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

Week 14 figures to be a pivotal one, both for NFL playoff hopefuls and fantasy football managers.

This week's slate is filled with marquee matchups, like Thursday's showdown between the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys. Week 14 is also likely to end the postseason dreams of many a fantasy manager.

With the Carolina Panthers, New England Patriots, New York Giants, and San Francisco 49ers on bye this week, navigating lineup decisions could be tricky. Here, you'll find start/sit advice for a few top fantasy stars for point-per-reception (PPR) play.

Quarterback

AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman

Rams QB Matthew Stafford

Start: Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford might be an NFL MVP candidate, but he had a surprisingly poor performance during L.A.'s Week 13 loss to the Carolina Panthers.

Stafford has now fallen short of 14 fantasy points in two of his last three games, which is a bit concerning. However, managers should trust him to bounce back against the rival Arizona Cardinals. Arizona has a solid defense, but Stafford may put up big numbers as the Rams look to shake off last week's disappointment.

Sit: Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears

Second-year star Caleb Williams has certainly thrived under new head coach Ben Johnson. He's averaged 19.1 fantasy points per week, though consistency has been an issue.

Williams has fallen short of 11 points in two of the past three weeks, and a matchup against the rival Green Bay Packers is far from ideal. Green Bay has surrendered the seventh-fewest fantasy points to opposing QBs.

Running Back

AP Photo/Nick Wass

Bengals RB Chase Brown

Start: Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals

The return of Joe Burrow is an obvious boost to the Cincinnati Bengals offense. However, it shouldn't limit the production of Chase Brown. The running back started the season slowly but has topped 15 fantasy points in five straight games.

This week, Brown and the Bengals will battle the Buffalo Bills, who have surrendered the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs. Expect Brown to be a big part of the game plan as Cincinnati looks to keep Josh Allen off the field.

Sit: Tony Pollard, Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans have arguably the league's worst offense, and they'll be on the road against one of the NFL's better defenses this week. Tennessee may lean heavily on Tony Pollard and the ground game just to prevent Myles Garrett from breaking the sack record on Sunday, but that doesn't mean that Pollard is a reliable option.

Pollard has failed to reach nine fantasy points in five straight games. The Cleveland Browns, meanwhile, have surrendered the eighth-fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs.

Wide Receiver

AP Photo/Butch Dill

Saints WR Chris Olave

Start: Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints

New Orleans Saints receiver Chris Olave has been pretty reliable all season. He's averaging 15 fantasy points per week and hasn't fallen below 8.5 points in any single game. He figures to be one of the better performers this week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Buccaneers have surrendered the 1th-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season. The last time these two NFC South rivals faced off, Olave tallied 14 fantasy points. However, that was before No. 2 receiver Rashid Shaheed—who had nine catches in the game—was traded to the Seattle Seahawks.

Sit: Xavier Worthy, Kansas City Chiefs

Xavier Worthy hasn't become the bona fide fantasy star many hoped he would be this season. While he's played an important role in the Kansas City Chiefs' offense, Rashee Rice is the clear No. 1 playmaker.

Worthy has fallen below 10 fantasy points in three of his last four games and faces a brutal matchup against the Houston Texans this week. Houston has surrendered the fourth-fewest fantasy points to opposing wide receivers.

Tight End

AP Photo/Ed Zurga

Colts TE Tyler Warren

Start: Tyler Warren, Indianapolis Colts

Rookie tight end Tyler Warren burst out of the gate as a weekly must-start, but his production has cooled a bit as Daniel Jones and the Indianapolis Colts' offense have fallen back to earth.

Warren had a good-not-great 11.2 fantasy points in Week 13 and has gone below 10 points in three of his last five games. However, he should feast this week against a Jacksonville Jaguars defense that has surrendered the second-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends.

Sit: Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh Steelers Freiermuth was once a dependable matchup-based fantasy starter, though that feels like ages ago—it wasn't, he had 653 yards and seven touchdowns just last season. With Jonnu Smith and Darnell Washington also seeing targets in Pittsburgh's offense, Freiermuth has become impossible to trust.

Freiermuth has only topped 10 fantasy points in two of his last five games, and he drew a blank in Week 13. This week, he'll face a Baltimore Ravens defense that has surrendered the eighth-fewest fantasy points to opposing TEs.

*Fantasy scoring information from FantasyPros.