Find success this weekend with the NFL Week 14 Start/Sit offense list!
Here we are; last week of the regular season. Well, this is hopefully the last week of the regular season. Since the NFL added an extra game to the season schedule, this added a bit of a wrinkle for the Fantasy Football season and playoff timeline.
Hopefully, your commissioner didn't drop the ball when reactivating your league over the summer and made sure to have the playoffs begin in week 15. This matters A LOT because there are four teams on Bye in week 14. Week 14 and your lineups will be void of the Indianapolis Colts, Philadelphia Eagles, Miami Dolphins, and New England Patriots.
Whether this is your first round of the playoffs or the final week of the regular season, it is best to consider the scope of the week 14 slate. Below every matchup will be covered using the "Trust, If You Must, and Bust" system.
Have some fun, take a deep breath, and review the system for your lineup optimization needs!
The "Trust, If You Must, and Bust" System:
“Trust” = Strong start, a player who should be started in all formats!
“If You Must” = Weak start, a player who is good enough to be a starter, but faces a tough matchup or holds an unclear opportunity in a good offense. Some caution should be used while the risk is recognized, as this is often league format dependent.
If you play in a shallow league, I would lean towards benching this player if you have a decent replacement option. In a deep league, I would lean towards starting, since the options may be more scarce. Either way, expectations should be managed.
“Bust” = Keep on your bench, at least for now. These players should be avoided since stronger options at the relative position should be considered first. These are players who fit into one of the following categories:
- A player in a tough matchup or currently holds ambiguous weekly opportunities in the offense.
- A strong bench stash for season-long purposes but currently in a “wait and see” period. Wait and see if their role expands for starter caliber consideration. For example, this type of player may be a strong backup RB behind a stud in an elite offense or could be in line for a big workload if the starter misses time.
- Currently lacking a clear offensive opportunity in either a projected good or bad offense
- Is too volatile on a week-to-week basis. There is no need to play boom or bust type players if you can help it.
Weekly Start/Sit Decision Reminders
Be sure to always be mindful of weekly injury reports and gameday inactive announcements as this could pivot a weak starter into a strong starter!
Be sure to always leave the FLEX spot(s) free of Thursday night players!
Thursday Night Football
Pittsburgh Steelers at Minnesota Vikings
Steelers
Trust – Najee Harris RB, Diontae Johnson WR, Chase Claypool WR, Pat Freiermuth TE
If You Must - Ben Roethlisberger QB
Vikings
Trust - Kirk Cousins QB, Dalvin Cook RB (if active), Justin Jefferson WR
If You Must – Alexander Mattison RB (TRUST - if Dalvin Cook is inactive) Tyler Conklin TE, K. J. Osborn WR
Sunday Early Afternoon Slate
Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns
Ravens
Trust – Lamar Jackson QB, Mark Andrews TE, Marquise Brown WR, Devonta Freeman RB
If You Must – Rashod Bateman WR
Bust - Latavius Murray RB, Sammy Watkins WR
Browns
Trust – Nick Chubb RB, Jarvis Landry WR, Kareem Hunt RB
If You Must – Baker Mayfield QB, Austin Hooper TE
Bust - D'Ernest Johnson RB, Donovan Peoples-Jones WR, Rashard Higgins WR
Las Vegas Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs
Raiders
Trust – Darren Waller TE (if active), Josh Jacobs RB, Hunter Renfrow WR
If You Must – Derek Carr QB, Foster Moreau TE (only if Waller is inactive)
Bust - Zay Jones WR, Bryan Edwards WR
Chiefs
Trust – Patrick Mahomes QB, Tyreek Hill WR, Travis Kelce TE, Clyde Edwards-Helaire RB
If You Must – Darrel Williams RB, Mecole Hardman WR
Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans
Jaguars
If You Must – James Robinson RB, Marvin Jones WR, Laviska Shenault WR
Bust - Trevor Lawrence QB
Titans
Trust – Ryan Tannehill QB, Dontrell Hilliard RB
If You Must - Julio Jones WR, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine WR
Bust - Jeremy McNichols RB, D'Onta Foreman RB
New Orleans Saints at New York Jets
Saints
Trust – Alvin Kamara RB (if active), Taysom Hill QB
If You Must – Marquez Callaway WR, TreQuan Smith WR
Jets
Trust - Elijah Moore WR
If You Must - Jamison Crowder WR, Tevin Coleman RB, Ty Johnson RB
Bust - Zach Wilson QB
Dallas Cowboys at Washington Football Team
Cowboys
Trust – Dak Prescott QB, Amari Cooper WR, CeeDee Lamb WR, Dalton Schultz TE
If You Must – Ezekiel Elliott RB, Tony Pollard RB, Michael Gallup WR
Bust - Cedrick Wilson WR
Football Team
Trust – Antonio Gibson RB, Terry McLaurin WR
If You Must – Taylor Heinicke QB, Ricky Seals-Jones TE
Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers
Falcons
Trust – Kyle Pitts TE, Cordarrelle Patterson RB
If You Must - Matt Ryan QB, Russell Gage WR
Bust - Mike Davis RB
Panthers
Trust – D.J. Moore WR, Chuba Hubbard RB, Cam Newton QB
If You Must - Robby Anderson WR
Seattle Seahawks at Houston Texans
Seahawks
Trust – Russell Wilson QB, D.K. Metcalf WR, Tyler Lockett WR
If You Must - Gerald Everett TE
Bust - Alex Collins RB, Adrian Peterson RB
Texans
Trust – Brandin Cooks WR
If You Must - Rex Burkhead RB
Bust - David Johnson RB, Davis Mills QB, Brevin Jordan TE, Nico Collins WR
Sunday Mid Afternoon Slate
Detroit Lions at Denver Broncos
Lions
Trust – D'Andre Swift RB (if active), Jamaal Williams RB (if Swift is inactive, IF YOU MUST if Swift is active) T.J. Hockenson TE
If You Must – Amon-Ra St. Brown WR, Jared Goff QB
Broncos
Trust – Javonte Williams RB, Jerry Jeudy WR, Noah Fant TE
If You Must – Melvin Gordon RB (if active), Courtland Sutton WR,Tim Patrick WR, Teddy Bridgewater QB
New York Giants at Los Angeles Chargers
Giants
Bust - Sterling Shepard WR (if active), Saquon Barkley RB, Daniel Jones QB (if active, unlikely), Evan Engram TE, Kenny Golladay WR, Kadarius Toney WR (if active), Darius Slayton WR
Chargers
Trust – Justin Herbert QB, Austin Ekeler RB, Keenan Allen WR (if active), Mike Williams WR (if active)
If You Must - Jared Cook TE, Jalen Guyton WR (if Keenan Allen is inactive)
Bust - Josh Palmer WR (worth an add where necesarry, but should only be considered a desperation deep flex play if both Allen and Williams are inactive)
San Francisco 49ers at Cincinnati Bengals
49ers
Trust – George Kittle TE, Deebo Samuel WR (if active), Elijah Mitchell RB
If You Must – Jimmy Garoppolo QB, Brandon Aiyuk WR
Bengals
Trust – Joe Burrow QB, Ja'Marr Chase WR, Tee Higgins WR, Joe Mixon RB
If You Must - Tyler Boyd WR, C.J. Uzomah TE
Buffalo Bills at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Bills
Trust – Josh Allen QB, Stefon Diggs WR, Dawson Knox TE
If You Must – Devin Singletary RB, Cole Beasley WR, Emmanuel Sanders WR
Bust - Gabriel Davis WR, Matt Breida RB, Zack Moss RB
Buccaneers
Trust – Tom Brady QB, Mike Evans WR, Chris Godwin WR, Leonard Fournette RB, Rob Gronkowski TE
Bust - Ronald Jones RB
Sunday Night Football
Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers
Bears
Trust - David Montgomery RB, Darnell Mooney WR
If You Must – Justin Fields QB (if active), Cole Kmet TE, Allen Robinson WR (if active)
Bust - Khalil Herbert RB (high upside bench stash)
Packers
Trust – Aaron Rodgers QB, Davante Adams WR, Aaron Jones RB, AJ Dillon RB
If You Must - Allen Lazard WR, Marquez Valdes-Scantling WR
Monday Night Football
Los Angeles Rams at Arizona Cardinals
Rams
Trust – Matthew Stafford QB, Cooper Kupp, WR, Darrell Henderson RB (if active), Odell Beckham Jr. WR, Van Jefferson WR
If You Must – Tyler Higbee TE, Sony Michel RB (Trust if Henderson is inactive)
Cardinals
Trust – Kyler Murray QB, DeAndre Hopkins WR, James Conner RB, Zach Ertz TE
If You Must – Christian Kirk WR, Rondale Moore WR, A.J. Green WR, Chase Edmonds RB (if active)
Good luck with your Week 14 start/sit offense selections and enjoy the games!
