Hello everyone and happy week 14 of the 2024 NFL season! Welcome back to my weekly Start/Sit HUB! Mike here, providing you with information that can help you win your fantasy league week in and week out.
The TNF game we get this week is a good one! A division rivalry between the home team Detroit Lions who are 11-1 and the away team Green Bay Packers who are 9-3. Big division and playoffs implications on the line in this one. Detroit is a 3-point favorite with a total over/under of 51.5 points. My prediction is an upset win for the Packers by a score of 31-30.
I’m here every week during the fantasy football season with start and sit suggestions that can impact your team each week. My decisions as always include obvious and not so obvious picks. I would also like to clarify that my sit suggestions are based on the assumption you have or can add a player that has a better chance at success. Good luck this week and continue to check out my weekly articles.
TNF START/SIT
Start – Jahmyr Gibbs – Gibbs has been elite for Detroit, and I don’t see that stopping this Thursday. In their week 9 matchup he scored a rushing TD, ran for 65 rushing yards, and caught a pass for 11 yards. Gibbs has 60+ yards rushing in every single game he has played in with the exception of week 1. He has done so with as little as 9 carries or as many as 21 carries, all with David Montgomery also getting significant time. This is a home game for him in primetime so I’m expecting fireworks.
Sit – Tucker Kraft – Kraft is coming off one of his better games this season posting 78 receiving yards catching 6 of his 7 targets. The reason he is in my sit spot is because the Lions have the best defense against opposing TEs this season in fantasy. If we look back at their first meeting in week 9, he caught 4 of 6 targets for 34 yards and the Packers only scored 14 points. Although Jordan Love has 4 TD passes and no INTs in his last 2, I will play it safe and bench Kraft in Detroit.
Last night we got a high scoring matchup that finished with the Detroit Lions getting their 12th victory by a score of 34-31 over the now 9-4 Green Bay Packers. Goff threw 3 TD passes and both RBs Gibbs and Montgomery found the end zone. Next weeks TNF game is between the Rams and 49ers.
The games I am looking forward to watching most this weekend include the Bills/Rams and the Chargers/Chiefs. Both games with playoff hopeful teams with a lot of fantasy implications. Can Stafford outplay Josh Allen? Can Herbert get the best of Mahomes?
WEEK 14 BYES – RAVENS, BRONCOS, TEXANS, COLTS, PATRIOTS, COMMANDERS
START OF THE WEEK
Start – Trey McBride – Trey has been reliable down the stretch for his fantasy owners, especially at the TE position. Only Brock Bowers has more fantasy points this season than McBride at this point in the season. Trey has back-to-back 12 reception games with 27 total targets in those 2 games. He has 4 games this season with 96+ receiving yards and 229 just in his last 2 games. With that volume and production, you cannot bench McBride, just cannot and should not.
Panthers @ Eagles
Start – Saquon Barkley – This does not need much explanation. Saquon is having the best season of his career to the point where records could be broken. Saquon gets the Panthers defense which has been the worst in the NFL at stopping opposing RBs in fantasy football. Bucky Irving just ran for 152 yards and a TD last week against the Panthers. Barkley has 8 games this season with over 100 rushing yards and has 5 rushing TDs in his last 3 games.
Sit – Adam Thielen – Thielen is coming off a great game commanding 10 targets and turning those into 8 receptions for 99 receiving yards and a TD.so he has the momentum building but this matchup is too much. Eagles defense has been looking more legit every week and have been shutting down opposing WRs. Only hope for Thielen in my opinion is garbage time fantasy points.
Saints @ Giants
Start – Marquez Valdes-Scantling – MVS has scored in 3 consecutive games despite a low number of targets. He is doing his best Westbrook-Ikhine impression. Playing the Giants is not the best matchup for MVS but what a perfect team to keep up the TD streak. He is TD dependent so let us see him in the end zone once again this week.
Sit – Devin Singletary – Singletary started the first possession for the Giants last game but only finished with 7 carries in comparison to Tyrone Tracy Jr who had 9 carries. Singletary has not been impactful in the pass catching game limiting his volume and opportunity. Still prefer Tracy over Devin.
Browns @ Steelers
Start – Najee Harris – Najee continues to get good volume even in tough matchups and with fellow RB Jaylen Warren involved. When they met just weeks ago, the Browns held Najee to 41 rushing yards which is the second lowest rushing total for him this season. This time around they are playing in Pittsburgh and I’m certain the Steelers will seek revenge for that week 12 loss.
Sit – Cedric Tillman – Tillman has struggled since his week 10 BYE. He was not able to play in week 13 and is still questionable for this matchup. Tillman was targeted 4 times in their first head-to-head battle this season but only caught 2 of them for 28 receiving yards and lost a fumble as well,
Falcons @ Vikings
Start – Sam Darnold – Darnold has been playing well and has the Vikings on a 5-game win streak. In his last 6 games Sam has 5 games with multiple passing TDs. Darnold has been effectively using his rushing abilities and has a great matchup with the Falcons defense. Aaron Jones rushing has opened the pass game for Darnold, and he has the WR in the NFL Justin Jefferson to help in that department.
Sit – Kirk Cousins – This could be a get right game for Kirk after some disappointing games, but his recent performances suggest his slump could continue. Cousins is coming off a 4 INT game, with 6 INT in his last 3 without a single TD accounted for. As you can imagine the Falcons have lost their last 3 games. We have seen Kirk throw for 500 yards in a game this season but that feels like ancient history. Kirk needs TD passes to be in a starting conversation again.
Raiders @ Buccaneers
Start – Bucky Irving – The rookie RB is doing everything he can for the Bucs and for your fantasy team. He is coming off the best game of his young career with 25 carries for 152 rushing yards, a rushing TD, and 33 receiving yards as well. Irving has scored in each of the Bucs last 3 games and gets a middle of the pack Vegas defense that has been average at defending RBs this season in fantasy.
Sit – Rachaad White – White is in play, but I am sitting him due to the even bigger than normal surge that Bucky Irving is on currently. White has been getting around 10 carries each game which he can use effectively, but he has been trending less and less in the pass catching game lately with just 1 target in each of his last 2 games.
Jaguars @ Titans
Start – Nick Westbrook-Ikhine – Hopefully, this is not a jinx for Nick as he has been an anomaly this season. He has 8 TDs in his last 8 games and only one of those games he had more than 3 receptions. If Nick is catching it, it is most likely in the end zone or on his way to the end zone. When you are scoring each week like this it feels like starting him is routine and if it is not broken then why fix it?
Sit – Chig Okonkwo – Chig has a good matchup to exploit but has not made a significant impact for his team and fantasy owners. Yes, he had a 70-yard TD reception in week 12. Other than that, he has not scored since week 1 and has not eclipsed 50 receiving yards in a game.
Jets @ Dolphins
Start – Jonnu Smith – Another player here on a tear that you simply can not bench right now. The TE has been murdering defenses lately accounting for 301 receiving yards in his last 3 games including 3 receiving TDs. He has 30 targets in those 3 games and converted them in to 25 receptions. Tua is clearly favoring the TE as of late and it’s worked out for them. With the Jets pass defense focused on Tyreek Hill it should benefit Jonnu to keep getting fed.
Sit – Raheem Mostert – Mostert is currently questionable with a hip injury, but I do not want to start him even at 100% health right now. It is the De’Von Achane show for Miami with little room for Raheem. Even the rookie Jaylen Wright has been involved pushing Mostert out of any focus he could get. Mostert is fading into the background for the Dolphins, so I say sit him so that a low output of fantasy is not an option.
Seahawks @ Cardinals
Start – Trey McBride – SEE START OF THE WEEK TOP OF PAGE
Sit – Geno Smith – Geno has only had 2 games this season with multiple TD passes. He played Arizona just 2 weeks ago and threw for 254 yards and passed for 1 TD. Not terrible at all, but since week 8 Geno has more INTs than TD passes.
Bills @ Rams
Start – Josh Allen – Obvious choice here with the MVP front runner Allen. He has his team gelling on offense on his way to a 7-game win streak. Allen has scored a rushing TD in 3 consecutive games and 7 games with multiple TD passes thrown. He can do it with his arm and legs and has the offense clicking with 30+ points on offense in ) consecutive games. Let us hope for another high scoring game.
Sit – Blake Corum – Another standout rookie with a bright future. However, that future will have to wait til after the Bills game. Even with the decent matchup and coming off his best game of the season with 42 rushing yards, he is on the bench unless something significant happened to Kyren Williams. Williams does not all and will continue to do so.
Bears @ 49ers
Start – Isaac Guerendo – Isaac is going to get his first start at RB1 on the season due to the injuries of both Christian McCaffrey and now Jordan Mason. In the 2 games where he had double digit carries (10 & 14), he rushed for 99 rushing yards and 85 rushing yards. He has also scored 2 rushing TDs this season including a TD just last game. Chicago has average defense against opposing RBs so this could be a Guerendo break out.
Sit – Rome Odunze – Caleb Williams has turned his play around lately showing off his passing skills along with his rushing abilities. The main beneficiaries of his passing lately has been both DJ Moore and Keenan Allen. Rome is a rookie that has shown great potential but he has been Caleb’s third option to pass to. 49ers have looked bad lately so it would not surprise me to see him get going, but the probability is lower than his teammates.
Chargers @ Chiefs
Start – Ladd McConkey – Ladd has been the Chargers best pass catcher all season with almost 30 more targets than any other Charger. In their first head-to-head matchup with the Chiefs Ladd caught 5 passes for 67 receiving yards and a receiving TD. He has had at least 40 receiving yards in every game since week 3 and in his last 6 games he is averaging 91+ receiving yards per game. Herbert will have to keep their connection going to pull off an upset in KC.
Sit – Gus Edwards – Edwards has been RB1 since Dobbins went on the IR. Very small sample size, but Gus leads the team in carries and rushing yards in that one game since JK’s injury. He will be operating with Kimani Vidal at RB2, but I do not like any Chargers rushing in this game. The Chief’s Defense has been stout with RBs this season and held the Chargers to 55 total rushing yards in their first encounter.
Bengals @ Cowboys
Start – Chase Brown – This might be Browns best matchup this season since he played Carolina early in the season. He has been influential on the ground and in the pass catching game this season combining for 8 total TDs. He and Burrow have been a great combo on offense and will look to take down the Cowboys who have not been good all year.
Sit – Jake Ferguson – Ferguson has practiced in full so his status is looking hopeful for MNF. Only problem here is that Jake has not played great with Cooper Rush behind center. He did account for a 71-yard performance with Rush in week 9, but other than that he has not eclipsed 25 receiving yards with Rush or scored any TDs.