Fantasy Football Week 14: Flex and PPR Rankings

Week 14 of the 2014 NFL regular season is finally upon us, and for many leagues, it is the opening round of the fantasy football playoffs.

During the first week of the postseason, it is crucial for fantasy owners to start the right players in order to advance to the next round. Whether you are looking for a flex play or trying to break down your points-per-reception league, the following rankings should help decipher the optimal lineup.

Here are the overall flex and PPR rankings for Week 14. When in doubt, start the higher-ranked player on each list.

Flex Rankings

Rank	Player
1	DeMarco Murray, DAL, RB
2	Calvin Johnson, DET, WR
3	LeSean McCoy, PHI, RB
4	Arian Foster, HOU, RB
5	Demaryius Thomas, DEN, WR
6	Jordy Nelson, GB, WR
7	Antonio Brown, PIT, WR
8	Jamaal Charles, KC, RB
9	Dez Bryant, DAL, WR
10	Rob Gronkowski, NE, TE
11	Le'Veon Bell, PIT, RB
12	Matt Forte, CHI, RB
13	Marshawn Lynch, SEA, RB
14	A.J. Green, CIN, WR
15	Jimmy Graham, NO, TE
16	Julio Jones, ATL, WR
17	T.Y. Hilton, IND, WR
18	Eddie Lacy, GB, RB
19	Brandon Marshall, CHI, WR
20	Jeremy Maclin, PHI, WR
21	Alfred Morris, WAS, RB
22	C.J. Anderson, DEN, RB
23	Randall Cobb, GB, WR
24	Mike Evans, TB, WR
25	Odell Beckham, NYG, WR
27	Ryan Mathews, SD, RB
28	Kelvin Benjamin, CAR, WR
29	Emmanuel Sanders, DEN, WR
30	DeAndre Hopkins, HOU, WR
31	Justin Forsett, BAL, RB
32	Lamar Miller, MIA, RB
33	Rashad Jennings, NYG, RB
34	Roddy White, ATL, WR
35	Jason Witten, DAL, TE
36	Andre Ellington, ARI, RB
37	Alshon Jeffery, CHI, WR
38	Keenan Allen, SD, WR
39	Jeremy Hill, CIN, RB
40	Josh Gordon, CLE, WR
41	Sammy Watkins, BUF, WR
42	Tre Mason, StL, RB
43	Joique Bell, DET, RB
44	Andre Johnson, HOU, WR
45	Julian Edelman, NE, WR
46	Isaiah Crowell, CLE, RB
47	Mike Wallace, MIA, WR
48	Antonio Gates, SD, TE
49	Martavis Bryant, PIT, WR
50	Denard Robinson, JAX, RB

Finding the right flex play in Week 14 could be the difference between winning a fantasy championship and getting eliminated in the first round. Two possible options for owners will be Keenan Allen of the San Diego Chargers and Isaiah Crowell of the Cleveland Browns.

Allen owners have dealt with inconsistency all season, but San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers has been targeting the second-year player more often over the last several weeks. With 11 catches for 121 yards and two touchdowns in Week 13, the Chargers have increased Allen’s role in the offense.

San Diego plays the New England Patriots Sunday, and the game has the potential to be a shootout. With New England’s defense giving up 250.9 passing yards per game, Allen should catch at least seven passes for 100 yards and score a touchdown.

Another fantasy option this week is Crowell. Unlike Allen, the Cleveland running back is coming off one of his worst games of the season, but should bounce back against an Indianapolis Colts run defense that allows 107.8 yards per game.

While Crowell only had 29 yards on 17 carries against the stout run defense of Buffalo, he is still the team’s clear No. 1 back and should do much more damage with the same workload against Indianapolis.

With a yard-per-carry average of 4.4 this season, owners should expect Crowell to get 15 carries Sunday and amass 80 yards and one touchdown. Add in two receptions for 20 yards, and the Browns back will be a viable fantasy option.

Start Allen or Crowell as your flex this week and roll to a big first-round victory.

PPR Rankings

Rank	Player
1	Calvin Johnson, DET, WR
2	Arian Foster, HOU, RB
3	Antonio Brown, PIT, WR
4	LeSean McCoy, PHI, RB
5	DeMarco Murray, DAL, RB
6	Jordy Nelson, GB, WR
7	Matt Forte, CHI, RB
8	Demaryius Thomas, DEN, WR
9	Le'Veon Bell, PIT, RB
10	Jamaal Charles, KC, RB
11	T.Y. Hilton, IND, WR
12	Dez Bryant, DAL, WR
13	Odell Beckham, NYG, WR
14	Marshawn Lynch, SEA, RB
15	Rob Gronkowski, NE, TE
16	Randall Cobb, GB, WR
17	Jeremy Maclin, PHI, WR
18	Ryan Mathews, SD, RB
19	A.J. Green, CIN, WR
20	Jimmy Graham, NO, TE
21	Julio Jones, ATL, WR
22	C.J. Anderson, DEN, RB
23	Emmanuel Sanders, DEN, WR
24	DeAndre Hopkins, HOU, WR
25	Keenan Allen, SD, WR
27	Eddie Lacy, GB, RB
28	Julian Edelman, NE, WR
29	Alfred Morris, WAS, RB
30	Mike Evans, TB, WR
31	Brandon Marshall, CHI, WR
32	Justin Forsett, BAL, RB
33	Kelvin Benjamin, CAR, WR
34	Lamar Miller, MIA, RB
35	Alshon Jeffery, CHI, WR
36	Andre Ellington, ARI, RB
37	Josh Gordon, CLE, WR
38	Golden Tate, DET, WR
39	Jeremy Hill, CIN, RB
40	Roddy White, ATL, WR
41	Rashad Jennings, NYG, RB
42	Sammy Watkins, BUF, WR
43	Andre Johnson, HOU, WR
44	DeSean Jackson, WSH, WR
45	Percy Harvin, NYJ, WR
46	Mike Wallace, MIA, WR
47	Joique Bell, DET, RB
48	Tre Mason, StL, RB
49	Steve Smith, BAL, WR
50	Denard Robinson, JAX, RB

Fantasy owners in PPR leagues are in a different position altogether. Finding the players who will be targeted the most in Week 14 is imperative, and two options would be Detroit Lions wide receiver Golden Tate and Jacksonville Jaguars running back Denard Robinson.

For Tate, the improvements of the Lions pass offense have translated to even more targets over the last two weeks. With 20 targets and 12 receptions for 186 yards, including eight catches and 89 yards in Week 13, fantasy owners should expect another heavy workload against the lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Tampa Bay has struggled against the pass, allowing an average of 245.3 yards per game, and Matthew Stafford should be able to find Tate early and often. Owners should be expecting seven receptions for 90 yards and a touchdown Sunday.

Another viable option is Robinson. The Jaguars were expecting Toby Gerhart to be the team’s No. 1 running back, but Robinson has stolen the show and emerged as a viable fantasy option each and every week.

Robinson has struggled over the last two weeks, but he is still a red-zone threat and extremely dangerous in open space. While he isn’t running as well as he did earlier in the season, he has seen his role in the passing game increase, catching seven passes over the last two games.

With the Houston Texans giving up 111.9 yards per game on the ground and being susceptible to running backs catching the ball out of the backfield, owners should expect Robinson to amass 16 carries for 75 yards and a touchdown to go with his four receptions for 40 yards.

Both Tate and Robinson are viable flex options in PPR leagues.

*Stats via NFL.com.