In most fantasy leagues Week 14 marks the start of the playoffs. If you’re still playing to reach the playoffs, good luck to you this week. Of note, Rob Gronkowski and Juju Smith-Schuster have gotten themselves suspended for Week 14. Gronkowski has already appealed and had his appeal denied. Aaron Rodgers may now only be one week away from returning to the Green Bay lineup, which would also be welcome news for Jordy Nelson owners. Chris Carson, another one of the Seattle running backs appears to be at least a week away from practicing, and if new starter Mike Davis continues to play well Seattle will not hurry their rookie running back into the lineup. Make sure to check injury news on myriad players this week: Doug Martin, Joe Mixon, Alex Collins (migraines), Braxton Miller, Will Fuller, etc. before finalizing lineups.

Here are my Start ‘Em picks for Week 14…

Wide Receivers

Golden Tate – Detroit @ Tampa Bay (Draft Kings $6,400 / Fan Duel $6,800) – Tampa’s best corner will likely cover Marvin Jones this week. This should leave Tate open more often than Jones against Tampa’s 31st ranked passing defense. I’d expect 8 to 10 receptions for Tate this week.

Josh Gordon – Cleveland vs Green Bay (Draft Kings $5,500 / Fan Duel $6,700) – Gordon was targeted 11 times against the Chargers in Week 13. He only caught four of those for 85 yards, but most were uncatchable. This week he won’t be facing Casey Hayward, one of the best corners in the league, so I expect him to be targeted heavily again, but with a better catch rate this week against the Packers.

Michael Crabtree – Oakland @ Kansas City (Draft Kings $6,700 / Fan Duel $7,100) – Crabtree is back after a one game suspension and faces Kansas City’s 28th ranked pass defense. Amari Cooper has not yet cleared the concussion protoco. Either way Crabtree should lead Oakland in targets this week and be in for a good game.

Marquise Goodwin – San Francisco @ Houston (Draft Kings $5,100 / Fan Duel $5,700) – Currently, Goodwin is the best receiver on the team that isn’t injured. Garoppolo will again look his way often against a Houston defense that is giving up yards and points in the passing game. Goodwin caught all eight targets in a win against the Bears in Week 13 and should find more room to run after the catch this week in Houston.

Larry Fitzgerald – Arizona vs Tennessee (Draft Kings $6,500 / Fan Duel $7,600) – Fitzgerald faces the Titans 25th ranked passing defense this week. He has been the favorite target of quarterback Blaine Gabbert over the last several weeks and has an excellent matchup this week. I’d expect 8 to 10 receptions again this week for Fitzgerald.

Running Backs

Peyton Barber – Tampa Bay vs Detroit (Draft Kings $4,500 / Fan Duel $5,500) – Barber took full advantage of his start in Week 13 with 102 yards rushing and 41 yards receiving on 4 receptions against the Green Bay defense. This week he will face Detroit who is ranked 19th against the run, and should find success for another week.

Marshawn Lynch – Oakland @ Kansas City (Draft Kings $5,700 / Fan Duel $6,400) – Lynch is coming off of his two best games of the season and faces the Chiefs’ 30th ranked rushing defense. Lynch should again see a heavy workload. With Oakland, Kansas City and the Los Angeles Chargers all tied at 6-6 in their division, I’d expect Oakland to try to secure a win and dominate time of possession with the running game this week.

Alfred Morris – Dallas @ NY Giants (Draft Kings $5,500 / Fan Duel $6,800) – The Giants are dead last against the run and Dallas seems to have realized they are still a running team even without Ezekiel Elliot. Morris should once again easily get twenty carries this week, and facing the Giants this should lead to a great game for Morris.

Lamar Miller – Houston vs San Francisco (Draft Kings $5,800 / Fan Duel $6,600) – Miller’s value this week will be with his combined yardage. San Francisco has the 29th ranked rushing defense, but Miller will likely only receive 15-18 carries. However, his involvement in the passing game, especially if Ellington, Fuller and Miller are all out will allow him to be one of the top fantasy scorers this week.

Running Back Tandem

Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram – New Orleans @ Atlanta (Draft Kings $8400, $7,700 / Fan Duel $9,200, $8,200) – Keep an eye on Mark Ingram’s status this week (toe injury) before starting him. Atlanta is ranked 18th against the run, but Kamara and Ingram had little trouble against Carolina’s 4th ranked rushing defense in Week 13. Ingram will once again be busy, and Kamara does more with his few touches than any back I remember. The Saints defense should limit Matt Ryan in the passing game, and once again Ingram and Kamara will shine.

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