Fantasy Football's Week 14 Start and Sits

By Chad Samuels

The Fantasy Football season is winding down. The pressure is mounting every week. It is easy to over-analyze things. That is the last thing you want to do this time of year.  

To properly play your roster from here on out, you need to go back to week one's approach; start your studs! You drafted these players high for a reason, so now is the time to ride them.

Over the season, some players you drafted high may have busted out. (Braylon Edwards, Fred Taylor for example).

You know who they are and already have them benched.

There are others who have exploded onto the scene, and you are starting them on a weekly basis.

They are your new Studs. Ride them to glory. (For example, Chris Johnson, Matt Forte, Steve Slaton).

Still, there may be a few spots where you might want some confirmation on who to start.

As always you are the final arbitrator of who you start and who you sit. We at Fantasy Football Maniaxs will give you our opinion to help you reach your championship goals.

Start of the Week

This may be where you start rolling with your studs but there are many of you out there that install the strategy of QBBC (quarter back by committee).

This allows you to acquire better running backs and wideouts and play the matchups at quarterback each week. This is a viable strategy and one that can work well this week. Especially if you are the owner of Shaun Hill.

Over the last three weeks, New York Jets secondary has slipped up. They have given up 1,000 passing yards and six touchdowns. Yes, the Jets have played Denver, Tennessee, and New England, and two of the three are teams that have proven they can throw the ball.

Still, San Francisco has proven they can throw the ball as well with Hill at the lead of the offense. Hill played well last year and has done well against Dallas and St Louis while putting up OK numbers in the cold at Buffalo.

New York is vulnerable, so I expect Hill to excel this week.

QBs to start

New England is hurting in the secondary, and it has shown the last few weeks. Giving up 225 passing yards a game and seven passing TDs. They also gave up a rushing TD which is good for an extra two fantasy points in most leagues.

Look for Matt Hasselbeck to put up decent fantasy points this week with the potential to put up 200+ passing yards and two passing scores.

New England at Seattle is a QB game of the week. Matt Cassel had an off week after two monster games. He was playing Pittsburgh though.

The good news is Seattle's passing defense just was cut up last week by Tony Romo, and over the past three weeks has given up better than 300 passing yards per game plus five total touchdowns.

Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Ben Watson, and Kevin Faulk can be as good in the passing game as Terrell Owens, Roy Williams, a banged up Jason Witten, and Marion Barber. Granted, no one will confuse Matt Cassel with Tony Romo, but Matt does have free-agency dollars on the line and I think he will put up very good numbers this week.

No one is confusing New Orleans as a stingy defense. They did well versus Tampa limiting Jeff Garcia to 115 yards passing and a touchdown. Garcia is a fantasy nightmare QB who if we ranked him now, would be 20th or lower in the rankings.

Factor out an underwhelming Garcia, and in the last three weeks New Orleans is giving up 250 yards and two touchdowns a game. What that means is disregard New Orleans defensive numbers last week and start Matt Ryan who by the way should do similar to last weeks performance 200+ passing yards and two TDs.

RBs to start

Minnesota plays Detroit. It does not matter about the Kittens' defense, if a team is good at something, they can usually do it at will on the “Kittens”. Minnesota dominates the runs.

You know to start Adrian Peterson, and you should. You also should start Chester Taylor. Chester Taylor should put up at least six fantasy points in yardage leagues. I would not be surprised to see Taylor put up a garbage TD as well. Taylor makes a good flex play in non PPR leagues. If the opportunity to start Taylor is there without benching a good RB, start him.

The Denver Broncos are 30th in the league versus fantasy points given up to running backs. They have given up six total touchdowns in that span.

Larry Johnson has not had a 100-yard rushing game since his deactivation and part of that is due to the emergence of Tyler Thigpen. With Denver’s secondary improving in play and a porous Broncos’ run defense look for Johnson to break that 100-yard mark this week and add a rushing touchdown.

There are several very good RB match ups this week.  Usually I spotlight three players but I think you should know about a few more than that.

Tim Hightower is good for a touchdown and should get some more yards rushing as the Rams defense gives up almost 150 rushing yards a game.

Steve Slaton draws the Green Bay Packers. He should not split too many carries. One-hundred rushing yards and a TD should be expected.

Kansas City is giving up just over 170 all-purpose yards a game and five total touchdowns over the last three games. Look for Peyton Hillis to exceed the touchdown and 100-yard plateau as well.

WRs to start

Shaun Hill is the start of the week. If he is to accumulate the massive fantasy points I think he is capable of, he has to throw the ball to somebody.

His main target this week should be Isaac Bruce. Through the last two weeks, Bruce has been Hill’s main target and then he sprinkles in passes to other receivers. His other wide outs will be a little inconsistent from week to week. Start Bruce if you have him. 

Over the last three weeks, Philadelphia is giving up an average of 26.5 fantasy points in yardage leagues to wide receivers. The New York Giants are the beneficiaries of a weakened Eagles secondary. Eli Manning has a tendency to spread the ball around so expect Dominique Hixon and Steve Smith to be desperation plays if you are weak at WR.

Plaxico Burress is out for the year. This leaves Amani Toomer as the Giants' receiver who is best in line to benefit from this weeks’ matchup. Start Toomer.

Seattle’s secondary can and will be torched this week. So who of the New England receiving corps should be started? While Wes Welker and Randy Moss can be started as a WR2 or WR3 with confidence, which one should be started as your WR1?

That depends on your league scoring system. Start Randy Moss in yardage leagues, while Wes Welker will be the better play in PPR leagues.

Honorable mention this week goes to Antonio Bryant versus the Carolina Panthers and both Jets WR Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery.

TEs to start

Owen Daniels has done very well this year, and with Green Bay on the schedule this week you should keep using him. Over the last three weeks, the New York Jets are one of three teams that are giving up 10 or more fantasy points to tight ends.

Start Vernon Davis because of his upside. Finally With Plaxico Burress out, I expect Kevin Boss to continue his solid play this week.

Look for Philadelphia to be a little lower on fantasy points given up to WRs but it will be compensated by giving up more points to Boss.

Also Tight ends are good security blankets. I expect new Browns’ QB Ken Dorsey to target Steven Heiden often.

Defenses to start

The three teams that give up the most fantasy points to defenses over the last three weeks are the Lions, Jaguars, and Patriots.

This makes their respective opponents must-plays this week.

The Bears (vs. Jaguars) were already a must-play, with the Vikings (vs. Lions) and Seahawks (vs. Patriots) who are on the bubble most weeks are good starts this week. Also, start the Colts. They are playing the Bengals who have been giving up 4.3 sacks per game over the last three weeks.

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