X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

10 Lineup Busts and Avoids for Week 14

It's time to turn up the pressure! Week 14 is here and that means the playoffs have probably begun in your leagues. If you made it, congrats! If you didn't, there's always next year! Or there's the consolation bracket, which comes with a tiny, tiny amount of bragging rights. Or there's daily fantasy. Fantasy football never ends! (Unless it's after the Super Bowl. There's probably some arena football fantasy leagues that you can play in, but I'm not sure we can help you much with those here at Rotoballer, though if anyone reading this wants to put one together feel free to shoot me an email because that sounds like the kind of weird fun I'd enjoy.)

A couple of changes to the column this week and for the rest of the regular season: no more recap of last week. Instead, the 200 or so words that usually comprise that are going to be redistributed to the rest of the column so you can have more information to use for making your lineup calls this week. We're talking about playoffs! You've got to have as many chances as possible to not screw it up!

Below are ten lineup busts and avoids for Week 14 of NFL action.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024:

 

Top 10 Busts - NFL Week 14

Eli Manning (Quarterback, New York Giants)

This one feels obvious since Manning has played poorly enough this season that former head coach Ben McAdoo benched him for Geno Smith last week, but McAdoo has been fired and Manning has returned to the starting lineup. It feels like people often expect a player to receive a bump in production in a situation like this, but that's a flawed narrative, especially in this particular situation. The Giants still have an extremely weak receiving core, Manning is still the same guy who didn't throw a touchdown in the two weeks before his benching, and didn't throw for a touchdown in Week 1 against the Cowboys.

Cam Newton (Quarterback, Carolina Panthers)

It took a lot of thinking to not put Russell Wilson here, since he plays against the league's best defense. I ultimately decided that Seattle relies SO much on Wilson that he's unlikely to post a complete dud. Cam Newton against Minnesota? I don't feel nearly as confident about that. The Vikings are the fourth-best defense against opposing quarterbacks and Newton's thrown for 200 or more yards just once in his past five games. Newton will need to use his legs this week to find fantasy value, but the Vikings are allowing less than five rushing yards per-game to quarterbacks. I don't like Cam this week.

Jordan Howard (Running Back, Chicago Bears)

As someone who has Howard in a ton of leagues, his recent production has worried me. 13 carries for 38 yards against a 49ers defense that is currently ranked as the third-worst against running backs. Seven carries for six yards against the Eagles. Before Chicago's bye week, Howard had run the ball 18 times or more for six consecutive games. In four games since the bye? Not a single with that large of a workload. The Bengals aren't necessarily a top defense against running backs, but if Howard can't succeed against the 49ers then I'm not sure I trust him against a better defense this week. Factor in that the Bears could be without guard Kyle Long and this is a risk I'd rather avoid.

Mike Davis (Running Back, Seattle Seahawks)

Like the rest of the fantasy football world, I like Mike Davis and think the Seahawks found a pretty good running back. The Seattle backfield has looked terrible most of this year, but a Chris Carson/Mike Davis combo could be really intriguing in 2018. That's beside the point right now, though, because Mike Davis plays Jacksonville this week. They aren't as good against the run game as they are against the passing game, but they're good enough that I'm not at all sold on Davis being successful.

Leonard Fournette (Running Back, Jacksonville Jaguars)

I've spent a lot of time talking about the other side of this match-up, but let's not sleep on the Seattle defense, which is currently allowing the third-fewest points to opposing running backs. Obviously Fournette has value down around the goal line, but without a touchdown? After a great start to the season, Fournette has only one 100-yard game in his past four outings. In two of those games, he ran for 33 yards or less. T.J. Yeldon's usage is trending upwards as well as the Jags look to keep Fournette fresh.

T.Y. Hilton (Wide Receiver, Indianapolis Colts)

Look, it's T.Y. again! Hilton found the end zone last week (oops!), but he's followed every double-digit fantasy performance this season up with a complete dud (30 yards against Seattle, 19 yards against Tennessee, and 23 yards against Pittsburgh). I understand that anecdotal evidence is a bad thing to base real decisions off of, though, so here are some statistical reasons to avoid him: the Bills have been one of the league's best defenses against opposing wide receivers, the Bills are at home, and Jacoby Brissett is still the quarterback for Indianapolis.

Devin Funchess (Wide Receiver, Carolina Panthers)

I hate how much of my fantasy team is ending up on this list this week! I have Newton on here, so it makes sense that I have Newton's number one option, Funchess, here as well. The Vikings are a team that shuts down opposing wide receivers on a fairly consistent basis, and Funchess took awhile to get involved last week against New Orleans. Tight end Greg Olsen is back too, though who knows how that will end up affecting Funchess.

Doug Baldwin (Wide Receiver, Seattle Seahawks)

I called Baldwin a potential bust last week and wasn't right, but I feel better about that call this week against the Jaguars, who allow the least points to wide receivers but are just in the middle-of-the-pack against tight ends. Expect Jimmy Graham to be Russell Wilson's top target in a low-scoring game, which really hurts Baldwin's upside. I know there's this narrative about Baldwin being a must start in the final quarter of every season, but the numbers don't support that narrative this week.

Jared Cook (Tight End, Oakland Raiders)

HA HA HA HA HA HA WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE. Cook was expected to be the primary beneficiary of Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper missing last week's game against the Giants (the worst team against tight ends!) and finished with one catch for nine yards. The week before, against a Denver team that allows the second-most points to tight ends, he finished with one catch for two yards. Now he plays a Chiefs team that is actually good at defending tight ends. There's no way he even gets close to any of my lineups.

Eric Ebron (Tight End, Detroit Lions)

Just for old times sake, here's Eric Ebron. The Buccaneers defense has struggled this year, but one position they haven't struggled against the tight end position. Ebron has caught four passes in each of Detroit's last three games, so it wouldn't be a shock to see him creeping back into lineups. Don't do it, though, because again: Tampa Bay is allowing the least points to tight ends.

 

More Week 14 Lineup Prep




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Jonathan India4 mins ago

Traded To Kansas City
Tre Mann6 mins ago

Listed As Out For Saturday
Torrey Craig11 mins ago

Available Versus Hawks
Nick Richards13 mins ago

Ruled Out For Saturday
Jarace Walker18 mins ago

Ready To Face Bucks
Ben Sheppard24 mins ago

Misses A Third Consecutive Game
Anfernee Simons30 mins ago

Returns To Action Friday
Ja Morant31 mins ago

Considered Doubtful For Saturday
Jerami Grant34 mins ago

Ready For Action Friday
Marcus Smart38 mins ago

Questionable For Saturday
Deandre Ayton40 mins ago

Remains Out On Friday
Yves Missi46 mins ago

Will Not Play On Friday
Stephen Curry58 mins ago

Available Versus Pelicans
Scoot Henderson1 hour ago

Absent On Friday
Giannis Antetokounmpo1 hour ago

Good To Go Friday
Coby White1 hour ago

Available On Friday
Joel Embiid1 hour ago

To Miss Friday's Game
Dorian Finney-Smith1 hour ago

Will Play Friday
Miles Bridges1 hour ago

Out At Least One Week
Nicolas Claxton1 hour ago

Back In Action Friday
CJ McCollum2 hours ago

Remains Unavailable On Friday
Rashod Bateman2 hours ago

Added To Week 12 Injury Report
Vince Dunn2 hours ago

Could Be An Option For Kraken Next Week
Cade Cunningham2 hours ago

Ruled Out For Saturday
TOR2 hours ago

Alexander Nylander Joins Maple Leafs On One-Year Deal
George Kittle2 hours ago

Cleared For Week 12
Jason Dickinson2 hours ago

Expected To Play On Saturday
Cam York2 hours ago

Expected To Return Saturday
San Francisco 49ers2 hours ago

Nick Bosa Won't Play Against Packers
Mason McTavish3 hours ago

Remains Out On Friday
Brock Purdy3 hours ago

Ruled Out For Week 12
Tage Thompson3 hours ago

Continues To Sit On Friday
Kevin Hayes3 hours ago

A Game-Time Call Friday
Kris Letang3 hours ago

Might Return On Friday
Ladd McConkey3 hours ago

Returns To Practice On Friday
CeeDee Lamb3 hours ago

Cleared To Play In Week 12
Sam LaPorta3 hours ago

Off The Injury Report, Cleared For Week 12
Jake Ferguson4 hours ago

Ruled Out With Concussion
DeVonta Smith4 hours ago

Ruled Out For Week 12
Brock Purdy4 hours ago

Not Seen At Friday's Practice
T.J. Hockenson4 hours ago

Expects To Be More Involved In Week 12
Alexander Mattison4 hours ago

Zamir White Doubtful To Face Broncos
Nico Collins5 hours ago

Set For Increased Workload Against Titans
Mike Evans5 hours ago

Officially Listed As Questionable
Malik Nabers5 hours ago

Questionable For Week 12, Intends To Play
Sam Darnold5 hours ago

Cleared For Sunday
D'Andre Swift5 hours ago

Gets Questionable Tag For Week 12
Keenan Allen6 hours ago

Lands On Injury Report, Questionable For Week 12
Isiah Pacheco6 hours ago

Ruled Out For Week 12
CeeDee Lamb6 hours ago

Practices Friday, Expected To Play Sunday
Tyjae Spears6 hours ago

Ruled Out For Week 12
Shohei Ohtani7 hours ago

In Early Stages Of Recovery From Shoulder Surgery
Tabatha Ricci7 hours ago

Looks To Extend Her Win Streak
Yan Xiaonan8 hours ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Muslim Salikhov8 hours ago

A Favorite At UFC Macau
Chris Sale8 hours ago

To Have Normal Offseason
Garrett Crochet8 hours ago

Drawing Plenty Of Interest
Song Kenan8 hours ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Zhang Mingyang8 hours ago

Set For His Second UFC Fight
Ozzy Diaz8 hours ago

An Underdog At UFC Macau
MacKenzie Weegar11 hours ago

Notches Three Assists Against Rangers
Macklin Celebrini11 hours ago

Tallies Two Assists In Thursday's Loss
Nikita Kucherov11 hours ago

Comes Up With Three Assists Versus Blue Jackets
Sean Monahan12 hours ago

Finishes Thursday's Win With Four Points
Zach Werenski12 hours ago

Enjoys Career Night With Five Points Against Lightning
Jack Hughes12 hours ago

Posts Three Assists Versus Hurricanes
Joonas Korpisalo12 hours ago

Records 21-Save Shutout Versus Utah
Carlos Ulberg23 hours ago

Looking To Cement Himself As A Title Contender At UFC Macau
Volkan Oezdemir23 hours ago

Eyes Another Knockout At UFC Macau
Gabriella Fernandes23 hours ago

A Big Underdog At UFC Macau
MMA23 hours ago

Cong Wang Puts Undefeated Record On The Line At UFC Macau
Deiveson Figueiredo23 hours ago

Looks To Extend Win Streak At UFC Macau
Petr Yan23 hours ago

A Favorite At UFC Macau
Shohei Ohtani1 day ago

Named National League MVP In 2024
Aaron Judge1 day ago

Wins American League MVP Award
Alex Ovechkin1 day ago

To Miss 4-6 Weeks With Fractured Fibula
Zach Hyman1 day ago

Expected To Miss 4-7 Days
Kent Johnson1 day ago

Back For Blue Jackets Thursday
Yaroslav Askarov1 day ago

Makes Sharks Debut Thursday
Mikael Granlund1 day ago

Good To Go Thursday
Alexandar Georgiev1 day ago

Returns To Action Versus Capitals
Cody Bellinger1 day ago

Cubs Looking To Trade Cody Bellinger?
1 day ago

Blake Snell Has Met With Red Sox, Dodgers
Chris Sale2 days ago

Wins National League Cy Young Award
Tarik Skubal2 days ago

Wins 2024 American League Cy Young Award
Austin Eckroat2 days ago

Heads To The RSM Classic After Win
Harris English2 days ago

Finding Form Heading To The RSM Classic
Ben Griffin2 days ago

Continues Playing Well Heading To The RSM Classic
Denny McCarthy2 days ago

Returns to The RSM Classic
Ludvig Aberg2 days ago

Looks To Defend RSM Classic Title
Si Woo Kim2 days ago

An Intriguing Option At RSM Classic
Maverick McNealy2 days ago

In Solid Form Ahead Of RSM Classic
Eric Cole2 days ago

Chasing First Tour Victory At RSM Classic
3 days ago

Guardians' Stephen Vogt Named AL Manager Of The Year
Milwaukee Brewers3 days ago

Pat Murphy Named NL Manager Of The Year
3 days ago

Nick Pivetta Declines Boston's Qualifying Offer
Jose Siri3 days ago

Mets Acquire Jose Siri From The Rays
3 days ago

Phillies To Meet With Juan Soto
3 days ago

Luis Severino Rejects Qualifying Offer From Mets
3 days ago

Willy Adames Declines Brewers Qualifying Offer
3 days ago

Teoscar Hernandez Declines Qualifying Offer From Dodgers
3 days ago

Juan Soto Declines Yankees' Qualifying Offer
Luis Gil4 days ago

Wins AL Rookie Of The Year Award
Paul Skenes4 days ago

Named 2024 NL Rookie Of The Year
Charles Oliveira4 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Michael Chandler4 days ago

Gets Dominated At UFC 309
Karine Silva4 days ago

Suffers Her First UFC Loss
Viviane Araujo4 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Mauricio Ruffy4 days ago

Extends His Win Streak To Six
James Llontop5 days ago

Loses Clear-Cut Decision In Thrilling Fight At UFC 309
Paul Craig5 days ago

Loses Decision At UFC 309
Bo Nickal5 days ago

Remains Undefeated With Lackluster Performance At UFC 309
Stipe Miocic5 days ago

Retires After UFC 309 Loss

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Ashton Jeanty - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks

Fantasy Football Dynasty Watch: Top College Fantasy Football Players Week 12 (2024)

Welcome back to another season of Fantasy Football Dynasty Watch, where I highlight the best and brightest performances from the college football week. The Big 12(16) took center stage this week and Tennessee fell to the ranks of most SEC contenders with two losses. Here are the players who showed out that you may have […]


Video: Week 12 Booms, Sleepers, and Streamers - 2024 Fantasy Football Start 'Em Analysis

And here...we...go... The YouTube team is dropping fresh fire content for the weekend ahead with our top Week 12 booms, sleepers, and streamers! NFL Network and RotoBaller contributor LaQuan Jones gives in-depth fantasy football advice, breaking down some of his high-upside, sleeper, and value plays as we head into Week 12 of the new fantasy […]


RotoBaller NFL Betting Picks Stock

2024 NFL Week 12 Betting Picks (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools and Content can be accessed on the premium dashboard. To see ALL of Jamie's bets (and others from RotoBaller experts) then head over to the RotoBaller Discord. You'll find every bet and prop in the #NFL-BETTING-PROPS channel there!   Background My name is Jamie Calandro (@jac3600 on X) and I have […]


DeVon Achane - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL DFS Picks, Injury News

Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em - Week 12 Matchups Analysis

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to another start'em and sit'em piece as we look ahead to Week 12! There will be a whopping six teams on bye this week (Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, New Orleans Saints, Jacksonville Jaguars, and New York Jets), so that means fantasy managers might need to look deeper on their benches. This Week 12 matchups […]


Josh Downs - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

WR/CB Matchups to Upgrade and Downgrade - Fantasy Football Week 12 (2024)

Welcome back to our WR/CB Matchups for Week 12 of the 2024 fantasy football season. For those unfamiliar, this weekly series looks at fantasy football matchups for wide receivers versus the cornerbacks who are projected to cover them. The data we access for offensive and defensive players continues to skyrocket. Though we mainly focus on offensive […]


Houston Texans Defense D/ST Streamers, Rankings, Waiver Wire - Derek Stingley Fantasy Football IDP

D/ST Strength of Schedule: Best Fantasy Football Defense Streamers and Matchups (Weeks 12-17)

Ahh, the good old Defense/Special Teams (DST) position in fantasy football. It is a controversial inclusion in fantasy lineups for some fantasy players, but strategizing around DSTs is one of my favorite aspects of the in-season fantasy football experience. In the article below, I will present the strength of schedule (SOS) for the fantasy Defense/Special […]


NFL DFS: FanDuel Daily Fantasy Football Picks for Week 12 - Top Lineup Plays Include Jayden Daniels, Jahmyr Gibbs, Jared Goff, Puka Nacua

It’s already Week 12, although the end of the 2024-25 campaign can’t come soon enough for teams like the Jaguars, Raiders, Giants, and Panthers, to name a few. On the other hand, clubs like the Bills, Chiefs, and Lions are only a few weeks away from officially punching their tickets to the postseason.   In […]


Braelon Allen - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Best/Worst Fantasy Football Playoff Schedules: Streamers and Starts To Win A Championship (2024)

Planning too far in advance to align your fantasy football players for an optimal playoff performance comes with many pitfalls. However, positioning yourself for good fortune in Weeks 15 through 17 should be a key piece of your strategy if you're in line to make the bracket. Fantasy players still have time to trade for […]


Bo Nix - Fantasy Football Rankings, QB, NFL Rookies, Draft Sleepers

The King's Week 12 Lineup Rankings and Analysis (Premium Content)

RotoBaller senior writer Scott "The King" Engel shares his Week 12 fantasy football lineup rankings for PPR, half PPR, and standard scoring league participants. He also provides an analysis of the rankings at every skill position. Regular starting options are included to highlight that some of your must-start players have a good chance of supplying […]


Courtland Sutton - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Week 12 DraftKings NFL DFS Picks - Main Slate (2024): Anthony Richardson, Brian Robinson Jr., Courtland Sutton, and more

How's it going, RotoBallers? Welcome back to our DraftKings Main Slate article. Known around the fantasy football world as "Bye-Mageddon," Week 12 certainly offers up some unique challenges from a DFS perspective. Don't worry, we'll work through those difficulties to find the best plays we can on this slate. These DraftKings lineup recommendations are based […]


Brian Robinson Jr. - Fantasy Football Rankings Running Backs, Waiver Wire Sleepers, NFL DFS Picks

Bold Predictions for Fantasy Football Week 12: Tua Tagovailoa, Rhamondre Stevenson, Brian Robinson Jr., Ladd McConkey, Will Dissly

Week 12 is here, and I’m back with another edition of fantasy football bold predictions. This week’s list of bold predictions will include Tua Tagovailoa, Rhamondre Stevenson, Brian Robinson Jr., Ladd McConkey, and Will Dissly. Every week, I will provide some fun and bold fantasy football predictions. While these bold predictions aren’t the most likely […]


Ladd McConkey - Fantasy Football Rankings, Rookies, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Booms and Busts - Fantasy Football Starts and Sits for Week 12 Lineups Include Tua Tagovailoa, J.K. Dobbins, Ladd McConkey

Week 11 was pretty kind to us in this space. We correctly labeled Justin Herbert as a boom pick. He threw for 297 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 65 yards on the ground. It culminated with a QB8 finish. We also nailed Kirk Cousins and Tony Pollard as busts. Cousins and the Falcons […]


Chuba Hubbard - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Week 12 Fantasy Football Busts? Players Who May Disappoint Include D'Andre Swift, JK Dobbins, Tank Dell, Chuba Hubbard, Mark Andrews, Jakobi Meyers

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to our Week 12 fantasy football busts, or players who may disappoint for fantasy lineups this week. It's a strange week in the NFL with six teams taking their bye week. That could mean lineups are gridlocked and fantasy managers don't have the luxury of analyzing matchups to decide their starters. Potential […]