This is the Fantasy Nerd's look at the best and worst matchups for Week 14 of the 2022 NFL season. Analysis is aggregated from multiple sources including FN. Rankings are based upon PPR (point per reception) scoring. Given the known conditions, these matchups are the ones to watch and/or avoid.
Please Note: This list does not generally include the elite players that you are going to start regardless of matchup. You don't need us to tell you to start Christian McCaffrey, Travis Kelce, or Jalen Hurts. Instead, we take a look at other players on your team that we believe either have great matchups or should be avoided for multiple reasons. Factors like opposing defense, performance trending, and peer comparisons may influence our decisions.
Start 'em Kirk Cousins (MIN, QB)After a disappointing outing last week, Week 14 presents a great opportunity for Kirk Cousins to bounce back. Nobody gives up more points to opposing QBs than the Lions. He put up 18.3 points against them in Week 3.
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Most pts to QB
Start 'em Jared Goff (DET, QB)Jared Goff looked fantastic last week putting up his third 300+ yard game. Next up is the Vikings who are allowing 314 yards per game through the air. Over the last few weeks, Minnesota has given up 17 points to Mike White, 23 points to Mac Jones, and 20 points to Dak Prescott. Goff should be a low-end QB1 this week.
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9th Most Pts to QB
Start 'em Tony Pollard (DAL, RB)The Elliott/Pollard backfield can be productive for both backs as we saw last week. Nobody gives up more points to RBs this season than the Texans, which makes Pollard a must-start. Pollard is averaging 16.3 points per game proving that there's plenty of fantasy love to go around in Dallas.
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Most pts to RB
Start 'em Rhamondre Stevenson (NE, RB)In PPR formats, Rhamondre Stevenson continues to deliver nicely. With Damien Harris hurt, Stevenson barely left the field. He's the 8th-best fantasy RB on the season and his workload shows no sign of abating. That's great news for fantasy owners especially in this plus matchup against the Cardinals.
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10th Most Pts to RB
Start 'em D'Onta Foreman (CAR, RB)Assuming he suits up, D'Onta Foreman is in a great spot to deliver against Seattle. After all, it was Seattle who couldn't stop Josh Jacobs in Week 12 (48.3 pts) or Cam Akers last week (19 pts). He's produced at least 100 yards in four of his last six games. Foreman should be a must-start in Week 14.
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3rd Most Pts to RB
Start 'em Jerry Jeudy (DEN, WR)Injuries are a part of the game. Jerry Jeudy was on a snap count last week, but he made the most of his limited targets turning in 4-65-0. It looks like Courtland Sutton will miss the game this week so Jeudy should be the top receiving threat for the Broncos. We know what his potential is, so as long as the targets are there, Jeudy should be able to fill that WR2/3 role for you this week.
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4th Most Pts to WR
Start 'em Garrett Wilson (NYJ, WR)Is there any doubt that the Mike White -> Garrett Wilson connection isn't top notch? With back-to-back games of at least 24 fantasy points, keep Wilson in your lineup. Buffalo isn't the easiest secondary to take advantage of, but with the volume Wilson is seeing (23 targets over his last two games), his floor should be safe.
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12th Most Pts to WR
Start 'em Diontae Johnson (PIT, WR)Diontae Johnson remains heavily involved in this offense (29 targets over last two games) but he hasn't been able to truly deliver. He also hasn't seen the endzone at all this season. That could change against the Ravens who rank inside the Top 10 in points allowed. Need a WR3? Johnson is your man.
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6th Most Pts to WR
Start 'em Gerald Everett (LAC, TE)Over his last three games, Gerald Everett has missed just one of his 12 targets. He turned in a nice 5-80 statline last week against the Raiders. Next up is a matchup with the Dolphins who surrendered big days to guys like Cole Kmet (22 pts), Mark Andrews (25 pts), and even Jordan Akins (15 pts). It's a great matchup.
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3rd Most Pts to TE
Start 'em Evan Engram (JAC, TE)Evan Engram caught five of his seven targets last week and hauled in his second touchdown of the year. Next up is the Titans who present a decent matchup. Mo Alie-Cox took them for 26.5 points back in Week 4 so it's possible to have a big day against them.
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8th Most Pts to TE
Start 'em Dallas Cowboys (DAL, DEF)It's Dallas' turn to pick on the Texans. Not only does Houston give up the most fantasy points to defenses, but the Cowboys are absolutely killing it right now producing multiple sacks for 13 games in a row. Look for Dallas to bring the pressure in this one.
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Most pts to DEF
Start 'em Jason Sanders (MIA, K)While Jason Sanders has missed four of his field goal attempts this year, he's in a smash spot to deliver some fantasy points. The Chargers have given up the second most points this season including six games of double-digit production.
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2nd Most Pts to K
Sit 'em Deshaun Watson (CLE, QB)In his first game back, Deshaun Watson looked rusty and failed to deliver fantasy points in what should have been a great opportunity against his former team. Unless he starts running, his value is going to be questionable in this one. The Bengals have largely kept opposing QBs in check surrendering 20 points or less. Even Patrick Mahomes was held to under 20 points.
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5th Fewest Pts to QB
Sit 'em Tom Brady (TB, QB)This is a tough matchup. San Francisco ranks inside the Top 10 for fewest points allowed to QBs. Over their last three games, they've held Herbert, Dalton, and Tagovailoa to an average of just 12.1 fantasy points. Brady can always find a way, but he should only be startable in Superflex leagues this week.
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7th Fewest Pts to QB
Sit 'em Kenneth Walker (SEA, RB)Fantasy owners gasped last week when Kenneth Walker left the game with an injured ankle. At the time of this writing, his status for Week 14 is up in the air, but assuming he goes, our concern really is around that ankle so we want to lower our expectations. The timing is awful as he's got a decent matchup against Carolina who has been very generous to RBs this season. If he can play and you are comfortable with the risk, you could still consider him a flex option, but if you need to win in order to make the playoffs, see if you have a safer option.
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13th Most Pts to RB
Sit 'em Michael Carter (NYJ, RB)We didn't get to see Michael Carter last week due to injury, but his role on the team seems to have been supplanted by Zonovan Knight who has been far more explosive in his limited action. Carter did well against Buffalo when he faced them in Week 9, but there's no guarantee that he'll see the same workload with Knight in the mix.
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14th Fewest Pts to RB
Sit 'em Robert Woods (TEN, WR)In a plus matchup, it would seem reasonable that Robert Woods would be startable, but even with Treylon Burks out most of the game last week, Woods was barely involved (1 catch for 6 yards). The Titans leaned heavily on their run game, and we expect them to do more of the same this week. Woods is just too risky to start right now.
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9th Most Pts to WR
Sit 'em Brandin Cooks (HOU, WR)It's too bad that Brandin Cooks hasn't been able to be Brandin Cooks this year. His consistency (especially in PPR) always made him a fixture in fantasy lineups. He's not particularly happy with the team, dealing with a calf injury, struggling with poor QB play, and facing a decent defensive matchup, so we're not expecting Cooks to be productive this week.
UPDATE: Brandin Cooks will be INACTIVE for Week 14.
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16th Fewest Pts to WR
Sit 'em Marquez Valdes-Scantling (KC, WR)Marquez Valdes-Scantling is a field stretcher as evidenced by his 35 yard catch average, but what he isn't is heavily involved in the passing game. He hasn't had more than four catches in a game since Week 5 and he's visited the endzone just once. Pair that with a brutal matchup and MVS should be on the BENCH.
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2nd Fewest Pts to WR
Sit 'em Noah Fant (SEA, TE)Last week, Noah Fant visited the endzone for the second time this season, but we wouldn't count on it happening against the Panthers. Carolina has done a great job bottling up tight ends ranking inside the Top 10 in fewest points allowed.
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9th Fewest Pts to TE
Sit 'em Tyler Conklin (NYJ, TE)Tyler Conklin is a fantasy roller coaster. He can have a big game like he did back in Week 8 (25.9 pts) and then go radio silent with single digits since. The Bills are tough against tight ends not allowing any to score a touchdown this year. The last time Conklin faced Buffalo, they held him to one catch for seven yards. We're going to need more than that to feel confident starting him.
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7th Fewest Pts to TE
Sit 'em Denver Broncos (DEN, DEF)Normally Denver would be a no-brainer for the DST position, but when they're facing a high-powered offense like the Chiefs, it's best to stream another team.
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2nd Fewest Pts to DEF
Sit 'em Greg Zuerlein (NYJ, K)Greg Zuerlein has been a fantasy staple for some time now. The Bills are tough on kickers, but Greg the Leg managed to put up 10 fantasy points back in Week 9. He could be in for a repeat, but given that they've kept every kicker in single digits since and have not allowed any kicker to put up more than 10 points all year, we're calling that one an anomaly and sitting Zuerlein.
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2nd Fewest Pts to K
