Start 'Em, Sit 'Em wide receivers: Week 14 fantasy football

Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em wide receivers: Week 14 fantasy football

Posted by Admin December 5, 2024 Football

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Welcome to the last week of the fantasy football regular season. Or, to put it another way, “Byemaggedon II.”

That’s right, folks. One week after a Week 13 that featured zero teams were in a bye week and two weeks after “Byemaggedon I,” in which six teams took their week off, Week 14 features six more teams on a bye. Just in time for desperate fantasy football managers trying to make a final push for a playoff spot.

Don’t fret. USA TODAY Sports is here to provide a variety of different options to consider starting at wide receiver spots on fantasy football rosters this week. Even with so many teams on bye, there are also several players to contemplate leaving on the bench as they face more difficult matchups.

Here are three receivers to start in Week 14 as well as three players to avoid in the last regular season week of fantasy football.

Fantasy football start ’em: Week 14 wide receivers

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Tennessee Titans (vs. Jacksonville Jaguars)

Thanks to the generally poor play of the Titans this season, Westbrook-Ikhine’s late-season fantasy breakout has largely flown under the radar. He’s scored at least one touchdown in seven of the last eight weeks and has been the 14th-most productive wideout in fantasy football over the last four weeks.

In Week 14, Westbrook-Ikhine and the Titans get a divisional rivalry game against the Jaguars. Jacksonville ranks 30th in fantasy points allowed to wide receivers this season and has allowed the highest success rate on dropbacks of any team in the NFL over the last five weeks.

Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Chargers (@ Kansas City Chiefs)

It seems that McConkey will remain on this list as a start ’em candidate until either he gets injured or fantasy football managers stop sleeping on the rookie wideout. He’s here for a third straight week after a Week 13 outing in which he was responsible for 117 of the 147 total passing yards quarterback Justin Herbert threw for on Sunday.

If Herbert’s reliance on the first-year out of Georgia weren’t enough, McConkey gets a matchup against the Chiefs in Week 14. Kansas City has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points per game to receivers over the last four weeks thanks to a passing defense that has looked leakier and leakier in the wake of cornerback Jaylen Watson’s Week 6 ankle injury.

Malik Nabers, New York Giants (vs. New Orleans Saints)

Who will Nabers be catching passes from on Sunday? Given his performance on Thanksgiving, it may not matter.

One week after the rookie wide receiver called out head coach and offensive play-caller Brian Daboll for not getting him enough touches, Nabers got 13 targets against the Cowboys – his most since Week 8. He hauled in eight of those passes for 69 yards and even recorded a four-yard rush.

Nabers won’t be a great fit in non-PPR leagues given the state of the Giants’ quarterback situation. For those holding onto the rookie in PPR leagues though, it’s fair to assume that he’ll see plenty of targets against a Saints defense that has struggled to limit wide receiver production in recent weeks.

Fantasy football sit ’em: Week 14 wide receivers

Adam Thielen, Carolina Panthers (@ Philadelphia Eagles)

Quarterback Bryce Young has played well in recent weeks, and Thielen was one of the best wide receivers in fantasy football last week, in his second game back from injury. Why is he a sit ’em?

Ultimately, it comes down to just how good the Eagles’ defense has been. Philadelphia has been able to shut down even the most explosive of passing offenses and wide receivers since their Week 5 bye. Young, Thielen and the Panthers are going to have a hard time getting the passing game going in Week 14.

DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks (@ Arizona Cardinals)

Where Westbrook-Ikhine has quietly been very productive in fantasy football over the last few weeks, Metcalf has been quietly unproductive. The veteran wide receiver has found the end zone just once in his last seven games, and he hasn’t been a top-25 receiver in fantasy since suffering a knee injury in Week 7 that left him sidelined for two weeks.

In recent weeks, second-year receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba has taken on a larger role in the Seahawks’ passing offense. He’s had more targets than Metcalf in two of the three weeks since Seattle’s bye, and he’s put up more yardage in every game.

In addition to contending with the drop in target share, Metcalf will be up against a Cardinals defense that has been among the league’s best against the pass in the last four weeks.

Cedric Tillman, Cleveland Browns (@ Pittsburgh Steelers)

Tillman suffered a concussion in the Browns’ last meeting with the Steelers in Week 12 and already missed one game while recovering from the head injury. What made his Week 13 absence more concerning was the fact that he had extra days of rest coming out of that Week 12 game, which was on Thursday.

Even if Tillman plays in Week 14, it may not be at 100%. In addition, the Jameis Winston-led Browns passing offense has started to rely more heavily on Jerry Jeudy over the last three weeks. After Jeudy put up 235 yards and a touchdown on nine catches against his old team on Monday night, Tillman may just be relegated to the No. 2 role in Cleveland’s wide receivers room when he returns.