- Quarterback Start/Sit Advice | Week 14 of THE AUDIBLE
- Running Back START/SIT Advice | Week 14 of THE CUTBACK
- Wide Receiver Start/Sit Advice | Week 14 of The SLANT PATTERN
- Tight End Start/Sit Advice | Week 14 of THE 12 FORMATION
- IDP Fantasy Start/Sit Advice | Week 14 of THE BLINDSIDE
- Positional Matchups | Week 14 CheatChart | Find the Best Fantasy Performers
- Week 14 Sunday Preview for Start/Sit | THE FULL SLATE
Welcome to the Week 14 CheatChart. In this article, I provide an easy-to-use positional matchups table and highlight potentially exploitable matchups. If you’re curious about the process you can find a full introduction HERE where I lay out the methodology.
How to Use the Week 14 CheatChart
First, find YOUR PLAYER’S TEAM in the first column. Next, follow that line to THEIR POSITION’S column. That percentage is how much better or worse you can expect them to do compared to what they typically score.
Example: Let’s say you’re deciding between Jaylen Warren (RB-PIT) and Brandin Cooks (WR-DAL). For Warren, find PIT in the first column. Follow that row over to the RB column, and you’ll see his positional matchup is -8%. That’s a mildly negative matchup. Next, for Cooks, find DAL in the first column. Follow that row over to the WR column, and you’ll see his positional matchup is 15%, which is a moderately positive matchup. Given both players are averaging about 10.5 points per game, I’d lean Cooks.
Win Your Week 14 | QB | RB | WR | TE | IDP | CheatChart | Full Slate
Offensive Players to Target | Week 14 CheatChart
AOC for the Next Three
Aidan O’Connell just might be this year’s playoff savior. In Week 13, O’Connell put up nearly 20 points in a neutral positional matchup against the Chiefs. This week, he gets the Buccaneers, who have been a top-tier matchup for opposing quarterbacks. He also has plus matchups in weeks 16 and 17. Chances are he can be acquired for a late-round pick. While his floor is low, he has borderline top-12 upside and his situation is right. Not only is the positional matchup good, but the Raiders are expected to trail, so he’s likely to have plenty of passing volume in Week 14.
Vikings Have Options at Receiver
If Justin Jefferson is on your roster you’re obviously starting him every week. But, he isn’t the only Minnesota wide receiver you can start this week. The Vikings host the Falcons in Week 14, who have been an excellent matchup for wide receivers. Jordan Addison has been solid over the last several weeks and should be started in all leagues. While Jalen Nailor started the season hot and has cooled down, he could be used as a desperation flex play.
Giants Backfield Shift
Tyron Tracy has taken lead in the Giants backfield and gets a plus matchup against the Saints in Week 14. Last week, he had 43% of the Giants rush attempts compared to Devin Singletary’s 33%. Singletary could be considered as a flex play, but the touchdown upside for either is low considering the low 40.5-point over/under for the game.
Tampa Bay Tight End
Over the last six weeks, Buccaneers’ tight end Cade Otton has seen a bountiful 19% target share. With that kind of volume, he can be top-12 at the position without a touchdown, which not many tight ends can do. A single touchdown could easily get him inside the top 3.
Offensive Players to Avoid | Week 14 CheatChart
Pass on Geno Smith
Geno Smith has been underwhelming in fantasy which will likely continue in Week 14 when he faces the Cardinals. The Cardinals have allowed nearly a quarter fewer fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks, and Smith has scored just 14.1 points a game over the last six weeks. We could easily see him put up a single-digit performance.
Little Appeal in Thielen
Bryce Young has looked like a new QB since regaining the starting role with the Panthers but this week will likely be a tough one for his receivers. They face the Eagles who have been the toughest matchup in the league for wide receivers. Jalen Coker has a chance to play but his role will be diminished now that Adam Thielen is healthy. Xavier Legetter has seen a sizeable role as well but should not be relied upon. Adam Thielen can be played given his aptitude in the red zone, but he isn’t without risk.
Dodge These Chargers
Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins is out with an MCL sprain leaving Gus Edwards as the next man up followed by Hassan Haskings and Kimani Vidal. They will not have an easy start as they go up against the Chiefs who are the toughest matchup for running backs in the league. If you’re forced to pick one due to injuries and bye weeks then Gus Edwards can be used as a desperation flex option, but I would steer clear of Haskins and Vidal until we get clarification on how this backfield will be divied up.
Hold Tight
With Taysom Hill out for the season you may look to other Saints tight ends Juwan Johnson or Foster Moreau for as waiver adds but you’ll want to pause on them for Week 14. In Week 14 they go against the Giants who are tied for second toughest tight end matchup in the league. It’s also expected to be a low scoring affair so there isn’t touchdown upside to make up for the likely lack of volume.
IDP | Week 14 CheatChart
IDP Targets | Week 14 CheatChart
Caro-linemen to Look For
There’s a good chance that Carolina’s defensive linemen may be getting overlooked in your league. Jadaveon Clowney had a rough start to the year and may have been dropped, but he’s put up solid fantasy performances over the last several weeks. A’Shawn Robinson is another guy to check for, he’s shown himself to have a solid floor since Week 8 and has a 20+ point upside if he manages to get a sack. The Eagles have allowed 32 sacks this year, tied for 12th most in the league so the upside is there.
Browns Linebackers Looking Up
The Browns’ linebackers have an excellent positional matchup this week as seen above on the CheatChart. Head coach Kevin Stefanski has already announced that Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah will not return from IR for Week 14. That makes Jordan Hicks the top option as he’s averaged 95% of defensive snaps since their bye. Devin Bush is a nice flex ceiling play, and if you need a safe floor play you could do worse than Mohamoud Diabate.
Jackson Five (Interceptions)
Continuing with the Browns at Steelers matchup, the implied game script has the Steelers leading. That raises the floor for Browns linebackers and the ceiling for the Steelers defensive backs. Consider Deshon Elliott and Minkah Fitzpatrick locked starters. Cam Sutton might be tempting but his snaps are too varied to be trusted. The real hidden gem is Donte Jackson. Jackson has five interceptions on the year, and while he’s a riskier play his ceiling puts him into the IDP flex conversation.
Team Trends | Week 14 CheatChart
Notable Rush Funnel Teams: The Bears, Browns, Rams, Saints, and Giants are all currently rush funnels.
Pass Funnel Teams: The Falcons, Bengals, Chargers, Raiders, and Buccaneers are the largest pass funnel teams at current.
IDP Targets: The Raiders are the top target for defensive linemen and are also a good matchup for linebackers. The Giants are the top matchup for linebackers but the Chiefs, Titans, and Steelers are all excellent as well. The Browns are far and away the best team to target for defensive backs though the Bengals are also a very good matchup.
Final Word | Week 14 CheatChart
This is it, the final bye week. Hopefully it’s the last time we’ll have to dig deep for starters. Keep an eye on the matchups for the next few weeks as we progress through playoffs, using the CheatChart’s opponent column you can see what teams to target as you make your way to the championship.