Week 14 of the NFL season is right around the corner, and fantasy football owners everywhere are trying to optimize their lineups. Deciding on who to start and sit isn’t easy, especially when a player like Zach Pascal rises up the depth chart thanks to injury. Let’s take a dive into all of the best start em’, sit em’ matchups of the week to put together the best possible lineup.

Running Back Week 14 Start Sits

Fantasy Football: Zach Pascal, Marvin Jones Highlight Week 14 Wide Receiver Start Sits

Start: Zach Pascal

T.Y. Hilton probably won’t play in Week 14, which means Zach Pascal is going to carry some fantasy value. The Indianapolis Colts wide receiver went off in Week 13, catching seven passes for 109 yards while playing in 100% of the offensive snaps. Trusting Pascal can be difficult, as the second-year receiver has more than his fair share of bust games. However, you can start him in Week 14 and feel comfortable about the matchup.

Pascal faces off against a Tampa Bay Buccaneers secondary which simply cannot stop anything through the air. While they limited Nick Foles last week, that says more about Foles than it does the Buccaneers. Jacoby Brissett needs to throw the ball to somebody, and Pascal should have no issues getting open against this secondary. He should be a solid flex play with WR2 upside if he finds his way into the endzone.

Sit: Marvin Jones

It’s hard to trust Marvin Jones when David Blough is his quarterback. The undrafted free agent had a good stat line in his first start, but most of his production came on three big plays to Kenny Golladay. Jones saw six targets, converting those opportunities into three receptions for 40 yards and a touchdown.

The only way Marvin Jones has any fantasy relevance in Week 14 is if he finds his way into the endzone. The Minnesota Vikings don’t have the best defense in the world, but they probably won’t allow too many wide open throws. Blough has to prove that he can sustain his Week 13 performance before you can trust Jones to be a week-in, week-out start.

Start: Jamison Crowder

Robby Anderson had the big game in Week 13, but Jamison Crowder should be the star of the show in Week 14. The first-year Jet recorded just two receptions for eight yards against the Cincinnati Bengals, but he still saw nine targets. This is a good sign for Crowder’s future, as it shows Sam Darnold still wants to put the ball in Crowder’s hands. Crowder thrives with volume, and he should be more efficient in Week 14. Last week was an outlier, as Crowder is usually efficient with his targets. Crowder should have no trouble getting open against Miami’s defense and should end the day as a WR2.

Sit: Will Fuller

Will Fuller is the ultimate boom or bust wide receiver and certainly has the ability to make this prediction look foolish. That said, it’s hard to trust the former first-round pick when so many of his games have been underwhelming. So far this year, Fuller only has two games where he’s been a smart start. In Week 14, Will Fuller faces off against a Denver Broncos defense which typically performs well against wide receivers. If you have the option to pivot, you should probably find someone better than Fuller for Week 14.

Start: Sterling Shepard

Sterling Shepard hasn’t done much of anything since returning from a conucussion, but all the underlying numbers suggest he’s due for a breakout performance. Based on his target share and depth of target, Shepard should be recording 7.2 receptions per game and 78.75 yards per game. Instead, he’s only hauling in 6.6 receptions and 64.4 yards per game. Assuming his usage doesn’t change (and there’s no reason to expect it will), Shepard should start regressing to the mean. He’s due for a breakout performance, and facing off against an underwhelming Philadelphia Eagles secondary should only help his chances of putting together a big week.

Sit: Terry McLaurin

Terry McLaurin is on this list through no fault of his own. The rookie wide receiver looks fantastic and has the potential to be one of the better receivers in the league. Unfortunately, he’s in a terrible situation which makes him completely worthless in fantasy. Dwayne Haskins simply isn’t ready to lead an NFL offense, and Bill Callahan’s run-first philosophy takes away some of McLaurin’s opportunities. Terry McLaurin could be a fantasy star in the right offense, but this isn’t the right offense.

Auto-Starts (Better Than Zach Pascal)

Davante Adams, Michael Thomas, Julian Edelman, Mike Evans, DeAndre Hopkins, Keenan Allen, D.J. Moore, Jarvis Landry, Cooper Kupp, Allen Robinson, Chris Godwin, Julio Jones, Courtland Sutton

Running Back Week 14 Start Sits

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