Fantasy Football Rankings: Week 14 Big Board

The fantasy postseason is here...well, for the roughly 50 percent of you still in the championship hunt. Now, let's get the ball snapped to the quarterback and let it fly.

We present Bleacher Report's Week 14 Big Board, which is highlighted by analysis of the NFL's elite pocket passers in marquee matchups. You have some great places to look for big fantasy numbers, as the prime-time games feature the likes of gunslingers in highly anticipated shootouts, including Tony Romo at Jay Cutler (Thursday), Tom Brady at Philip Rivers (Sunday) and Matt Ryan at Aaron Rodgers (Monday).

Those all give added meaning to fantasy's prime time, Week 14 and the opener of the playoffs for the fortunate few of you. This slideshow will get you and your lineups ready for the storm of fantasy points.

Here we unveil the week's initial top 100 plays, including position-by-position rankings of all the fantasy options. You can use these rankings to weigh your starts and sits or gear up for your daily fantasy football lineups, drafts and rosters. These rankings represent our predictions for the highest scorers—relative to their use, game plan, health and matchup.

Top 100: Fantasy Should Love Tony Romo, Jay Cutler All over Again

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Some things just cannot be projected in the NFL these days. Fantasy has produced some huge point totals this season with the likes of even Ryan Fitzpatrick producing six touchdowns last week out of nowhere.

This does not apply to the Dallas Cowboys at the Chicago Bears. Fantasy points should come from everywhere instead of nowhere.

There is nothing better for a disgruntled Tony Romo owner than a matchup against the Bears defense, which has allowed the most points to fantasy quarterbacks this season, according FFToday.com. Romo is coming off a ghastly three-point fantasy performance at CBSSports.com against the Philadelphia Eagles on Thanksgiving Day. That should have been a wide-open performance, too.

We are not afraid to go back to the well on Romo, though, particularly with neither defense playing that well right now and the Las Vegas total over 50 points, per OddsShark.com. The points will also come from elite backs DeMarco Murray and Matt Forte, elite wideouts Dez Bryant, Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall—not to mention mid-range tight ends Martellus Bennett and Jason Witten. Even 2014 disappointment Terrance Williams might get back into the action Thursday night.

Romo expects a big rebound performance, too, telling ESPNDallas.com's Jean-Jacques Taylor: 

"

This is an important game, it's the biggest game we're playing to this point and it's going to be that way from here on out. We need to go get a win in Chicago. More than anything, it's time to start playing our best football and our football team needs to understand that. The sense of urgency is now, and I think that it's time to take the next step.

"

As we wrote in Tuesday's Insider Notebook at B/R, Romo is 5-0 with 1,164 yards passing, 12 touchdowns and a league-best 122.0 passer rating on the road this season, per the NFL media capsule preview.

Almost one-tenth of B/R's initial top 100 for Week 14 comes from this Thursday night matchup, with nine players appearing:

Week 14 Top 100 - Eric Mack

Rank	Flex Rankings	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	Aaron Rodgers	GB	vs. Atl	1	0
2	Peyton Manning	DEN	vs. Buf	2	0
3	DeMarco Murray	DAL	at Chi	4	+1
4	Eddie Lacy	GB	vs. Atl	19	+15
5	Arian Foster	HOU	at Jac	6	+1
6	Calvin Johnson	DET	vs. TB	22	+16
7	Antonio Brown	PIT	at Cin	38	+31
8	Drew Brees	NO	vs. Car	3	-5
9	Rob Gronkowski	NE	at SD	41	+32
10	Andrew Luck	IND	at Cle	5	-5
11	Matt Forte	CHI	vs. Dal	11	0
12	Demaryius Thomas	DEN	vs. Buf	28	+16
13	Jamaal Charles	KC	at Ari	25	+12
14	Jimmy Graham	NO	vs. Car	45	+31
15	Le'Veon Bell	PIT	at Cin	8	-7
16	LeSean McCoy	PHI	vs. Sea	43	+27
17	Jordy Nelson	GB	vs. Atl	30	+13
18	Marshawn Lynch	SEA	at Phi	27	+9
19	Dez Bryant	DAL	at Chi	33	+14
20	Julio Jones	ATL	at GB	50	+30
21	A.J. Green	CIN	vs. Pit	44	+23
22	Justin Forsett	BAL	at Mia	35	+13
23	Tre Mason	STL	at Was	46	+23
24	Josh Gordon	CLE	vs. Ind	53	+29
25	Tom Brady	NE	at SD	7	-18
26	Alshon Jeffery	CHI	vs. Dal	57	+31
27	Tony Romo	DAL	at Chi	10	-17
28	Randall Cobb	GB	vs. Atl	54	+26
29	Emmanuel Sanders	DEN	vs. Buf	49	+20
30	Odell Beckham	NYG	at Ten	55	+25
31	C.J. Anderson	DEN	vs. Buf	31	0
32	Brandon Marshall	CHI	vs. Dal	60	+28
33	Matt Ryan	ATL	at GB	16	-17
34	Matthew Stafford	DET	vs. TB	12	-22
35	T.Y. Hilton	IND	at Cle	59	+24
36	Rashad Jennings	NYG	at Ten	32	-4
37	Kelvin Benjamin	CAR	at NO	62	+25
38	Mark Ingram	NO	vs. Car	37	-1
39	Alfred Morris	WAS	vs. StL	51	+12
40	DeAndre Hopkins	HOU	at Jac	65	+25
41	Frank Gore	SF	at Oak	69	+28
42	Jeremy Hill	CIN	vs. Pit	56	+14
43	Mike Evans	TB	at Det	67	+24
44	Russell Wilson	SEA	at Phi	9	-35
45	Giovani Bernard	CIN	vs. Pit	63	+18
46	Keenan Allen	SD	vs. NE	71	+25
47	Jeremy Maclin	PHI	vs. Sea	77	+30
48	Isaiah Crowell	CLE	vs. Ind	52	+4
49	Jay Cutler	CHI	vs. Dal	13	-36
50	Philip Rivers	SD	vs. NE	14	-36
51	Lamar Miller	MIA	vs. Bal	74	+23
52	Joique Bell	DET	vs. TB	47	-5
53	Ben Roethlisberger	PIT	at Cin	17	-36
54	Ryan Mathews	SD	vs. NE	66	+12
55	Denard Robinson	JAC	vs. Hou	103	+48
56	Julius Thomas	DEN	vs. Buf	76	+20
57	LeGarrette Blount	NE	at SD	82	+25
58	Brandon LaFell	NE	at SD	75	+17
59	Cam Newton	CAR	at NO	18	-41
60	Mike Wallace	MIA	vs. Bal	73	+13
61	Carlos Hyde	SF	at Oak	145	+84
62	Eli Manning	NYG	at Ten	21	-41
63	Martellus Bennett	CHI	vs. Dal	81	+18
64	DeSean Jackson	WAS	vs. StL	80	+16
65	Dan Herron	IND	at Cle	61	-4
66	Fred Jackson	BUF	at Den	84	+18
67	Greg Olsen	CAR	at NO	89	+22
68	Joe Flacco	BAL	at Mia	39	-29
69	Steven Jackson	ATL	at GB	92	+23
70	Roddy White	ATL	at GB	79	+9
71	Jordan Matthews	PHI	vs. Sea	85	+14
72	Shane Vereen	NE	at SD	102	+30
73	Antonio Gates	SD	vs. NE	93	+20
74	Golden Tate	DET	vs. TB	70	-4
75	Jason Witten	DAL	at Chi	104	+29
76	Andre Johnson	HOU	at Jac	86	+10
77	Coby Fleener	IND	at Cle	115	+38
78	Andre Ellington	ARI	vs. KC	90	+12
79	Sammy Watkins	BUF	at Den	88	+9
80	Torrey Smith	BAL	at Mia	91	+11
81	Kenny Stills	NO	vs. Car	72	-9
82	Anquan Boldin	SF	at Oak	78	-4
83	Julian Edelman	NE	at SD	83	0
84	Jarvis Landry	MIA	vs. Bal	94	+10
85	Bishop Sankey	TEN	vs. NYG	87	+2
86	Kendall Wright	TEN	vs. NYG	101	+15
87	Marques Colston	NO	vs. Car	100	+13
88	Latavius Murray	OAK	vs. SF	118	+30
89	Ryan Fitzpatrick	HOU	at Jac	29	-60
90	Jordan Reed	WAS	vs. StL	114	+24
91	Ryan Tannehill	MIA	vs. Bal	15	-76
92	Michael Crabtree	SF	at Oak	109	+17
93	Colin Kaepernick	SF	at Oak	20	-73
94	Mohamed Sanu	CIN	vs. Pit	96	+2
95	Chris Ivory	NYJ	at Min	107	+12
96	Vincent Jackson	TB	at Det	97	+1
97	Johnny Manziel	CLE	vs. Ind	23	-74
98	Doug Martin	TB	at Det	142	+44
99	Eric Decker	NYJ	at Min	130	+31
100	Reggie Wayne	IND	at Cle	108	+8

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from over 100 experts provided by FantasyPros

Quarterbacks: Load Up on the Prime-Time Showdowns

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Every game the Green Bay Packers play with Aaron Rodgers healthy is halfway to a shootout, of course, but you throw in an Atlanta Falcons team with Matt Ryan and his pair of starting wideouts, and you have another marquee matchup. Rodgers-Ryan will cap an exciting first week of fantasy playoff action with some Monday-night magic.

You have to love when the Monday Night Football total is 56, as it is now at OddsShark.com. Strap it up, fantasy owners. You should be in for a wild ride with some exhilarating, if not scary, late twists.

This is a week of some great prime-time quarterback matchups. You have the Public Enemy duel Thursday night with Tony Romo's Dallas Cowboys at the Chicago Bears' Jay Cutler. Then, Sunday night's spread-it-around battle features Tom Brady's New England Patriots at Philip Rivers' San Diego Chargers. Rodgers-Ryan is the final course.

Each of those promises to push the total and carry fantasy owners in a crucial week. Load up on players from those games, particularly from the quarterback perspective.

Those matchups stock one half of B/R's Week 14 quarterback ranking for starters in standard, 12-team, one-quarterback formats:

Week 14 Quarterback Rankings - Eric Mack

Rank	Quarterbacks	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	Aaron Rodgers	GB	vs. Atl	1	0
2	Peyton Manning	DEN	vs. Buf	2	0
3	Drew Brees	NO	vs. Car	3	0
4	Andrew Luck	IND	at Cle	4	0
5	Tom Brady	NE	at SD	5	0
6	Tony Romo	DAL	at Chi	7	+1
7	Matt Ryan	ATL	at GB	13	+6
8	Matthew Stafford	DET	vs. TB	8	0
9	Russell Wilson	SEA	at Phi	6	-3
10	Jay Cutler	CHI	vs. Dal	9	-1
11	Philip Rivers	SD	vs. NE	11	0
12	Ben Roethlisberger	PIT	at Cin	12	0
13	Cam Newton	CAR	at NO	14	+1
14	Eli Manning	NYG	at Ten	19	+5
15	Joe Flacco	BAL	at Mia	25	+10
16	Ryan Fitzpatrick	HOU	at Jac	20	+4
17	Ryan Tannehill	MIA	vs. Bal	10	-7
18	Colin Kaepernick	SF	at Oak	15	-3
19	Johnny Manziel	CLE	vs. Ind	16	-3
20	Colt McCoy	WAS	vs. StL	22	+2
21	Mark Sanchez	PHI	vs. Sea	17	-4
22	Shaun Hill	STL	at Was	21	-1
23	Andy Dalton	CIN	vs. Pit	18	-5
24	Drew Stanton	ARI	vs. KC	30	+6
25	Kyle Orton	BUF	at Den	24	-1
26	Alex Smith	KC	at Ari	26	0
27	Josh McCown	TB	at Det	28	+1
28	Zach Mettenberger	TEN	vs. NYG	27	-1
29	Teddy Bridgewater	MIN	vs. NYJ	23	-6
30	Blake Bortles	JAC	vs. Hou	29	-1
31	Geno Smith	NYJ	at Min	34	+3
32	Brian Hoyer	CLE	vs. Ind	32	0
33	Michael Vick	NYJ	at Min	35	+2
34	Jake Locker	TEN	vs. NYG	31	-3

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from over 100 experts provided by FantasyPros

Running Backs: Frank Gore, Carlos Hyde Welcome Trip Across the Bay

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

We found out what St. Louis Rams rookie Tre Mason was made of against the Oakland Raiders. Now, we might get a true taste of the San Francisco 49ers' Carlos Hyde.

Frank Gore has been dealing with a knee issue, but he remains a solid option in that favorable matchup...even if we expect Hyde to get a lot of action, too. When the Raiders gave up those Week 13-high 33 fantasy points to Mason in CBSSports.com leagues, Gore and Hyde owners had to be licking their chops.

The 49ers have to get their once-vaunted ground game going again, as Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote. The Raiders are the perfect opponent against which to do that. Oakland is dead last in fantasy against running backs, having given up almost 2,000 combined yards rushing and receiving and a league-high 16 touchdowns to backs, according to FFToday.com.

We like Gore six spots higher and Hyde a whopping 15 spots higher than the analysts' consensus at FantasyPros.com.

Here are all of B/R's top running back plays for Week 14:

Week 14 Running Back Rankings - Eric Mack

Rank	Running Backs	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	DeMarco Murray	DAL	at Chi	1	0
2	Eddie Lacy	GB	vs. Atl	5	+3
3	Arian Foster	HOU	at Jac	2	-1
4	Matt Forte	CHI	vs. Dal	4	0
5	Jamaal Charles	KC	at Ari	6	+1
6	Le'Veon Bell	PIT	at Cin	3	-3
7	LeSean McCoy	PHI	vs. Sea	12	+5
8	Marshawn Lynch	SEA	at Phi	7	-1
9	Justin Forsett	BAL	at Mia	10	+1
10	Tre Mason	STL	at Was	13	+3
11	C.J. Anderson	DEN	vs. Buf	8	-3
12	Rashad Jennings	NYG	at Ten	9	-3
13	Mark Ingram	NO	vs. Car	11	-2
14	Alfred Morris	WAS	vs. StL	16	+2
15	Frank Gore	SF	at Oak	21	+6
16	Jeremy Hill	CIN	vs. Pit	17	+1
17	Giovani Bernard	CIN	vs. Pit	19	+2
18	Isaiah Crowell	CLE	vs. Ind	15	-3
19	Lamar Miller	MIA	vs. Bal	23	+4
20	Joique Bell	DET	vs. TB	14	-6
21	Ryan Mathews	SD	vs. NE	20	-1
22	Denard Robinson	JAC	vs. Hou	22	0
23	LeGarrette Blount	NE	at SD	25	+2
24	Carlos Hyde	SF	at Oak	39	+15
25	Dan Herron	IND	at Cle	18	-7
26	Fred Jackson	BUF	at Den	24	-2
27	Steven Jackson	ATL	at GB	29	+2
28	Shane Vereen	NE	at SD	30	+2
29	Andre Ellington	ARI	vs. KC	26	-3
30	Bishop Sankey	TEN	vs. NYG	27	-3
31	Latavius Murray	OAK	vs. SF	32	+1
32	Chris Ivory	NYJ	at Min	31	-1
33	Doug Martin	TB	at Det	40	+7
34	Trent Richardson	IND	at Cle	34	0
35	Terrance West	CLE	vs. Ind	45	+10
36	Chris Johnson	NYJ	at Min	38	+2
37	Jonathan Stewart	CAR	at NO	28	-9
38	Andre Williams	NYG	at Ten	43	+5
39	Jerick McKinnon	MIN	vs. NYJ	33	-6
40	Reggie Bush	DET	vs. TB	36	-4
41	Darren Sproles	PHI	vs. Sea	35	-6
42	Roy Helu	WAS	vs. StL	44	+2
43	Charles Sims	TB	at Det	49	+6
44	Alfred Blue	HOU	at Jac	53	+9
45	Jonas Gray	NE	at SD	50	+5
46	Marion Grice	ARI	vs. KC	42	-4
47	Pierre Thomas	NO	vs. Car	37	-10
48	Matt Asiata	MIN	vs. NYJ	41	-7
49	Stepfan Taylor	ARI	vs. KC	47	-2
50	DeAngelo Williams	CAR	at NO	60	+10
51	Brandon Bolden	NE	at SD	68	+17
52	Branden Oliver	SD	vs. NE	52	0
53	Robert Turbin	SEA	at Phi	55	+2
54	Theo Riddick	DET	vs. TB	46	-8
55	Darren McFadden	OAK	vs. SF	48	-7
56	Juwan Thompson	DEN	vs. Buf	54	-2
57	Anthony Dixon	BUF	at Den	57	0
58	Marcel Reece	OAK	vs. SF	51	-7
59	Devonta Freeman	ATL	at GB	56	-3
60	Ben Tate	MIN	vs. NYJ	62	+2
61	Toby Gerhart	JAC	vs. Hou	64	+3
62	Knile Davis	KC	at Ari	63	+1
63	Bryce Brown	BUF	at Den	69	+6
64	Christine Michael	SEA	at Phi	73	+9
65	Lorenzo Taliaferro	BAL	at Mia	87	+22
66	Jacquizz Rodgers	ATL	at GB	58	-8
67	Mike Tolbert	CAR	at NO	61	-6
68	Benny Cunningham	STL	at Was	59	-9
69	Joe Banyard	MIN	vs. NYJ	65	-4
70	Shonn Greene	TEN	vs. NYG	72	+2
71	Bobby Rainey	TB	at Det	70	-1
72	James Starks	GB	vs. Atl	67	-5
73	Joseph Randle	DAL	at Chi	75	+2
74	Bernard Pierce	BAL	at Mia	71	-3
75	Dexter McCluster	TEN	vs. NYG	66	-9

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from over 100 experts provided by FantasyPros

Wide Receivers: Fantasy Owners Still Waiting for Josh Gordon Home Run

Bill Wippert/Associated Press

Fantasy giveth and fantasy taketh away. Josh Gordon burst back upon the scene in Week 12 with his eight catches for 120 yards, but a quarterback switch with the Cleveland Browns from shaky veteran Brian Hoyer to wild-child Johnny Manziel saw Gordon slump to seven catches for 75 yards.

Most important, outside of the catch total and yardage, Gordon has yet to get into the end zone. Pin that on the quarterback(s) more than the wide receiver.

As much as you can love Gordon as a talent and like him as a fantasy starter, he just is not a home run without, well, the home runs.

Regardless of who starts, or finishes, the game at quarterback for the Browns, Gordon is a fantasy starter, particularly in PPR formats. Without faith in the quarterback play, Gordon cannot be considered among the top five.

The Indianapolis Colts are in the top 10 of fantasy against wide receivers and are top five in terms of number of receptions allowed to them, per FFToday.com. Gordon owners will be watching the status of Vontae Davis (concussion, per ESPN.com's Mike Wells) on the injury report this week.

Here are all of B/R's top receiver plays for Week 14:

Week 14 Wide Receiver Rankings - Eric Mack

Rank	Wide Receivers	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	Calvin Johnson	DET	vs. TB	1	0
2	Antonio Brown	PIT	at Cin	5	+3
3	Demaryius Thomas	DEN	vs. Buf	2	-1
4	Jordy Nelson	GB	vs. Atl	3	-1
5	Dez Bryant	DAL	at Chi	4	-1
6	Julio Jones	ATL	at GB	8	+2
7	A.J. Green	CIN	vs. Pit	6	-1
8	Josh Gordon	CLE	vs. Ind	9	+1
9	Alshon Jeffery	CHI	vs. Dal	12	+3
10	Randall Cobb	GB	vs. Atl	10	0
11	Emmanuel Sanders	DEN	vs. Buf	7	-4
12	Odell Beckham	NYG	at Ten	11	-1
13	Brandon Marshall	CHI	vs. Dal	14	+1
14	T.Y. Hilton	IND	at Cle	13	-1
15	Kelvin Benjamin	CAR	at NO	15	0
16	DeAndre Hopkins	HOU	at Jac	16	0
17	Mike Evans	TB	at Det	17	0
18	Keenan Allen	SD	vs. NE	20	+2
19	Jeremy Maclin	PHI	vs. Sea	23	+4
20	Denard Robinson	JAC	vs. Hou	41	+21
21	Brandon LaFell	NE	at SD	22	+1
22	Mike Wallace	MIA	vs. Bal	21	-1
23	DeSean Jackson	WAS	vs. StL	26	+3
24	Roddy White	ATL	at GB	24	0
25	Jordan Matthews	PHI	vs. Sea	27	+2
26	Golden Tate	DET	vs. TB	18	-8
27	Andre Johnson	HOU	at Jac	29	+2
28	Sammy Watkins	BUF	at Den	30	+2
29	Torrey Smith	BAL	at Mia	31	+2
30	Kenny Stills	NO	vs. Car	19	-11
31	Anquan Boldin	SF	at Oak	25	-6
32	Julian Edelman	NE	at SD	28	-4
33	Jarvis Landry	MIA	vs. Bal	32	-1
34	Kendall Wright	TEN	vs. NYG	34	0
35	Marques Colston	NO	vs. Car	37	+2
36	Michael Crabtree	SF	at Oak	46	+10
37	Mohamed Sanu	CIN	vs. Pit	33	-4
38	Vincent Jackson	TB	at Det	35	-3
39	Eric Decker	NYJ	at Min	58	+19
40	Reggie Wayne	IND	at Cle	43	+3
41	Stedman Bailey	STL	at Was	38	-3
42	Steve Smith	BAL	at Mia	36	-6
43	Donte Moncrief	IND	at Cle	44	+1
44	Percy Harvin	NYJ	at Min	45	+1
45	Cecil Shorts	JAC	vs. Hou	48	+3
46	Martavis Bryant	PIT	at Cin	40	-6
47	Davante Adams	GB	vs. Atl	49	+2
48	Doug Baldwin	SEA	at Phi	51	+3
49	Michael Floyd	ARI	vs. KC	54	+5
50	Rueben Randle	NYG	at Ten	52	+2
51	Larry Fitzgerald	ARI	vs. KC	63	+12
52	Pierre Garcon	WAS	vs. StL	59	+7
53	Terrance Williams	DAL	at Chi	60	+7
54	Wes Welker	DEN	vs. Buf	70	+16
55	Harry Douglas	ATL	at GB	65	+10
56	Dwayne Bowe	KC	at Ari	64	+8
57	Markus Wheaton	PIT	at Cin	75	+18
58	Robert Woods	BUF	at Den	42	-16
59	Malcom Floyd	SD	vs. NE	47	-12
60	Greg Jennings	MIN	vs. NYJ	55	-5
61	Charles Johnson	MIN	vs. NYJ	39	-22
62	Jermaine Kearse	SEA	at Phi	72	+10
63	Andrew Hawkins	CLE	vs. Ind	53	-10
64	Kenny Britt	STL	at Was	61	-3
65	Riley Cooper	PHI	vs. Sea	81	+16
66	Cordarrelle Patterson	MIN	vs. NYJ	85	+19
67	Nate Washington	TEN	vs. NYG	50	-17
68	James Jones	OAK	vs. SF	74	+6
69	John Brown	ARI	vs. KC	57	-12
70	Nick Toon	NO	vs. Car	77	+7
71	Marqise Lee	JAC	vs. Hou	56	-15
72	Andre Holmes	OAK	vs. SF	78	+6
73	Eddie Royal	SD	vs. NE	62	-11
74	Allen Hurns	JAC	vs. Hou	66	-8
75	Preston Parker	NYG	at Ten	83	+8
76	Steve Johnson	SF	at Oak	87	+11
77	Tavon Austin	STL	at Was	73	-4
78	Brian Hartline	MIA	vs. Bal	79	+1
79	Cole Beasley	DAL	at Chi	80	+1
80	Danny Amendola	NE	at SD	86	+6
81	Miles Austin	CLE	vs. Ind	67	-14
82	Chris Hogan	BUF	at Den	68	-14
83	Cody Latimer	DEN	vs. Buf	90	+7
84	Andre Roberts	WAS	vs. StL	76	-8
85	Hakeem Nicks	IND	at Cle	91	+6

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from over 100 experts provided by FantasyPros

Tight Ends: Fantasy Hoping for Jimmy Graham, Julius Thomas Rebounds

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Locking up Jimmy Graham in Round 1 looked like a safe move. It might have proved to be a costly one in fantasy Week 13, as Graham was held without a catch...or even a target. Julius Thomas (ankle) didn't even play. 

Those are two examples of the perils of putting your eggs into the tight end basket. You wind up with some goose eggs in crunch time.

You have to stick with Graham, and Thomas, if he plays. Thomas hopes to, he told ESPN.com's Jeff Legwold on Tuesday:

"

No crutches, no boots, I've been able to move the whole time. It's just getting that strength back. No, I won't be flying out for surgery in a couple days. ... I'm encouraged with how it's going, we'll see how it's going this week. I hate having to watch our team go out there and play without me. ... Got to be cautious, go (sic) to make sure everything happens in the right time and come back when I'm fully ready to go.

"

If Thomas plays, you start him. After all, even a fully healthy Graham-like end can take a zero in any given week.

Here are B/R's top tight end plays for Week 14:

Week 14 Tight End Rankings - Eric Mack

Rank	Tight Ends	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	Rob Gronkowski	NE	at SD	1	0
2	Jimmy Graham	NO	vs. Car	2	0
3	Julius Thomas	DEN	vs. Buf	3	0
4	Martellus Bennett	CHI	vs. Dal	4	0
5	Greg Olsen	CAR	at NO	5	0
6	Antonio Gates	SD	vs. NE	6	0
7	Jason Witten	DAL	at Chi	8	+1
8	Coby Fleener	IND	at Cle	10	+2
9	Jordan Reed	WAS	vs. StL	9	0
10	Delanie Walker	TEN	vs. NYG	7	-3
11	Travis Kelce	KC	at Ari	11	0
12	Larry Donnell	NYG	at Ten	12	0
13	Dwayne Allen	IND	at Cle	14	+1
14	Vernon Davis	SF	at Oak	25	+11
15	Jordan Cameron	CLE	vs. Ind	15	0
16	Owen Daniels	BAL	at Mia	22	+6
17	Kyle Rudolph	MIN	vs. NYJ	13	-4
18	Heath Miller	PIT	at Cin	16	-2
19	Mychal Rivera	OAK	vs. SF	17	-2
20	Charles Clay	MIA	vs. Bal	19	-1
21	Jared Cook	STL	at Was	18	-3
22	Eric Ebron	DET	vs. TB	29	+7
23	Zach Ertz	PHI	vs. Sea	20	-3
24	Tim Wright	NE	at SD	21	-3
25	Jermaine Gresham	CIN	vs. Pit	23	-2
26	Anthony Fasano	KC	at Ari	27	+1
27	Scott Chandler	BUF	at Den	30	+3
28	Richard Rodgers	GB	vs. Atl	24	-4
29	Ladarius Green	SD	vs. NE	32	+3
30	Tony Moaeki	SEA	at Phi	31	+1
31	Luke Willson	SEA	at Phi	28	-3

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from over 100 experts provided by FantasyPros

Defense/Special Teams: New York Jets Fresh Meat for Minnesota Vikings

Adam Bettcher/Getty Images

As much as you cannot count on the Minnesota Vikings defense in fantasy this season, you have to love betting against the New York Jets. The Vikings draw the defunct Jets at home this week.

Think bad quarterback, sacks, turnovers and a whole lot of fantasy defense/special teams goodness. This Vikings team is fresh off dismantling a decent fantasy quarterback, Cam Newton, in a 31-13 victory this past Sunday.

Expect an even worse performance from Rex Ryan's woeful crew on the road in a short week, coming off that loss to the Miami Dolphins on Monday night.

Pick up the Vikings with confidence. They are a top-eight here for us at B/R: 

Week 14 Defenses and Special Teams Rankings - Eric Mack

Rank	Defenses and Special Teams	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	San Francisco 49ers	SF	at Oak	3	+2
2	Houston Texans	Hou	at Jac	1	-1
3	Detroit Lions	Det	vs. TB	2	-1
4	Denver Broncos	Den	vs. Buf	7	+3
5	St. Louis Rams	StL	at Was	5	0
6	Indianapolis Colts	Ind	at Cle	11	+5
7	Green Bay Packers	GB	vs. Atl	6	-1
8	Minnesota Vikings	Min	vs. NYJ	4	-4
9	New England Patriots	NE	at SD	18	+9
10	Seattle Seahawks	Sea	at Phi	10	0
11	Baltimore Ravens	Bal	at Mia	15	+4
12	Arizona Cardinals	Ari	vs. KC	9	-3
13	Miami Dolphins	Mia	vs. Bal	8	-5
14	New York Giants	NYG	at Ten	17	+3
15	Kansas City Chiefs	KC	at Ari	12	-3
16	New Orleans Saints	NO	vs. Car	13	-3
17	Cincinnati Bengals	Cin	vs. Pit	16	-1
18	Dallas Cowboys	Dal	at Chi	21	+3
19	Pittsburgh Steelers	Pit	at Cin	20	+1
20	Philadelphia Eagles	Phi	vs. Sea	14	-6

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from over 100 experts provided by FantasyPros

Kickers: Connor Barth Fitting Right in for Denver Broncos, Fantasy

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

Connor Barth has a home with the Denver Broncos now and a secure spot in fantasy football starting lineups in postseason crunch time.

Barth is coming off five field goals Sunday, and he gets the benefit of all those points we expect Peyton Manning's offense to produce on a weekly basis. Heck, the Buffalo Bills might even help you out by keeping Manning out of the end zone some this week.

Barth is among the top 12 starting kickers in B/R's Week 14 rankings:

Week 14 Kicker Rankings - Eric Mack

Rank	Kickers	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	Stephen Gostkowski	NE	at SD	1	0
2	Steven Hauschka	SEA	at Phi	6	+4
3	Justin Tucker	BAL	at Mia	7	+4
4	Dan Bailey	DAL	at Chi	2	-2
5	Adam Vinatieri	IND	at Cle	3	-2
6	Mason Crosby	GB	vs. Atl	4	-2
7	Phil Dawson	SF	at Oak	8	+1
8	Cody Parkey	PHI	vs. Sea	5	-3
9	Matt Prater	DET	vs. TB	11	+2
10	Shayne Graham	NO	vs. Car	12	+2
11	Connor Barth	DEN	vs. Buf	9	-2
12	Blair Walsh	MIN	vs. NYJ	15	+3
13	Matt Bryant	ATL	at GB	18	+5
14	Caleb Sturgis	MIA	vs. Bal	20	+6
15	Nick Novak	SD	vs. NE	10	-5
16	Chandler Catanzaro	ARI	vs. KC	21	+5
17	Shaun Suisham	PIT	at Cin	16	-1
18	Mike Nugent	CIN	vs. Pit	14	-4
19	Dan Carpenter	BUF	at Den	17	-2
20	Greg Zuerlein	STL	at Was	24	+4

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from over 100 experts provided by FantasyPros

Follow @EricMackFantasy

Eric Mack, one of the giants among fantasy writers, is the Fantasy Football Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, where you can ask him endless questions about your team, rip him for his content and even challenge him to a head-to-head fantasy game.