Fantasy Football Week 14: Flex and PPR Rankings

The real fun begins in Week 14, when many fantasy football postseasons commence. Those still standing must have done something right to make the cut, but few have concrete lineups ready for the first round.

Any manager who has utilized the same players throughout the season is actually less likely to joust for a fantasy title. A smart player knows when to play the matchup or ride a hot hand. Besides, even successful squads will have an injury or two to overcome.

In order to still have a reason to set a lineup next week, let's take a long look at Week 14's early flex rankings, separated by standard and point-per-reception (PPR) scoring. 

Rank	Standard	PPR
1	Antonio Brown, WR, PIT	Antonio Brown, WR, PIT
2	Doug Martin, RB, TB	Odell Beckham Jr., WR, NYG
3	Devonta Freeman, RB, ATL	Devonta Freeman, RB, ATL
4	Odell Beckham Jr., WR, NYG	A.J. Green, WR, CIN
5	LeSean McCoy, RB, BUF	DeAndre Hopkins, WR, HOU
6	Adrian Peterson, RB, MIN	Allen Robinson, WR, JAX
7	A.J. Green, WR, CIN	Doug Martin, RB, TB
8	Jonathan Stewart, RB, CAR	Brandon Marshall, WR, NYJ
9	DeAngelo Williams, RB, PIT	Alshon Jeffery, WR, CHI
10	DeAndre Hopkins, WR, HOU	Julio Jones, WR, ATL
11	Allen Robinson, WR, JAX	DeAngelo Williams, RB, PIT
12	Matt Forte, RB, CHI	LeSean McCoy, RB, BUF
13	Thomas Rawls, RB, SEA	Larry Fitzgerald, WR, ARI
14	Julio Jones, WR, ATL	Adrian Peterson, RB, MIN
15	Brandon Marshall, WR, NYJ	Calvin Johnson, WR, DET
16	Lamar Miller, RB, MIA	Matt Forte, RB, CHI
17	Alshon Jeffery, WR, CHI	Mike Evans, WR, TB
18	Mark Ingram, RB, NO	Jonathan Stewart, RB, CAR
19	Todd Gurley, RB, STL	Demaryius Thomas, WR, DEN
20	Calvin Johnson, WR, DET	Eric Decker, WR, NYJ
21	Larry Fitzgerald, WR, ARI	Jarvis Landry, WR, MIA
22	Mike Evans, WR, TB	Thomas Rawls, RB, SEA
23	T.J. Yeldon, RB, JAX	Danny Amendola, WR, NE
24	Demaryius Thomas, WR, DEN	Greg Olsen, TE, CAR
25	Martavis Bryant, WR, PIT	Mark Ingram, RB, NO
26	Eric Decker, WR, NYJ	Lamar Miller, RB, MIA
27	Sammy Watkins, WR, BUF	Martavis Bryant, WR, PIT
28	David Johnson, RB, ARI	Javorius Allen, RB, BAL
29	Greg Olsen, TE, CAR	Sammy Watkins, WR, BUF
30	Darren McFadden, RB, DAL	Brandin Cooks, WR, NO
31	Shaun Draughns, RB, SF	Todd Gurley, RB, STL
32	Jarvis Landry, WR, MIA	Doug Baldwin, WR, SEA
33	Latavius Murray, RB, OAK	T.J. Yeldon, RB, JAX
34	Dez Bryant, WR, DAL	Emmanuel Sanders, WR, DEN
35	Jeremy Hill, RB, CIN	Dez Bryant, WR, DAL
36	DeMarco Murray, RB, PHI	Shaun Draughns, RB, SF
37	Chris Ivory, RB, NYJ	Vincent Jackson, WR, TB
38	Danny Amendola, WR, NE	David Johnson, RB, ARI
39	Javorius Allen, RB, BAL	James White, RB, NE
40	Brandin Cooks, WR, NO	T.Y. Hilton, WR, IND
41	Doug Baldwin, WR, SEA	Delanie Walker, TE, TEN
42	Frank Gore, RB, IND	Allen Hurns, WR, JAX
43	Vincent Jackson, WR, TB	Amari Cooper, WR, OAK
44	James Starks, RB, GB	Darren McFadden, RB, DAL
45	Emmanuel Sanders, WR, DEN	James Starks, RB, GB
46	T.Y. Hilton, WR, IND	John Brown, WR, ARI
47	James White, RB, NE	Latavius Murray, RB, OAK
48	Allen Hurns, WR, JAX	DeMarco Murray, RB, PHI
49	Spencer Ware, RB, KC	Randall Cobb, WR, GB
50	Amari Cooper, WR, OAK	Marvin Jones, WR, CIN

Fred Vuich/Associated Press

When Ben Roethlisberger is under center for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Antonio Brown is the most productive fantasy player on the planet.

Had Roethlisberger not missed four games, Brown would be chasing Marvin Harrison's single-season reception record (143 in 2002) and Calvin Johnson's record-high 1,964 receiving yards in 2012. In eight games with his starting quarterback, the star wideout has amassed 72 receptions for 1,075 yards and all seven of his receiving touchdowns.

Prorate those numbers over 16 games, and he rewrites history. ESPN Stats & Info took a further look at Brown's added volume and efficiency with the star passer firing darts his way:

Most managers are too focused on capturing a championship now to think about 2016, but how is a healthy Brown not the No. 1 pick in all drafts next year? Unless he's catching passes from Michael Vick or spending the game shadowed by Richard Sherman (and even then he offered a passable six catches and 51 yards), the 27-year-old dominates on a weekly basis.

Looking at Brown's six catches for 47 yards (and a score) against the Cincinnati Bengals on Nov. 1, one would probably think Vick or Landry Jones started. That 16-10 loss, however, marked Roethlisberger's return after missing over a month. He struggled mightily, registering a season-low 5.82 yards per pass attempt and three picks, but don't read much into the rough outing.

Since faltering against their division nemesis, the Steelers have scored 143 points through four games, during which Roethlisberger has averaged 383.3 passing yards. Nobody is ever a lock to deliver, but Brown is pretty darn close.

Todd Gurley's owners might have viewed him as a sure bet weeks ago. The rookie running back rewarded drafters' initial patience with four consecutive 125-yard rushing tallies, seemingly cementing his place as a top-tier option.

St. Louis, however, has since dragged him down during a five-game winning streak, during which he is averaging 67 total yards per contest and 3.3 yards per carry. While he found the end zone in those first three tilts, his exorbitant workload has collapsed over the past two weeks:

Date	OPP	Rush	Rush YD	TD	REC	REC YD	TD
11/29	@ CIN (31-7 L)	9	19	0	1	11	0
12/6	ARI (27-3 L)	9	41	0	0	0	0

Even a transcendent rusher can't overcome the NFL's worst passing offense. Stopping Gurley has become every defense's obvious objective, and the Bengals and Arizona Cardinals especially succeeded by wiping out the ground game in blowouts.

His fantasy investors now face a confounding pickle. Few will have the guts to sit a player of his caliber, but nobody wants Gurley's vanishing act to spawn their playoff elimination. 

There's causes for cautious optimism. A home game against the Detroit Lions is more reasonable than facing the Bengals and Cardinals. They've recovered from a horrible start and allow only 3.8 yards per rush, but the Lions have also a relinquished an NFL-high 16 rushing touchdowns.

For Gurley to get any red-zone opportunities, he'll need to do all the lifting or get a helping hand from St. Louis' imploding defense. His predicament shoots him down the rankings, but not enough to get benched.

Before Week 12, Doug Baldwin scored six touchdowns during the Seattle Seahawks' last 28 regular-season games. Over the last two games, he has visited the end zone five times:

Date	OPP	REC	TAR	REC YD	TD
11/29	PIT (39-30 W)	6	8	145	3
12/6	@ MIN (38-7 W)	5	7	94	2

Baldwin stayed hot against the Minnesota Vikings, who still rank No. 6 in passing defense after getting shredded by the Seahawks. He has collected 433 yards and six scores over the past four games. In the previous eight bouts, he registered 345 yards and two touchdowns.

As noted by 4for4football's John Paulsen, a rolling Russell Wilson has made his top wide receiver a bigger component of an offense playing without Marshawn Lynch and Jimmy Graham:

Wilson is shattering his reputation as a game manager for a run-first, second and third offense. The quarterback has gone 66-of-86 for 879 passing yards and 10 touchdowns over Seattle's three-game winning streak, with Baldwin serving as the primary benefactor. Per the News Tribune's Gregg Bell, the wideout deflected credit to Wilson. 

“Russell is just playing out of his mind right now," Baldwin said. "He’s getting the ball out, delivering the ball on time. What he’s doing inside the pocket right now puts him up there with some of the greats in this game.”

As the duo continues to click, both men deserve recognition going into Week 14's showdown with the battered Baltimore Ravens. The Miami Dolphins over-corrected on Sunday, forgetting to pass after weeks of ignoring Lamar Miller. As a result, Ryan Tannehill finished with 86 passing yards.

Even after shutting down the Dolphins, the Ravens have relinquished the fourth-most NFL.com fantasy points to opposing wideouts. Don't expect another two or three Baldwin touchdowns, but he's worth starting as a No. 3 receiver.