The NFL season is back for another week of action, and fantasy football managers are ready for a full slate of games to flood their TVs this weekend. As not all matchups or roles are equal, we’re breaking down our top fantasy football start/sit Week 14 plays.
Week 14 Fantasy Football Start ’ems
Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys
Dak Prescott has been on fire as of late, with four top-12 performances in his last five games. Prescott has also had four 250+ yard passing games over that stretch and last week threw for three touchdowns in a 54-19 beat down of the Indianapolis Colts.
I see little changing in Week 14, too. The Houston Texans are nowhere near the same level as the Cowboys, and defensively, they are 17th in success rate and 18th in EPA. The only thing stopping Prescott from having a top-six performance is if Dallas blows out the Texans early and then leans on the rushing game. Still, the damage will be done by that point, and Prescott is a must-start QB for Week 14.
Kirk Cousins, QB, Minnesota Vikings
I can’t wait for this game. I said the same thing last week when the Detroit Lions played the Jacksonville Jaguars, as they make for fun matchups, and now Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings get to enjoy what could be a shootout in the NFC North.
MORE: Who Should I Start in Fantasy Football in Week 14?
Cousins did have a quiet game in Week 13, with only 173 yards and one touchdown against the New York Jets. While he hasn’t been as good on the road this year, I’m playing the matchup, as the Lions have allowed the most points to opposing quarterbacks at 23.2 fantasy points per game.
Cousins threw for 260 yards and two touchdowns against them back in Week 3, and last year in Detroit, he had 340 yards with two scores. With six teams on a bye, Cousins is the QB8 in the Week 14 QB fantasy rankings.
D’Andre Swift, RB, Detroit Lions
I called D’Andre Swift a start last week based on some positive signs towards the end of Week 12, and I’m going back to the well in Week 14. Swift was all over the field last week, leading the backfield and carries (14), target (six), and yards (111) while also finding the end zone.
If you’re telling me Swift’s back to seeing 18+ opportunities is a game, I am 100% all in. And that’s even with the expected opportunities for Jamaal Williams in the red zone. It’s a great matchup, too, this week. Not only do the Lions come in as -1.5 favorites, but the Vikings allowed the second most fantasy points per game to running backs over the last four weeks (32.5 PPR). Swift is a must-start, low-end RB1 for Week 14.
Tony Pollard, RB, Dallas Cowboys
Even though we’re not getting the backfield dominance we all want from Tony Pollard, his volume is still enough to make him the lead option in the Dallas backfield for fantasy purposes.
Since Week 12, Pollard is averaging 17 touches and 83.5 total yards per game, and over his last three games, he’s finished as the RB1, RB 40, and RB2. Pollard had 106 scrimmage yards last week and two rushing touchdowns and has now set new career highs in scrimmage yards (1,111) and total touchdowns (10). He also leads all running backs with 5.76 yards per attempt (min. 100) and is a must-start RB1 in Week 14.
Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets
When in doubt, draft rookie wide receivers. They continue to be a cheat code in fantasy, and Garrett Wilson is just the next example of this. He has recorded 92 receiving yards in three of his last four games while fishing as the WR11, WR5, and WR9. Since Mike White took over as quarterback, Wilson has a near 28% target share while seeing over 45% of the air yards with a whopping 3.17 YPRR.
He is 16th in YAC per reception and has blossomed into a must-start wide receiver. Buffalo has struggled as of late against wide receivers, allowing 43.2 PPR points over the last four games, second most in the NFL.
DJ Moore, WR, Carolina Panthers
Thank you, Sam Darnold? Look, I don’t care who’s throwing the ball as long as DJ Moore gets his representative target share. Last week, Moore recorded a 35% target share to finish with four catches for 103 yards in a touchdown. He also had a downright laughable 76% air yard share (146).
Go back to last season when Darnold was starting, and Moore had a 29% target share (9.8 per game) and a 42% air-yard share. The matchup against Seattle is not the easiest, as CB Tariq Woolen is in the running for the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. However, given the Panthers’ lack of options, I would still trust Moore and start him as a low-end WR2/high-end WR3 that could surprise us in Week 14.
Greg Dulcich, TE, Denver Broncos
Greg Dulcich is the only pass catcher worth starting in fantasy football from the Denver Broncos. I hate it, but it’s true. He looked great in Week 13 against the Ravens with six catches and 85 yards on eight targets. That’s a 38.1% target share and 42.1% air yard share.
With Courtland Sutton (hamstring) likely out for Week 14 and an expected negative game strip against the Chiefs, Dulcich is easily inside the top 12 this week.
Hunter Henry, TE, New England Patriots
There’s no questioning what Hunter Henry is for fantasy. He’s a touchdown-dependent tight end that you can only play when the matchup is right. This is one of those weeks.
MORE: WR Injury Report Week 14
Since Week 12, Henry has a 14% air-yard share while seeing 33% of the end zone targets, and in Week 14, he gets the Arizona Cardinals. As we are well aware of, by this point, you play whoever is going against the Cardinals, as they have allowed the highest catch rate, the most receiving yards, and the most receiving touchdowns to TEs this year. With Jakobi Meyers out, Henry could have his season’s best week.
Week 14 Fantasy Football Sit ’ems
Tom Brady, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Was Tom Brady a top-10 quarterback last week? Yes. But it took two late touchdowns and a near-miracle comeback for him to score 17 points. It was his first QB1 performance since Week 5, yet Brady remains 32nd in points per dropback and yards per attempt.
I’m not touching him in Week 14 against a 49ers defense that is allowing the fifth-fewest points to the position (12.9) and will likely be living in the Buccaneers’ backfield.
Daniel Jones, QB, New York Giants
In fairness to Daniel Jones, he’s been a consistent name if you’ve needed a streamer for fantasy this year. Jones’ rushing upside has carried his fantasy value, as Jones sits fifth in carries per game, fifth in rushing yards, and third and red-zone carries at the position.
But this is not one of those weeks, as the Philadelphia Eagles defense is as difficult as it gets for a QB. Since Week 10, they are eighth in EPA and have allowed just 11.6 points per game (third fewest). Jones is a QB2 in Week 14.
J.K. Dobbins, RB, Baltimore Ravens
Just in time for a matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Baltimore Ravens will activate J.K. Dobbins off of IR, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. After returning briefly after his torn ACL, LCL, meniscus, and hamstring, which he suffered in 2021, Dobbins was placed back on IR on October 21 after having arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.
I’m taking the same approach as I did when he initially came back, which is to avoid starting Dobbins. He is one misstep away from heading back to the sidelines due to an overabundance of caution, and given how Gus Edwards has been for the team this year, I would expect a heavy rotation on Sunday.
If he is still around on your waiver wire, I would certainly pick up Dobbins and stash him ahead of matchups against the Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons, and Steelers (again) for the fantasy playoffs.
Dameon Pierce, RB, Houston Texans
After several weeks of underperforming football, Dameon Pierce had a bit of a bounce back last week, finishing with 95 yards against the Browns for 12.5 PPR points. Pierce is likely the only source of offense for the Texans, with no Brandin Cooks or Nico Collins this week.
I don’t know if that’s a good thing, though. Not only is it likely Houston will have to almost abandon the run game at some point during the second half, but since Week 10, Dallas is seventh in success rate and 13th in points allowed to RBs. With minimal PPR upside, Pierce is someone who I would ideally want to stay away from, but I understand if you don’t have better options, given the number of teams on a bye in Week 14.
Diontae Johnson, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
Few people can do less with more than Diontae Johnson. I’m not arguing that he isn’t a talented receiver. He one hundred percent is. It’s just that on a per-opportunity basis, Johnson has underwhelmed for the last three years. Even last week, despite seeing 11 targets, he had just 11 points. He has 105 targets but has yet to score a touchdown this year.
Johnson’s floor is in the single digits, and while he is 16th in target share and 26th in air-yard share, he is 73rd in points per route and 97th in points per target. Yeah, no thank you. Johnson is a WR4 for fantasy in Week 14 who should not be started.
Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This is one of the few times I have ever listed Mike Evans as a sit for fantasy when he’s not been injured. There’s just zero chemistry right now between him and Brady. Evans hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 4, and he’s been held under 60 receiving yards for four games in a row.
Last week against the Saints, Evans caught all four of his targets for 60 yards but has scored nine PPR points or fewer in three of his last four games. It doesn’t get any easier against San Francisco, either. They have allowed just two touchdowns to receivers in their last three games, which included matchups against the Cardinals, New Orleans Saints, and Miami Dolphins. Evans is a hard-to-trust WR3 in Week 14.
Dawson Knox, TE, Buffalo Bills
There’s just not much upside with Dawson Knox. I mean, he didn’t even score a single fantasy point in Week 13. Over his last five games, he’s averaged just 6.7 PPR points per game and recorded just three targets over his last two games combined.
MORE: RB Injury Report Week 14
He is the TE21 in points per game and faces a Jets defense that is fifth in DVOA, has yet to allow a touchdown to the position, and surrenders the 12th-fewest yards per reception. Knox is once again a sit for Week 14.
Cade Otton, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Despite facing one of the toughest defenses last week, Cade Otton had an impressive game with six receptions for 28 yards and a touchdown on ten targets. However, we must also remember that Cameron Brate missed last week’s game due to an illness, which allowed Otton to play such a significant role.
Otton now gets to face the 49ers, who are No. 2 in points per game (6.93) and are averaging just 28.5 yards allowed over their last four to the position.