Travis Etienne, DeVonta Smith And More

If your fantasy football playoffs have arrived, these start or sit decisions matter more than ever. Luckily, we’re here to break down some of the more intriguing players this week and give you some guidance.

As we talk about each week, we need to set some boundaries. Any running back or wide receiver in the start section has to be outside the Top 18 in Fantasy Pros Week 14 expert consensus rankings (PPR).

Then, at quarterback, tight end, and defense, those players must be ranked beyond the top eight. For the sit of the week, these players must be TE8/WR18 or above.

When we’re referencing fantasy points allowed, those are for 0.5 PPR scoring, but the general concept is still worth using.

Breakout Wide Receiver: Courtland Sutton (WR23 – Start)

Although Courtland Sutton hasn’t been great since Week 8, the past two weeks have been a lot better. Sutton has had at least six targets in each of his last two games. In Week 11, Sutton had 9.9 PPR points, and in Week 13, Sutton had a big game with 17.2 points.

With Sutton taking on the Las Vegas Raiders, who have allowed the 7th most PPG this year to wide receivers (30.2), you can feel good plugging him into your FLEX spot this week.

Sit Wide Receiver: DeVonta Smith (WR17 – Sit)

The reason that I would rather start Sutton over DeVonta Smith this week is due to matchup. Smith has been really good as of late, scoring at least 14 points in four of his last six games.

In the past two weeks, Smith has been pretty similar to Sutton, though, scoring 14.9 and then 9.9 points. It is worth noting that Smith did have 11 and eight targets in these games, though.

However, the area of concern comes from the Los Angeles Chargers. So far this year, the Chargers have allowed 20.2 PPG, which is the lowest mark in the NFL.

Breakout Running Back: D’Andre Swift (RB20 – Start)

Although D’Andre Swift doesn’t have the best matchup, he’s had a better season than most give him credit for. Despite a very up and down year, Swift is averaging 14.4 PPG right now.

Even though weeks 11 and 12 weren’t great for Swift, with under 10 points in each, he looked fantastic in Week 13 with 20.8 points. Even with the emergence of Kyle Monangai, Swift still had 18 carries last week.

Despite going up against the Green Bay Packers, who have allowed the 24th most PPG (17.5) to running backs, Swift should still be a strong RB2.

Sit Running Back: Travis Etienne (RB17 – Sit)

Travis Etienne is in a very similar spot to Swift, in that he’s not the most exciting running back, but he’s still had 14 PPG this year. That said, there are a few things that worry me with Etienne this week.

Just like Swift, Etienne also has a tough matchup as he takes on the Indianapolis Colts, who have allowed the 21st most PPG (18.5) to running backs this year. The other concern with Etienne is that he’s coming off a rough game where he only had 5.1 points with 2.3 YPC.

One more concerning trend with Etienne is that his carries have declined each of the past three weeks. You may still have to start Etienne as your RB2, but don’t have high expectations this week.

Breakout Tight End: Harold Fannin (TE10 – Start)

Week after week, Harold Fannin continues to be a bit undervalued because he doesn’t have the same ceiling that some of these other players do. If you’re looking for a streaming option outside of the top eight tight ends, though, Fannin is a very good one.

Since Week 6, Fannin has had at least five targets every single week, which can be tough to find at times for tight ends. Fannin has scored at least eight points in five of those seven weeks and 15 points in two of them.

Now the matchup isn’t the best against the Tennessee Titans, who have allowed the 24th most PPG (9.2) this year. At the same time, Fannin offers some consistency, and it’s hard to find that outside of the top tight ends.

Sit Tight End: Kyle Pitts (TE7 – Sit)

If you’re looking for a higher ceiling, Kyle Pitts is a strong play because of his matchup. Pitts takes on the Seattle Seahawks, who have allowed the 5th most PPG to tight ends on the year.

The problem is that since Week 6, Pitts has gone under eight points in five of those eight weeks while only going over 15 points twice. Even with a slightly better matchup this week, Pitts is a bit too risky of a play.

Breakout Quarterback: Daniel Jones (QB14 – Start)

Unlike every other position here, the quarterback position is a bit different. Daniel Jones is more so my top sleeper for the week, while Patrick Mahomes is more so the quarterback in the top eight that I’m most concerned about.

That’s all to say that, I wouldn’t play Jones over Mahomes this week. Even though Jones has been a bit banged up, he’s been very consistent. In each of the last three weeks, Jones has had 15 points every time.

Now in Week 14, Jones takes on the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are an above average matchup for quarterbacks. So far, the Jaguars have averaged 19.3 PPG to quarterbacks on the year, which is 10th in the NFL.

Sit Quarterback: Patrick Mahomes (QB8 – Sit)

Mahomes has been better than Jones, but also a bit inconsistent. In the last four weeks, Mahomes has scored over 16 points twice, but that has come in the last two weeks.

In Week 12, Mahomes had 17.1 points, and in Week 13, he had 29.4. The concern with Mahomes compared to some of these other top quarterbacks is that the Houston Texans have allowed the least PPG to quarterbacks (12.5) in the NFL.

Breakout D/ST: Washington Commanders (D/ST9 – Start)

While the Washington Commanders haven’t been great overall, averaging 2.1 PPG this year, they have a great matchup. In Week 14, they take on the Minnesota Vikings, though, who have allowed the most PPG to opposing defenses at 11.6 PPG.

When looker for a sleeper, this is all you can really ask for.

Forbes3 Defenses To Stash For The Fantasy Football Playoffs: NFL Week 14By Steve Bradshaw

Sit D/ST: Houston Texans (D/ST6 – Sit)

Despite the Houston Texans averaging 10.2 PPG on the year, they only scored four points against the Indianapolis Colts, who are allowing the least PPG to opposing defenses this season.

In Week 14, it doesn’t get much easier as they take on the Kansas City Chiefs. This year, the Chiefs have allowed 3.7 PPG, which is the 28th most PPG in the NFL.

If you’re having a tough sit or start decision on defense, go and see if the Commanders are still available rather than keeping the Texans in your lineup.