Fantasy Football Week 14 Rankings: Top 20 Players at Every Position

Another season of fantasy football is winding down, as Week 14 brings with it the end of the regular season in some leagues and the beginning of the playoffs in others.

Whether you're locked in a battle for a playoff spot or getting ready for your first game of the postseason, there's no room for mistakes in setting your lineup this week, as the next loss your fantasy squad suffers this season will be its last.

That means that it's vital that every team sets the best lineup possible, and to help you do so, here's a look at my top 20 players at every position for Week 14 in point-per-reception (PPR) fantasy football leagues.

Aaron Rodgers and the Top 20 Quarterbacks

Although Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers has been a top-five fantasy option at his position this season, the eighth-year pro has been relatively quiet of late, averaging fewer than 250 yards a game with four touchdowns and three interceptions over the past three weeks.

With that said, this week would seem to be primed for a bounce-back, as Rodgers draws a favorable fantasy matchup in a pivotal NFC North showdown with the Detroit Lions.

1. Aaron Rodgers - GB vs. DET

2. Drew Brees - NO at NYG

3. Peyton Manning - DEN at OAK

4. Robert Griffin III - WAS vs. BAL

5. Tom Brady - NE vs. HOU

6. Eli Manning - NYG vs. NO

7. Matthew Stafford - DET at GB

8. Cam Newton - CAR vs. ATL

9. Andrew Luck - IND vs. TEN

10. Matt Ryan - ATL at CAR

11. Josh Freeman - TB vs. PHI

12. Tony Romo - DAL at CIN

13. Andy Dalton - CIN vs. DAL

14. Colin Kaepernick - SF vs. MIA

15. Matt Schaub - HOU at NE

16. Carson Palmer - OAK vs. DEN

17. Russell Wilson - SEA vs. ARI

18. Jay Cutler - CHI at MIN

19. Joe Flacco - BAL at WAS

20. Ben Roethlisberger - PIT vs. SD

Adrian Peterson and the Top 20 Running Backs

Given that the Minnesota Vikings face a Chicago Bears defense that has given up the sixth-fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs this year, there would seem to be plenty of reasons for concern about running back Adrian Peterson's fantasy prospects this week.

That is, until you realize that the sixth-year pro has topped 100 rushing yards in six straight games, including 108 yards against the Bears in Week 12, with six touchdowns over that span.

Then there's that.

1. Adrian Peterson - MIN vs. CHI

2. Ray Rice - BAL at WAS

3. Arian Foster - HOU at NE

4. Trent Richardson - CLE vs. KC

5. Doug Martin - TB vs. PHI

6. Ahmad Bradshaw - NYG vs. NO

7. Marshawn Lynch - SEA vs. ARI

8. Jamaal Charles - KC at CLE

9. Chris Johnson - TEN at IND

10. C.J. Spiller - BUF vs. STL

11. Bryce Brown - PHI at TB

12. Matt Forte - CHI at MIN

13. Frank Gore - SF vs. MIA

14. Alfred Morris - WAS vs. BAL

15. Steven Jackson - STL at BUF

16. DeMarco Murray - DAL at CIN

17. Stevan Ridley - NE vs. HOU

18. BenJarvus Green-Ellis - CIN vs. DAL

19. Knowshon Moreno - DEN at OAK

20. Darren Sproles - NO at NYG

Calvin Johnson and the Top 20 Wide Receivers

Much like the aforementioned Adrian Peterson, Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson has been on an absolute tear of late, as the sixth-year veteran has averaged nearly nearly 10 catches, over 150 receiving yards and a touchdown over the past four games.

That rip includes a five catch, 143-yard outing with a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers back in Week 11, and there's little reason to think that "Megatron" won't post a similarly gaudy stat line in the rematch on Sunday night.

1. Calvin Johnson - DET at GB

2. A.J. Green - CIN vs. DAL

3. Brandon Marshall - CHI at MIN

4. Demaryius Thomas - DEN at OAK

5. Reggie Wayne - IND vs. TEN

6. Dez Bryant - DAL at CIN

7. Wes Welker - NE vs. HOU

8. Victor Cruz - NYG vs. NO

9. Julio Jones - ATL at CAR

10. Andre Johnson - HOU at NE

11. Marques Colston - NO at NYG

12. Roddy White - ATL at CAR

13. Hakeem Nicks - NYG vs. NO

14. Vincent Jackson - TB vs. PHI

15. Pierre Garcon - WAS vs. BAL

16. Randall Cobb - GB vs. DET

17. Steve Smith - CAR vs. ATL

18. Steve Johnson - BUF vs. STL

19. Torrey Smith - BAL at WAS

20. Greg Jennings - GB vs. DET

Aaron Hernandez and the Top 20 Tight Ends

With tight end Rob Gronkowski sidelined indefinitely with a broken forearm, the New England Patriots badly need to get batterymate Aaron Hernandez back up to speed, and if last week was any indication, the third-year pro is just about fully recovered from his high ankle sprain.

Hernandez hauled in eight passes for 97 yards in a win over the Miami Dolphins, and the 23-year-old has a good shot at building on that success in a fairly favorable fantasy matchup with the Houston Texans.

1. Aaron Hernandez - NE vs. HOU

2. Jimmy Graham - NO at NYG

3. Tony Gonzalez - ATL at CAR

4. Jason Witten - DAL at CIN

5. Brandon Myers - OAK vs. DEN

6. Owen Daniels - HOU at NE

7. Jermaine Gresham - CIN vs. DAL

8. Martellus Bennett - NYG vs. NO

9. Greg Olsen - CAR vs. ATL

10. Brandon Pettigrew - DET at GB

11. Antonio Gates - SD at PIT

12. Kyle Rudolph - MIN vs. CHI

13. Jacob Tamme - DEN at OAK

14. Heath Miller - PIT vs. SD

15. Dennis Pitta - BAL at WAS

16. Brent Celek - PHI at TB

17. Vernon Davis - SF vs. MIA

18. Scott Chandler - BUF vs. STL

19. Jermichael Finley - GB vs. DET

20. Dallas Clark - TB vs. PHI

Matt Prater and the Top 20 Kickers

Picking the right fantasy kicker can be a maddening exercise, but with the fantasy playoffs now underway, every point counts that much more, including those provided by the kicker position.

Matt Prater of the Denver Broncos hasn't posted the sorts of numbers this season that would lend themselves to being the top option at his position in Week 14, but a top-three fantasy matchup with the Oakland Raiders on Thursday night is enough to garner him the nod.

1. Matt Prater - DEN at OAK

2. Lawrence Tynes - NYG vs. NO

3. Stephen Gostkowski - NE vs. HOU

4. Garrett Hartley - NO at NYG

5. Matt Bryant - ATL at CAR

6. Jason Hanson - DET at GB

7. Mason Crosby - GB vs. DET

8. Shayne Graham - HOU at NE

9. Mike Nugent - CIN vs. DAL

10. Robbie Gould - CHI at MIN

11. Justin Tucker - BAL at WAS

12. Connor Barth - TB vs. PHI

13. David Akers - SF vs. MIA

14. Adam Vinatieri - IND vs. TEN

15. Dan Bailey - DAL at CIN

16. Phil Dawson - CLE vs. KC

17. Kai Forbath - WAS vs. BAL

18. Sebastian Janikowski - OAK vs. DEN

19. Steve Hauschka - SEA vs. ARI

20. Rian Lindell - BUF vs. STL

Seattle Seahawks and the Top 20 Team Defenses

At the beginning of the 2012 season, the Arizona Cardinals rose like a phoenix from the ashes, reeling off four consecutive victories to begin the season.

Then the team burst into flames and came crashing back to earth.

The Cardinals have lost eight games in a row and have allowed both the most sacks and fantasy points to opposing defenses this season, and in front of a raucous home crowd this week, the Seattle Seahawks should feast on a free-falling Arizona offense.

1. Seattle Seahawks - SEA vs. ARI

2. San Francisco 49ers - SF vs. MIA

3. Denver Broncos - DEN at OAK

4. Cleveland Browns - CLE vs. KC

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - TB vs. PHI

6. New York Jets - NYJ at JAX

7. Chicago Bears - CHI at MIN

8. Pittsburgh Steelers - PIT vs. SD

9. Cincinnati Bengals - CIN vs. DAL

10. Indianapolis Colts - IND vs. TEN

11. Buffalo Bills - BUF vs. STL

12. Washington Redskins - WAS vs. BAL

13. New York Giants - NYG vs. NO

14. Dallas Cowboys - DAL at CIN

15. New England Patriots - NE vs. HOU

16. Atlanta Falcons - ATL at CAR

17. Minnesota Vikings - MIN vs. CHI

18. Baltimore Ravens - BAL at WAS

19. St. Louis Rams - STL at BUF

20. Houston Texans - HOU at NE