Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 14: Making the Call on Fantasy Football Fringe Starters

Week 14 figures to be a pivotal point in the 2022 NFL season. Matchups like the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets tilt and the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Chargers game could have heavy playoff implications.

This will also be an important week in fantasy, as many season-long leagues will be kicking off their postseasons.

With several key injuries around the league—including Lamar Jackson, Cooper Kupp and Darren Waller—plus six teams on bye, many managers will be forced to play fringe starters in Week 14.

With this in mind, we're were to examine some of the best and worst matchups for players rostered in between 30 and 80 percent of Yahoo and/or ESPN leagues.

As a reminder, the Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints and Washington Commanders are on bye. All picks are based on points-per-reception (PPR) scoring.

Lamar Jackson managers may be scrambling for a quarterback this week, as the Baltimore Ravens star appears unlikely to play due to a knee injury.

"As the week goes on, we'll see for this week. Probably less likely for this week, but it's not impossible," Ravens coach Jim Harbaugh said, per Clifton Brown of the team's official website.

It's worth checking to see if Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff, who is rostered in 50 percent of Yahoo leagues and 30 percent of ESPN leagues, is available. If he is, or he's already on your roster, he's worth a start against the Minnesota Vikings.

The Vikings have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season. Goff, meanwhile, has established himself as a viable streaming option in recent weeks.

The 28-year-old has thrown two touchdowns in each of his past two outings and is coming off of a 340-yard performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars. While the Jags sport a lackluster defense, it's worth noting that the signal-caller had 240 yards against a good Bills defense the previous week.

Expect Goff to be right in that 250-300-yard, two-touchdown range again this week.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White had a breakout game in Week 12, which starter Leonard Fournette missed with a hip injury. In that game, the rookie notched nine receptions and 109 scrimmage yards.

With Fournette back in the lineup against the New Orleans Saints on Monday, White shined again, catching six passes, notching 69 scrimmage yards and finding the end zone.

However, the 23-year-old should be trending in the wrong direction this week, as Fournette puts another week between himself and the injury. Fournette was the more effective runner against New Orleans (4.9 yards per carry versus 3.1), and he equaled his teammate in receptions.

Expect the 27-year-old to see a bigger bulk of the workload in Week 14, and the matchup is concerning. The San Francisco 49ers have allowed the fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs this season.

White should be good for a few receptions and may not be a complete disaster, but managers should seek other options during the week.

San Francisco has surrendered just 96 rushing yards in its past two games combined, and White will be splitting the backfield work throughout the game.

Bills receiver Isaiah McKenzie has emerged as an ancillary target in the Buffalo offense and a low-end flex play in PPR leagues. Over the last two games, he has caught 11 passes on 15 targets for 140 yards and a touchdown.

That trend should continue this week, even against a tough Jets defense. New York has allowed the third-fewest fantasy points to opposing receivers this season.

Managers may be wary of this one, given the fact that McKenzie caught just two passes for 12 yards in the first meeting between these teams. However, Buffalo should look to learn from that loss and get the 27-year-old more involved in the offense.

With standout rookie corner Sauce Gardner likely locking up with top target Stefon Diggs, Josh Allen will need to get the ball to other targets. That's where McKenzie comes in.

Given the dependability the Georgia product has shown this season—he's provided a 108.7 passer rating when targeted, per Pro Football Reference—and especially lately, he should be a go-to target when Diggs and Gabe Davis are covered.

Expect McKenzie to snag four-plus receptions with 50-plus receiving yards in this critical divisional matchup.

Now fully recovered from last year's torn ACL, Dallas Cowboys receiver Michael Gallup has started to reemerge in the offense. He's caught at least three passes in each of his last five games and is coming off of a huge outing against the Indianapolis Colts.

On Sunday night, the 26-year-old caught four passes for 23 yards and two touchdowns.

However, Gallup is anything but a slam-dunk play this week against the Houston Texans. He's very PPR dependent—he hasn't topped 50 yards in a game yet—and has only found the end zone in two of nine contests.

The Texans, meanwhile, have allowed the sixth-fewest fantasy points to opposing receivers this season. A lot of that has to do with Houston being terrible against the run. It ranks dead-last in rushing yards allowed and 27th in yards per attempt surrendered (4.9).

This is shaping up to be a massive fantasy game for Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott. It's a contest in which Dallas should be up early and rarely looking to pass in the second half.

Gallup may catch a couple of passes in the early goings, but managers shouldn't expect more than four or five fantasy points this week.

*Fantasy scoring and roster information via FantasyPros.