Fantasy Football Week 14 Rankings: Position-by-Position Breakdown

Week 13 was all about the wide receivers. Eric Decker scored four touchdowns and exceeded 40 fantasy points in the process, while Josh Gordon and Alshon Jeffery each went for more than 200 receiving yards, caught two touchdown passes and reached 38 and 36 fantasy points, respectively.

So, which position will dominate in Week 13? And more importantly, which players will dominate at each position this week?

On my weekly and early look at the top-10 fantasy rankings for this week, I'll attempt to answer that query. I can't predict 200-yard receiving games, but I can give you an idea of which players have the talent or the matchup to post big numbers this week.

Notes: All point totals for standard-scoring leagues. Points-against stats via ESPN.

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	Matt Stafford	Detroit Lions	Philadelphia Eagles	27
2	Nick Foles	Philadelphia Eagles	Detroit Lions	25
3	Peyton Manning	Denver Broncos	Tennessee Titans	23
4	Tom Brady	New England Patriots	Cleveland Browns	20
5	Tony Romo	Dallas Cowboys	Chicago Bears	19
6	Philip Rivers	San Diego Chargers	New York Giants	17
7	Cam Newton	Carolina Panthers	New Orleans Saints	17
8	Drew Brees	New Orleans Saints	Carolina Panthers	16
9	Josh McCown/Jay Cutler	Chicago Bears	Dallas Cowboys	16
10	Alex Smith	Kansas City Chiefs	Washington	15

Quarterback Notes

A matchup between the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles seems destined to end in a shootout—that will be a recurring theme on these rankings—so both Matt Stafford and Nick Foles should have huge weeks.

Few players have been more consistent than Stafford at the position—his season-low in fantasy points is 14—while Foles has been one of the best players in all of fantasy in the past four weeks, as he's averaged 27.7 points in that time. It looks like the Eagles have found their quarterback.

There aren't too many surprises on the rankings this week, though the final two entries may turn some heads. You should consider starting either Josh McCown or Jay Cutler, depending on who starts, against a Dallas Cowboys defense that has allowed 17 or more fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks seven times.

Meanwhile, Alex Smith has 21 or more fantasy points in four of his last five games and faces a Washington defense that has allowed 18 or more fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks seven times. Smith is a great sleeper option this week, especially if your regular starter has a tough matchup (I'm looking at you, Russell Wilson, Andrew Luck and Colin Kaepernick).

Running Backs

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	Jamaal Charles	Kansas City Chiefs	Washington	25
2	Matt Forte	Chicago Bears	Dallas Cowboys	23
3	Adrian Peterson	Minnesota Vikings	Baltimore Ravens	21
4	DeMarco Murray	Dallas Cowboys	Chicago Bears	20
5	Knowshon Moreno	Denver Broncos	Tennessee Titans	17
6	LeSean McCoy	Philadelphia Eagles	Detroit Lions	16
7	Reggie Bush	Detroit Lions	Philadelphia Eagles	16
8	Ben Tate	Houston Texans	Jacksonville Jaguars	15
9	Le'Veon Bell	Pittsburgh Steelers	Miami Dolphins	14
10	C.J. Spiller	Buffalo Bills	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	13

Running Back Notes

The intrigue at the running back position comes further down the rankings, as Ben Tate, Le'Veon Bell and C.J. Spiller round out the top 10.

Tate is an anomaly. A week after rushing seven times for a single, solitary yard against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he exploded for 102 rushing yards and three touchdowns against the New England Patriots. Go figure. Let's assume he plays slightly better against the Jags this time around.

I doubted Bell last week against the Baltimore Ravens and he made me pay, accumulating 136 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. He has scored fewer than eight fantasy points just once this season, making him one of the steadiest options at the position, and he now faces a Miami Dolphins defense that has given up 16 or more fantasy points to opposing running backs nine times.

Finally, is Spiller back? One of the biggest busts for fantasy owners this season appeared to be as healthy and explosive as we've seen him after the Week 12 bye, rushing 15 times for 149 yards and a touchdown. If you've been patient with Spiller, I have a feeling you'll be pleased you stuck with him heading into the fantasy playoffs.

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	Calvin Johnson	Detroit Lions	Philadelphia Eagles	24
2	DeSean Jackson	Philadelphia Eagles	Detroit Lions	20
3	Vincent Jackson	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Buffalo Bills	19
4	A.J. Green	Cincinnati Bengals	Indianapolis Colts	17
5	Andre Johnson	Houston Texans	Jacksonville Jaguars	16
6	Josh Gordon	Cleveland Browns	New England Patriots	16
7	Demaryius Thomas	Denver Broncos	Tennessee Titans	15
8	Larry Fitzgerald	Arizona Cardinals	St. Louis Rams	14
9	Brandon Marshall	Chicago Bears	Dallas Cowboys	13
10	Dez Bryant	Dallas Cowboys	Chicago Bears	13

Wide Receiver Notes

Calvin Johnson isn't human. I mean, seriously, he's not from this world. I think that's all we need to say about that.

Gordon has been doing his best Megatron impression of late. He now has 24 receptions for 498 yards and three touchdowns in the past two weeks, and he has registered double-digit points in seven of the 10 games he's appeared in. 

He's matchup-proof, and he will be one of the first five wide receivers off the board next season in fantasy drafts.

Vincent Jackson has really struggled down the stretch, with seven or fewer fantasy points in five of the last six weeks, but this week he gets a Buffalo Bills defense that just gave up 10 receptions for 143 yards to Roddy White, who has been a bust all season as he's battled with injuries. 

The Bills have given up 18 or more fantasy points to opposing wide receivers 10 times this season, so Jackson should produce in a major way.

Tight Ends

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	Rob Gronkowski	New England Patriots	Cleveland Browns	20
2	Jimmy Graham	New Orleans Saints	Carolina Panthers	17
3	Jason Witten	Dallas Cowboys	Chicago Bears	16
4	Julius Thomas*	Denver Broncos	Tennessee Titans	14
5	Jared Cook	St. Louis Rams	Arizona Cardinals	14
6	Vernon Davis	San Francisco 49ers	Seattle Seahawks	13
7	Tony Gonzalez	Atlanta Falcons	Green Bay Packers	12
8	Antonio Gates	San Diego Chargers	New York Giants	11
9	Martellus Bennett	Chicago Bears	Dallas Cowboys	10
10	Delanie Walker	Tennessee Titans	Denver Broncos	10

Tight End Notes

I know Jared Cook has been wildly inconsistent this year, but even he should exploit a favorable matchup against the Arizona Cardinals this week. For as good as the Cardinals have been defensively, they've been dreadful against tight ends, allowing 14.5 fantasy points to opposing tight ends per week, easily the worst mark in the NFL.

And remember, Cook torched this defense for seven catches, 141 yards and two touchdowns in Week 1. Start him with confidence this week.

The tight end pool continues to be maddeningly shallow this week, and certain players that might slip into the top 10 from time to time—Coby Fleener, Greg Olsen and Jordan Reed, to name a few—have really tough matchups, while Jordan Cameron just hasn't been the same since Brian Hoyer went down to injury.

Thus, you should either trust your studs or take a chance on Cook or a player like Delanie Walker, who has been quite good in bursts this year. 

Defense/Special Teams

Rank	Team	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	Kansas City Chiefs	Washington	16
2	San Francisco 49ers	Seattle Seahawks	13
3	Seattle Seahawks	San Francisco 49ers	13
4	Baltimore Ravens	Minnesota Vikings	12
5	Cincinnati Bengals	Indianapolis Colts	12
6	St. Louis Rams	Arizona Cardinals	11
7	New Orleans Saints	Carolina Panthers	10
8	Arizona Cardinals	St. Louis Rams	9
9	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Buffalo Bills	8
10	Oakland Raiders	New York Jets	8

Defense/Special Teams Notes

The Kansas City Chiefs have had tough matchups in the past three weeks, but a game against Washington—which has allowed a total of 29 fantasy points in the past three weeks—should return Kansas City to fantasy prominence. 

The San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks should find themselves locked in a low-scoring, defensive struggle, so starting either unit seems safe. 

Yes, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders made this list. Both have excellent matchups—the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets leak fantasy points to opposing defenses—and both have actually been better than you might think. 

The Bucs have scored eight or more fantasy points six times this season, while the Raiders have scored seven or more points seven times. Neither pick is for the feint of heart, of course, but those willing to roll the dice could be handsomely rewarded.

Kickers 

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	Stephen Gostkowski	New England Patriots	Cleveland Browns	16
2	Matt Prater	Denver Broncos	Tennessee Titans	15
3	Justin Tucker	Baltimore Ravens	Minnesota Vikings	14
4	Dan Bailey	Dallas Cowboys	Chicago Bears	13
5	Robbie Gould	Chicago Bears	Dallas Cowboys	13
6	Alex Henery	Philadelphia Eagles	Detroit Lions	12
7	David Akers	Detroit Lions	Philadelphia Eagles	12
8	Steven Hauschka	Seattle Seahawks	San Francisco 49ers	11
9	Adam Vinatieri	Indianapolis Colts	Cincinnati Bengals	10
10	Nick Novak	San Diego Chargers	New York Giants	9

Kicker Notes

This week, Adam Vinatieri notched 20 fantasy points in standard-scoring leagues, tying him with players like Tom Brady, Robert Griffin III and Spiller. Meanwhile, Justin Tucker accumulated 19 points, pulling him even with Stafford, Bell and Fred Jackson. 

The point is, if you hit the lottery with a kicker it can be the difference between a win and a loss. If you don't have a top-10 kicker on your team, you need to address that situation immediately.

Hit me up on Twitter—I'll answer your fantasy lineup questions, tweet random fantasy musings and try to discern if Josh Gordon is on a regimen of Super-Soldier Serum.