Week 14 Fantasy Football Projections: Predicting Top Performers at Each Position

In the course of a week, you scour the waiver wire, read the projections for your players, do your own research and eventually come up with a starting lineup. Then you get nervous, switch a few players around and finally decide to stop tinkering. 

And then Sunday morning comes, and you basically begin the whole process again. I know, it's essentially my weekly routine.

But sometimes, you just want to identify a few players who you should be starting, no questions asked, no fretting and no second-guessing. On this list, you'll find them. If you have the following players in your lineup, save yourself a bit of stress and leave them in that starting spot. 

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

Breaking Down Nick Foles

Nick Foles has arrived, folks. He has 19 touchdown passes, no interceptions and is 5-1 as a starter, helping the Philadelphia Eagles become relevant in the playoff picture. He's also been red-hot for fantasy owners savvy enough to add him, averaging 27.7 fantasy points in his past four games.

This week, he faces a Detroit Lions defense that has allowed 16 or more fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks in seven of the past eight weeks. If you own him, you absolutely should be starting him.

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

Breaking Down DeMarco Murray

The issue for Murray isn't how productive he is when healthy. In seven of the nine games he's played this season, he's scored nine or more fantasy points and has reached double-digit tallies seven times. The talent is there, and when the Dallas Cowboys make him a focal point of the game plan, he generally makes fantasy owners very happy.

Injuries will always be a concern for Murray, but he seems to be healthy now and has accumulated 53 fantasy points in the past three games. This week, he faces a Chicago Bears defense that has given up 20 or more fantasy points to opposing running backs in seven of the past eight weeks.

Look for Murray to shred this defense and make his fantasy owners very, very happy.

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

Breaking Down Vincent Jackson

Owning Vincent Jackson has always been a bit of a roller-coaster ride, as he'll absolutely blow up in certain weeks and disappear in others. In his past six games, he's had point totals of seven, one, two, 22, six and seven. 

Not exactly the picture of consistency.

Still, Jackson has a pretty tasty matchup against the Buffalo Bills this week, a team that just gave up 10 receptions for 143 yards to Roddy White. The Bills have given up 18 or more fantasy points to opposing wide receivers 10 times this season, so V-Jax should have a big afternoon.

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

Breaking Down Jared Cook

Jared Cook at No. 5? JARED FREAKING COOK?!

Yes, Jared Cook. I know he's been less boom and more bust this year, but a matchup against the Arizona Cardinals this week is just begging to be exploited.

Arizona has been dreadful against tight ends this year, allowing 14.5 fantasy points to opposing tight ends per week, by far the worst mark in the NFL. And remember, Cook torched this defense for seven catches, 141 yards and two touchdowns in Week 1. 

He's rarely a safe option. This week, he seems about as safe as it gets at the shaky tight end position.

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

Breaking Down the Baltimore Ravens

I've gone back and forth on this pick. The Ravens have been pretty inconsistent, with seven weeks of seven fantasy points or more, four weeks with double-digit points and five weeks of four points or less. They generally either really help you or really hurt you.

But even with Adrian Peterson, the Minnesota Vikings have allowed opposing defenses to score 10 or more points eight times this season. All Day will get his, but expect the Ravens to force turnovers when the Vikings are forced to pass and to really pressure the quarterback, as they have 37 sacks on the season, tied for fourth in the NFL.

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

Breaking Down Justin Tucker

Folks, Justin Tucker had 19 fantasy points this week, which put him equal with players like Matt Stafford, Le'Veon Bell and Fred Jackson. Didn't see that one coming, huh?

Well, don't be surprised if he puts up big numbers against a Vikings team that has given up seven or more fantasy points 10 times this season and has given up double-digit points to kickers in five of the last six weeks.

That's right, folks—serious kicker analysis coming at you. Kickers are fickle beasts, but Tucker has been quite good for owners this year (nine weeks with eight or more fantasy points) and has a plus matchup, so keep him in that starting lineup.

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.