Week 14 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Projections for Top 10 Players at Each Position

The number one piece of advice I can give to fantasy owners who have reached the playoffs is this: Do what got you here. Don't overthink things. Don't get cute. Don't take bold chances you weren't taking all season long.

Trust your studs. Trust your gut. And if you are having a hard time deciding between two players or need a second opinion on a player, consult my rankings and start 'em, sit 'em advice below.

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player	Opponent	Projected Points
1	Russell Wilson, SEA	BAL	25
2	Tom Brady, NE	HOU	23
3	Aaron Rodgers, GB	DAL	22
4	Cam Newton, CAR	ATL	21
5	Ben Roethlisberger, PIT	CIN	20
6	Andy Dalton, CIN	PIT	18
7	Drew Brees, NO	TB	18
8	Philip Rivers, SD	KC	17
9	Tyrod Taylor, BUF	PHI	17
10	Blake Bortles, JAC	IND	16

Start 'Em: Tyrod Taylor, Buffalo Bills

Gary Wiepert/Associated Press

The last three quarterbacks to face the Philadelphia Eagles—Jameis Winston, Matt Stafford and Tom Brady—have combined to score 93 points in the last three weeks.

Tyrod Taylor, meanwhile, has combined to score 53 points in his last two contests. 

It isn't hard to surmise that Taylor should have a very nice game against the Eagles.

Sit 'Em: Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons

How disappointing has Matt Ryan been for fantasy owners this year?

Well, he hasn't scored 20 or more fantasy points in standard leagues since Week 3, the only time he's done so this year. He's averaging just 14.7 points per game and has dropped well out of the QB1 conversation.

A matchup against a Carolina defense giving up just 13.3 fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks per week, fourth in the NFL, won't help. At this point, you should be keeping Matty Ice on ice and starting a different quarterback.

Running Backs

Rank	Player	Opponent	Projected Points
1	Doug Martin, TB	NO	20
2	Jonathan Stewart, CAR	ATL	18
3	LeSean McCoy, BUF	PHI	17
4	Lamar Miller, MIA	NYG	15
5	DeAngelo Williams, PIT	CIN	14
6	Devonta Freeman, ATL	CAR	14
7	Latavius Murray, OAK	DEN	13
8	Darren McFadden, DAL	GB	13
9	Thomas Rawls, SEA	BAL	12
10	Matt Forte, CHI	WAS	12

Start 'Em: Thomas Rawls, Seattle Seahawks

Marshawn Lynch who?

With Beast Mode sidelined, Thomas Rawls has been monstrous, notching a combined 66 points in the last three weeks. More importantly, the Seahawks have handed him the ball 70 times in those games, and he's responded with 391 rushing yards, so his production doesn't feel fluky or touchdown-reliant.  

The Baltimore Ravens have been pretty stingy to opposing running backs this year, allowing just 12.6 fantasy points per week to the position, fourth in the NFL. But Lamar Miller rushed 20 times for 113 yards against them last week, and much like Lynch before him, Rawls is starting to feel pretty matchup-proof in Seattle's physical, ground-and-pound offense.

Start him with confidence.

Sit 'Em: DeMarco Murray, Philadelphia Eagles

DeMarco Murray's roller-coaster ride of a season continued last week against the New England Patriots, when he carried the ball just eight times for 24 yards. Murray has now combined to score a whopping 11 fantasy points in his last three games and, at this point, simply isn't worth starting. 

A few things have become clear for Murray. For one, he isn't a great fit in Philly's offense. For another, the coaching staff doesn't seem interested in pretending like he is a good fit and feeding him carries any longer. And that has led to Murray being pretty unhappy, seemingly, with his role on the Eagles.

Head coach Chip Kelly understands Murray's frustrations.

"He's frustrated because he didn't get the ball a lot on Sunday," Kelly said in a press conference. "Most running backs are frustrated, in that aspect, but he's not frustrated that we beat the New England Patriots."

He added, "Every receiver wants the ball, every running back wants the ball, every quarterback wants to throw every single time we have an opportunity. The one thing I know about DeMarco is that he's about winning."

Fantasy owners are about winning too, however, and right now starting Murray probably isn't the best way to do that. Even against the Buffalo Bills, a team ranked 21st in fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs per week, starting Murray is too risky. The Eagles are clearly utilizing a platoon at running back at this point, making Murray a bench player.

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player	Opponent	Projected Points
1	Antonio Brown, PIT	CIN	20
2	Allen Robinson, JAC	IND	18
3	Odell Beckham Jr., NYG	MIA	17
4	A.J. Green, CIN	PIT	16
5	DeAndre Hopkins, HOU	NE	15
6	Brandon Marshall, NYJ	TEN	15
7	Mike Evans, TB	NO	14
8	Julio Jones, ATL	CAR	14
9	Brandin Cooks, NO	TB	13
10	Alshon Jeffery, CHI	WAS	12

Start 'Em: Brandin Cooks, New Orleans Saints

Jonathan Bachman/Associated Press

Brandin Cooks has gone from being one of fantasy's most disappointing receivers in the first four weeks of the season to one of its biggest producers. He's now notched eight or more fantasy points in six of his last eight games and has scored 13 or more fantasy points in four of his last five games.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, meanwhile, have given up 20 or more fantasy points to an opposing team's wideouts nine times this season. If the Saints can have success through the air like they did against the Carolina Panthers last week, expect Cooks to have plenty of success against Tampa Bay.

Sit 'Em: Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper, Oakland Raiders

In Week 5, the Denver Broncos held Michael Crabtree to four catches for 54 yards and Amari Cooper to four receptions for 47 yards. In their last two games, the Broncos have held opposing wideouts to just nine catches for 104 yards. And they've allowed just one touchdown to wideouts this year.

Sit Crabtree and Cooper this week if you can afford to, folks. The Broncos will stifle them.

Tight Ends

Rank	Player	Opponent	Projected Points
1	Greg Olsen, CAR	NO	15
2	Tyler Eifert, CIN	PIT	13
3	Gary Barnidge, CLE	SF	12
4	Delanie Walker, TEN	NYJ	11
5	Travis Kelce, KC	SD	10
6	Jordan Reed, WAS	CHI	9
7	Benjamin Watson, NO	CAR	9
8	Antonio Gates, SD	KC	8
9	Richard Rodgers, GB	DAL	7
10	Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TB	NO	6

Start 'Em: Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Austin Seferian-Jenkins didn't make a huge impact for the Bucs in his return, catching three passes for 31 yards on six targets, though he did have a target in the end zone he couldn't corral.

Expect bigger things this week. No team is giving up more fantasy points to tight ends per week than the Saints, and this is a game that has "shootout" written all over it. Seferian-Jenkins should benefit.

Sit 'Em: Charles Clay, Buffalo Bills

Brett Carlsen/Getty Images

Despite catching four passes for 66 yards and a score last week, Charles Clay just isn't a huge part of Buffalo's offense. He has just three games with double-digit points this season, and this week faces a Philadelphia defense that has given up the second-fewest fantasy points to opposing tight ends. 

If you can afford to sit him at such a thin position this year, do it.

Defense/Special Teams

Rank	Team	Opponent	Projected Points
1	SEA	BAL	15
2	KC	SD	13
3	DEN	OAK	12
4	NYJ	TEN	11
5	STL	DET	10
6	CAR	ATL	10
7	GB	DAL	9
8	PHI	BUF	9
9	DET	STL	8
10	TB	NO	7

Start 'Em: New York Jets

Marcus Mariota and the Tennessee Titans blew up last week, sure, but the Titans have still given up the second-most fantasy points to opposing defenses this year. The Jets have been up and down defensively for fantasy owners, meanwhile, but a defense that has forced 23 turnovers this year should fare well against the Titans.

Expect the Jets defense to break out of its fantasy dry spell this week.

Sit 'Em: Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers

This game is going to be a shootout between two very good offenses. The Steelers have arguably the NFL's hottest offense at the moment, while Andy Dalton and company have proven they can keep pace with any team in the league. I don't trust either defense this week.

Kickers 

Rank	Player	Opponent	Projected Points
1	Stephen Gostkowski, NE	HOU	15
2	Graham Gano, CAR	ATL	14
3	Josh Brown, NYG	MIA	13
4	Cairo Santos, KC	SD	12
5	Robbie Gould, CHI	WAS	11
6	Justin Tucker, BAL	SEA	11
7	Dan Bailey, DAL	GB	10
8	Steven Hauschka, SEA	BAL	10
9	Brandon McManus, DEN	OAK	9
10	Mike Nugent, CIN	PIT	9

Don't overthink it. If there is a top-10 kicker available on waivers or free agency, nab him and start him.

All fantasy stats, ownership percentages and points-against totals via ESPN standard leagues. You can find Timothy Rapp on Twitter and on Twitch.