Week 14 of the fantasy football season has a great slate of games, with some strong playoff contenders going head-to-head. Hopefully, your carefully curated roster is in good shape after the devastating slew of injuries that have affected the NFL. You’re in the right place if you’re in a tough situation with your start/sit questions.
Week 14 Fantasy Football Start ’ems
We’ve dug through the latest roster percentages to identify fantasy football players who you must either start or sit. Our two start options are currently being started in around 40% or fewer of leagues, whereas our two sit players are at around 70% or more. We’re also looking at players owned in a majority of leagues.
D’Onta Foreman, RB, Carolina Panthers
Even though D’Onta Foreman missed practice on Wednesday with a foot injury, he was upgraded to a limited participant on Thursday and is seemingly trending in the right direction. Panthers head coach Steve Wilks said he wasn’t concerned about the injury, and Foreman said there was a “95% chance” he’d play this week.
Until he’s marked as a game-time decision, I’m not sweating Foreman’s injury. His matchup against the Seattle Seahawks is too advantageous to ignore.
I’d be more cautious if he were facing a tough run defense like the 49ers instead. Instead, Foreman is one of the easiest starts of the week where they are six teams on bye. He’s coming off a stretch of 113 or more rushing yards in four of his last six games. We know he’ll be the workhorse for Carolina once again.
MORE: D’Onta Foreman Injury Update Week 14
The Seahawks have been awful at slowing the run, allowing the second-most fantasy points per game to running backs. They give up an average of 158 total yards and 1.17 touchdowns per game. We could see Foreman post career numbers as he powers his way through the small Seahawks’ defense.
Seattle has allowed fewer than 122 rushing yards only three times all year, but their last month has been especially bad. Even the Rams ran for 171 yards and the Cardinals totaled 122, despite both offenses being atrocious in the trenches. The Panthers may go for 200+ if they make the effort.
Jeff Wilson Jr., RB, Miami Dolphins
Since joining the Dolphins at the NFL trade deadline, Jeff Wilson Jr. has been a consistent force within the offense. Last week, the entire Dolphins’ offense bogged down against the excellent 49ers’ defense. But I’m expecting Wilson to see the ball much more often this week after touching it just once in Week 13.
In his first three games with Miami, Wilson totaled 39 carries and six receptions for 267 yards and three touchdowns. It’s on Miami head coach Mike McDaniel to bring back the more creative rushing attack that we saw in his first two games compared to the last two.
It’ll also help to have Terron Armstead back at left tackle and the addition of veteran right tackle Eric Fisher compared to backups.
You can consider taking the higher on Wilson’s rushing categories on Underdog Fantasy because the Dolphins will surely be relying on him. Our PFN expert PPR fantasy rankings for Week 14 have Wilson as the RB11 against the Chargers, and I think he’ll easily match those expectations. Look for another big game from the playmaker.
Week 14 Fantasy Football Sit ’ems
Travis Etienne Jr., RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
It never feels good to bench the RB19 on the season, but Travis Etienne Jr. is a hard player to sell this week. Not only is he facing the sixth-stingiest defense against RBs, but Etienne’s been ice-cold over the last three weeks.
After a great five-week stretch with more than 100 total yards in each outing, Etienne has been slowed to 102 rushing yards and 40 receiving yards in his last three outings.
Missing the majority of Jacksonville’s bout against Baltimore with a foot injury obviously affected his production. But the combination of factors going against Etienne bodes for a bad day for his fantasy managers.
MORE: 8 Fantasy Football Playoff Stashes for 2022
The Titans could shut him down. Tennessee has only allowed one team to run for more than 77 yards since Week 3, showing off a dominant and imposing defensive front.
The Jaguars, meanwhile, should have much more success through the air. It makes little sense to continue running Etienne into a brick wall when they can go over the top and find success.
The best case for Etienne’s fantasy managers is his usage in the passing game increases. But we can’t bank on hope when he’s been a minor threat recently.
Dameon Pierce, RB, Houston Texans
It’s more likely than not that after a wonderful rookie season, Dameon Pierce will be a sit candidate over the final month of fantasy games. Pierce had only 16 rushing yards and 17 receiving yards between Weeks 11 and 12, then was only moderately effective against the Browns in Week 13 due to volume. But this week, he faces a terrific Cowboys defense.
Even as the Texans wisely transition back to quarterback Davis Mills, their offense has a hard time executing, even on the most basic level. Pierce has certainly struggled more than is necessary due to a poor game flow and strategy in most weeks. Remember, at first, Houston accidentally stumbled onto Pierce, only giving him 11 carries in Week 1 before realizing he was their most sustainable source of production.
With the offense looking more predictable than ever and lacking creativity, I’d expect Dallas to focus on Pierce. Forcing Mills to drop back as often as possible is the goal, as the Cowboys look to capitalize with turnovers and sacks. I’d be surprised if Pierce gets more than 13 touches this week.