Week 14 Start/Sit Questions

By: Mike Johnson (@mjohnson86)

Some things in fantasy football are easy. We know we should start Puka Nacua and Bijan Robinson. We know we should bench the backup running back who is only on our roster in case of injury and the guy who was ruled out early in the week. A lot of the decisions are made for us. However, there are a lot of things that are not so simple. All of the “in between” situations are what can make the difference between a few wins and losses, and therefore it can be the difference between a successful season or a failed season. Every Friday, we are here to help!!

I’ll take questions each week in our #fantasy-football channel in our Discord from people looking for Start/Sit advice and give my thoughts. This article will feature a few of those questions and responses each Friday, so join our Discord to be a part of the conversation or ask questions of your own!!

Question 1 :: Christian Watson or Courtland Sutton? (PPR) (Chiefsboom40)

Answer :: Many will want to follow the recent production of Watson and the strong on-paper matchup against the Bears defense, who just gave up a massive game to A.J. Brown. However, the Packers receiving corps has been dealing with injuries recently and the team may be getting Matthew Golden and Jayden Reed back this week, which is likely to muddy the waters for their receivers once again. Also, the Bears recently got multiple key members of the secondary back from injury and are stronger in that area than their season-long numbers reflect. Finally, the Packers are a run-based team and have a great matchup on the ground against Chicago. The reality here is that Watson’s situation is a lot less certain than recent production would indicate, so I would give the nod to Sutton.

Question 2 :: Colston Loveland or Darren Waller at TE? Devin Neal, Woody Marks, or Kyle Monangai for my RB2? Thanks!? (PPR) (dwr-unc)

Answer :: Waller has had a nice season whenever he has been on the field, but it should be noted his reluctance to play in cold weather and run-block. This game is in New York, where the temps will be frigid and we know Tua Tagovailoa has struggled in cold weather throughout his career. Meanwhile, Bears WR Rome Odunze missed practice Wednesday and Thursday while Loveland’s role has been growing and Chicago has a huge divisional matchup with Green Bay. I say go with the youth. As for your RB situation, Devin Neal is my choice (assuming Alvin Kamara is out once again). The matchup isn’t great at Tampa, but he has a massive role and should catch some passes. Marks is also in a tough matchup with the Chiefs, has been inefficient on his workloads recently, and is battling an ankle injury. Monangai is coming off a huge game, but he has a tough matchup and is a game-script-reliant back.

Question 3 :: Emeka Egbuka or Devaughn Vele at WR?   (rickysabogal)

Answer :: This is a question that will seem obvious to most at first glance, but deserves discussion. For me, I am always starting Egbuka in this spot. He is still the top WR for a Bucs team likely to be successful against New Orleans. While his recent production is middling, he has the talent, role, and situation to have a massive game any week. However, Vele popped last week in catch-up mode and seems destined for a similar situation this week. At this time in the year, these decisions get a lot tougher as team dynamics and game environments can be wildly different as opposed to early in the season when most teams have a similar approach and goals. The answer here is Egbuka, but it is closer than it seems and it isn’t “point chasing” to consider Vele’s new role and upside.

Question 4 :: PPR, I need one in the Flex: Omarion Hampton, Jordan Addison, or Quentin Johnston (Gatekeeeper)

Answer :: While the story around Minnesota is a dire one, I would still go with Addison in this spot. The Chargers are playing an Eagles team with a very good defense coming off an ugly loss, while their quarterback Justin Herbert has a hand fracture that he had surgery on and his status is in question for this week. Hampton will be in a timeshare of some sort with Kimani Vidal, while Johnston’s role is one that probably will not thrive against the Eagles secondary with an injured quarterback. Meanwhile, Addison is still seeing a lot of targets, has a great matchup, and is very talented. I would lean into that and hope for the best. Both offenses are in spots where production may be tough to come by, but at least with the Vikings if they have success you have a stronger reason to believe Addison will be involved. Even if the Chargers offense is successful, Hampton and QJ are not guaranteed to be a part of it.