By Ryan Bologna
With week 14 in the NFL coming up, and this is the last week of the regular season for many fantasy football managers. Here is who top outlets recommend starting for this weekend’s games.
Quarterbacks
Geno Smith has been one of the surprise performers in the NFL this year, and all five outlets like him this week against the Panthers. He has scored over 19 fantasy points in his last five games, so it makes sense to believe he will continue his strong play against a weak opponent.
Tom Brady completed an improbable comeback against the Saints on Monday Night Football, but that does not mask the fact that he has not been his usual self overall this year. He will face the San Francisco 49ers on the road this weekend, which is a tough matchup for any quarterback.
| Start ‘Em | Sit ‘Em | |
| NFL.com | Geno Smith, Kirk Cousins, Trevor Lawrence, Ryan Tannehill | Tom Brady, Deshaun Watson, Daniel Jones, Russell Wilson |
| ESPN | Geno Smith, Tua Tagovailoa, Kirk Cousins, Kyler Murray, Dak Prescott | Deshaun Watson, Jared Goff, Tyler Huntley, Daniel Jones, Tom Brady |
| CBS | Geno Smith, Tua Tagovailoa, Kirk Cousins | Tom Brady, Daniel Jones, Mike White, Deshaun Watson |
| Yahoo | Tua Tagovailoa, Jared Goff, Dak Prescott, Geno Smith, Kirk Cousins | Trevor Lawrence, Derek Carr, Tyler Huntley, Deshaun Watson, Mike White |
| Sporting News | Dak Prescott, Tom Brady, Kirk Cousins, Geno Smith, Trevor Lawrence | Derek Carr, Deshaun Watson, Daniel Jones, Mike White |
Running Backs
Outlets love both Cowboys running backs this week. Dallas faces the Texans, who are bad in all facets on defense. Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott split reps and they should be playing with a lead, so this might be a good week to start one of them.
Dameon Pierce has been productive in fantasy this year, but the Dallas defense is a tough matchup. The Texans are putting Davis Mills back in at quarterback, but he isn’t a threat through the air that will open up the running game.
| Start ‘Em | Sit ‘Em | |
| NFL.com | Tony Pollard, D’Andre Swift, D’Onta Foreman, Jeff Wilson, Raheem Mostert, Cam Akers | Dameon Pierce, Latavius Murray, Gus Edwards, Kareem Hunt |
| ESPN | Tony Pollard, Travis Etienne Jr., D’Andre Swift, James Connor, Ezekiel Elliott | Dameon Pierce, Isiah Pacheco, Zonovan Knight, Najee Harris, Devin Singletary |
| CBS | D’Andre Swift, Ezekiel Elliot, Miles Sanders, Isiah Pacheco, Zonovan Knight | Najee Harris, Devin Singletary, Gus Edwards, Tony Jones, Dameon Pierce |
| Yahoo | Tony Pollard, Miles Sanders, Ezekiel Elliott, Travis Etienne Jr., D’Andre Swift | Dameon Pierce, Najee Harris, Joe Mixon, D’Onta Foreman, Jeff Wilson Jr. |
| Sporting News | Jeff Wilson, D’Onta Foreman, Isiah Pacheco, Cam Akers, Gus Edwards | Rachaad White, Najee Harris, James Connor, Devin Singletary, Raheem Mostert |
Wide Receivers
Garrett Wilson is mentioned by four out of the five outlets in the Start ‘Em category, and understandably so. He wasn’t getting many looks with Zach Wilson, but he seems to have chemistry with Mike White. Being on the road against the Bills is a tough matchup, but playing in Minnesota didn’t stop Wilson from producing last week.
Deshaun Watson looked rusty last week in his first game returning from suspension, and outlets don’t think he will knock off the rust in his second game. For that reason, Donovan Peoples-Jones is mentioned by three outlets in the Sit ‘Em category.
| Start ‘Em | Sit ‘Em | |
| NFL.com | Garrett Wilson, D.J. Moore, Christian Kirk, Deebo Samuel, Jameson Williams | Gabe Davis, DeVonta Smith, Diontae Johnson, Darius Slayton |
| ESPN | Garrett Wilson, Tyler Lockett, Chris Godwin, Christian Kirk, Jerry Judy | Treylon Burks, Corey Davis, Donovan Peoples-Jones, George Pickens, Nico Collins |
| CBS | Garrett Wilson, Jerry Jeudy, Marquise Brown, DeVonta Smith, Adam Thielen | Brandon Aiyuk, George Pickens, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Darius Slayton, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Mike Evans |
| Yahoo | Tyler Lockett, Garrett Wilson, Chris Godwin, Christian Kirk, DeVonta Smith | Brandon Aiyuk, Mike Evans, JuJu Smith-Schuster, D.J. Moore, Gabe Davis |
| Sporting News | Marquise Brown, Jerry Jeudy, D.J. Chark, Adam Thielen, Mack Hollins | D.J. Moore, George Pickens, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Josh Palmer, Donovan Peoples-Jones |
Tight Ends
Pat Freiermuth and T.J. Hockenson are both mentioned in the Start ‘Em category three times. Freiermuth has been one of the more dependable tight ends in fantasy, and Hockenson has been getting more consistent looks since going to the Vikings.
While outlets like Garrett Wilson, they aren’t high on Jets tight end Tyler Conklin this week. White likes throwing to Wilson, so Conklin could see limited targets against a good defense. That’s not exactly the greatest recipe for fantasy success.
| Start ‘Em | Sit ‘Em | |
| NFL.com | T.J. Hockenson, Pat Freiermuth, Hunter Henry, Gerald Everett | Tyler Conklin, Dawson Knox, Cade Otton, Austin Hooper |
| ESPN | T.J. Hockenson, Pat Freiermuth, Dalton Schultz, David Njoku, George Kittle | Tyler Conklin, Evan Engram, Daniel Bellinger, Dawson Knox, Mike Gesicki |
| CBS | Greg Dulcich, Hunter Henry, Evan Engram | Mike Gesicki, Tyler Conklin, Tyler Higbee, Dawson Knox |
| Yahoo | T.J. Hockenson, Pat Freiermuth, Dalton Schultz, Greg Dulcich, Gerald Everett | Foster Moreau, Evan Engram, Hunter Henry, Tyler Higbee, Dawson Knox |
| Sporting News | Greg Dulcich, Evan Engram, Hunter Henry, Gerald Everett | Dawson Knox, Tyler Conklin, Mike Gesicki, Noah Fant |
