Fantasy Football Fades: A pair of AFC North stars are among players to consider avoiding for Week 14

Welcome to Week 14 of the fantasy football fades and busts of the week! I am your host, Matt Okada, and will be bringing you half a dozen players to avoid each and every week, throughout the fantasy season. Still looking for the perfect six-for-six! Let's get it!

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As a note, just because a player earns a fade" or bust" designation doesn't automatically mean they should be benched - it depends on the rest of your roster or the options on your waiver wire. But you can expect them to fall short of expectations (when I get them right).

Happy Holidays and, without further ado, here is my list for Week 14 of the 2025 season.

Lamar Jackson, QB, Ravens

Yeah, this is where we're at. After four straight games of subpar play - by his or really anyone's standards - it's time to seriously evaluate Lamar Jackson for fantasy. Since returning from injury in Week 9, Jackson has rushed for just 19.6 yards per game, he's never reached 250 passing yards and has thrown just five touchdown passes to three interceptions ... including zero TDs in three straight. After a fortunate four-TD game against Miami, Jackson has scored 16.64, 6.72, 7.22 and 7.54 fantasy points in the four games since - that's fewer than Tyler Shough and Cam Ward (in one fewer game apiece) and fewer than each of the Giants QBs in just two games apiece.

Jackson has looked hampered both on the ground and through the air, sporting Fantasy Points Data's worst highly-accurate throw rate the last month. A great matchup with Pittsburgh might come with some hope, but we said that about the Bengals last week and Jackson threw no TDs and one INT. You may need to stream a more currently productive option until the Baltimore QB proves he is back to full-strength ... or at least 70-80% strength.

What to do As wild as it may seem, you can look to streamers or QB2s over Lamar until further notice. This week, Jared Goff, Jordan Love, Jacoby Brissett, Bo Nix and Trevor Lawrence are arguably all better options.

Saquon Barkley, RB, Eagles

So, I'm starting this article with the QB1 and the RB1 from 2024. Makes sense. No but seriously, the trendlines are pretty parallel. Barkley started the year alright (15-16 fantasy points in four of his first five games), but since Week 6, he has scored fewer than 12 in six of seven games. Outside of the 31.4-point explosion he dropped on the Giants in Week 8, Barkley has averaged just eight fantasy points per game in the other six. He hasn't found the end zone since before the Week 9 bye and has averaged just 3.7 yards per carry on the entire year.

Over the last month, he's been outscored in fantasy by Bam Knight ... and by Kareem Hunt in one fewer game. Week 14 brings a mixed matchup with the Chargers on Monday Night Football in what could be a low-scoring affair, and Barkley always has 20-point upside tucked away somewhere. It's just been collecting cobwebs for a little too long at this point.

What to do Most of you probably aren't benching Barkley, but you can avoid him in DFS and might have two better options in shallower leagues. Managers who just got Bucky Irving back, traded for Chase Brown on the cheap or have breakout rookies Quinshon Judkins or RJ Harvey should consider starting those guys over Barkley until morale (and production) improves.

Kareem Hunt, RB, Chiefs

After four straight games with double-digit fantasy points, it was starting to look like Kareem Hunt could be trusted as an RB2 in fantasy lineups. Unfortunately, the return of Isiah Pacheco in Week 13 brought with it a reminder of why Hunt had been primarily a bench asset earlier in the year. Even with 66.7% of the snaps and 15 touches, Hunt scored just 8.5 fantasy points, without finding the end zone.

More importantly, Pacheco played a season-low share of the snaps in his first game back, and will likely ramp back up to 50-60%, where he'd been earlier in the year, sooner than later. That will leave Hunt back at single-digit touches, and against a ravenous Texans defense that's particularly tough up the middle and in the red zone, his ceiling will be concerningly low on Sunday.

What to do Look to bench Hunt if you can, or play him as a low-end flex at best. There are RB2s-on-their-own-teams in better situations that should be started ahead of him - like Kyle Monangai, Kimani Vidal and Kenneth Gainwell.

DK Metcalf, WR, Steelers

DK Metcalf is still universally rostered and frequently started, but there hasn't been much reason for either in recent months. For half the season (since Week 7), he's been the WR49 in points per game (7.3), behind guys like Dontayvion Wicks, Darius Slayton, Jayden Higgins and Chimere Dike (among many, many others). Metcalf has scored fewer than eight fantasy points in five of those seven games, and has failed to score a receiving touchdown in five straight.

It's almost odd to have him as a bust" with how bad he's been, but a lot of rankings have him as a fringe starter in a good" matchup with the Ravens this week. However, Metcalf hasn't been good in good matchups previously, and Baltimore's been getting better on defense as the season's progressed. This is setting up for yet another I'll start Metcalf because he's Metcalf and the matchup's green," only for the former Pro Bowler to score six fantasy points ... again.

What to do Avoid Metcalf at nearly all costs. You can flex him in an emergency, but check the list of receivers I named above before you do. That's what you're starting by putting Metcalf in your lineup, not the Seahawks superstar of years past.

Alec Pierce, WR, Colts

The Jaguars defense has somewhat quietly been very good against the deep ball this season. They've been beaten by touchdowns and by superstars (Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ja'Marr Chase, Nico Collins), but they've allowed the second-lowest EPA/dropback on deep passes and only one receiver outside that trio has brought down multiple deep receptions against Jacksonville (Tyquan Thornton).

Additionally, quarterback Daniel Jones has taken a step back in efficiency with his recent fibula injury, and while Pierce managed to catch a TD last week, he's seen just seven targets combined over the last two games after averaging 8.8 per game over the previous four. Things are trending in the wrong direction for this offense and the matchup with the Jags make it that much more volatile - Pierce is always a threat for a deep score, but he'll likely bust on Sunday if he doesn't bring one down.

What to do If you're hurting at wide receiver or looking for an upside flex, Pierce isn't the worst possible option. I like him better than Metcalf. But in a matchup that does not suit his skillset, you'd be better served looking for someone more reliable - Deebo Samuel, Khalil Shakir and Jakobi Meyers come to mind for this week.

Oronde Gadsden II, TE, Chargers

For a few weeks in the middle of the season, it legitimately looked like Oronde Gadsden II might have broken out into every-week-TE1 territory. Unfortunately, things have gone quickly awry, as Gadsden has caught just six total passes over his last three games, for 81 total yards. He only scored in those two midseason weeks (7 and 8) and cratered all the way down to two targets in Week 13 against the Raiders. That was an extremely tough matchup for the position ... but so are the Eagles this Sunday.

In fact, only two teams have allowed fewer fantasy points to tight ends than Philly, and not a single one has topped 12 half-PPR fantasy points against them. Justin Herbert is a major question mark with a fracture in his non-throwing hand, Trey Lance is the backup and neither has a functionally healthy offensive line to play behind. Unfortunately, Gadsden has fallen all the way from must-start to fringe sit in a matter of a few weeks.

What to do Tight end is a tough position to stream this time of year, but if you can find a half-decent option to pivot away from Gadsden, do it. Juwan Johnson, Zach Ertz, Dalton Schultz and Darren Waller are all in that mix, and you could go even deeper considering the Eagles matchup.