The fantasy football playoffs are as exhilarating as opening presents on Christmas Day to some managers—like this one. But that wonderful, elevated sense of excitement is also associated with an obscene amount of nervousness and anxiety.
Each roster move comes without the promise of another week, should you fail. Each injury report stirs up a bevy of butterflies deep within one’s gut, and the last bit of dripping sweat from your brow as you click ”save roster” is enough pressure to force any manager to flirt with the crawling chaotic frenzy of arresting madness.
And it only gets worse as the weeks progress.
But luckily for some, Week 14 offers some of the best match ups this football season has had to offer in quite a while, suggesting a small glimmer of hope for some, and menacing dread for those who have to face some of these players in the first round.
Let’s take a look at which players are best to start, and which players deserve to be sat.
| The Start List |
| 1. Greg Jennings – Packers: Jennings has begun to lead the entire pack of fantasy receivers over the past three weeks as he’s turned in three straight games of over 100 yards with touchdowns in two out of the three.
To be more specific, 18 catches for 383 yards and 5 TDs making Jennings a must start in every single league format. Remember, he’s done this against some of the better defenses in the league, so a date with Detroit is as good as it gets. |
| 2. Brandon Lloyd – Broncos: So KC shut him down last week, big deal. Arizona won’t have the same success with their leaky secondary. Start Lloyd and enjoy. |
| 3. Roddy White – Falcons: Ya gotta start White against a Panthers team he has owned in recent year, and you can expect White to find the endzone this week, possibly on multiple occasions. |
| 4. T.O. – Bengals: The last time T.O. faced the Steelers horrid pass D, he torched them for over 140 yards and two scores. He may not have the same level of success, but he’ll still bounce back from a couple of pedestrian weeks. |
| 5. DeSean Jackson – Eagles: There’s a good ol’ fashion shoot out brewing down south, and you can bet Jackson will be in the thick of things. |
| 6. Wes Welker – Patriots: Chicago is a team that get’s off the line quickly, so Brady may need to turn to his number one slot receiver more than his downfield options. I think Welker is set for a nice day in this one. |
| 7. Reggie Wayne – Colts: He’s money every week! Start Wayne. |
| 8. Miles Austin – Cowboys: On the other side of the “shoot ‘em up coral” will be Miles Austin who will garner more targets with Bryant missing. |
| 9. Andre Johnson – Texans: Johnson continues to play solid every week, and while the Ravens will bring the heat, they’re also susceptible to the deep ball; something Johnson specializes in. |
| 10. Santana Moss – Redskins: With Aqib Talib out, Moss is in line for a big day against the compromised Bucs. |
| The Risk List |
| 1. Mike Williams – Bucs: Williams is a solid receiver every week, but if you have better options you must start them instead. If not, feel free to give him the nod. |
| 2. Dwayne Bowe – Chiefs: Brodie Croyle is at the helm, and Bowe underwent an appendectomy earlier this week. At this point, he is more of a red flag start, and you should consider other options. |
| 3. Sidney Rice – Vikings: Stop pining over Jackson and Rice’s remarkable week last week, they played the Bills for crying out loud. With the G-Men on tap, Rice is very risky. |
| 4. Steve Johnson – Bills: Both Jonson and Fitzpatrick have begun the downward spiral of play in the past couple of weeks, and with the NFL rookie of November Joe Haden running around out there, Johnson could be shut down once again. |
| 5. Kenny Britt – Titans: The Titans are expected to “ease” Britt back into the mix this tonight against Indianapolis, which means you might not want to to open your playoffs with him on your start list. There’s no way of knowing how much work he’ll get, and that’s too risky of a start to risk losing in the first round over. |
| The Sit List |
| 1. Michael Crabtree – 49ers: You may officially put a fork in him, Crabtree has little value in the playoffs.
The problem is, the guy just hasn't done anything to warrant a start in a playoff enviroment. In addition to that, the QB situation in San Fran is a mess, the RB situation is just as bad, and he is a player you just want to avoid all together. |
| 2. Brandon Gibson – Rams: Gibson has a tough match up against Saints cover man Jabari Greer. He’s not worth the start. |
| 3. Mike Williams – Seahawks: The Seahawks are “hoping” he will return this week, which means you need to sit Williams without concrete news of a start. |
| 4. MSW – Jaguars: Forget starting MSW with Nnamdi Asomugha blanketing him all day. |
| 5. Nate Burleson – Lions: The Packers are a tough team to pass on, and the Lions will have enough trouble protecting Drew Stanton. Keep Burleson benched this week. |
Remember everyone, feel free to leave your questions below, and good luck this week.
