Guest writer Jen is back with your usual Thursday musings. Read on for your lineup advice for Week 14!
Sorry I missed you all last week! I fully intended on having something to serve up as an appetizer to your Thanksgiving meal, but that East Coast winter storm was no joke. I hit the road for a trip from New Jersey to South Carolina. What should have taken me 10 hours took me 15 hours, so needless to say by the time I touched down, my Jersey road rage had peaked, and I could not sit down to write anything without coming off like the bitter, enraged woman that I was. But it was a lovely Thanksgiving, and I hope yours was great as well!
The last 2 weeks saw their share of injuries, but then again that’s every week. Here are 4 injuries that can/will impact your lineups this week.
Andre Ellington (RB, ARZ): It was only a matter of time before Ellington wore down. He has had double digit carries in every game that he has finished this season. He was banged up coming into the season, and now he has a hip pointer that the Internet is calling “serious”. He has already been declared a game time decision, and has a very difficult schedule for the fantasy playoffs. Unless you’re loaded at running back and have avoided injuries, you need Ellington to heal up fast. I doubt he plays this week, and it looks like Marion Grice will get the start, but beware of the inevitable committee approach.
Justin Hunter (WR, TEN): Hunter had just come off arguably his best fantasy output of the season (4-64-1, which isn’t saying much) but he was just giving fantasy owners hope when he suffered a lacerated spleen in week 13, sending him to IR. *Side note: My man Jason Witten played through a lacerated spleen in 2012, but not everyone can be as tough as him!* Hunter had an excellent matchup against the hapless Giants waiting for him this week, but unfortunately he will be watching from the couch. This was a hard fall from grace for a guy who was ranked so high in the preseason as a breakout candidate.
Rashad Jennings (RB, NYG): Jennings is another player who was primed with the ultimate matchup considering the Titans are pitiful against the run. The Giants, and Jennings himself, have tried to downplay his latest injury (ankle), but he has not registered a practice this week. There’s a chance he goes Sunday if he gets in a practice tomorrow, but it is looking doubtful. Go grab Andre Williams (available in 70.1% of ESPN fantasy leagues) if you can. If he gets the start, he will be flirting with RB1 status.
Demaryius Thomas (WR, DEN): Uh oh. Wait, he got hurt? When? Turns out someone stepped on his foot (seriously?) in practice on Wednesday, forcing him to miss practice on Thursday. This could go one of two ways. Thomas could be just fine, and resting his foot because he is a beast and can afford to miss practice. If this goes in the other direction and he isn’t able to practice tomorrow, you better have a replacement for what was likely your #1 or #2 overall pick.
Below are rankings for week 14:
Fantasy Pros - I’m a PPR junkie, so I always turn to Fantasy Pros for their rankings
Sablich Brothers' Rankings Week 14 - More PPR for ya….standard as well!
SB Nation's Week 14 Rankings - This link defaults to QBs, but scroll down for other positions.
And here are your Start/Sit links for week 14:
Michael Fabian's Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 14 - I say it every week: Fabs has one of, if not the best, Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em columns week in and week out. If I had to rank start/sits, Fabs would be tied for 1st with…
Jamey Eisenberg's Start Sit Sleepers Week 14 - Another start sit boss, and the Fantasy Football Today Show on CBS.com (hosted by Jamey and Dave Richard) is worth your lunch hour, trust me!
USA Today Start/Sit Week 14 - Good for your fantasy team, GREAT for your DFS line ups.
Jesse Nadelman's Week 14 Start 'Em Sit 'Em - Jesse’s column isn’t just start/sit...it is full of analysis that will help you set your lineup.
numberFire.com's Start or Sit Week 14 - we are HUGE fans of numberFire.com here at the Fantasy Football Librarian, and their start/sit rarely lets down.
Sablich Brothers' Week 14 Match Up Breakdown This is a matchup breakdown, which is awesome in itself, but it reads like a start/sit and is full of good stuff.
Brian Dezelske's Start/Sit Week 14 - Brian has a running back in his starts that I bet you haven’t even thought to start because he has been outshined lately by his backfield buddy. Brian’s got you covered!
So...I think I nailed it on my recent sleepers….
Latavius Murray (RB, OAK): Now I’ll admit, I was excited when the Internet was a buzzing that Murray would get the first crack at running the ball against the Chiefs, but when he ran for that 2nd touchdown, I had to cheers myself with my way-too-strong wine spritzer (yes wine spritzer. I’m 30 now, therefore I’m sophisticated and I drink wine). He took 4 carries for 112 yards and 2 touchdowns. That is beyond impressive. Unfortunately, a concussion sidelined him for week 13, but if you grabbed him off waivers and held him, I hope you have some fun with him this week.
Daniel “Boom” Herron (RB, IND): He was primed for production, partly because of his talent, but mainly because of Trent Richardson’s lack thereof. In the last 2 weeks, Herron he’s had 20 carries for 153 yards and a rushing touchdown to go along with his 7 catches for 39 yards. He’s like a little baby Ahmad (as long as those receiving touchdowns start coming). For a position that has been so depleted by injury, Herron was a nice waiver add, and could be the RB2/flex that brings you to the fantasy super bowl.
Kenny Stills (WR, NO): Whew, I’m batting a thousand here (that will change shortly). The injury to Brandin Cooks immediately opened the door for Kenny Stills, but he kicked it right off the hinges. Despite playing only around 50% of the snaps in the last 2 weeks, Stills has put up a stat line of 13 catches for 260 yards and a score. That’s insane for a guy you probably plucked off waivers. His remaining schedule is too juicy to ignore, and has one of the best of the best throwing to him. If you own him, I don’t want to jinx you, but congratulations on your future success!
Cody Latimer (WR, DEN): I mean, I can’t always be right. Considering how awfully I whiffed in week 11, I’ll take Latimer as my lone miss. I really thought Emmanuel Sanders would miss time, and that with the Julius Thomas injury, the field would really open up for Latimer to show off his talent. It looks as though Denver is taking their sweet time “developing” him, so you can go ahead and drop him if you did add him. It’s early, but I do like him a lot for the 2015 season.
And now, my sleepers for this week. Warning: there is little to no possibility I’ll be able to match my success listed above, but here goes anyway…
Andre Williams (RB, NYG): It hurts me to even write this for so many reasons, but I’ll give you 2: first of all, I am a die hard Cowboys fan (as you may know by now), so to recommend anyone from the Giants pains me a little bit. Second, I’m in a league where I am depleted at running back, started Williams twice in Jennings' absence, and he completely burned me. With that said, I am starting him AGAIN in that same league this week if Jennings doesn’t suit up. The matchup against the Titans is just too good, and I grabbed Williams off waivers about 10 minutes before writing this (I dropped him after my last burn). That is in a fairly competitive 12 team league, so if you need a running back, he might be available...go get him!
Marion Grice (RB, ARZ): I’m hesitant to put Grice here, but the Cardinals are a run heavy team and Andre Ellington hasn’t practiced all week. The Chiefs are ranked 8th against the run, so if Grice starts he will have his work cut out for him, but the Chiefs don’t exactly have a ton of tape on him to study. Just beware: this could easily turn into a committee approach during the game, as I mentioned above in the injury section. But considering Grice will have first dibs if Ellington doesn’t play, look for him to try to run away with the job.
Teddy Bridgewater (QB, MIN): I believe this is my first mention of a quarterback for a sleeper. I’m going to go ahead and predict that Teddy will have his best fantasy output of the season, at home, against the New York Jets. They are imploding before our very eyes and I think Teddy will have himself a field day. Bold Prediction: he even runs one in himself for a score, just for the fans.
Carlos Hyde (RB, SF): This game is set up for Frank Gore to finally have his big day that he owes his fantasy owners. This is precisely why I love Hyde this week. Gore’s age has finally caught up to him, and it has become painfully obvious. Hyde usually comes in as a change of pace back, but I think he will make the most of his opportunities against a Raiders defense that has given up 11 touchdowns to running backs on the season.
And finally, I will leave you with a few people that you should be following on twitter…
Brian Dezelske - By now you should know who Brian is because you clicked his start/sit link above, and he helped you with your lineup this week. Now go give this man a follow!
Adam Pfeifer - I’ve mentioned Adam as a follow before, but now that it is playoff time, I have to mention him again. Seriously, if you want to win, you should be following his feed.
Liz Loza - Also someone I’ve mentioned previously, and also someone I’ll mention again because it’s playoff time and you want to win, right? Ask her for some fantasy advice, she just might answer!
NFL Injury News - With all these players dropping like flies, it’d be foolish not to follow the account that breaks injury news. It is especially important to check out their feed on Sundays right around 12:30PM.
Jesse Nadelman - Another name that should ring a bell because you clicked on every single link I’ve listed on here, and therefore he has also helped you set your lineup. This nice young fella even replied to me earlier to help me with a tight end dilemma. Follow him, maybe he will help you out too!
And as always, you can hit me up anytime!
That’s it for this week. I wish you all the best of luck, but I’ll need you to do the same for me. I’m on a bye in one league that I have Andre Ellington in so I can rest easy there, but in another league I have a BIG matchup in front of me. That game kicks off tonight, where my Jay Cutler and Alshon Jeffery face off against his Tony Romo and Dez Bryant. The kicker of it all? My opponent...is my little brother!
Sorry I missed you all last week! I fully intended on having something to serve up as an appetizer to your Thanksgiving meal, but that East Coast winter storm was no joke. I hit the road for a trip from New Jersey to South Carolina. What should have taken me 10 hours took me 15 hours, so needless to say by the time I touched down, my Jersey road rage had peaked, and I could not sit down to write anything without coming off like the bitter, enraged woman that I was. But it was a lovely Thanksgiving, and I hope yours was great as well!
The last 2 weeks saw their share of injuries, but then again that’s every week. Here are 4 injuries that can/will impact your lineups this week.
Andre Ellington (RB, ARZ): It was only a matter of time before Ellington wore down. He has had double digit carries in every game that he has finished this season. He was banged up coming into the season, and now he has a hip pointer that the Internet is calling “serious”. He has already been declared a game time decision, and has a very difficult schedule for the fantasy playoffs. Unless you’re loaded at running back and have avoided injuries, you need Ellington to heal up fast. I doubt he plays this week, and it looks like Marion Grice will get the start, but beware of the inevitable committee approach.
Justin Hunter (WR, TEN): Hunter had just come off arguably his best fantasy output of the season (4-64-1, which isn’t saying much) but he was just giving fantasy owners hope when he suffered a lacerated spleen in week 13, sending him to IR. *Side note: My man Jason Witten played through a lacerated spleen in 2012, but not everyone can be as tough as him!* Hunter had an excellent matchup against the hapless Giants waiting for him this week, but unfortunately he will be watching from the couch. This was a hard fall from grace for a guy who was ranked so high in the preseason as a breakout candidate.
Rashad Jennings (RB, NYG): Jennings is another player who was primed with the ultimate matchup considering the Titans are pitiful against the run. The Giants, and Jennings himself, have tried to downplay his latest injury (ankle), but he has not registered a practice this week. There’s a chance he goes Sunday if he gets in a practice tomorrow, but it is looking doubtful. Go grab Andre Williams (available in 70.1% of ESPN fantasy leagues) if you can. If he gets the start, he will be flirting with RB1 status.
Demaryius Thomas (WR, DEN): Uh oh. Wait, he got hurt? When? Turns out someone stepped on his foot (seriously?) in practice on Wednesday, forcing him to miss practice on Thursday. This could go one of two ways. Thomas could be just fine, and resting his foot because he is a beast and can afford to miss practice. If this goes in the other direction and he isn’t able to practice tomorrow, you better have a replacement for what was likely your #1 or #2 overall pick.
Below are rankings for week 14:
Fantasy Pros - I’m a PPR junkie, so I always turn to Fantasy Pros for their rankings
Sablich Brothers' Rankings Week 14 - More PPR for ya….standard as well!
SB Nation's Week 14 Rankings - This link defaults to QBs, but scroll down for other positions.
And here are your Start/Sit links for week 14:
Michael Fabian's Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 14 - I say it every week: Fabs has one of, if not the best, Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em columns week in and week out. If I had to rank start/sits, Fabs would be tied for 1st with…
Jamey Eisenberg's Start Sit Sleepers Week 14 - Another start sit boss, and the Fantasy Football Today Show on CBS.com (hosted by Jamey and Dave Richard) is worth your lunch hour, trust me!
USA Today Start/Sit Week 14 - Good for your fantasy team, GREAT for your DFS line ups.
Jesse Nadelman's Week 14 Start 'Em Sit 'Em - Jesse’s column isn’t just start/sit...it is full of analysis that will help you set your lineup.
numberFire.com's Start or Sit Week 14 - we are HUGE fans of numberFire.com here at the Fantasy Football Librarian, and their start/sit rarely lets down.
Sablich Brothers' Week 14 Match Up Breakdown This is a matchup breakdown, which is awesome in itself, but it reads like a start/sit and is full of good stuff.
Brian Dezelske's Start/Sit Week 14 - Brian has a running back in his starts that I bet you haven’t even thought to start because he has been outshined lately by his backfield buddy. Brian’s got you covered!
So...I think I nailed it on my recent sleepers….
Latavius Murray (RB, OAK): Now I’ll admit, I was excited when the Internet was a buzzing that Murray would get the first crack at running the ball against the Chiefs, but when he ran for that 2nd touchdown, I had to cheers myself with my way-too-strong wine spritzer (yes wine spritzer. I’m 30 now, therefore I’m sophisticated and I drink wine). He took 4 carries for 112 yards and 2 touchdowns. That is beyond impressive. Unfortunately, a concussion sidelined him for week 13, but if you grabbed him off waivers and held him, I hope you have some fun with him this week.
Daniel “Boom” Herron (RB, IND): He was primed for production, partly because of his talent, but mainly because of Trent Richardson’s lack thereof. In the last 2 weeks, Herron he’s had 20 carries for 153 yards and a rushing touchdown to go along with his 7 catches for 39 yards. He’s like a little baby Ahmad (as long as those receiving touchdowns start coming). For a position that has been so depleted by injury, Herron was a nice waiver add, and could be the RB2/flex that brings you to the fantasy super bowl.
Kenny Stills (WR, NO): Whew, I’m batting a thousand here (that will change shortly). The injury to Brandin Cooks immediately opened the door for Kenny Stills, but he kicked it right off the hinges. Despite playing only around 50% of the snaps in the last 2 weeks, Stills has put up a stat line of 13 catches for 260 yards and a score. That’s insane for a guy you probably plucked off waivers. His remaining schedule is too juicy to ignore, and has one of the best of the best throwing to him. If you own him, I don’t want to jinx you, but congratulations on your future success!
Cody Latimer (WR, DEN): I mean, I can’t always be right. Considering how awfully I whiffed in week 11, I’ll take Latimer as my lone miss. I really thought Emmanuel Sanders would miss time, and that with the Julius Thomas injury, the field would really open up for Latimer to show off his talent. It looks as though Denver is taking their sweet time “developing” him, so you can go ahead and drop him if you did add him. It’s early, but I do like him a lot for the 2015 season.
And now, my sleepers for this week. Warning: there is little to no possibility I’ll be able to match my success listed above, but here goes anyway…
Andre Williams (RB, NYG): It hurts me to even write this for so many reasons, but I’ll give you 2: first of all, I am a die hard Cowboys fan (as you may know by now), so to recommend anyone from the Giants pains me a little bit. Second, I’m in a league where I am depleted at running back, started Williams twice in Jennings' absence, and he completely burned me. With that said, I am starting him AGAIN in that same league this week if Jennings doesn’t suit up. The matchup against the Titans is just too good, and I grabbed Williams off waivers about 10 minutes before writing this (I dropped him after my last burn). That is in a fairly competitive 12 team league, so if you need a running back, he might be available...go get him!
Marion Grice (RB, ARZ): I’m hesitant to put Grice here, but the Cardinals are a run heavy team and Andre Ellington hasn’t practiced all week. The Chiefs are ranked 8th against the run, so if Grice starts he will have his work cut out for him, but the Chiefs don’t exactly have a ton of tape on him to study. Just beware: this could easily turn into a committee approach during the game, as I mentioned above in the injury section. But considering Grice will have first dibs if Ellington doesn’t play, look for him to try to run away with the job.
Teddy Bridgewater (QB, MIN): I believe this is my first mention of a quarterback for a sleeper. I’m going to go ahead and predict that Teddy will have his best fantasy output of the season, at home, against the New York Jets. They are imploding before our very eyes and I think Teddy will have himself a field day. Bold Prediction: he even runs one in himself for a score, just for the fans.
Carlos Hyde (RB, SF): This game is set up for Frank Gore to finally have his big day that he owes his fantasy owners. This is precisely why I love Hyde this week. Gore’s age has finally caught up to him, and it has become painfully obvious. Hyde usually comes in as a change of pace back, but I think he will make the most of his opportunities against a Raiders defense that has given up 11 touchdowns to running backs on the season.
And finally, I will leave you with a few people that you should be following on twitter…
Brian Dezelske - By now you should know who Brian is because you clicked his start/sit link above, and he helped you with your lineup this week. Now go give this man a follow!
Adam Pfeifer - I’ve mentioned Adam as a follow before, but now that it is playoff time, I have to mention him again. Seriously, if you want to win, you should be following his feed.
Liz Loza - Also someone I’ve mentioned previously, and also someone I’ll mention again because it’s playoff time and you want to win, right? Ask her for some fantasy advice, she just might answer!
NFL Injury News - With all these players dropping like flies, it’d be foolish not to follow the account that breaks injury news. It is especially important to check out their feed on Sundays right around 12:30PM.
Jesse Nadelman - Another name that should ring a bell because you clicked on every single link I’ve listed on here, and therefore he has also helped you set your lineup. This nice young fella even replied to me earlier to help me with a tight end dilemma. Follow him, maybe he will help you out too!
And as always, you can hit me up anytime!
That’s it for this week. I wish you all the best of luck, but I’ll need you to do the same for me. I’m on a bye in one league that I have Andre Ellington in so I can rest easy there, but in another league I have a BIG matchup in front of me. That game kicks off tonight, where my Jay Cutler and Alshon Jeffery face off against his Tony Romo and Dez Bryant. The kicker of it all? My opponent...is my little brother!
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