Fantasy Football Week 14 Rankings: Projections for Players with Matchups We Love

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A quick message to fantasy football managers who had exposure to Thursday night's clash between the Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers: Congrats on the win.

OK, maybe one game won't sway your entire Week 14 fate, but good lord, Dalvin Cook was all-caps AWESOME (222 scrimmage yards, two scores), Najee Harris was great (104 scrimmage yards, two touchdowns) and Ben Roethlisberger was maybe as good as he has been at any point of the 2021 NFL season (308 passing yards, three touchdowns).

If you started almost any fantasy-relevant player in the game, you're off to a good start. But the work obviously isn't done. To help get you through the rest of the slate successfully, let's lay out our top-10 positional rankings at the four skill spots, identify the player with the best matchup and project their production.  

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1. Kyler Murray, ARI (vs. LAR)

2. Josh Allen, BUF (at TB)

3. Patrick Mahomes, KC (vs. LV)

4. Justin Herbert, LAC (vs. NYG)

5. Tom Brady, TB (vs. BUF)

6. Taysom Hill, NO (at NYJ)

7. Dak Prescot, DAL (at WAS)

8. Lamar Jackson, BAL (at CLE)

9. Aaron Rodgers, GB (vs. CHI)

10. Matthew Stafford, LAR (at ARI)

Best Matchup: Dak Prescott at Washington

The Football Team hasn't fared quite as poorly as it did earlier this season, but it still ranks dead last in fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, per Yahoo.

Between Weeks 3 and 7, Washington allowed five consecutive quarterbacks to throw for more than 270 yards with multiple touchdowns. Three of the quarterbacks threw four touchdowns, and two had more than 350 passing yards. There were a few elite signal-callers in that stretch, but Matt Ryan (283 passing yards, four scores) and Jameis Winston (279 passing yards, four touchdowns) did damage, too.

Dak Prescott has been a little up and down of late, but he is more than capable of going bananas in the box score. Just two weeks back, he threw for 375 yards and two touchdowns. A similar output could be in the works here.

Projected stats: 278 passing yards, three touchdowns

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1. Austin Ekeler, LAC (vs. NYG)

2. Alvin Kamara, NO (at NYJ)

3. Joe Mixon, CIN (vs. SF)

4. Leonard Fournette, TB (vs. BUF)

5. Aaron Jones, GB (vs. CHI)

6. Antonio Gibson, WAS (vs. DAL)

7. Cordarrelle Patterson, ATL (at CAR)

8. Javonte Williams, DEN (vs. DET)

9. Nick Chubb, CLE (vs. BAL)

10. Josh Jacobs, LV (at KC)

Best Matchup: Alvin Kamara at New York Jets

A healthy Alvin Kamara can be the best running back in fantasy. After missing four games with a knee injury, he is hopefully ready to devour this juicy matchup with the Jets' defense.

New York is the best matchup for opposing running backs, and it's not close. The Jets have surrendered an average of 32.07 PPR points to the position, per Yahoo. The second-most generous defense, the Seattle Seahawks, have given up 27.21. That means there's a wider gap between Nos. 1 and 2 than there is separating No. 2 from No. 6 (Los Angeles Chargers, 23.89).

The Jets can get gashed on the ground, through the air or both. Given Kamara's skill set and opportunity, he could check every box.

Projected stats: 77 rushing yards, 48 receiving yards, two touchdowns

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1. Cooper Kupp, LAR (at ARI)

2. Davante Adams, GB (vs. CHI)

3. Stefon Diggs, BUF (at TB)

4. Tyreek Hill, KC (vs. LV)

5. Deebo Samuel, SF (at CIN)

6. CeeDee Lamb, DAL (at WAS)

7. Chris Godwin, TB (vs. BUF)

8. Keenan Allen, LAC (vs. NYG)

9. Ja'Marr Chase, CIN (vs. SF)

10. Mike Evans, TB (vs. BUF)

Best Matchup: CeeDee Lamb at Washington

The Cowboys can sometimes have too many chefs in the kitchen when it comes to their receiving core. With CeeDee Lamb, Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup all the roster—not to mention tight end Dalton Schultz—there aren't always enough passes to keep everyone fed.

This week, though, there could be enough production to go around in this exploitable matchup.

The Football Team ranks 30th in fantasy points surrendered to wide receivers. Lamb, who has been targeted at least seven times in five of his last six games, could be called upon early and often.

Projected stats: 102 receiving yards, one touchdown

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1. Travis Kelce, KC (vs. LV)

2. George Kittle, SF (at CIN)

3. Rob Gronkowski, TB (vs. BUF)

4. Mark Andrews, BAL (at CLE)

5. Dawson Knox, BUF (at TB)

6. T.J. Hockenson, DET (at DEN)

7. Kyle Pitts, ATL (at CAR)

8. Noah Fant, DEN (vs. DET)

9. Dalton Schultz, DAL (at WAS)

10. Tyler Higbee, LAR (at ARI)

Best Matchup: Travis Kelce vs. Las Vegas Raiders

When a great player meets a great matchup, the stat sheet can get silly in a hurry.

Travis Kelce remains the best tight end in the business. Las Vegas' defense is about as generous as it gets with tight ends, allowing the second-most fantasy points to the position. See where this is headed?

These two locked horns a few weeks back, and Kelce promptly set a season-high for receiving yards (119) and matched it for receptions (eight). If the Raiders can keep this game closer than that one was—a 41-14 Chiefs blowout—then Kelce could be in line for an even bigger day.

Projected stats: 131 receiving yards, one touchdown