Week 14 Fantasy Football Rankings Plus Ask Mike

This is a post to discuss Week 14 fantasy football rankings. I will update this throughout the week as the rankings are posted and changed, typically from Wednesday through Sunday morning.

Plus, feel free to ask your own fantasy football questions in the comments. Waivers, free agent add/drops, trades (although I am not a big trader), and start/sit are all fair game. I’ll try to answer as quickly as I can.

Rankings Posted Wednesday

Week 14 fantasy football rankings are up. The initial rankings I mostly use for waivers. Plugging in the league_id for my leagues on MyFantasyLeague.com, Sleeper, or Fantrax, highlights the rostered players to identify free agent acquisition targets. If you ever notice a player not marked correctly then let me know. It probably means the player_id for that player isn’t matched in my database.

Nice week last week! At least, according to the FantasyPros Accuracy Competition. Maybe posting my picture with the trophy from 2021 provided some luck. Or, more likely, it is because I spent more time than usual Saturday night researching the rankings. My whole family was away which allowed for more time. More research, more reflection, better results. Makes sense. More time is always a challenge, and over-analysis can happen too, but it worked out last week finishing #2 overall.

Here are a handful of initial thoughts for the prelim rankings.

• Holy quarterback injuries last week. I believe I lost three games last week thanks to a sub-5 point performance from either Lamar Jackson or Jimmy Garoppolo. One game I really needed a win was a double shot JimmyG and Kenneth Walker, lost by less than 10. Fun. /rant
• Deshaun Watson did not look good, but he didn’t need to do anything in the game versus the Texans, either. Keeping him a middle tier option at QB until we see some the old flash. Certainly there is rust, but he’ll run for big gains at some point and finish higher for the week than projected.
• Rhamondre Stevenson is not really deserving of a Top 5 ranking at RB in terms of, we think he will finish that high. He isn’t scoring enough to get there. However, he is deserving from a consistency standpoint, making him more reliable than guys below him who are volatile.
• Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott both in the Top 10 this week. Mind you, it wasn’t that fruitful for Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt last week as the defense stole the glory. I own neither Cowboy runner, unfortunately. Zeke looks good.
• D’Andre Swift, back in the saddle as the top Lions runner? Yes please. Jamaal Williams another goal line touchdown. This is fine for Swift as long as Swift gets a good share of touches.
• The Jeff Wilson-Raheem Mostert split now that Mostert is back is one worth monitoring. Last week didn’t show us much since the Dolphins abandoned the running game.
• Courtland Sutton, another early game injury disappointment last week. Jerry Jeudy is back. He could be in line for a solid game this week. I have Sutton in the rankings right now but don’t feel very confident he’ll be active Sunday.
• George Pickens seems to not have much patience already complaining about not getting the ball. You’re still a rookie, dude, as is your quarterback. Chill.
• Did I say earlier Michael Gallup was looking good even though it wasn’t translating to points? A couple touchdowns last week and away we go.
• Tight end position, still ugly. Hope people kept the faith on Greg Dulcich after three down weeks. The Broncos offense is still terrible, but I’d rather keep rolling with the guy who is getting targeted frequently over playing TE-roulette every week.
• T.J. Hockenson returns to Detroit this week. Don’t usually get such a quick turnaround for a revenge game narrative.

Keep checking in throughout the week to Sunday morning for ranking changes and updates here. Hit me up with questions in the comments, and I’d be happy to answer them.

Saturday Changes

Getting ready to watch the England-France World Cup game. The first batch of changes are for all of the 1:00 pm Eastern start games on Sunday. After the soccer game I’ll review the remaining games on the NFL schedule. As always, check the rankings for the latest, I don’t always have time to write commentary on the changes.

Ravens-Steelers

It seems many analysts have Tyler Huntley ranked in the mid-teens this week. There is upside, but this appears to me as an old school grind it out, ugly game, by these two rivals. I’ve got Huntley QB21, Kenny Pickett QB22. None of the receivers short of Mark Andrews, and neither running game, is too exciting. Coaches will be pleased to settle this one on field goals.

Browns-Bengals

Joe Mixon returns after Samaje Perine did an admirable job filling in Weeks 11-13. Expect some rust for Mixon, and maybe they even utilize Perine more than they did before Mixon went out. It could be not unlike the Nick Chubb-Kareem Hunt split, which is similar to how I have them ranked. Moderate rank for Deshaun Watson at QB18. I’d have a tough time starting him, but he’s certainly capable of this and more, especially if they get into catch up mode against the Bengals.

Texans-Cowboys

Not one, two running backs ranked in the Top 10. Top 8 actually. That is not easy to do. Will continue to reflect on this one to Sunday as it certainly goes against the odds, but regardless, start Pollard, start Zeke, if you’ve got them. This would also seem to suggest a low output game from Dak and his receivers. Again, start ’em if you got ’em. It is a prime matchup. But, expectations for a blowup game are down. And here is hoping the Cowboys don’t take the undermanned Texans for granted. Dameon Pierce moved below Zonovan Knight in this update. Trying to stay ahead of the curve with two players trending opposite directions.

Jaguars-Titans

I don’t think Trevor Lawrence is as good as his recent performances seem to indicate – four Top 10 performances since Week 6; QB12, 8, 7, and 18 in his last four games. Kind of the reverse feeling for Ryan Tannehill, although losing Treylon Burks does not help. I’m below consensus on TLaw, above consensus on Tanny. We are due for a Derrick Henry 25+ touch game. Need a TE? Take a chance on Chigoziem Okonkwo this week.

Vikings-Lions

There isn’t as much shootout potential this week as usual. This game qualifies as one of only two with an over-under above 50 points. I moved Jared Goff up to QB8, just below Kirk Cousins. The Lions bracketed Justin Jefferson last time for his lowest output of the season, 3-14-0. Doesn’t matter, I’ll keep him the top WR this week. Dalvin Cook hasn’t been as productive as I thought or as he should be. I moved him down a bit. Let’s see if D’Andre Swift can keep a hold on the number one RB spot for the Lions. Jamaal Williams is still scoring but fading in fantasy points with modest yardage and he isn’t catching any passes.

Eagles-Giants

Saquon Barkley is a game-time decision, so that’s not good. If he’s out, then that really does not leave Daniel Jones with a lot to work with against the Eagles defense. While Jones could earn some points with his legs, I want to rank him conservatively. And if Saquon misses the game, I’m not very excited by Matt Breida. Extended garbage time might help. A.J. Brown’s weekly rankings are not great, even with his WR3 finish last week. I moved him down to WR12.

Sunday Morning Updates

I’m still a few games short on commentary. Also trying something new this morning. If anyone wants to try talking one-to-one about the rankings or decisions for their fantasy team, check this out:

I’m helping out the team @getdidit launch their peer-to-peer video app. Cool idea. You call, I answer, we chat about your fantasy football team(s). I’m online now (first time). Get Didit app: https://t.co/Klx41QsnIf pic.twitter.com/sDwPrTq9Gf

— DraftBuddy.com (@DraftBuddy) December 11, 2022

Jets-Bills

On one hand, Mike White’s been solid for fantasy. He threw a lot of passes last week to get there, but still, two-for-two with good games. On the other hand, I am still skeptical of relying on him. I’ve moved him down, up, back down. And I don’t think that is the Bills bias doing it to me. The thing that is interesting is how much the Jets are letting him air it out. So even if the game goes sideways early, he should have a good chance to catch up. I’ve got him QB13. Love Garrett Wilson this week, just out of the Top 10.

On the Bills side, I do have James Cook slightly above Devin Singletary as it does appear to be a changing of the guard situation. Could be a hot hand though. Remember Cook fumbled early in the Thanksgiving Day game and was quickly phased out of that game plan. Both ranked with middle of the road expectations. Not too high on Gabe Davis this week. Tough match up and he’s been very spotty.

Chiefs-Broncos

I continue to be a little lower on Isaiah Pacheco than consensus. I’m not wowed by him. He’s getting good opportunity, and here is another game where the Chiefs should, for the most part, roll. RB18 – if he scores, he’ll finish higher. Jerry Jeudy should do well in this game sans Courtland Sutton. Start your normal Chiefs, and I’m expecting JuJu to get about 8 targets and closer to his nice stretch of games, Weeks 6-9, before his concussion.

Panthers-Seahawks

D’Onta Foreman could be in line for a solid game here, as could Chuba Hubbard, if the Panthers can keep this close. I think they will. Seahawks seem to be fading a bit, struggle against the run, and Panthers are playing hard and a bit underappreciated right now given their early season struggles. Travis Homer in at RB for the ‘Hawks. Not expecting much. Geno Smith is going to have to carry them this game.

Bucs-49ers

Short of the opening drive and final few minutes of games, hard to trust the Bucs offense. Coincidence Brady is calling the plays in the final minutes? Tough test this week. I feel like I’m too low on Chris Godwin, and maybe too high on disappointing Mike Evans. RB split is not easy, but I favor the rookie White over Fournette. 49ers side, don’t ask Brock Purdy to do too much and they should be fine. McCaffrey 8-for-80 receiving last week shows they are using him right. Hope for the best from the other receivers since they cannibalize each other.

Dolphins-Chargers

Potential shootout. One of the tougher calls this week, Jeff Wilson versus Raheem Mostert split. I have Wilson a fair bit higher. That could come back to bite me. Both are worth starting since the Chargers are so horrible against the run. Justin Herbert has his full compliment of receivers with Mike Williams back, and I’m not sure that has been the case all year.

Patriots-Cardinals

While I think Mac Jones could do reasonably well here, can’t isolate any one receiver to push up the rankings. Let’s see plenty of dump offs to Rhamondre Stevenson. I definitely need him this week in my own games. The Cards are not good defending tight ends so possibly Hunter Henry has himself a game. James Conner is getting a ton of volume and should on that basis have a strong week for fantasy.

Good luck this week!