14	Lamar Miller	RB	Houston Texans	IND
15	Devonta Freeman	RB	Atlanta Falcons	LAR
16	Dez Bryant	WR	Dallas Cowboys	NYG
17	LeSean McCoy	RB	Buffalo Bills	PIT
18	Jordy Nelson	WR	Green Bay Packers	SEA
19	Jeremy Hill	RB	Cincinnati Bengals	CLE
20	Terrelle Pryor	WR	Cleveland Browns	CIN
21	Amari Cooper	WR	Oakland Raiders	KC
22	LeGarrette Blount	RB	New England Patriots	BAL
23	Michael Thomas	WR	New Orleans Saints	TB
24	Emmanuel Sanders	WR	Denver Broncos	TEN
25	T.Y. Hilton	WR	Indianapolis Colts	HOU
26	Jamison Crowder	WR	Washington Redskins	PHI
27	Latavius Murray	RB	Oakland Raiders	KC
28	Julian Edelman	WR	New England Patriots	BAL
29	Spencer Ware	RB	Kansas City Chiefs	OAK
30	Brandin Cooks	WR	New Orleans Saints	TB
31	Michael Crabtree	WR	Oakland Raiders	KC
32	Matt Forte	RB	New York Jets	SF
33	Rishard Matthews	WR	Tennessee Titans	DEN
34	Golden Tate	WR	Detroit Lions	CHI
35	Jay Ajayi	RB	Miami Dolphins	ARI
36	DeAndre Hopkins	WR	Houston Texans	IND
37	Terrance West	RB	Baltimore Ravens	NE
38	Thomas Rawls	RB	Seattle Seahawks	GB
39	Tyrell Williams	WR	San Diego Chargers	CAR
40	Todd Gurley	RB	Los Angeles Rams	ATL
41	Martellus Bennett	TE	New England Patriots	BAL
42	Theo Riddick	RB	Detroit Lions	CHI
43	Brandon LaFell	WR	Cincinnati Bengals	CLE
44	Kenny Britt	WR	Los Angeles Rams	ATL
45	Carlos Hyde	RB	San Francisco 49ers	NYJ
46	Isaiah Crowell	RB	Cleveland Browns	CIN
47	Frank Gore	RB	Indianapolis Colts	HOU
48	Mike Wallace	WR	Baltimore Ravens	NE
49	Greg Olsen	TE	Carolina Panthers	SD
50	Ladarius Green	TE	Pittsburgh Steelers	BUF

Players to Watch

Martellus Bennett, TE, New England Patriots

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Rob Gronkowski missed the first two weeks and was limited in Weeks 3 and 4. During that stretch, Martellus Bennett caught 15 passes for 247 yards and a touchdown.

The focus will be on Bennett once again after Gronkowski had back surgery that ended his regular season. WBZ NewsRadio's Adam Kaufman provided the silver lining for the New England Patriots:

Replacing Gronk is impossible, but Bennett at least gives New England a similar type of tight end. The 29-year-old has also fit seamlessly into the passing game.

In general, the Baltimore Ravens have been a fantasy black hole for opposing tight ends, allowing 4.4 points per week, according to ESPN.com.

Bennett should get plenty of targets next Monday night, though, and with Gronkowski out, he'll be quarterback Tom Brady's primary target in the red zone. That should be enough to make him one of the top tight ends in Week 14.

Brandon LaFell, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

ESPN's Bob Holtzman (via ESPN.com's Katherine Terrell) reported last Thursday that Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green could be out for a third straight game as he nurses an injured hamstring.

NFL.com's Alex Gelhar tweeted how Brandon LaFell and Tyler Boyd both have stepped up in Green's absence the last two weeks: 

"It's a big difference," LaFell said of playing without Green, per the Associated Press' Joe Kay (via Yahoo Sports). "You can't just go to one guy. When the ball is shared, people are happy and everybody is out there having fun."

The Cleveland Browns rank 21st in passing yards allowed (259 yards per game), 32nd in passing touchdowns allowed (28) and 32nd in opponent passer rating (103.6).

As the Bengals' second-leading receiver, LaFell is in a good position to repeat his Week 13 numbers (five receptions, 95 yards and a touchdown). Quarterback Andy Dalton could look to Boyd as well, but the Browns secondary is bad enough that LaFell and Boyd could each finish with strong fantasy performances, so it might not matter.

Randall Cobb, WR, Green Bay Packers

Dylan Buell/Getty Images

Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll confirmed Earl Thomas was lost for the season in Sunday night's win over the Carolina Panthers, according to John Boyle of the team's official website.

As the graphic from TNF on NBC illustrates, the Seahawks are a different team defensively when they're without Thomas, Richard Sherman or Kam Chancellor:

Jordy Nelson and Davante Adams are both in line to have good outings given the circumstances. Since they're considered must-starts anyway, Thomas' injury isn't much of a consideration for fantasy owners.

Randall Cobb, on the other hand, could be a big benefactor relative to what he's done this year. With Nelson or Adams covered by Sherman for much of the game, Cobb should have a lot more freedom without Thomas prowling in the secondary.

Carroll will likely want to shield Steven Terrell in his second career start, which could stretch Sherman, DeShawn Shead and Jeremy Lane thin at cornerback. Without the security Thomas provided, Seattle could have a hard time guarding Cobb in the slot.