Week 14 Fantasy Football Rankings: Top Players at Every Position

Fantasy football playoffs are either starting or about to start heading into Week 14, which means that every move counts for your team.

The Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans have already played this week, and a few had some nice fantasy performances.  Six players had at least 10 points, with Andre Johnson and Chad Henne each putting up 15 as the Jaguars went on to win 27-20.

With that first game out of the way, let's take a look at the rankings for the rest of Week 14 for each position, including kickers and defenses, followed by a breakdown of the most interesting player to watch for at each position.

Note: All information regarding points scored is based off of ESPN's standard scoring leagues.

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent
1	Peyton Manning	DEN	TEN
2	Matthew Stafford	DET	@PHI
3	Cam Newton	CAR	@NO
4	Tom Brady	NE	CLE
5	Nick Foles	PHI	DET
6	Drew Brees	NO	CAR
7	Russell Wilson	SEA	@SF
8	Josh McCown	CHI	DAL
9	Alex Smith	KC	@WSH
10	Tony Romo	DAL	@CHI

Player to Watch: Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints

It's been a terrific season for Drew Brees, at least up until last week against the Seattle Seahawks.  Brees scored just seven points, making it the only time he's scored less than 12 points in a game this season.

While the New Orleans Saints and Brees will be looking for a bounce-back game this week, it will be very hard going against the Carolina Panthers, who are one of the hottest teams in the NFL right now.  They're allowing just 9.1 fantasy points per game to opposing QBs this season, which is the best mark in the league.

I think that Brees will still put up some respectable numbers, but they won't be nearly as impressive as they usually are, which could hurt some teams' chances this week.

Running Backs

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent
1	Jamaal Charles	KC	@WSH
2	Adrian Peterson	MIN	@BAL
3	Knowshon Moreno	DEN	TEN
4	Matt Forte	CHI	DAL
5	Eddie Lacy	GB	ATL
6	Reggie Bush	DET	@PHI
7	DeMarco Murray	DAL	@CHI
8	Marshawn Lynch	SEA	@SF
9	Andre Brown	NYG	@SD
10	LeSean McCoy	PHI	DET

Player to Watch: DeMarco Murray, Dallas Cowboys

After putting up his biggest game of the season, fantasy owners are hoping that DeMarco Murray can carry that success into this week's game against the Chicago Bears.

Murray went off on Thanksgiving, running for 63 yards and three touchdowns while scoring 27 fantasy points.  He missed a couple of weeks in the middle of the season, but he's come back strong, scoring a total of 53 points over the last three games.

This could be another big game for Murray, as the Bears seriously struggle against the run.  They're allowing 153.6 rushing yards per game, which is the most in the league, while also giving up 20.6 fantasy points per game to opposing running backs.

It's hard to not like Murray this week.  If the Dallas Cowboys can grab an early lead, they can lean on Murray, and he should be able to put up at least 100 rushing yards.

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent
1	Calvin Johnson	DET	@PHI
2	A.J. Green	CIN	IND
3	Brandon Marshall	CHI	DAL
4	Dez Bryant	DAL	@CHI
5	Josh Gordon	CLE	@NE
6	DeSean Jackson	PHI	DET
7	Demaryius Thomas	DEN	TEN
8	Alshon Jeffery	CHI	DAL
9	Larry Fitzgerald	ARI	STL
10	Vincent Jackson	TB	BUF

Player to Watch: Alshon Jeffery, Chicago Bears

If you haven't watched Alshon Jeffery play lately, you really need to.  He put up 36 fantasy points last week, catching 12 passes for 249 yards and two touchdowns, making it his third game this season with at least 20 points.

Unfortunately, he's also struggled with consistency.  In six other games, he's scored in just single digits, including the two games before this past week.

However, a game against the Cowboys, who give up 294.9 passing yards per game, should help him put up yet another big performance.

Tight Ends

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent
1	Rob Gronkowski	NE	CLE
2	Jimmy Graham	NO	CAR
3	Vernon Davis	SF	SEA
4	Jason Witten	DAL	@CHI
5	Julius Thomas	DEN	TEN
6	Greg Olsen	CAR	@NO
7	Antonio Gates	SD	NYG
8	Tony Gonzalez	ATL	@GB
9	Martellus Bennett	CHI	DAL
10	Jordan Reed	WSH	KC

Player to Watch: Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta Falcons

It hasn't been the best season for Tony Gonzalez, but it certainly hasn't been a bad one.  The 37-year-old tight end has caught 62 passes for 653 yards and five touchdowns this year, and he has a chance to have a good game against the Green Bay Packers.

The Packers are seriously struggling without Aaron Rodgers, and the defense continues to be exposed.  The secondary has continued to get gashed this season, allowing 250.5 passing yards per game while the defense as a whole has given up at least 26 points in every game since the injury to Rodgers.

While Gonzalez is listed as questionable, he did practice on a limited basis all week, which is a good sign he'll be good to go and have a respectable game.

Kickers

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent
1	Stephen Gostowski	NE	CLE
2	Justin Tucker	BAL	MIN
3	Matt Prater	DEN	TEN
4	Adam Vinatieri	IND	@CIN
5	Steven Hauschka	SEA	@SF
6	Robbie Gould	CHI	DAL
7	Blair Walsh	MIN	@BAL
8	Nick Novak	SD	NYG
9	Shaun Suisham	PIT	MIA
10	Mason Crosby	GB	ATL

Player to Watch: Adam Vinatieri, Indianapolis Colts

After blowing up for 20 points on five field goals and an extra point last season, it's safe to say that Adam Vinatieri is still a valuable fantasy option, even at 40 years old.

The Indianapolis Colts have been able to drive down the field, but recently they've struggled getting into the end zone.  That's not necessarily a bad thing for Vinatieri, as he's gotten a lot of opportunities these past few weeks.

The Cincinnati Bengals have a strong defense, so the Colts might struggle to put up big points, but look for Vinatieri to get some field goal opportunities.

Defense/Special Teams

Rank	Team	Opponent
1	Cincinnati Bengals	IND
2	Seattle Seahawks	@SF
3	Arizona Cardinals	STL
4	New England Patriots	CLE
5	Baltimore Ravnes	MIN
6	Carolina Panthers	@NO
7	Kansas City Chiefs	@WSH
8	St. Louis Rams	@ARI
9	San Francisco 49ers	SEA
10	Oakland Raiders	@NYJ

Team to Watch: Cincinnati Bengals

I really thought that the Bengals would struggle without Leon Hall and Geno Atkins, but they've proven otherwise, stepping up in a big way over their past three games.

After putting up negative points in Week 7, the Bengals have turned things around, scoring at least 11 points in four of their last five games.  With how much the Colts are struggling on offense, I think the Bengals won't have much trouble putting up another respectable performance.