In “Start or Sit,” we make a call on players who merit strong starting consideration — and players who might be best on the bench. However, owners should tailor their own lineup strategy to their roster constraints, league rules and other relevant factors, including weather, which can be dicey this time of year. According to WeatherUnderground.com, precipitation is possible in the majority of games this week. Owners need to keep an eye on the weather on Sunday and adjust if needed.
Here’s our Week 14 rundown:
START
Falcons WRs Roddy White and Julio Jones (at Carolina) — As a general rule, I try to avoid mentioning players who are obvious, pencil-them-in-without-blinking starts. However, I'm compelled to lay out the cases for White and Jones in Week 14. Some owners with exceptional WR depth might be tempted to bench them, and it's not an unreasonable thought to have if you are absolutely loaded at the position. Hey, the numbers aren't pretty. White (68-1,023-4) has no TD catches in his last six games, and he's racked up just six catches for 77 yards and no TDs in the past two weeks. Jones, meanwhile, has had a good season (58-931-6), but he hasn't been a superstar, and so many fantasy owners had dreams of a breakout campaign from him. Nevertheless, matchups like the one Jones and White get Sunday are the reason so many fantasy owners drafted them so early. Both wideouts have had big games against the Panthers in each of the past two seasons. In Week Four, White hauled in eight passes for 169 yards and two TDs vs. Carolina, while Jones had a two-TD game of his own vs. the Panthers in 2011. White and Jones belong in the VAST majority of fantasy lineups in Week 14 as long as the weather in Charlotte isn't truly horrible — and that doesn't appear to be the case as of this writing. Don't overthink this.
Texans QB Matt Schaub (at New England) — There's a lot of focus on whether the Texans' pass defense can hold up against the Patriots' passing game, but don't overlook the problems the Texans' pass attack could give New England. After all, the Patriots are 29th in passing yards per game allowed and 28th in passing yards per play surrendered. The Texans can trade punches with New England — and they have the ability to do so. Note that Houston is scoring about three offensive TDs per game.