Week 14 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Expert Advice for Your Fantasy Football Roster

Whom to start and whom to sit is a fantasy GM's biggest weekly dilemma, and it's clearly the one that can either tank your team's chances for victory or lead it to a decisive win.

Adding even more pressure into what can be a stressful series of decisions is the fact that we're just one week away from the start of the fantasy playoffs in most leagues.

A loss this week could make the difference between your team seeing the postseason and grabbing an all-important championship and the bragging rights that go with it and finding yourself competing for sixth place in Week 16.

Fortunately for you, I'm here to help with those all-important start/sit decisions for Week 14.

From wide receiver to quarterback, defense to tight end, the following slides are chock-full of tips to help your fantasy team this week.

Consider Benching Denver Broncos QB Tim Tebow

Suggesting that you bench Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow seems almost fantasy heresy at this point.

Though Tebow starts slow, barely attempting—let alone completing—many passes in the first half of his seven starts, he generally heats up a bit in the second half of games and has produced enough yards and touchdowns in the air and on the ground to warrant starting him every week.

But I'm simply not feeling very good about Tebow's chances to produce this week against the Chicago Bears.

Considering the number of serious problems now plaguing Chicago's offense, their defense is going to have to work extra hard to keep their team on track to earn a postseason Wild Card berth.

Therefore, I think the possibility is there for Tebow's numbers this week to be quite low, as he's constantly battered and pursued by the Bears' defenders.

Tebow has managed to put up impressive fantasy numbers even when under duress, such as his 102-yard, one touchdown outing against the Detroit Lions in Week 8 that made starting him not such a complete waste.

But there are going to be games in which Tebow Time runs out, if you will. I see Tebow as a very risky start this week against an extremely hungry and vicious defense.

If you've been swapping him out with another quarterback based on matchups, this is a week I'd suggest keeping him on the bench.

Under-the-Radar WRs Are Worth Starting This Week

A number of lesser-known wide receivers have solid matchups this week, making any one of them worth a starting spot on your roster.

They include the Seattle Seahawks' Golden Tate, who has taken over the starting position vacated by Sidney Rice, now on injured reserve.

This season, Tate has caught 20 passes for 220 yards and three touchdowns but has been heating up in recent weeks, with four receptions for 47 yards and a score in Week 13 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

He's got a great matchup this week against the St. Louis Rams and the full confidence of his head coach, Pete Carroll.

For the rest of the year, Tate could be a valuable starter for your fantasy roster.

Also useful this week is the Tennessee Titans' Damian Williams, who will be getting the start with Nate Washington out.

The speedy playmaker will be facing the porous New Orleans Saints secondary while averaging 52 yards per game, boding well for his chances to rack up points for your team this week.

Also, on the lower end of productivity but still worth examining are the Minnesota Vikings' Devin Aromashodu and the Miami Dolphins' Davone Bess. While they aren't worth an add, let alone a start, in 10-team leagues, in 12- or 14-team leagues I'd give them a gander.

Your Best D/ST Bets for Week 14

There are two schools of thought when it comes to fantasy defenses.

One is to draft a reliably tough defense and start them regardless of matchup and hope for the best.

The other is to draft a defense that may produce for you in the first week or two of the season and then switch to starting defenses on a week-to-week basis dependent on the matchups.

If you employ the latter strategy, here are some options for you this week:

In the "usual suspects" category, the New York Jets, Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers all have excellent matchups this week, with each team facing struggling offenses. Of the three, the Ravens (who face the winless Indianapolis Colts) have the best chance of success.

Otherwise, the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are facing an unreliable Tampa Bay offense and have at one time fielded quite the tough defense, have a solid matchup this week.

Same goes for the Denver Broncos, as their ever-strengthening defense takes on the troubled Chicago Bears offensive unit.

The Seattle Seahawks defense has been brilliant at times this year and this week take on the last-place St. Louis Rams offense, making them the best matchup play of the week.

Tight End Replacements for the Suspended Fred Davis

Washington Redskins tight end Fred Davis has been slapped with a four-game suspension after testing positive for marijuana three times.

He's effectively done for the rest of the regular season, and with the well of tight end depth rapidly drying up, finding a worthwhile replacement is both difficult and necessary.

However, there are three tight ends likely available in your league:

Jake Ballard of the New York Giants, owned in just 45 percent of Yahoo! leagues, has had quite a good year for himself, catching 33 passes for 537 yards and three touchdowns, making him more productive than a number of WR3-worthy starters.

Though Tennessee Titans tight end Jared Cook hasn't put up impressive numbers this season, catching just 28 passes for 424 yards and two touchdowns and no catches in last week's game against the Bills, he may be a bigger factor this week against the New Orleans Saints.

The Saints are giving up solid points to opposing tight ends, and with Titans wide receiver Nate Washington likely out for the game, Cook may see more targets as a result. He's worth plugging in for Week 14.

Philadelphia Eagles tight end Brent Celek is owned in just 37 percent of Yahoo! leagues despite his recent five-game stretch that saw him with a minimum of 53 yards and as many as 94.

Though he was held to just three catches for 21 yards last week, starting quarterback Michael Vick will be back on the field this Sunday, making Celek an attractive starter once again.