Fantasy Football Start 'Em or Sit 'Em: Week 14

Trying to decide who you should start or sit this week?  Let’s take a look at a few potential decisions owners have and try to sort through them:

Quarterbacks
Start – Jay Cutler – Chicago Bears – vs. New England
Over his last two games Cutler has thrown for 481 yards and five touchdowns.  Granted he hasn’t thrown for more than 247 yards in his last five games, but he’s limited the interceptions, something that has always been the biggest concern.  Over that span he has 10 touchdowns vs. three interceptions.

Now he draws a Patriots defense that is allowing 276.8 passing yards per game, as well as 21 touchdowns and 18 interceptions.  Included in that were big days by Philip Rivers (336 yards), Ben Roethlisberger (387 yards) and Peyton Manning (396 yards), all in the past six weeks. 

Yes the weather is going to play a vital role, as the early forecasts have snow falling in Chicago on Sunday.  That could greatly change his spot here, but we all know that “early” forecasts are not necessarily accurate.  For now, he appears to be a solid play in all formats.

Other quarterbacks to start:

• Kyle Orton – Denver Broncos – at Arizona
• Josh Freeman – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – at Washington 

Sit – Mat Cassel – Kansas City Chiefs – at San Diego
San Diego looked bad in Week 13, but it was their run defense that betrayed them, not their passing defense.  The Chargers passing defense has been the best in the league, allowing just 186.2 yards per game.  They also have allowed just 12 passing TDs, fourth fewest in the league.

As for Cassel, he’s done a great job of controlling the ball, with 23 touchdowns vs. four interceptions.  What he hasn’t done is throw for many yards, with seven games being under 200.  If the Chargers can shut down Dwayne Bowe, it could be a long day for Cassel.  He’s just too big of a risk (especially in the yard department, as the Chiefs are a run first team) to trust right now.

Other quarterbacks to sit:

• Sam Bradford – St. Louis Rams – at New Orleans
• Donovan McNabb – Washington Redskins – vs. Tampa Bay 

Running Backs
Start – Jonathan Stewart – Carolina Panthers – at Atlanta
It took some time for him to find his way, but since returning from injury Stewart is finally running like the dominant back owners had hoped for.  Over his past two games he rushed the ball 33 times for 190 yards and a touchdown.  If that wasn’t enough, Mike Goodson was hurt in Week 13 just further entrenching Stewart atop the depth chart.

While the Falcons rush defense has been good this season, coupling the way Stewart is running with the performance LeGarrette Blount posted in Week 13, Stewart appears to be a good play. 

Start – LeGarrette Blount – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – at Washington
Speaking of Blount, his Week 13 performance certainly went a long way in reestablishing owners’ faith in him.  He had 20 carries for 103 yards and a touchdown after struggling against a tough Ravens defense the week before.

Overall he’s averaging 4.5 yards per carry on the season and has been receiving around 20 carries per game.  The Redskins rushing defense has been bad, allowing 137.0 rushing yards per game, fifth worst in the league. 

Other running backs to start:

• Fred Jackson – Buffalo Bills – vs. Cleveland
• Christopher Ivory – New Orleans Saints – vs. St. Louis 

Sit – Cedric Benson – Cincinnati Bengals – at Pittsburgh
The Steelers are the best rushing defense in the league, by far.  On the season they are allowing just 62.2 rushing yards per game (the second best is the Bears, allowing 84.9 yards per game).  They also have allowed just four rushing touchdowns on the season.  This past week they held Ray Rice to just 32 yards on nine carries.  At this point, starting any running backs against the Steelers appears to be a huge mistake. 

Sit – Beanie Wells – Arizona Cardinals – vs. Denver
At this point it is impossible to predict how the Cardinals are going to split carries.  While Wells may be the more talented running back, they continue to give Hightower the bulk of the touches.  At this point talent just doesn’t cut it.  A player needs opportunity, making fantasy owners trust him.  Wells just doesn’t bring that, meaning not only should he be on your bench, but quite possibly he should be on the waiver wire.

Other running backs to sit:

• Ronnie Brown – Miami Dolphins – at New York Jets
• Keiland Williams – Washington Redskins – vs. Tampa Bay 

Two Wide Receiver Formats
Start – Miles Austin – Dallas Cowboys – vs. Philadelphia
For weeks he had fallen behind Dez Bryant on fantasy depth charts, as Bryant and Jon Kitna showed off a great rapport.  Now Bryant’s season has come to an end, helping to revive the value of Austin.  The Cowboys could find themselves having to try and keep up with the high-powered Eagles passing attack, meaning Austin could be in line for a big day.

Another wide receiver to start:

• Wes Welker – New England Patriots – at Chicago 

Sit – Brandon Marshall – Miami Dolphins – at New York Jets
While the Jets defense is not quite at the level Rex Ryan wants us to believe, Marshall is just coming back from injury and you really don’t know what to expect.  At this point in the season, is that the type of player you want to put your faith in?

Another wide receiver to sit:

• Kenny Britt – Tennessee Titans – vs. Indianapolis 

Three Wide Receiver Formats
Start – Michael Crabtree – San Francisco 49ers – vs. Seattle
The 49ers passing attack has been bad this season, but they have a favorable matchup with the Seahawks (268.1 passing yards per game and 20 TD).  With Alex Smith returning to quarterback the team, there’s a good chance that they can put together a strong performance.

Another wide receiver to start:

• Chad Ochocinco – Cincinnati Bengals – at Pittsburgh 

Sit – Randy Moss – Tennessee Titans – vs. Indianapolis
Is it sad that I’d rather trust a returning Kenny Britt over Moss at this point?  All he brings is significant unknown, which is not what we want at this point in the season.

Another wide receiver to sit:

• Mike Sims-Walker/Mike Thomas – Jacksonville Jaguars – vs. Oakland

What are your thoughts on these decisions?  Who would you start?  Who would you sit?

Make sure to check out Rotoprofessor’s Week 14 Rankings:

• Top 25 Quarterbacks
• Top 40 Running Backs
• Top 60 Wide Receivers
• Waiver Worthy

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