Fantasy Football Week 14 Rankings: Last-Minute Outlook for Flex Players

Week 14 is arguably the funnest yet most stressful weekend of the season for fantasy football players.  With most league playoffs beginning, fantasy teams are now in a week-by-week existence, as even the slightest breaks often make the difference in whether or not your season continues.

Thus, the difference at the margins is magnified.  Nowhere can you gain a bigger edge than the flex position, which is often overlooked but always serves as a wild-card position that can create tremendous separation, for better or worse.  The flex is often where owners will take a gamble on an unproven backup due to receive more touches, or a struggling player with a juicy matchup.

Taking a look at the top 100 flex options for this week, let's survey the skill-position landscape this week, highlighting some of the most divisive decisions.  Note that these rankings exclude Thursday night's game between the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears.

Rank	Player/Team/Opponent
1	Le'Veon Bell (PIT) at CIN
2	Arian Foster (HOU) at JAC
3	Eddie Lacy (GB) vs. ATL
4	Calvin Johnson (DET) vs. TB
5	Jamaal Charles (KC) at ARI
6	Marshawn Lynch (SEA) at PHI
7	Demaryius Thomas (DEN) vs. BUF
8	Jordy Nelson (GB) vs. ATL
9	Antonio Brown (PIT) at CIN
10	Mark Ingram (NO) vs. CAR
11	C.J. Anderson (DEN) vs. BUF
12	Rob Gronkowski (NE) at SD
13	A.J. Green (CIN) vs. PIT
14	LeSean McCoy (PHI) vs. SEA
15	Justin Forsett (BAL) at MIA
16	Jimmy Graham (NO) vs. CAR
17	Julio Jones (ATL) at GB
18	Tre Mason (STL) at WAS
19	Josh Gordon (CLE) vs. IND
20	Randall Cobb (GB) vs. ATL
21	Joique Bell (DET) vs. TB
22	Emmanuel Sanders (DEN) vs. BUF
23	Ty Hilton (IND) at CLE
24	DeAndre Hopkins (HOU) at JAC
25	Daniel Herron (IND) at CLE
26	Alfred Morris (WAS) vs. STL
27	Odell Beckham Jr. (NYG) at TEN
28	Kelvin Benjamin (CAR) at NO
29	Ryan Mathews (SD) vs. NE
30	Isaiah Crowell (CLE) vs. IND
31	Jeremy Hill (CIN) vs. PIT
32	Giovani Bernard (CIN) vs. PIT
33	Mike Evans (TB) at DET
34	Frank Gore (SF) at OAK
35	Rashad Jennings (NYG) at TEN
36	Golden Tate (DET) vs. TB
37	Brandon LaFell (NE) at SD
38	Lamar Miller (MIA) vs. BAL
39	Kenny Stills (NO) vs. CAR
40	Mike Wallace (MIA) vs. BAL
41	Jeremy Maclin (PHI) vs. SEA
42	Jonathan Stewart (CAR) at NO
43	Fred Jackson (BUF) at DEN
44	Keenan Allen (SD) vs. NE
45	Anquan Boldin (SF) at OAK
46	Julius Thomas (DEN) vs. BUF
47	Jordan Matthews (PHI) vs. SEA
48	Roddy White (ATL) at GB
49	Jarvis Landry (MIA) vs. BAL
50	Andre Johnson (HOU) at JAC
51	Julian Edelman (NE) at SD
52	Bishop Sankey (TEN) vs. NYG
53	Torrey Smith (BAL) at MIA
54	DeSean Jackson (WAS) vs. STL
55	Denard Robinson (JAC) vs. HOU
56	Greg Olsen (CAR) at NO
57	LeGarrette Blount (NE) at SD
58	Shane Vereen (NE) at SD
59	Antonio Gates (SD) vs. NE
60	Delanie Walker (TEN) vs. NYG
61	Steven Jackson (ATL) at GB
62	Sammy Watkins (BUF) at DEN
63	Mohamed Sanu (CIN) vs. PIT
64	Stedman Bailey (STL) at WAS
65	Marques Colston (NO) vs. CAR
66	Steve Smith (BAL) at MIA
67	Vincent Jackson (TB) at DET
68	Robert Woods (BUF) at DEN
69	Charles Johnson (MIN) vs. NYJ
70	Chris Johnson (NYJ) at MIN
71	Christopher Ivory (NYJ) at MIN
72	Reggie Wayne (IND) at CLE
73	Kendall Wright (TEN) vs. NYG
74	Donte Moncrief (IND) at CLE
75	Michael Crabtree (SF) at OAK
76	Jordan Reed (WAS) vs. STL
77	Malcom Floyd (SD) vs. NE
78	Martavis Bryant (PIT) at CIN
79	Jordan Reed (WAS) vs. STL
80	Davante Adams (GB) vs. ATL
81	Travis Kelce (KC) at ARI
82	Percy Harvin (NYJ) at MIN
83	Coby Fleener (IND) at CLE
84	Andre Williams (NYG) at TEN
85	Andrew Hawkins (CLE) vs. IND
86	Doug Baldwin (SEA) at PHI
87	Kyle Rudolph (MIN) vs. NYJ
88	Eric Decker (NYJ) at MIN
89	Michael Floyd (ARI) vs. KC
90	Pierre Garcon (WAS) vs. STL
91	Doug Martin (TB) at DET
92	Darren Sproles (PHI) vs. SEA
93	Pierre Thomas (NO) vs. CAR
94	Kenny Britt (STL) at WAS
95	Dwayne Allen (IND) at CLE
96	John Brown (ARI) vs. KC
97	Jordan Cameron (CLE) vs. IND
98	Terrance West (CLE) vs. IND
99	Jared Cook (STL) at WAS
100	Carlos Hyde (SF) at OAK

Eagles Receivers

Lincoln Financial Field will be the site of this weekend's best matchup on the perimeter, pitting the Legion of Boom against a speedy and versatile Philadelphia Eagles receiving corps.  For fantasy owners reliant upon Chip Kelly's high-volume system, this arrives at a poor time, as the Seahawks have allowed the fewest fantasy points to opposing wide receivers.

Thus, Jeremy Maclin owners may need to dig deeper into their bench this week.  Maclin has been a true No. 1 fantasy receiver this year, having accrued the fourth-most points at the position, but he could find himself shut down by Richard Sherman on Sunday:

However, Maclin owners may be able to bail themselves out with his teammate, rookie Jordan Matthews.  According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), the second-rounder is already one of the league's most efficient slot receivers, with a 68.9 percent catch rate from the slot that ranks 10th in the league.  

Thus, Matthews figures to receive a far more tenable assignment against some combination of Tharold Simon, Marcus Burley and Jeremy Lane.  The rookie has become a go-to red-zone target on Philly's "four verticals" concepts, where his size-speed combination makes him a primary option down the seam.  

Currently, Matthews is owned in just 62.6 percent of standard leagues, even though he has scored five touchdowns over the last five weeks.  Matthews is a must-own in every league, and given the likelihood that Sherman forces Mark Sanchez to look away from Maclin, both receivers are arguably clear No. 2 plays at this point.

Bengals Backfield

STEVE NESIUS/Associated Press

Timeshares are always anathema to fantasy owners, and though they are not quite on the same infuriating level as the New England Patriots, the Cincinnati Bengals are confounding fantasy owners at the moment.  Both Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill have been borderline No. 1 running backs for brief stretches this season, but with both healthy, it appears a 50-50 split is in order.

Since Bernard returned to the lineup in Week 12, he has received 30 total touches, while Hill has notched 36. The two are essentially equal in yards per touch over that span—Hill has accrued 4.1, while Bernard has 4.0—but the LSU rookie appeared first in line over the veteran last week, receiving 17 touches to Bernard's 11.

The advanced metrics suggest that the Week 13 distribution should remain steady, as Hill has been a more efficient per-play back this season. Football Outsiders' opponent-adjusted DVOA metric ranks Hill 11th and Bernard 26th among running backs, while Advanced Football Analytics measures Hill as having contributed 5.0 Expected Points Added (EPA), whereas Bernard has inflicted minus-9.6 EPA.

Both players are going to have a very firm ceiling due to the timeshare. But considering that the Pittsburgh Steelers' banged-up front seven just conceded 143 rushing yards to the New Orleans Saints last week, both Hill and Bernard have value as flex plays, with the rookie's explosiveness giving him No. 2 RB upside.

49ers Weapons

On the verge of missing the postseason, the San Francisco 49ers' disappointment in real football has transferred to the fantasy realm.  Colin Kaepernick, Michael Crabtree, Vernon Davis and Frank Gore all had ADPs that placed them in the sixth round or higher (in 10-team standard drafts), but none have been consistently viable starters this season.

Given the draft investment, though, all besides the unusable Davis are rostered in over 70 percent of leagues.  Facing a juicy matchup against the woeful Oakland Raiders this week, disappointed Niners owners may be looking to dust off either Crabtree or even Anquan Boldin, while happily rolling with Gore against a Raiders defense that has conceded the most fantasy points to opposing running backs.

However, while Gore owners should play the veteran without any hesitation, it does not make much sense to rely upon either Crabtree or Boldin, even against a depleted Raiders secondary.  Kaepernick has passed for over 300 yards and two touchdowns just once this season, and both came in the same game. 

Moreover, according to Pro-Football-Reference, the Niners have the most lopsided red-zone run-pass distribution in the league, having run 53 times but passed just 37 times inside the opponents' 20.  Only the Raiders and Jaguars have attempted fewer red-zone passes, but those teams have run 26 and 36 fewer red-zone players than Frisco, respectively.

Therefore, even against the Raiders, expecting many yards from any of San Francisco's receivers seems folly.  With the scoring upside limited as well, it's best to look elsewhere for a flex play with a higher floor.

*All fantasy points against, ownership and draft position info based on ESPN standard scoring.