Week 14 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Fantasy Football Stars to Play and Bench

Sorry Jim Mora, fantasy football players need to talk about playoffs now.

Most fake leagues have adapted the NFL conference format of six teams clashing in the postseason, with the top two clubs receiving a week off to relax and watch the other four squirm. For those shining stars awarded a Week 14 bye, take a load off. Tackle that Netflix queue. Catch up with friends you lost contact with once the season commenced.

As for the others approaching desperate times, at least you get a chance to go down swinging. Anything can happen in a single-elimination playoff system. Just ask Eli Manning.

Put your best foot forward during this make-or-break week by starting and sitting these players.

Start

Pos.	Player	Team	Opponent
QB	Tony Romo	Dallas Cowboys	Chicago Bears (Thur.)
RB	Joique Bell	Detroit Lions	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
RB	Bishop Sankey	Tennessee Titans	New York Giants
WR	Jarvis Landry	Miami Dolphins	Baltimore Ravens
WR	Robert Woods	Buffalo Bills	Denver Broncos
TE	Jordan Reed	Washington Redskins	St. Louis Rams

Tony Romo stunk last week. Given a tasty Thanksgiving matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, he knocked some fantasy managers out of playoff contention with a no-touchdown, two-interception dud.

For those who live to fight another day, forgive the polarizing quarterback and trust him to make amends Thursday night. Only two teams (the Baltimore Ravens and the Atlanta Falcons) have allowed more passing yards than the Chicago Bears, who yield 19.0 fantasy points per game to passers under ESPN.com standard scoring.

It's easy to say Romo scrapes the bottom of the barrel all the time, but that represented his first game without a touchdown pass since Sept. 23, 2012. According to ESPN Stats & Info, only one legend touts a longer current streak:

Chicago proved a great slump-buster for Matthew Stafford, who threw for a season-high 390 yards and two scores after getting blanked in the touchdown column during his prior two bouts. Romo had an off day, but he's still produced a stellar season with 22 passing touchdowns, eight picks, a 68.2 completion percentage and 8.39 yards per attempt.

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Following weeks of sporadic production, Joique Bell reaffirmed his status as a No. 2 fantasy back by claiming his first multitouchdown game of the season. He stuffed the Bears for 107 yards and two scores on a season-high 25 touches.

That, of course, was without Reggie Bush, who hasn't played since Nov. 9. That should change Sunday. ESPN.com's Michael Rothstein reported that Bush participated fully in Wednesday's practice, a strong harbinger for his Week 14 return:

Bell is no longer heavily utilized as a pass-catcher like in previous years, but he also supplanted Bush as the Detroit Lions' top runner. Even when the former USC star has played, he has never received more than a dozen carries in a game.

With or without Bush, trust Bell again against a No. 18 Tampa Bay Buccaneers rushing defense that has given clearance to 11 rushing touchdowns this year.

Bishop Sankey's two touchdowns and 3.9 yards per carry don't exactly inspire much confidence. Yet he's facing the imploding New York Giants, who surrender 4.9 yards a run. This is the rookie's big chance to make anew for himself in the fantasy universe.

When it comes to wide receivers, owners can rest easier starting heavily targeted choices. In his last four games, Jarvis Landry has caught 27 passes on 37 looks, compiling 220 yards and three scores in the process. Now, he gets the Baltimore Ravens, who rank 31st in passing defense.

Landry is a nice and safe No. 3 wideout, but Robert Woods presents a riskier roll of the dice with more upside. An ignored man with Sammy Watkins roaming the other side, the sophomore has scooped up 189 yards and a score over his past two tilts. The Denver Broncos are ferocious against the run, and the Buffalo Bills will be forced to air it out to keep up with Peyton Manning.

In three games started by Colt McCoy, Jordan Reed has grabbed 21 receptions for 217 yards. Even if he cannot break his touchdown drought, he's a top-10 tight end given Washington's new quarterback's affinity for targeting the tight end.

Sit

Pos.	Player	Team	Opponent
QB	Colin Kaepernick	San Francisco 49ers	Oakland Raiders
RB	Fred Jackson	Buffalo Bills	Denver Broncos
RB	Steven Jackson	Atlanta Falcons	Green Bay Packers (Mon.)
WR	Steve Smith Sr.	Baltimore Ravens	Miami Dolphins
WR	Vincent Jackson	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Detroit Lions
TE	Larry Donnell	New York Giants	Tennessee Titans

To find Colin Kaepernick's last strong fantasy outing, one must trek back to Week 6, when he posted his only 300-yard and three-touchdown passing game of the season.

Outside of that strong performance against the St. Louis Rams, he simply hasn't played to a starting quarterback level. Since that game, he is averaging 213.3 passing yards and 18.5 rushing yards per contest with five touchdowns and four interceptions.

The schedule served up some good matchups in Washington, the Giants and the New Orleans Saints, yet he never capitalized. Given his struggles and the Oakland Raiders' surprising top-10 passing defense, look for the San Francisco 49ers to run down their opponent's threat Sunday, leaving little chance for Kaepernick to thrive from a raw output perspective.

After missing three weeks, Fred Jackson has averaged 63.7 total yards per game on 3.3 yards per carry. Although he received his heaviest workload of the season against the Cleveland Browns, the veteran now squares off against Denver's No. 2 rushing defense.

The 33-year-old has lasted longer than most running backs, but he is gradually fading into fantasy obscurity, amounting to no more than a matchup play. Saddled with a brutal opponent, he's not worth a start this weekend.

Neither is 31-year-old Steven Jackson, even after procuring his first 100-yard rushing game with the Atlanta Falcons. As he acknowledged to ESPN's Vaughn McClure, he did so against an elite front seven: "We faced a very challenging defense in the Arizona Cardinals. They're really good, especially against the run. And the offensive line did a great job of creating holes for myself and the other guys." 

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Yet he needed a 55-yard rush to reach that plateau, and he previously broke off one run over 20 yards through 11 games. It's not a good bet to count on him breaking off another huge gainer against the Green Bay Packers, whose prolific offense will force the Atlanta Falcons to air it out playing from behind.

At the risk of sounding ageist, veterans Steve Smith and Vincent Jackson are also best left on the bench this weekend. Smith started off as one of the league's hottest receivers, but he quickly tailed off during the latter portion of the season.

Stat	First 6	Last 6
Receptions	35	19
Targets	54	39
Yards	573	246
Touchdowns	4	1

He may get some benefit of the doubt in a good matchup but not against the Miami Dolphins, who boast an NFL-best 6.1 yards per opposing pass attempt. The same goes for Jackson, who gets Detroit's No. 12 passing defense. He's too hit or miss to trust against a tough foe.

Rounding out the cynical section, Larry Donnell has now coughed up four fumbles this season, the last of which fueled a catastrophic collapse to the Jacksonville Jaguars last week. The coach never forgave running back David Wilson for fumbling once, so how long until he turns on his tight end?

Ever since his three-touchdown breakout during Week 4, Donnell has averaged three catches and 35 yards per game. His floor is too low, and his ceiling no longer spans high enough to justify the gambit.