Weekly Rankings: Ranking Each Position for Week 14

Erik Smith breaks down his Week 14 fantasy football rankings for PPR leagues.

Erik Smith
Weekly Rankings 5 Years Ago

Welcome to Week 14, the first week of the fantasy football playoffs in most leagues. For the remainder of the season, I will be publishing my weekly rankings on Tuesdays and my rest of season rankings on Thursdays. Most fantasy teams will be focused on winning this week, so the weekly rankings are far more important to have before waiver deadlines. Check below each set of rankings for my notes, and make sure to check injury and weather reports as the week progresses. Good luck in the playoffs!

 

Week 14 QB Rankings
  • Patrick Mahomes draws a brutal matchup in New England this week, so if you own him hopefully you locked up a first-round bye. Despite the matchup, I can’t imagine playing someone like Kirk Cousins over Mahomes, so he remains my QB5 for the week. I wouldn’t fault you for benching him, but Deshaun Watson just had success against New England, and Mahomes will be relied on heavily with so many injuries to Chiefs’ running backs.
  • This is a rough week at quarterback, with steady options like Josh Allen, Kyler Murray, Drew Brees, and Dak Prescott drawing tough matchups. And with Matt Ryan‘s offensive line failing him, he’s a shakier option than he should be against Carolina. That whole yellow tier (QB7-16) is a mess, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see any of these quarterbacks lead the tier. Keep an eye on the weather as Sunday approaches, and use that to help break ties because these quarterbacks are bunched close together.
  • With my fantasy playoffs on the line, I can’t trust Jared Goff after a one-week resurgence against the Cardinals. I also would not want to depend on Brees against the 49ers or Jimmy Garoppolo against the Saints, as I respect both of those defenses too much.
  • You could make a case for Ryan Fitzpatrick as a streamer that belongs in the yellow tier, but I ultimately shied away from him. He makes a good desperation streamer with upside against the Jets, but keep an eye on the weather.

 

Week 14 RB Rankings
  • Dalvin Cook was originally my RB1 but slides to RB4 with his injury on Monday night. He’s saying he’s good to go this week, but this raises just enough questions about his workload to knock him down a few spots. Alexander Mattison looks like a workhorse if Cook sits, and would be a top-12 running back in that case. Right now I have Mattison at RB27, as I expect he could have some stand-alone value if Cook takes less than a normal workload, or this becomes a blowout. This is a top-end matchup against a bad Lions run defense, so this situation needs to be monitored closely.
  • Rashaad Penny played well Monday night and looks to have secured a role in both the run game and the passing game. This still looks like Chris Carson‘s backfield, so Penny is a very risky play against a good Rams defense. But he has just enough upside that I think he’s a decent enough flex play. Keep an eye on coach-speak as the week progresses.
  • The Chiefs’ backfield is a mess and needs to be monitored because of the offense that they play for. But in a matchup against the Patriots, I want no part of starting any of these running backs if I can help it. If LeSean McCoy hasn’t been able to take advantage of all of the injuries around him to this point, I am skeptical that it will ever happen. Darwin Thompson is a bit of a high-upside dart throw, but he can hardly be trusted.
  • The Colts backfield is a mess, as Jordan Wilkins took over in the second half for Jonathan Williams, and Nyheim Hines takes most of the passing game work. With Marlon Mack claiming he is attempting to play this week, he would be the only desirable option if he gets fully cleared, but against a stout Tampa Bay run defense, even Mack would be a low-end flex.

 

Week 14 WR Rankings
  • I can’t quit Odell Beckham Jr., and even though I should have Jarvis Landry ranked ahead of him I just can’t pull the trigger. If you’re going to go against me on any of my rankings, this might be the one. But I just can’t rank a talent like Beckham against a team like the Bengals much lower than this.
  • Tough matchups for Michael Thomas, Tyreek Hill, and DeAndre Hopkins put a damper on some of the elite receivers this week. Don’t overthink it though, start your studs, especially in the fantasy playoffs.
  • Adam Thielen was a late scratch last week, and though he should return this week, it is hard to know how much he can be trusted. I think we should put him in the Sterling Shepard/Christian Kirk range, and anything beyond that is gravy. In a matchup against the Lions, it’s fair to wonder just how much they will need Thielen even if he does play.
  • Unless we get some clarification on the situation, it is awfully hard to trust Tyler Lockett after a couple of dissapointing weeks returning from injury. Keep an eye on the news this week, but a potential matchup against Jalen Ramsey certainly doesn’t inspire confidence for a breakout.

 

Week 14 TE Rankings
  • Austin Hooper practiced Monday, and if he plays, he immediately slots back in as an elite tight end option.
  • Jack Doyle and Tyler Higbee both have excellent matchups to build off their Week 13 performances. A return from injury for Gerald Everett would certainly put a damper on Higbee, though. With Eric Ebron on IR, there are no such concerns for Doyle.
  • Vance McDonald will be the ultimate test of just how bad the Cardinals are against tight ends. Personally, I would rather pursue other options, as McDonald has been a huge bust this year. But if you are stuck at the position and need a boom/bust option, McDonald could certainly be a viable option.

 

Week 14 D Rankings

 

Week 14 K Rankings
  • This is the time of the year to chase kickers in domes. Outside of the elite kickers, you want no part of swirling winds and cold temperatures, as that is the easiest way to lose out on points from an already unpredictable position.

 

Message me on Twitter for any questions, and make sure to check us out Thursday morning for QB List’s Sit/start article, where we will also be live on Reddit answering questions.

 

(Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire)

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