Booms and Busts - Fantasy Football Starts and Sits for Week 14 Lineups Include Tyrone Tracy Jr., Will Levis, Chuba Hubbard

After 13 grueling weeks, the fantasy playoffs are just one week away. Normally, I like to start this column by recapping the previous week. I do so to be as transparent with people as possible. And while we had our usual shares of hits and misses last week, we are going to skip the formalities and get right down to business.

While many of you have already clinched playoff berths (congratulations to those who have), some still have work to do. Complicating matters is that there are an eye-popping six teams on bye this week. Many gamers are missing core pieces of their roster at the most critical juncture of their season. If you fall into this category, we’re going to do our best to identify some quality replacements this week.

Make sure you’re following RotoBaller on X and check out RotoBaller.com for all your fantasy football needs. Let’s get into our boom/bust picks for Week 14 of the 2024 NFL season.

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Week 14 Fantasy Football Booms

Will Levis - QB, Tennessee Titans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Say what you want about the Titans signal-caller, but Levis has played much better since returning from a shoulder injury. He has thrown seven touchdowns against two interceptions in his last four games, including a QB10 finish against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 10.

This week, Levis gets a fantastic draw as he takes on a Jacksonville defense that has been awful defending the pass all year long. Jacksonville allows the most passing yards per game, ranks dead last in defensive passing DVOA, per FTN Fantasy, and allows the second-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, per Fantasy Football Today.

Starting Levis is always a risky option and not for the faint of heart. However, this is an A+ matchup for the Tennessee passing game. If you’ve been streaming the position or your regular starter is on bye, Levis is a viable option for Week 14. His playoff schedule is also very friendly, so you might be able to squeeze a few more starts out of him as well.

Tyrone Tracy Jr. - RB, New York Giants vs. New Orleans Saints

Gamers were slightly concerned last week when Devin Singletary started the game over Tracy. It looked as though head coach Brian Daboll was punishing Tracy following two lost fumbles in back-to-back games. However, those fears were overblown as Tracy would play 73% of offensive snaps, score a touchdown on the ground, and finish the week as a top-24 running back.

TYRONE TRACY JR. (+600) FIRST TOUCHDOWN 🙌pic.twitter.com/GS4LJUrN7v

— Caesars Sportsbook & Casino (@CaesarsSports) November 28, 2024

The Giants take on the Saints this week. New Orleans allows 136 yards rushing per game, so this sets up as another spot where Tracy can have success.

The only downside with him this week is the risk of New York falling behind and being forced to abandon the run. Luckily, Tracy also ran considerably more routes than Singletary last week in a negative game script, so Tracy should still be involved as a receiver, even in the event of a blowout.

Fire up Tracy as a solid RB2 play this week. He should offer a safe floor, and if the Giants are competitive, he could pop for a big game.

Isaac Guerendo - RB, San Francisco 49ers vs. Chicago Bears

Guerendo was the hot add off waivers this week, and gamers shouldn’t hesitate to immediately throw him into their lineups. He’s in line for a big workload and can rip off a long touchdown at any time.

ISAAC GUERENDO BREAKS FREE FOR 76-YARD RUN 🤯

WHAT A PLAY.

(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/hX5fBgJpyB

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 11, 2024

Chicago’s defense has been vulnerable to the run throughout the year, and this projects as a game where San Francisco should lean on its ground attack. That means plenty of opportunities for Guerendo.

Gamers should feel confident starting him as a high-end RB2. He’s in line for a sizable workload, and this is a matchup where he can break the century mark on the ground and find the end zone as well.

Will Dissly - TE, Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs

Dissley is coming off one of his worst games of the season last week. However, he might be set up for a bounce-back this week. Kansas City’s defense has been an above-average unit, but it has had issues guarding tight ends. It ranks 20th in DVOA against tight ends and allows the third-most PPR points per game to the position.

Ladd McConkey’s status for this week’s game is also up in the air. If he doesn’t suit up, Los Angeles would be lacking its top receiver and could choose to attack the Chiefs defense through its tight ends. That would be great news for Dissly.

With so many teams on byes, Dissly is a viable streaming option if you’re in a pinch.

Week 14 Fantasy Football Busts

Jameis Winston - QB, Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers

Well, we got the full Jameis Winston experience this past Monday night against the Broncos. Winston threw for 497 yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions, including two pick-sixes.

Jameis Winston responds with a 70 yard TD to Jerry Jeudy!
pic.twitter.com/s3t5qEoZLC

— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) December 3, 2024

JAMEIS WINSTON ANOTHER PICK-6 😳

BRONCOS ICE IT.

(via @NFL)
pic.twitter.com/9AN6zaP0cR

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 3, 2024

The roller-coaster ride ended with Winston finishing Week 13 as the overall QB1. Things will be a little different this week, though, as Cleveland has a rematch against the division-rival Pittsburgh Steelers. The Browns upset Pittsburgh two weeks ago in a snowstorm in Cleveland.

This time, however, the game will be in Pittsburgh and the Steelers will be looking for revenge. Pittsburgh boasts one of the league's best defenses, and outside of last week’s track meet with the Cincinnati Bengals, it has been good at limiting quarterbacks in terms of fantasy points. The Steelers currently allow the third-fewest fantasy points per game to opposing signal-callers.

This is just a tough matchup and a bad spot for Winston. There will be opportunities to start him when the fantasy playoffs begin, but this week is not one of them.

Chuba Hubbard - RB, Carolina Panthers at Philadelphia Eagles

Week 13 was not kind to Hubbard. He only ran for 43 yards and lost a key fumble in overtime that helped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers score an overtime victory.

Carolina now has a daunting matchup against the red-hot Philadelphia Eagles and their stifling defense. With Philadelphia boasting a strong defensive line, Hubbard could find little running room in this game, and we may see a similar result to last week.

While Bryce Young and Carolina’s offense has shown improvement the last few games, it’s hard to see them having consistent success against this Eagles defense. Hubbard also lost more touches to fellow running back Jonathon Brooks and only out-touched the rookie 12-9. It’s possible Hubbard will continue ceding touches to the team’s second-round pick.

Things get easier for Hubbard once the playoffs start, but this week is a tough ask. If you've got other options at running back, you should consider starting them over Hubbard.

Brian Thomas Jr. -WR, Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans

Thomas got off to a hot start this year, but he has cooled off in the second half of the season. Part of that can be attributed to the health (or lack thereof) of starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence. However, Thomas has not posted a top-12 finish since Week 7 and has finished outside the top-24 receivers in five of his last seven games.

The talented rookie faces a Tennessee secondary that has had success shutting down opposing receivers. It has allowed the fifth-fewest PPR points per game to opposing receivers and allows just 46.3 receiving yards per game to opposing teams' WR1.

Thomas is still immensely talented, but he has a tough matchup this week and is working with a backup quarterback in Mac Jones. If you’ve got other options, sitting Thomas may not be the worst idea.

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