Your fantasy football postseason slate has finally arrived – did you make it? You probably would not be reading this if you didn’t.
So, congratulations are in order! But to be able to enjoy the fruits of your labor from this season, you need to stay sharp and make sure you keep up on improving your roster and making the right moves that can get you to that championship.
There are always going to be your plug-and-play WR1 options, like Davante Adams, D.K. Metcalf, Calvin Ridley, Keenan Allen, and plenty of others that will not be mentioned here, because those are no-brainer moves that you already know to do.
This piece is more about what you should do with your mid-tier options, the ones that certainly do fluctuate in value due to their opponents and potential gameplans – but no worries, we have that covered.
Take a look at which wide receivers to start and which ones to sit for Week 14, based on full-point, point-per-reception fantasy football league formats and forecasts.
WRs to Start in Week 14
Robby Anderson, Carolina Panthers
Even if D.J. Moore was not being held out due to being placed on the COVID-19 list, Robby Anderson profiled as a solid play this week, most likely as a WR2 option.
But, with Moore out, he and Curtis Samuel will be the two to hold down the receiver ranks for Teddy Bridgewater, in a game that will not have Christian McCaffrey yet again. Mike Davis is much less of a threat in both elements of the offense than CMC is, but his RB2 status seems to be safe this week, boosting the value of Anderson even more into a WR1 option with top-5 potential.
Plug him in wherever you have him, as the Denver defense should focus on Anderson but not slow him down enough, and don’t be surprised if this game turns into a 100+ yard day that hopefully also includes double-digit receptions and potentially even a score.
Oh, and Denver just lost its #1 CB (suspension), #2 CB (IR), and slot corner (IR).
A.J. Brown gets pretty much all of the credit for helping keep this offense less run-heavy as it may be perceived as, but Corey Davis truly should be the player that earns a ton more respect for helping even out this team’s offensive approach this season.
All Davis has done is finally put everything together for Tennessee, proving to them why they used a first-round selection on him. And this week is no different, going up against a Jacksonville secondary that could be down three of its top secondary pieces.
Davis has certainly been overshadowed by Brown this year, and rightfully so, but Davis has played himself into a nice little payday next year, wherever he goes. But just looking at the now, Jacksonville has allowed 15 receivers to produce WR2 or higher numbers this season so far, painting a healthy picture for Davis, even though he only put up 3/36/1 last time these teams played.
Could this become a game dominated by Derrick Henry? It certainly could. But the TEN offense still has to make sure it checks all of the boxes against a below-average opponent, which means that Davis should be able to get his and hopefully produce at a fantasy football-relevant level, which should be a safe WR2 level this week.
Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers
Nick Mullens, while producing competent results, certainly has not looked like the guy of the future to step in and replace Jimmy Garappolo next year. He has, however, enjoyed a solid relationship with both Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, albeit in a somewhat limited fashion.
Samuel is this team’s WR1 option, and his attention in this offense certainly makes that stand up, even if Aiyuk has vultured a few scores from Samuel along the way. The Niners face Washington this weekend, which has put clamps on receivers this year to the tune of allowing the second-fewest fantasy points to receivers in 2020.
However, the fact that the 49ers have the strong threat of establishing the run against this defense should force WAS to focus on that element as well, something that can help open up some attention for Samuel. If the SF offensive line unit can do something to at least slow down the WAS defensive line, then Mullens will have time to work with Samuels, and the potential to break out again this week and put up a 100-yard game on five-plus receptions could be an underrated element that helps you succeed in your fantasy football postseason’s opening round.
Other Week 14 starts – DeVante Parker (MIA), Cole Beasley (BUF), Mike Williams (LAC), Tee Higgins (CIN)
WRs to Sit in Week 14
DeAndre Hopkins, Arizona Cardinals
You. Will. Not. Sit. DeAndre. Hopkins.
But you surely can be wary of what he will put up on Sunday against the New York Giants.
A surprisingly-stout defensive secondary that helped shut down the Seahawks last week, the Giants’ defense has shown out this year in an unexpected fashion, helping keep their struggling offense afloat longer than they deserve. And that will certainly be the case again, as Hopkins will earn the most attention from the NYG secondary that could help keep a low ceiling for Hopkins.
Kyler Murray may need to run the ball more if he wants to stay fantasy relevant this week, but that element of his game has seemingly disappeared lately. In turn, he's had to work in the pocket and establish himself as a stronger thrower, which has helped established a more-consistent target share for Nuk.
Listed as questionable with neck and back injuries, Hopkins needs to be started, but a low-end WR1 / high-end WR2 option is in the cards for him on Sunday, so be sure to temper expectations.
After Will Fuller IV’s season-ending suspension for PED usage, Brandin Cooks slotted in as Deshaun Watson’s top target, and Week 13 was the first game of that being the case. With Cooks producing five catches for 65 yards on eight targets, his third-highest target share of the year obviously gave people something to believe in.
But after suffering another scary head injury that left him unconscious on the field, even with no concussion diagnosis, his matchup against the Chicago Bears on the road in sub-freezing weather certainly looks to be a matchup to shy away from.
The target volume, on paper at least, surely looks to be a safe element for Cooks. Yet both Keke Coutee (8/141) and Chad Hansen (5/101) outperformed Cooks against the Colts. Hansen will most likely just be a flash in the pan, but with Coutee controlling quite a large target share, that surely dampens Cooks’ potential.
Not to mention, Randall Cobb should be coming off the IR soon, which would take even more targets away from Cooks – regardless, this week looks to be a WR3/4 show that would be heavily TD-reliant to make him fantasy football relevant.
Chase Claypool, Pittsburgh Steelers
Having not eclipsed the 60-receiving yardage mark since Week 9, Chase Claypool has seemingly fallen out of favor with Ben Roethlisberger in the PIT offense, making any sort of projections for him hard to effectively predict.
A hopeful item is that Claypool has earned eight-plus targets six of the past seven weeks, yet he has not be able to convert that into relevant numbers. Now, his four TDs over that span have helped keep him afloat, but his matchup against Buffalo this week brings about some caution.
Against Washington last week, Claypool earned the fourth-highest snap count, sitting behind Juju Smith-Schuster, Diontae Johnson, and James Washington. That alone should give you pause in firing Claypool up as a WR2 this week, even though he was the only pass-catcher to not be guilty of dropping a pass last week.
With WR3 production likely but a potential dud also in the cards, Claypool’s role should be as a slight-desperation FLEX play. Ultimately, sit him if you can until he produces back on a consistent level.
Other Week 14 sits – Marvin Jones Jr. (DET), T.Y. Hilton (IND), Marquise Brown (BAL), Breshad Perriman (NYJ)
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