The Fantasy playoffs are finally here, and those who made the cut probably have the depth to consider benching a good player in a bad matchup. It’s time to test the resolve you didn’t need during the Bye weeks — and make some sit/start decisions that might not feel so good.
The following are a handful of widely owned receivers who you might want to shuffle during Week 14. (Remember, God hates a coward!)
Red light:
Doug Baldwin at Jacksonville
What a terrible draw for Baldwin owners, Jacksonville has been by far the toughest defense against opposing Wide Receivers, giving up only three touchdowns to WRs all year. Two of those scores happened over the past two weeks, but one was a bomb to Jaron Brown for his only catch of the day, and the other was part of a weak 3/51/1 line for T.Y. Hilton. Only three receivers have even topped 60 yards against the Jaguars this season. Plus Russell Wilson has been wearing out Jimmy Graham in the red zone. This is not good.
Davante Adams at Cleveland
Adams is the last man standing in the Packers’ receiving corps, having developed enough chemistry with backup QB Brett Hundley to stay fantasy relevant thanks to his touchdown upside. But Green Bay is coming off a week when Hundley completed only 13 of 22 passes for 84 yards and no scores against the Buccaneers’ horrendous pass defense, prompting boos from the home crowd. A touchdown catch against a Browns defense that has been fairly generous to wideouts might salvage an otherwise run-heavy day for the Packers, but the upside here is low.
T. Y. Hilton at Buffalo
Hilton’s boom-or-bust season already cost some people their shot at the playoffs, but for those with the depth to overcome the speedster’s inconsistency, this week is not the time to double down. Hilton racked up 505 of his 791 yards (64 percent!) in just three games — a span that also included three of his four touchdowns. His receiving average in his other nine games was 31.8 yards per game. Hilton has never topped seven touchdowns in a season and is strapped to a turnover-prone quarterback against a solid Bills pass defense this week.
Green light:
Alshon Jeffery at L.A. Rams
Not many people are sweating Jeffery, coming off a five-week span where he’s averaged more than eight targets a game and crossed the plane five times. But the Rams defense has been tough against opposing Wide Receivers (only seven TDs on the year) and quarterbacks (fifth-lowest QBR at 77.3). Vegas is expecting a shootout, however, with the league’s second-highest O/U at 48. Expect both playoff-caliber offenses to take their shots, and Jeffery is the Eagles’ top downfield threat.
Sterling Shepard vs. Dallas
Shepard’s opportunity to claim the top spot on the G-men’s offense hasn’t quite gone as hoped. The 2016 second-rounder — who caught eight TDs in his rookie season last year — missed two November games with migraines and is dealing with a hamstring this week but likely to go. Just as importantly, Eli Manning is back behind center this week — in his two games with Eli since Brandon Marshall bowed out for the season, Shepard saw 22 targets, bringing down 16 for 212 yards. And he’s a red zone weapon — in limited action this year Shepard has seen nine targets inside the 20, with five coming inside the 10.
Devin Funchess vs. Minnesota
Carolina’s trade of Kelvin Benjamin to Buffalo didn’t stop Cam Newton from continuing to wing the ball downfield toward a big-bodied receiver. And Funchess’ output post-Benjamin is making good on the hype the second-year man failed to deliver on last year. In four games since the trade, Funchess has put up the following lines: 5/86/0, 5/92/2, 7/108/0 and 4/60/1. The Vikings’ dominant run defense — 78 yards per game; only three rushing TDs against all year — sets this game up perfectly for Cam Newton and his receiver friends.
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