Week 14 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Advice for Difficult Fantasy Football Lineup Decisions

Week 14 is likely to be a critical one for many fantasy football managers. The fantasy players are peeking from behind the corner in most season-long leagues, meaning this could be a move-on-or-move-out slate of games.

Unfortunately, few managers are going to find top stars and enticing matchups available at every position. Injuries will have several key contributors on the sidelines, while four teams will be on bye.

Knowing which players can be trusted in difficult situations could be the key to winning this week. With that in mind, let's take a look at some tricky matchups that could make or break the week.

Start: Woody Marks, RB, Houston Texans

AP Photo/Ashley Landis

There are a couple of reasons to take caution with Houston Texans rookie running back Woody Marks. First of all, he suffered a foot injury in Week 13 and was listed as a non-participant in Wednesday's practice, though he did return on Thursday.

Secondly, Marks plays behind a lackluster offensive line and faces a difficult matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs. Kansas City has surrendered the seventh-fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs this season.

However, managers should be inclined to trust Marks this week, even though he's fallen below eight fantasy points in three straight games. Houston will want to get him involved in the passing game to help counter Kansas City's aggressive defense.

Offensive coordinator Nick Caley featured Marks in the passing game in contests against the Denver Broncos, San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks. Marks averaged four targets in those games, and he should have a reasonable point-per-reception (PPR) floor against Kansas City—which has allowed opposing RBs to score 15-plus points in back-to-back games.

Sit: Bam Knight, RB, Arizona Cardinals

AP Photo/Peter Joneleit

It doesn't look like Trey Benson will be making his return for the Arizona Cardinals this week, which means we may see Bam Knight lead the backfield once again. However, that's not reason enough to insert him into starting lineups.

Knight has been Arizona's best back in recent weeks, but the Cardinals have used other options. In Week 13, for example, Knight logged 11 carries, while Michael Carter recorded five. Knight caught three receptions, while Carter caught five.

While Knight has topped 13 fantasy points in three straight contests, his usage is concerning. He simply isn't a high-volume starter, and he's looking at a tough rivalry game against the Los Angeles Rams.

The Rams have surrendered the fourth-fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs this season. They'll also be looking to make a statement after last week's letdown against the Carolina Panthers, which could mean a long afternoon for Knight and the Cardinals.

Start: Rashee Rice, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

AP Photo/Matt Patterson

Sunday night's battle between the Chiefs and Texans figures to be a defensively oriented, low-scoring affair. The Chiefs, in particular, will have their hands full, as Houston entered Week 14 ranked first in yards, first in points allowed and fourth in fantasy points surrendered to opposing receivers.

Managers won't be able to truly trust many Kansas City players this week, but Rashee Rice should be one of them. The third-year star has simply become too much of a ball-dominant target to ignore.

Rice has averaged 21.8 fantasy points and has only dipped below 10 points once in six games. Over the past two weeks, he recorded 24 targets and 16 receptions. He hasn't seen fewer than seven targets or four receptions in a game this season.

Patrick Mahomes and Rice may not connect on many chunk plays, but they should connect often enough to give the receiver a strong PPR floor. He could see some added touches on running plays, too, as Andy Reid looks to get the ball into the speedy playmakers' hands.

Sit: D.J. Moore, WR, Chicago Bears

AP Photo/Matt Slocum

The Green Bay Packers haven't exactly been a fantasy wasteland for opposing receivers. Heading into the week, they had surrendered the 12th-fewest fantasy points to the position—not great, but not dire either.

However, Green Bay has been good enough defensively that managers can't trust Chicago Bears receiver D.J. Moore. The former 1,000-yard receiver has averaged a modest 10.1 fantasy points this season and has only reached double digits four times.

Moore's four good outings have come against teams with suspect defenses—the Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers. He and Caleb Williams simply don't have the chemistry needed to come through in a more difficult matchup.

The Packers ranked fourth in yards allowed, and sixth in points allowed. They're also allowing less than 1.5 passing touchdowns per game.

*Fantasy scoring information from FantasyPros.