Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Justin Boone's Week 14 lineup picks (and benches)

Justin Boone provides a weekly look at undervalued fantasy football players to consider starting this week and potential busts you might want to leave on your bench.

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For the rest of your lineup decisions, consult his Week 14 rankings.

Jacoby Brissett, QB, Cardinals

vs. Rams

Brissett has been the ultimate stopgap for both the Cardinals offense and fantasy managers in search of help at quarterback.

The veteran passer has finished as a top-12 fantasy QB in all seven of his starts and is averaging the fifth-most FPPG (21.3) during that stretch, which includes games where Marvin Harrison Jr. didn't play. That's notable, since Harrison is dealing with a heel injury that could sideline him this week.

Regardless, from a fantasy perspective Brissett has overcome every obstacle in his way and a difficult matchup with the Rams' defense shouldn't scare managers away from starting him as a low-end QB1 again this week.

Despite being a strong unit, the Rams just let Bryce Young throw three touchdowns against them last Sunday.

Other QBs to start:

• Jordan Love vs. Bears - Love is coming off his best game of the season and now faces a Bears' defense giving up the 13th-most fantasy points to his position.

• Baker Mayfield vs. Saints - Mayfield's fantasy numbers have been up and down lately, but the team is getting healthy around him and the Bucs are big favorites in this contest.

Derrick Henry, RB, Ravens

vs. Steelers

With Lamar Jackson at less than 100%, the Ravens' gameplan will likely involve putting the ball in Henry's belly early and often.

Henry has been producing lately with 112 scrimmage yards and a touchdown versus the Browns, 88 yards and two scores against the Jets and 104 yards and a TD in a loss to the Bengals last week.

He'll have a few extra days of rest after playing on Thanksgiving, which could help the 31-year-old power back have a little more juice when he takes on the Steelers.

In his last three games versus Pittsburgh, Henry has delivered 189 scrimmage yards, 65 yards and a TD, as well as 102 yards and a TD.

While the Steelers seem like a bad matchup on paper - allowing the eighth-fewest fantasy points to running backs - they've actually been pretty generous over the last month.

So get ready for Henry to be busy in this important battle atop the AFC North.

Other RBs to start:

• Bucky Irving vs. Saints - In his first game back in the lineup, Irving delivered 81 yards and a score on 19 touches. In his only two meetings with the Saints, he topped 80 yards each time and found the end zone in both contests.

• Kenneth Walker III at Falcons - Walker had a down game last week in a blowout over the Vikings, where the offense wasn't really needed. You can expect him to bounce back versus a Falcons' defense giving up the 10th-most fantasy points to RBs.

• Quinshon Judkins vs. Titans - The Titans are the sixth-best matchup for fantasy backs and Judkins is an RB2 with RB1 upside in any game the Browns can keep close. Cleveland is actually favored by four points in this one.

Christian Watson, WR, Packers

vs. Bears

Since returning to the lineup in Week 8, Watson is the WR24 in fantasy points per game and has finished as a top-12 wideout in two of his last three appearances.

He's also being rewarded with more volume, including 17 targets over the past two weeks.

Though he's only had one full game against the Bears in the last couple seasons, the result was a four-catch, 150-yard effort in Week 11 of the 2024 campaign.

This year, the Bears are allowing the third-most fantasy points to receivers and just allowed A.J. Brown to dominate them with 10 grabs, 132 yards and two scores.

Even with the Packers tendency to spread the ball around, Watson is a strong WR2 start this week.

Other WRs to start:

• Michael Wilson vs. Rams - Marvin Harrison Jr. is banged up and will either miss this week's game or be limited for it. In the two games MHJ missed recently, Wilson went off for 25 catches and 303 yards on 33 targets.

• Courtland Sutton at Raiders - Sutton got back in the good graces of fantasy managers with a 5-62-1 stat line in Week 13. Now, he gets the seventh-friendliest opponent for fantasy WRs. His last trip to Vegas in 2024, resulted in a 97-yard, two-TD performance.

• Jakobi Meyers vs. Colts - Meyers is emerging as the top wideout in Jacksonville with back-to-back weeks with at least 50 yards and a touchdown. Next up is the Colts' defense that's the ninth-easiest matchup for wideouts.

Darren Waller, TE, Dolphins

at Jets

Waller may have had just two catches for 47 yards in his return to the lineup, but he nearly came away with a touchdown as well. That wouldn't have been surprising since he scored four TDs in his first three games with Miami earlier this season before getting hurt.

He'll have an excellent chance to get back into the end zone this week against a Jets' defense that allowed him to hit pay dirt twice in their last encounter.

New York also let Jonnu Smith, who was the Dolphins' starting tight end last year, put up top-five fantasy weeks both times they played in 2024.

More recently, the Jets got torched by Kyle Pitts Sr. for seven receptions and 82 yards last week.

Given Miami's lack of a consistent second receiver behind Jaylen Waddle, Waller is an enticing fantasy option whenever he's healthy - but his ceiling is even higher in this matchup.

Other TEs to start:

• Brenton Strange at vs. Colts - Strange has accounted for eight catches, 138 yards and a touchdown in his two games since returning to the lineup. You can expect that production to continue since the Colts are the fourth-easiest matchup for fantasy tight ends.

• Kyle Pitts Sr. vs. Seahawks - Pitts is fresh off his best game of the season and now gets a Seattle defense that's very challenging overall, but allows the fifth-most points to TEs.

Caleb Williams, QB, Bears

at Packers

Overall, Williams has played well this year and is definitely heading in the right direction under Ben Johnson.

However, when it comes to fantasy production he's struggled against tougher defenses. In the last three weeks, the Vikings and Eagles held Williams under 11 fantasy points and outside the top-20 QBs.

His Week 14 opponent the Packers are his biggest challenge yet. Green Bay is permitting the eighth-fewest fantasy points to passers.

The degree of difficulty could be turned up even higher if Bears top wideout Rome Odunze, who missed the first two practices of the week with a foot injury, is limited or ruled out for this game.

Other QBs to sit:

• Justin Herbert vs. Eagles - As a general rule, you normally don't want to play a quarterback who had hand surgery that week. That's especially true when he's playing behind a banged-up offensive line and facing the Eagles' defense.

• Aaron Rodgers at Ravens - Rodgers hasn't accounted for multiple touchdowns in a single game since Week 8. Meanwhile, the Ravens have held six of the last seven QBs they've faced to one TD or less.

Kareem Hunt, RB, Chiefs

at Texans

Kareem Hunt did an admirable job taking over the Chiefs' backfield when Isiah Pacheco was hurt. He's a favorite of coaches, tends to handle his responsibilities well and gets what's blocked. But for fantasy, he's normally just a TD-or-bust RB3.

That becomes even riskier to trust in your lineup now that Pacheco is back, which we saw last week when Hunt failed to find the end zone and finished as the RB38.

A date with a strong Texans' front doesn't seem like the place to chase a Hunt TD either. Houston has only allowed two rushing touchdowns to RBs in the last six games.

With byes and injuries complicating the fantasy landscape, you might not have a better option than Hunt this week. Just know that he's a risky play, who needs to cross the goal line to pay off.

Other RBs to sit:

• Jaylen Warren at Ravens - Warren is weirdly turning into a TD-or-bust fantasy option. His receiving stats have dwindled lately and he wasn't able to take advantage of a positive matchup with the Bills last week. He's also never scored a rushing or receiving touchdown versus the Ravens.

• Woody Marks at Chiefs - Marks is nursing an ankle injury that could have him playing at less than 100% this week. Even healthy, the rookie hasn't been more than a low-ceiling fantasy RB3 most weeks.

• Tony Pollard at Browns - Pollard hasn't posted double-digit fantasy points in any of his last seven outings. Don't plan on that changing in another tough matchup with the Browns' defense.

DeVonta Smith, WR, Eagles

at Chargers

We could spend all day talking about the frustrating nature of the Eagles' offense and how disappointing it's been most weeks for fantasy, but let's focus on Smith.

Even with a very soft schedule over his last five games, Smith has only been the WR31 in FPPG during that span.

Meanwhile, the Chargers are the worst matchup for fantasy receivers. That doesn't provide much hope for Smith, who's taken a backseat to A.J. Brown in recent weeks.

Injuries on the Chargers' side could also prevent this game from turning into a shootout, which the oddsmakers seem to agree with since the projected total for this game is just 41.5.

You should consider Smith a risky fringe WR2/WR3 this week.

Other WRs to sit:

• Deebo Samuel at Vikings - Deebo had 64 yards last week, but the majority of them came on one catch in overtime. He remains a volatile fantasy WR3, going up against the second-worst matchup for fantasy wideouts this week.

• Xavier Worthy vs. Texans - In half-PPR scoring, Worthy has only reached 10 fantasy points once this season and it happened back in Week 4. On top of that, Houston is one of the most challenging opponents he'll face all year.

• Darnell Mooney vs. Seahawks - Mooney is in the midst of a lost season, where he's barely shown up on the radar. Even with Drake London hurt, Mooney hasn't been able to capitalize. A matchup with the Seahawks is far from a get-right" spot.

Oronde Gadsden II, TE, Chargers

vs. Eagles

Gadsden broke out with a huge month from Week 6 to Week 9, when he was the third-highest scoring fantasy tight end.

Since then, he picked up an injury and wideout Quentin Johnston returned to the lineup. The result has been Gadsden falling off a cliff in fantasy with just 13 yards, 41 yards and 27 yards over his last three games.

The injuries to the offensive line and now Justin Herbert aren't helping either.

Neither will the matchup with the Eagles this week. Philly is allowing the third-fewest fantasy points to tight ends on the season.

You should view Gadsden as a risky fantasy option this week and moving forward.

Other TEs to sit:

• Dallas Goedert at Chargers - Goedert has been held under 30 yards in three consecutive games and the Chargers are the seventh-worst matchup for his position.

• Evan Engram at Raiders - Don't be fooled by Engram taking advantage of the Commanders' slow linebackers last week. He hasn't topped 50 yards in any other game this season. The Raiders are also surprisingly giving up the fourth-fewest fantasy points to tight ends.