The art of who to start or sit can be as tricky as the art of finding who optimal candidates are to consider as “borderline candidates.” So, hopefully, the biggest question marks at the running back position are here to help put your Week 14 worries at ease.
As always, check out The Wolf’s Week 14 Fantasy Rankings if you have any other tricky lineup decisions.
With the playoffs next week, those who are fighting to secure that special seeding spot or paw and claw their way into the playoffs should heed the sage advice offered below.
Losing the quarterback battle to your opponent isn’t always a death sentence for fantasy. Getting smoked at the position is a recipe for disaster!
Pull up a chair, pour yourself a nice mug of hot chocolate, and read what I’ve got to say. Hopefully, it helps you make up your mind and wins you a week along the way.
Let’s go!
Week 14 QB Start ‘Em
Russell Wilson vs. Browns
Hopefully, you made that hot chocolate extra chocolatey; having to start Wilson can often leave a bad taste in your mouth.
Still, I’m pretty sure the Bengals’ equipment staff are still trying to extinguish the flames left on their backsides by Wilson last week. The lull with breakout young wide receiver George Pickens could be at an end and Wilson could be a stabilizing start at the position.
Ignore the struggles of Bo Nix last week. He had been torching NFL secondaries for weeks and was due to hit a rookie wall at some point.
The Browns have surrendered at least 18 points to four different quarterbacks since week 6. They’re not as frightening a matchup as the name suggests.
Surrendering 16.6 to QBs on the year and showing signs of leaking in recent weeks, the Browns are a sneaky plus matchup that can be exploited. Hopefully, Wilson and Pickens connect on an “unlimited” amount of moonballs this week.
The Wolf has Russell Wilson ranked 10th (+2 vs. ECR) in his Week 14 rankings.
Justin Herbert vs Chiefs
Don’t look now, but the wheels could be falling off the bus for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Matt Nagy has reduced the offense to ashes and the defense is starting to crack under the pressure of having to routinely carry the team to victory.
Last week was a disaster for Herbert and company. A paltry 8 fantasy points and Herbert literally lost teams their matchups.
Take that game out and throw it in the trash. In the five previous games, Herbert had not finished with fewer than 17.6 fantasy points and had scored 24+ twice. Five straight weeks of QB1 performances don’t get washed away by one stinky week.
The Chiefs are giving up the fifth-most passing yards and the eighth-most passing touchdowns since the midway mark of the season.
With bye-mageddon putting a stranglehold on team rosters, Herbert is a strong play given his advantage in this matchup.
The Wolf knows what’s up in his Week 14 rankings. Herbert is ranked 7th (+4 vs. ECR)
Other QB starts: Tua Tagovailoa, Sam Darnold
Week 14 QB Sit ‘Em
Geno Smith vs Cardinals
The man has no in his name. That should tell you everything you need to know.
After exploiting reeling teams and favorable matchups to start the year, Smith has been in a bit of a fantasy tailspin, and the trend likely continues this week.
The Cardinals’ defense previously had its way with Smith, holding him to under 15 points for the second team in the year at the time.
Since week 9, the Cardinals have allowed the fourth-fewest passing touchdowns and have only allowed three passing touchdowns to be scored in that same period.
Smith is averaging 0.41 fantasy points per dropback (22nd among qualifying QBs) and 0.39 fantasy points per opportunity (23rd).
In other words, he’s a volume-dependent pocket passer who doesn’t create fantasy points at an efficient clip, making him a risky weekly start. With the Cardinals’ recent defensive surge, perhaps Smith is best served as a desperation streamer.
The Wolf is in lock-step with the experts, ranking Geno Smith as the QB15 in Week 14.
Caleb Williams vs 49ers
With as talented a passer as Williams behind center, sitting him always comes with an uncomfortable risk.
The 49ers have been a no-fly zone for opposing QBs over the last five games. More importantly, they are good at getting after the quarterback.
Williams still tends to hold the ball too long, contributing to the Bears allowing the second-most sacks in the NFL.
Behind the scenes, Williams has been highly inefficient, despite having a plethora of weapons on offense, averaging 0.4 fantasy points per dropback.
Given his boom-bust nature, inefficiencies, and erratic accuracy (22nd in the NFL in accurate throw rate), it might be best to err on the side of caution and avoid the duality of Caleb Williams’ starts.
The Wolf is tempering expectations from Caleb Williams (-2 vs. ECR), ranking 16th in his Week 14 rankings.
Other sits: Kirk Cousins, Matthew Stafford
