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Bruce's fantasy football sit em picks for Week 14. He lists players with warning signals who have struggled and are worth benching, sitting, and avoiding.
We are headed into Week 14 of the NFL season. Some fantasy teams are battling it out for a playoff spot and others are already in the playoffs. No matter what situation you are facing, it is best to know how players are trending in order to know the best options for your fantasy lineups.
At this stage in the season, we know who the problem children on our roster are and who we can depend on. There are also some fantasy assets who are at risk of busting in our lineups due to a bad matchup or a reduction of workload.
Analyzing the trends and forecasting the future will allow us to know which players could flop in the near future. With that being said, let’s take a look at some of the warning signals as we head into Week 14.
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Quarterback Concerns - Start'Em for Week 14?
Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons
Ryan has been struggling this season, and has posted QB2 or worse production in five of his last six games. Calvin Ridley being out of the lineup doesn’t help matters. Outside of Kyle Pitts, the offense doesn’t really have the talent in the passing game to allow Ryan to chuck the ball all over the field.
The Falcons will be traveling to Carolina to play the Panthers, and Vegas has a very low 42.5 over/under set for this game. The Panthers’ defense ranks second in the league with 176.67 passing yards allowed per game. The offense is more than likely not going to be able to consistently move the ball downfield, making it hard for Ryan to be productive in fantasy.
What To Do
I would only start him this week if I didn’t have any reliable options. He doesn’t have the rushing floor to help boost his fantasy output in bad matchups, and the odds of him finishing the week as a QB2 or worse is highly likely.
Running Back Concerns - Sit 'Em for Week 14?
Tevin Coleman, New York Jets
Coleman led all running backs on the Jets' roster last week against the Philadelphia Eagles with a 29 percent opportunity share. He finished the day rushing for 58 yards while catching three balls for 19 yards.
Even though he was getting a large share of the workload out of the backfield last week, his fantasy stock will always rely on him falling in the end zone for him to be a viable option. Considering the Jets are at home this week hosting the New Orleans Saints, the odds are that the Jets will struggle to score points and will operate in a negative game script. Vegas has the over/under set at 43.5 points. Nobody is expecting either team to blow the doors off with scoring.
What To Do
Coleman isn’t a common starter for most fantasy teams. Even with his uptick in workload, many fantasy gamers might be hard-pressed to insert him into their lineups. He’s only worth starting if you have no other options available. It’s safe to say, he’s best left on the bench or even your waiver wire.
Wide Receiver Concerns - Sit 'Em for Week 14?
Rashod Bateman, Baltimore Ravens
After coming back from injury, fantasy gamers were very excited to see Bateman finally hit the field back in Week 6 against the Chargers. There were plenty of moments where he flashed his talent, but currently, he has hit a major dry spell in his workload. He hasn’t hit double-digit fantasy points since Week 10 against the Miami Dolphins. It’s even more concerning that Bateman didn’t catch a pass against the Pittsburgh Steelers last week.
The Ravens will be playing the Cleveland Browns this Sunday. Two weeks ago, when these two teams played each other, they accounted for just 26 total points. It was an anemic game script that curtailed the fantasy production for all the players involved in the game. The Ravens have scored less than 20 points in five of their last six games, as their offense has stagnated over the back half of the season.
What To Do
As much as it pains me to say this, we might have to wait until next year for Bateman to breakout, and the film seems to check out. He’s a very good wide receiver who can win on the field, however the targets aren’t going his way and the offense is not moving the ball enough to sustain production. Keep him stashed on your bench for a rainy day.
Bryan Edwards, Las Vegas Raiders
Fantasy managers may be tempted to put Edwards into their flex spot because he has a promising matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. However, the second-year wide receiver has seen just an eight percent target share in his last four games. Even if this game goes off the rails and there’s tons of scoring, Edwards will need to reel in a couple of deep passes or catch a couple of balls in the end zone for him to score enough to be usable in fantasy.
What To Do
Edwards is only worth chasing this week if you want to gamble on the matchup fueling his fantasy production. Even with the promising game script, he is still a very risky fantasy asset since he’s receiving a limited workload. Rest him on your bench if you have a safer option for your flex. I would only start him if you need to gamble on his upside.
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