Week 14 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Highlighting Matchups to Exploit and Avoid

The playoffs get underway this week across much of the fantasy football spectrum. The postseason places an even greater emphasis on making the correct lineup decisions because a wrong choice now could very well mark the end of a team's season.

Some fantasy owners, most notably those who started Carson Palmer or Michael Floyd on Thursday night, are already off to a strong start. There are still some important selections to make before Sunday's action kicks off, though.

So let's check out some players who've spent a lot of the season on the fringe of fantasy starting lineups and decide whether they can be counted on in Week 14.

Start 'Em

Pos.	Player	Team	Opponent
QB	Russell Wilson	Seahawks	Ravens
QB	Tyrod Taylor	Bills	Eagles
RB	Charcandrick West	Chiefs	Chargers
RB	Shaun Draughn	49ers	Browns
WR	Doug Baldwin	Seahawks	Ravens
WR	Dez Bryant	Cowboys	Packers
WR	DeVante Parker	Dolphins	Giants
TE	Julius Thomas	Jaguars	Colts

Russell Wilson (QB, Seattle Seahawks)

Wilson provided merely average production over the first 10 weeks of the season. He's come to life at the perfect time for fantasy owners, however. The Wisconsin product has averaged more than 30 points per game across his last three outings.

Although those outings have significantly bolstered his overall numbers, Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell thinks the overall play hasn't changed much. He spotlighted the various ways the quarterback can cause headaches for defenses, per Adam Lewis of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

"I think he's been playing at a high level for a long time," Bevell said. "He's done great things outside the pocket, he's done great things with second-chance opportunities, he's done great things when he's had opportunities to sit in the pocket and throw."

Whether he's actually playing better or just catching more breaks than he did in the early going, it's basically impossible to bench him given the roll he's currently on. Those type of performances are usually what makes a championship run possible.

Wilson has a golden opportunity to push for 30 points once again, too. The Seahawks face off with a Baltimore Ravens defense that ranks 25th in the league against opposing fantasy QBs. He shouldn't have much trouble finding weaknesses to exploit in the secondary.

Dez Bryant (WR, Dallas Cowboys)

Few people present a more difficult riddle for fantasy owners to solve heading into the playoffs than Bryant. He's capable of putting up touchdowns in bunches, but a struggling offense with Matt Cassel filling in for Tony Romo makes him a high-risk, high-reward option.

The veteran wideout hasn't caught more than five passes in any game and has just two touchdowns. The lack of opportunities means he's got a lower floor than is typically the case for a player of his caliber.

Alas, Pat Fitzmaurice of Sports Illustrated explained the opposite side of the dilemma: "You probably shouldn't be starting him in the playoffs, but you'd be kicking yourself for months, maybe years, if you benched one of the best receivers in the league on a day he went off and your decision to bench him led to your elimination."

Ultimately, it's an issue of depth. There may be some teams with so many options for the receiver and flex slots that it's not worth taking a chance on Bryant. For everybody else, his upside is still too much to pass up, even at this stage.

Facing the Green Bay Packers should help him put together a strong week. Not only do they rank 20th in passing yards allowed, but it's a game where the Cowboys will probably have to throw a lot in order to keep pace. Don't expect a monster day from Bryant, but it should end with a start-worthy stats.

Sit 'Em

Pos.	Player	Team	Opponent
QB	Matt Ryan	Falcons	Panthers
QB	Marcus Mariota	Titans	Jets
RB	Giovani Bernard	Bengals	Steelers
RB	James Starks	Packers	Cowboys
WR	Tavon Austin	Rams	Lions
WR	Jordan Matthews	Eagles	Bills
WR	Dorial Green-Beckham	Titans	Jets
TE	Charles Clay	Bills	Eagles

Giovani Bernard (RB, Cincinnati Bengals)

Bernard emerged as a reliable flex choice during the early stages of the campaign. His impact has dropped off considerably since the team's Week 7 bye. In the six games that have followed, he's only scored more than eight points once.

Equally concerning is the workload. The dual-threat rusher finished with just just six touches compared to 22 for Jeremy Hill last week against the Cleveland Browns. It's hard to count on a running back who can get left out of the offense that frequently at any given time.

The distribution wasn't any more favorable in the season's first meeting with the Pittsburgh Steelers, either. Hall had 16 touches in that game and Bernard tallied three. So in games where the more powerful runner gets rolling, the timeshare tends to get lopsided.

Add in the fact the Steelers rank sixth in rushing yards allowed per game and the downside is just far too great to count on Bernard this week. Finding a player who's guaranteed to get more work is a must with the playoffs underway.

Charles Clay (TE, Buffalo Bills)

The Bills have actually developed an efficient passing game with Tyrod Taylor under center to complement their running game. While that's a positive in the team's push for the playoffs, the problem from a fantasy perspective is the lack of volume.

Clay caught a reasonable 31 passes over his first five games of the season. That number has dropped to 19 over the past five contests. That doesn't mean he's not helping the Bills win, as Jeremy White of WGR noted, but it does hurt his fantasy value:

He showed last week that he can still have the occasional impact performance. But his 12-point outing against the Houston Texans was the first time since Week 4 that he scored more than six. That's obviously far from ideal, even at a weak position.

Clay isn't likely to find much room to operate in the middle of the field against the Philadelphia Eagles this week. They rank second in the league at stopping opposing fantasy tight ends, giving up just two double-digit scores. So Buffalo will likely look elsewhere.

All fantasy statistics are based on standard scoring and courtesy of ESPN.