Fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em: Players to play or bench during NFL Week 14

We are one week away from the fantasy football playoffs. Odds are, not every spot in your league's postseason has been secured just yet. Positioning, potential first-round byes and playoff berths are still up for grabs, making Week 14 yet another pivotal week where knowing who to start and who to sit could be the difference between a shot at a championship or missing out on your league's winnings.

Week 13 included myriad of fantastic performances. Jonnu Smith continued his reign of terror on the rest of the league. Bucky Irving was a monster, and probably the only reason the Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn't lose to the Carolina Panthers. Rookie tight end Brock Bowers also put up a 30 burger in PPR leagues. However, the key to fantasy greatness is finding value in players that others wouldn't consider starting. That's what we're here to do.

Here are eight players to start and eight more to sit in Week 14.

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Players to start in Week 14:

Quarterbacks:

• Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers

While the Las Vegas Raiders have been solid against the run as of late, they've been less productive against the pass. Mayfield and the Bucs were nearly embarrassed by the Panthers in Week 13. They'll look to bounce back in a big way against the Raiders in what should be (but probably won't be) an easy win.

• Sam Darnold, Vikings

While Justin Herbert did not have a great week against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 13, every other quarterback to play Atlanta recently has. Bo Nix had 36 points. Derek Carr had 23. Dak Prescott and Cooper Rush had 26. Baker Mayfield had 28. Geno Smith had 21. You get the point.

Atlanta is a terrific matchup for any quarterback, and Darnold's ceiling is lifted substantially against them this weekend.

Running Backs:

• Tyrone Tracy Jr., Giants

While Devin Singletary did get a decent workload in Week 13 against the Dallas Cowboys, the New Orleans Saints' run defense has been bad enough to warrant starting Tracy regardless of how much work Singletary gets. Tracy still got the important carries and wound up in the end zone. That's all that matters in fantasy. Oh, he also got the only receiving work out of the backfield.

• D'Andre Swift, Bears

With the 49ers all out of whack and Nick Bosa hobbled, the 49ers' run defense has been atrocious. They've now surrendered the fifth-most non-PPR points per game to halfbacks on the season. Swift will be the biggest benefactor of San Francisco's collapse this week.

Wide Receivers:

• Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Titans

Look. Volume may be the most important thing to consider in fantasy, but Westbrook-Ikhine's production speaks for itself. He has caught at least one touchdown in seven of his past eight games. That alone makes him fantasy relevant, but his odds increase this week as the Titans face the Jacksonville Jaguars.

• Brandin Cooks, Cowboys

The Cincinnati Bengals' defense is filled with more holes than the plot of a J.J. Abrams movie, and Cooks – despite hauling in only three passes in his first game back from injury – did earn seven targets and score a touchdown. He'll be heavily involved in Dallas' offensive game plan moving forward.

Tight Ends:

• Cade Otton, Buccaneers

Don't look now, but the Raiders have been fairly solid against the run the last few weeks, having given up less than 65 rushing yards in two consecutive games. The Bucs will need to pass to get their offense going, and the Raiders have given up the third-most non-PPR points per game to the tight end position.

• Luke Schoonmaker, Cowboys

The Bengals just allowed Pat Freiermuth to go off for seven catches, 68 yards, and a touchdown. They've given up a score to opposing tight ends in four consecutive games and have surrendered eight touchdowns to tight ends over the past eight weeks.

Players to sit in Week 14:

Quarterbacks:

• Jared Goff, Lions

The Green Bay Packers have been terrific against quarterbacks all year. While Goff's efficiency can often counter elite defenses, the Packers have been just mediocre against running backs. It's likely the Lions will lean heavily on their halfbacks, as they normally do, attacking Green Bay's weaknesses. While Goff's floor should be incredibly high, his ceiling will be low in this divisional matchup.

• Matthew Stafford, Rams

The Buffalo Bills have been menaces to opposing quarterbacks all season. They've only allowed 20 points to quarterbacks four times this year. Two of those were divisional games, which are often outliers in these types of statistics. The other two were Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson. Don't count on a big performance from Stafford.

Running Backs:

• Isiah Pacheco, Chiefs

In his first game back from injury, Pacheco was still used in a timeshare with Kareem Hunt. While Pacheco should get more work as the season winds down, he's not in line this week to return to his workhorse role from the start of the season. Furthermore, the Los Angeles Chargers have only surrendered three rushing touchdowns all year.

• Gus Edwards, Chargers

Even with J.K. Dobbins out, Edwards has been unable to secure the top spot in Los Angeles' backfield. He's been inconsistent, inefficient and hasn't been much of a pass-catcher, either. That alone would be enough to warrant benching him, but he will also be facing the Kansas City Chiefs this weekend. All around, not a great outlook.

Wide Receivers:

• Deebo Samuel, 49ers

The 49ers' offense is not good. It hasn't been good for some time, and while Samuel is the type of player that can go off at any moment, he hasn't tallied 10 PPR points in three in a row and four of his past six games.

The Chicago Bears are one of the best teams in the league at stopping opposing wideouts, and Week 14 should be no different.

• Tyreek Hill, Dolphins

Don't let his Week 13 stat line fool you. Hill would've had five receptions for 73 yards in Week 13 had it not been for a weird ricochet ball that landed in his hands for a touchdown. Hill is not getting designed looks in Miami's offense like he'd been getting in years past. Now, facing the New York Jets' secondary, Hill will be in for a rough outing.

Tight Ends:

• Tucker Kraft, Packers

No team in the NFL is better at shutting down opposing tight ends than the Detroit Lions. This will likely be a game where Green Bay leans on its wideouts, as Detroit's defense is built for stopping running backs and tight ends.

• Evan Engram, Jaguars

With Trevor Lawrence going through concussion protocol, there's a chance that Mac Jones takes the reigns of the Jaguars' offense again in Week 14. In his time under center in Week 13, Jones displayed a connection with wideout Parker Washington, throwing his way 12 times, the most on the team.

Should that connection maintain in Week 14, Engram could very well wind up the third option in Jacksonville's lackluster passing attack. That's not a great combo for fantasy production. Furthermore, the Tennessee Titans have surrendered the fifth-fewest non-PPR points per game to opposing tight ends.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fantasy football Week 14: 16 NFL players to start, sit in your league