Fanspeak Fantasy Football: Start ‘Em or Sit ‘Em Week 14

By Ryan Gerrity

@RyanGerrity

Start ‘Em:

1. Nick Foles, QB, Philadelphia Eagles

Foles the past couple of weeks has been incredible and has made his fantasy owners very happy.  He has put up over 20 fantasy points on average in each of the last four weeks.  This weeks matchup is in Foles favor because he is going up against the Lions secondary.  The Lions on defense are very inconsistent and vulnerable to the play action pass, which is going to mean a big game for Foles.

2.  DeMarco Murray, RB, Dallas Cowboys

Murray has been a pretty inconsistent fantasy back this year, and being injury prone does not help at all.  On Thanksgiving, Murray put on a very good performance for his fantasy owners.  That should continue this week against the Bears because their run defense is very vulnerable.

3.  Riley Cooper, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

As mentioned above, the Eagles are facing the Lions whose defense is very inconsistent and vulnerable to the play action pass game.  When that happens Foles looks for Riley Cooper, so I expect multiple deep passes to Cooper this week.  He should get back on track this week for his fantasy owners.

4.  Oakland Raiders D/ST

The Raiders defense has shown glimpses of being very good defensively, but they have also shown some inconsistency.  However, this week the Raiders defense will be playing against either Geno Smith or Matt Simms.  That being said, the Raiders will have plenty of opportunities for turn over’s and take-away’s.

Sit ‘Em:

1. Colin Kaepernick, QB, San Francisco 49ers

If you have Kaepernick starting and this is the first week of your playoffs, you need to find a back up quarterback off the waiver wire immediately.  Kaepernick is a definite sit this week because of the matchup.  The Seattle Seahawks proved their dominance holding Drew Bree’s to less than 150 yards passing on Monday Night.  Do not expect much from Kaepernick this week against the Seahawks defense especially with how inconsistent he has been.

2.  Wes Welker, WR, Denver Broncos

Playing the Tennessee Titans, usually Welker would be a definite start without hesitation, but this could be a difficult matchup for Welker.  The Titans defense has been in the top 3 in the NFL against opposing wide receivers for fantasy.  Welker is already struggling to make an impact with all of the options they have in Denver without a touchdown in the past 4 games.

3.  Frank Gore, RB, San Francisco 49ers

It is very hard to say you should sit Frank Gore the first week of the playoffs, but this week it is a must.  The Seattle Seahawks defense just put a clinic on against the Saints and it is hard to see the 49ers have success against this defense.  I would be hesitant to play Gore this week, especially if Kaepernick struggles against their secondary.

4.  Carolina Panther D/ST

The Panthers are a top 5 defense in the NFL, and a top defense in fantasy football.  This week the Saints are going to try and make up for the embarrassing loss to the Seahawks.  I do like the Panthers defense, but I like the Saints offense a lot more this week, especially when head coach Sean Payton is trying to prove his offense is lethal.