By SCOTT FELTS
Depending on the league type you are in, this may be the last week before your playoffs or the first week of the playoffs. For a few extra tips we don’t usually mention here, the Giants, Cowboys, Chiefs, Eagles and Jets have good fantasy matchups for their defense/special teams throughout the playoffs. Fantasy offenses with great matchups across their quarterback, receiver, and running backs include Cleveland, the Giants, the Vikings and the Dolphins (There may be sneaky starts buried on those rosters).
I’m making the playoffs in 60 of my 62 leagues and in the championship bracket (4th or better) or alive for it in 30 of 62. If you are like me, injuries have really impacted your teams this season. I’ll try to make a win easier in Week 14 for us all with this week’s Sit, Start, Snipe recommendations.
There are four teams on bye by this week: the Carolina Panthers, the New England Patriots, the New York Giants and the San Francisco 49ers.
SIT
QB: Justin Herbert Los Angeles, Chargers (vs Eagles). Herbert broke his left non-throwing hand last week and had surgery on Monday. He may still play, but against a tough Eagles defense, which has limited opposing quarterbacks to 12 passing touchdowns this season (second fewest in the league), rolling with Herbert is not advised.
RB: David Montgomery, Detroit Lions (vs Cowboys). Montgomery has gotten 10 or fewer touches in three straight games. Montgomery has become touchdown dependent in fantasy. He scored one in Week 13 but has not scored a touchdown in consecutive games since the second and third weeks of the season. This week he faces a Cowboys defense that has allowed the second-fewest rushing yards per game over the last three weeks.
WR: Michael Wilson, Arizona Cardinals (vs Rams). Marvin Harrison, Jr., returned from injury last week, which means Wilson won’t be worthy of starting in fantasy lineups. Wilson did see a 19% target share last week, which is his highest in a game with Marvin this season so stash him … just don’t start him.
TE: Oronde Gadsden II, Los Angeles Chargers (vs Eagles). Gadsden has scored fewer than six fantasy points in three straight games, averaging two catches and 27 yards, including just one catch for 27 yards last week. With the injury to Herbert, Gadsden is an even riskier start. The Eagles defense has allowed fewer than nine fantasy points per game to tight ends (third fewest in the league) over the course of the season.
START
QB: Jared Golf, Detroit Lions (vs Cowboys). Goff has ranked in the top 10 of fantasy QBs in three of his last four games after only doing it once in his first eight games this season. Goff has thrown multiple touchdowns four times in the last five games and has posted a 10-2 touchdown to interception ratio since the Week 8 bye. This week’s opponent, Dallas, has surrendered an NFL high 28 passing touchdowns and the most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks.
RB: James Cook, Buffalo Bills (vs Bengals). Cook has two straight 100-yard games. Cook set season highs in carries and touches on his way to 177 total yards and 48% of the Bills’ net yards last week against Pittsburgh. The matchup this week against the Bengals is even more favorable.
WR: Jakobi Myers, Jacksonville Jaguars (vs Colts). Even though former No. 1 receiver Brian Thomas returned in Week 13, Myers scored a touchdown, and had 90 yards on six catches. Since arriving in Jacksonville, Myers has been at or above a 20% target share in all three games. The Colts allow the ninth most fantasy points to wide receivers and sixth most passing yards per game.
TE: Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars (vs Colts). Strange has been a fantasy stud at tight end over the last few weeks, scoring almost 28 PPR points and ranking just behind Trey McBride and Brock Bowers at the position. As mentioned above, the Colts allow the sixth most passing yards per game, so Strange should continue to score fantasy points.
SNIPE
QB: Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars (vs Colts). (Rostered in less than 30% of leagues) I’m seeing a trend here and it’s not just the matchup that makes me want to load up on Jags this week. Lawrence was 16 of 27 for 229 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 25 yards last week. He has averaged 18.1 fantasy points per game over the past six weeks and the next closest quarterback on most waiver wires (Bryce Young) is off this week.
RB: Bam Knight, Arizona Cardinals (vs Rams). (Rostered in around 37% of leagues) Knight is the Cardinals’ clear number one running back for now. In addition to having more carries than Michael Carter in Week 13, Knight also caught three passes for 36 yards and a touchdown. Trey Benson will be back before the end of the season and take over but until then, if you need a sneaky pick, Bam is the way to go as he has scored 13 or more points in three straight games.
WR: Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers (vs Bears). (Rostered in around 38% of leagues) Over the last three weeks Watson has averaged 16.3 PPR fantasy points per game. In Week 13, he tied for the team lead in route participation rate at 81% with four catches, 80 yards and a touchdown. Watson‘s first game wasn’t until Week 8 but he has recorded at least 45 receiving yards in all six games. The Bears allow the third most fantasy points per game to wide receivers.
TE: Darren Waller, Miami Dolphins. (vs NY Jets). (Rostered in just under 50% of leagues) Waller is back after four games with a pec injury and he caught a team high 47 yards on just two catches but was a toe tap away from his fifth touchdown of the season. As a weekly red zone threat and facing a Jets’ defense that he scored twice against in Week 4, Waller is worth a pick up and even play if you have a starter on bye.
Extra Things To Know
Cleveland and Tennessee have zero top 10 wide receiver performances in 2025.
Baltimore, Las Vegas and San Francisco have only one top 10 wide receiver performance each in 2025.
Since adding Quinnen Williams at the trade deadline, the Cowboys have given up less than 70 rushing yards per game in three games. That is cutting their previous yards per game average in half.
The returning Joe Burrow is 2-0 with 295 yards averaged and two touchdowns per game against Sean McDermott’s Buffalo defense.