NFL 2017 week 14: Start and sit fantasy football advice you need to win

It’s that time again. Here are your fantasy start and sits for Week 14.

NOTE: This is a list of players who are on the bubble when it comes to deserving a starting spot for the week. Obvious choices won’t be mentioned, and likewise - some under-the-radar guys, will. Advising you to start Tom Brady offers no value to you as a fantasy owner.

Must Starts

Quarterback

Alex Smith vs. Raiders- I smell a comeback brewing for Alex Smith. Maybe it‘s because the Raiders have allowed six quarterbacks to finish within the Top-10 this season.

Philip Rivers vs. Redskins- Rivers has been on a tear with three games of at least 17 or more points. He’s also had six touchdown passes in that time and Washington has allowed six quarterbacks to finish in the Top-Six this season.

Running Back

Rex Burkhead vs. Dolphins- He’s one of the hottest options right now as he had a 19.3 point performance against the Dolphins in the last outing. He’s been rolling lately averaging 15 points per game and no team surrenders more to receiving backs.

Samaje Perine vs. Chargers- He really spit the bit against the Cowboys but should have a favorable matchup this week. Los Angeles has allowed the sixth-most PPR points to running backs.

Wide Receiver

Sterling Shepard vs. Cowboys- Dallas has surrendered five touchdowns and the fifth-most yards to slot receivers. With Eli Manning back, Shepard will be the offense for the Giants.

Michael Crabtree vs. Chiefs- Kansas City has been awful against receivers and have allowed 16 scores this season. They allowed 17 catches between just two receivers last week and have allowed the second-most PPR points this season.

Tight End

Evan Engram vs. Cowboys- No matter who is at quarterback, Engram has been productive. He’s one of the standout rookies this season and has earned the trust for another week. He’s seen more targets than any tight end in the last month.

Austin Sefarian-Jenkins vs. Broncos- Denver is struggling mightily to contain tight ends and have allowed an average of 16.1 points to the position.

Defense

Patriots vs. Dolphins- The Pats defense has been very good lately and a matchup with Miami will only inflate their numbers. The Dolphins have allowed Top-10 finishes in each of the last six weeks.

Bills vs. Colts- The Bills have had some tough offenses lately and they finally get a break here with a Colts’ team that allows the second-most points to defenses.

Sit Them Down

Quarterback

Cam Newton vs. Vikings- It’s not a good draw for Cam owners this week and if you can avoid it, you should. Minnesota is allowing 13.2 points per game to quarterbacks and no team has allowed fewer rushing yards to quarterbacks than the Vikings.

Matthew Stafford vs. Buccaneers- With a swollen hand, this week is a good time to sit Stafford. The Bucs have also refused to allow a quarterback to finish better than 16th this season.

Running Back

DeMarco Murray vs. Cardinals- He’s a downright fantasy bust at this point and it’s looking more like Derrick Henry will be taking over soon enough. Arizona has only given up two rushing touchdowns this season.

Jonathan Stewart vs. Vikings- In the last three games, Stewart has either score a touchdown or had 100+ yards performances. Against the Vikings, don’t expect that to continue, they have allowed the fewest PPR points to the position.

Wide Receiver

Devin Funchess vs. Vikings- Minnesota has one of the best all-around defenses in the league and they have allowed the third-fewest points to receivers.

Cooper Kupp vs. Eagles- It’ll be much harder on the rookie slot receiver this week as Philly has allowed the fewest production from the slot position.

Tight End

Jared Cook vs. Chiefs- As bad as the Chiefs have been at stopping receivers, they’ve been equally as good at keeping tight ends in check having allowed only a single score and the third-fewest points to the position.

Eric Ebron vs. Buccaneers- He’s averaged 10 points per game over the last month but he needs to sit this week against a tough matchup with the Bucs. Tampa Bay has only allowed one tight end to find the end zone.

Defense

Panthers vs. Vikings- Not a single defense has done better than the Lions in week four and they finished 13th. Since then, any defense playing the Vikings should be benched.

Eagles vs. Rams- The Eagles defense has been one of the best in all of Fantasy Football but the Rams are allowing an average of 3.2 points per game to opposing defenses. They also haven’t allowed but two units to finish better than 15th.

Must Start Dallas Cowboy Of The Week:

Jason Witten- In 15 seasons, 29 regular season games against New York (12% of his career games), they still have never figured out how to stop 82. Witten has 153 receptions, 1,548 yards, 10.12 YPC, 72.2% catch rate, and 14 touchdowns against the Giants. New York is also giving up 17.3 points per game and has surrendered 10 touchdowns to the position. Witten had 18.9 points against them in week one.

Must Sit Dallas Cowboy Of The Week:

Dak Prescott- He’s adamant that his hand is much better and that he’ll be good to go. However, even without Janoris Jenkins covering Dez Bryant, the passing offense hasn’t been up to snuff this season. Besides, Prescott may have played much better in week one (17.1 points) with 268 yards and a 90.5 passer rating but he tends to struggle with the Giants’ defense. Overall, in three career games, he has 660 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions, a 5.5 yard average, and a 68.4 passer rating.

Fantasy Football Name Of The Week: Davante’s Inferno