With four teams free (Dolphins, Patriots, Eagles, Colts) and accumulated injuries, lineup decisions won’t be easy this week. For some, that might mean starting with a risky player, so we understand if you have to swing someone on our Week 14 fantasy busts list below. Still, we wanted to set cutoff options to start, sit down, like Russell Gage heading into a tough matchup and Chase Edmonds coming off injury, and explain why they might be riskier than usual.

As always, even perennial stars can flop in favorable matchups, but it’s hard to call superstars “flops” unless they’re less than 100 percent, really trending down, or having a particularly brutal showdown. For the most part, we stick to naming the guys in the start-or-sit bubble, not the guys who are just going to have a good but not great week or the guys who are on more than 90 percent of the exemption leads. Sometimes you’re not deep enough to bench these players (or you may totally disagree with our assessments), but at least you will know who is at risk this week. There is nothing worse than being caught off guard by a failed fantasy.

WEEK 14 FANTASY: Sleepers | Get started, feel them

In week 13, we correctly identified Teddy Bridgewater, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Kendrick Bourne, Darnell Mooney, Hunter Henry, Dawson Knox, and Zach Ertz as busts. We were also concerned about Najee Harris, who you could probably label a Week 13 flop in the standard leagues. Russell Wilson, Sony Michel, and Tee Higgins beat the bust tag we put on them, but we had a good week for the most part. We have started to be more daring with our selections, so naturally we will be wrong here and there.

Overall we were in the green, so for another solid week to uncover the worrying players.

WEEK 14 PPR RANKINGS:
Field marshal | Running backwards | Wide receiver | Tight end | D / ST | Kicker

Week 14 Fantasy Busts: Runners

Tevin Coleman, Jets vs Saints (Jackson Sparks). Coleman is on the league’s concussion protocol, but if he plays, his use might suggest that he will have decent fantasy production soon, but the Saints have a great running defense that just shut out Ezekiel Elliot in Week 13. New Orleans has a secondary week. However, this is likely to be a pass-first play script with several Jets running backs working on the receiving game. If Coleman is out, we don’t trust Ty Johnson or Austin Walter either.

Saquon Barkley, Giants @ Chargers (Vinnie Iyer). He’s probably starting it out of obligation as an RB2 at this point, but the Chargers have been tough on the run and neither the nasty QB situation nor the increased use of Devontae Booker is a welcome sign.

Chase Edmonds, Cardinals vs. Rams (Matt Lutovsky). Edmonds is expected to return after a four-week absence, and while he exhibited a solid bottom when healthy earlier in the season, his ceiling was crowned by a lack of TD (1). Edmonds’ best running day of the year was actually against the Rams in Week 4 (120 yards), but that performance seems unlikely to be repeated in his first game back. It’s still a solid flex in the PPR leagues, but be careful in the standard leagues.

WEEK 14 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Field marshal | Running backwards | Wide receiver | Tight end | D / ST | Kicker

Fantasy Football busts from week 14: quarterbacks

Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers @ Bengals (Sparks). Garoppolo has been a capable streamer for the past few weeks, but since the Bengals are in the top 10 against fantasy quarterbacks, he is hard to trust, especially if Deebo Samuel (groin) and Elijah Mitchell (concussion) are out. out of.

Derek Carr, Raiders @ Chiefs (Iyer). Now that he’s got dented and beaten in the desert at home, it’s hard to get him out of the garage for an outdoor test against a KC D.

Matt Ryan, Falcons @ Panthers (Lutovsky). Ryan has a TD in his last four games, so you’re probably not considering starting it. He’ll eventually break his cold streak, but the Panthers allow the fourth fewest FPPGs to quarterbacks, so Ryan is simply a low-end play in two-quarterback / superflex leagues.

WEEK 14 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel | Yahoo!

Fantasy Football busts from week 14: wide receivers

Odell Beckham Jr., Rams @ Cardinals (Sparks). Beckham Jr. has scored two touchdowns in the past two games for the Rams, but caught just two of five goals for 28 yards last time out. His five targets ranked fourth on the team, so it’s not like he’s automatically No.2 in WR behind Cooper Kupp. On top of all that, Arizona ranks as the 10th-best defense against fantasy WR, so it’s hard to trust any Rams pass receiver outside of Kupp this week.

Courtland Sutton, Broncos vs. Lions (Iyer). Oh, he’ll finally do something here, right? Not when Teddy Bridgewater couldn’t point a GPS at him. Sutton is a tough guy to trust even in what seems like a good matchup and he could be looking forward to a top quarterback who can get him the ball down the field, which won’t come until 2023.

Russell Gage, Falcons @ Panthers (Lutovsky). Gage outscored last week (11 receptions, 130 yards) despite Matt Ryan’s struggles, but he faces a much tougher challenge against the Panthers defense that allows the second fewest FPPGs to WR. Gage could still pay off as a low-end flex in the PPR leagues, but its ceiling is low.

MORE WEEK 14 DFS: Better Stacks | Best values ​​| Lineup Creator

Fantasy Football busts from week 14: tight ends

Tyler Conklin, Vikings vs. Steelers (Sparks). Adam Thielen (ankle) will likely be out for this game against the Steelers, so you might think it’s Conklin’s time to shine, but Pittsburgh’s weakness is defending wide receivers. As bad as the Steelers defense has been, it ranks in the top 10 against fantasy TEs, so we think it will be more of a Justin Jefferson and KJ Osborn game than a Conklin game.

TJ Hockenson, Lions @ Broncos (Iyer). It just blew up on the Vikings, but this is a different story on the road against the defense that just wiped out Travis Kelce. Hockenson is still a top 12 pick based on position, but prepare to be disappointed (again).

Noah Fant, Broncos Leones (Lutovsky). Fant hasn’t scored since Week 6 and hasn’t had more than 59 yards since. Given the state of TE’s position, many are likely still starting Fant on the upside, but the trends are not good. The Lions are really decent against the TEs (12th fewest in FPPGs), so it’s hard to imagine Fant standing out this week with all the mouths to feed in Denver.

Week 14 Fantasy Busts: Defenses

Los Angeles Rams @ Cardinals (Sparks). The Rams defense isn’t what it used to be, and the last time these teams met in October, Arizona scored 37 points, and that’s when the Rams were playing their best football. If you’re not willing to drop someone off to pick up a D / ST streamer, we understand moving around with this unit, but watch out for potential negative fancy points.

Carolina Panthers vs. Falcons (Iyer). The numbers say “yes” for the Panthers after the break, but the Falcons should have some offensive pride and fight a divisional showdown with Matt Ryan that doesn’t allow them to rack up enough sacks and takeout.

Baltimore Ravens vs. Browns (Lutovsky). The hits keep coming for the Ravens, as main defensive back Marlon Humphrey (pectoral) is out this year. The secondary is more than vulnerable, so even low wattage Browns should be able to light up the stat sheet here.