RADIO
With the last week of the fantasy football regular season finally here (in most leagues) in Week 14, the time has come for some of those dreadful start-sit decisions in fantasy football, and it's only being made worse from there being six teams on a bye this week.
All three of the wide receivers below are at different stages of their careers, and while each has shown flashes, neither of them exactly wows you right now from a fantasy perspective.
Should you start DeVonta Smith, Calvin Austin, or Brandin Cooks here in Week 14? Let's dive in!
Should I Start DeVonta Smith for Fantasy Football?
It's been a rough year for DeVonta Smith in fantasy in 2024. First off, he hasn't lived up to his summer draft position whatsoever, and he's missed multiple games this season with a concussion and a separate hamstring injury. The Eagles' strong defense, as well as the emergence of running back Saquon Barkley into the NFL stratosphere, has limited Smith's fantasy prospects.
DeVonta Smith is practicing today. pic.twitter.com/VvKguva7xp
— Victor Williams (@ThePhillyPod) December 4, 2024
On the year, Smith has 41 receptions for 516 yards and four touchdowns in nine games. The good news is the Eagles play the Carolina Panthers in Week 14, whose defensive secondary hasn't exactly been stellar. Smith has a good chance to find the end zone this week, but the big concern is what happens if Philly is up big at halftime.
Of the two other choices below, Smith is probably still your best bet, but it's fair to have legitimate concerns about his prospects this week in fantasy.
Should I Start Calvin Austin III for Fantasy Football?
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Calvin Austin was placed in the league's concussion protocol after suffering a hard hit in Week 13 against the Cincinnati Bengals but has been cleared for Week 14 and is good to go against the Cleveland Browns.
Austin's best performance of the year came in Week 3 when he hauled in five receptions for 95 yards and a touchdown against the Los Angeles Chargers, but he hasn't been able to string together much consistency for fantasy just yet.
Calvin Austin III is good to go against the Browns, he said
— Nick Farabaugh (@FarabaughFB) December 6, 2024
The Steelers WR2 spot on the depth chart is wide open and the second-year player from Memphis is looking to do just that. Quarterback Russell Wilson has been playing great of late, but we need to see a little more from Austin in fantasy before we can trust him in our lineups going forward.
UPDATE: With George Pickens (hamstring) ruled out, Austin can be flexed as a fringe WR3 option with a boom-or-bust outlook.
Should I Start Brandin Cooks for Fantasy Football?
A once-talented wide receiver with six 1,000-yard receiving seasons under his belt, 2024 has been anything but kind to Brandin Cooks. He's averaging a career-low 8.9 yards per reception and has just 12 receptions on the season for 107 yards and two touchdowns in five games.
Cooks has dealt with his share of injuries, but his fate was sealed once starting quarterback Dak Prescott was lost for the season. While the Cowboys have won their last two games, they are currently 5-7 on the year and the outside looking in at the playoffs in the NFC.
Cowboys WRs CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks were upgraded in practice today. Lamb was limited, Cooks a full participant pic.twitter.com/b7h4E0TQwP
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) December 6, 2024
The Cowboys have a juicy matchup against a Cincinnati Bengals defense on Monday Night Football that just can't stop anybody, but how much faith do you want to put in Cooper Rush at this point?
Despite the risk of a blowout, Smith is still the best play of these three wide receivers in Week 14 for fantasy.
Popular Week 14 Searches - Start/Sit Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 14 searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for DeVonta Smith, Calvin Austin, Brandin Cooks compared to others. You can also use the free Who Should I Start tool to run your own start/sit comparisons, up to four players at once:
Darnell Mooney or Devonta Smith
Jameson Williams or Devonta Smith
Khalil Shakir or Devonta Smith
Jaylen Waddle or Devonta Smith
DeAndre Hopkins or Devonta Smith
Garrett Wilson or Devonta Smith
Jaylen Warren or Devonta Smith
Brian Thomasjr or Devonta Smith
Keon Coleman or Brandin Cooks
Sterling Shepard or Brandin Cooks
Quentin Johnston or Brandin Cooks
Jauan Jennings or Devonta Smith
Jerry Jeudy or Devonta Smith
Isiah Pacheco or Devonta Smith
Parker Washington or Brandin Cooks
Adam Thielen or Brandin Cooks
Amari Cooper or Brandin Cooks
Dontayvion Wicks or Brandin Cooks
Rachaad White or Devonta Smith
Alec Pierce or Brandin Cooks
Chuba Hubbard or Devonta Smith
Jakobi Meyers or Devonta Smith
KaVontae Turpin or Brandin Cooks
Nick Westbrookikhine or Devonta Smith
Jayden Reed or Devonta Smith
Keenan Allen or Devonta Smith
Xavier Worthy or Brandin Cooks
Cedric Tillman or Brandin Cooks
Deebo Samuel or Devonta Smith
Marvin Harrisonjr or Devonta Smith
Tyreek Hill or Devonta Smith
Darnell Mooney or Brandin Cooks
Elijah Moore or Brandin Cooks
Dandre Swift or Devonta Smith
Gus Edwards or Brandin Cooks
Quentin Johnston or Devonta Smith
Tyler Lockett or Brandin Cooks
Calvin Ridley or Devonta Smith
Christian Watson or Brandin Cooks
Gus Edwards or Devonta Smith
Marquez Valdesscantling or Brandin Cooks
Marquez Valdesscantling or Devonta Smith
Rico Dowdle or Devonta Smith
Davante Adams or Devonta Smith
David Njoku or Devonta Smith
Devaughn Vele or Brandin Cooks
Devaughn Vele or Devonta Smith
Jalen Tolbert or Brandin Cooks
Jordan Addison or Devonta Smith
Najee Harris or Devonta Smith
Parker Washington or Calvin Austiniii
Raheem Mostert or Brandin Cooks
Rome Odunze or Brandin Cooks
Tank Dell or Brandin Cooks
Tyrone Tracyjr or Devonta Smith
Xavier Legette or Brandin Cooks
Adam Thielen or Devonta Smith
Amari Cooper or Devonta Smith
Calvin Austiniii or Brandin Cooks
Chuba Hubbard or Brandin Cooks
Deebo Samuelsr or Devonta Smith
Elijah Moore or Devonta Smith
Rayray Mccloudiii or Brandin Cooks
Sterling Shepard or Calvin Austiniii
Tim Patrick or Brandin Cooks
Tre Tucker or Brandin Cooks
Tre Tucker or Calvin Austiniii
Trey McBride or Devonta Smith
Xavier Legette or Calvin Austiniii
Adam Thielen or Calvin Austiniii
Braelon Allen or Devonta Smith
Breece Hall or Devonta Smith
Ceedee Lamb or Brandin Cooks
Deandre Hopkins or Brandin Cooks
Deebo Samuelsr or Calvin Austiniii
DJ Moore or Devonta Smith
DK Metcalf or Brandin Cooks
Evan Engram or Brandin Cooks
Isaac Guerendo or Brandin Cooks
Jake Ferguson or Calvin Austin
Jake Ferguson or Devonta Smith
Joshua Palmer or Brandin Cooks
Keenan Allen or Brandin Cooks
Keon Coleman or Calvin Austin
Malik Nabers or Devonta Smith
Michael Wilson or Calvin Austiniii
Mike Evans or Devonta Smith
Nick Chubb or Brandin Cooks
Puka Nacua or Devonta Smith
Ray Davis or Calvin Austiniii
Rome Odunze or Devonta Smith
Tee Higgins or Devonta Smith
Tyrone Tracyjr or Brandin Cooks
Wandale Robinson or Devonta Smith
Will Dissly or Brandin Cooks
Aaron Jones or Devonta Smith
Amonra Stbrown or Brandin Cooks
Amonra Stbrown or Devonta Smith
Andrei Iosivas or Brandin Cooks
Brandin Cooks or Calvin Austiniii
Brian Thomasjr or Brandin Cooks
Cade Otton or Brandin Cooks
Cedric Tillman or Devonta Smith
Ceedee Lamb or Devonta Smith
Chase Brown or Devonta Smith
Christian Watson or Devonta Smith
Dalton Kincaid or Calvin Austiniii
Darius Slayton or Brandin Cooks
Darnell Mooney or Calvin Austiniii
David Moore or Brandin Cooks
David Njoku or Brandin Cooks
Demarcus Robinson or Calvin Austin
Devonta Smith or Brandin Cooks
Devonta Smith or Devonta Smith
Dj Moore or Brandin Cooks
Dk Metcalf or Devonta Smith
Evan Engram or Devonta Smith
Gus Edwards or Calvin Austiniii
Isaac Guerendo or Devonta Smith
Isiah Pacheco or Calvin Austiniii
Jake Ferguson or Brandin Cooks
Jakobi Meyers or Brandin Cooks
Jameson Williams or Brandin Cooks
Javonte Williams or Brandin Cooks
Jaxon Smithnjigba or Devonta Smith
Jayden Reed or Brandin Cooks
Jaylen Waddle or Brandin Cooks
Jerry Jeudy or Calvin Austiniii
Jonnu Smith or Devonta Smith
Jordan Addison or Brandin Cooks
Juwan Johnson or Calvin Austiniii
Kareem Hunt or Brandin Cooks
Khalil Shakir or Calvin Austiniii
Nick Chubb or Devonta Smith
Nick Westbrookikhine or Brandin Cooks
Nick Westbrookikhine or Calvin Austiniii
Philadelphia Eagles or Devonta Smith
Quentin Johnston or Calvin Austiniii
Ricky Pearsall or Brandin Cooks
Sam LaPorta or Devonta Smith
Sterling Shepard or Calvin Austin
Tank Bigsby or Devonta Smith
Travis Etiennejr or Brandin Cooks
Travis Etiennejr or Devonta Smith
Tucker Kraft or Brandin Cooks
Wandale Robinson or Brandin Cooks
Wandale Robinson or Calvin Austin
Xavier Legette or Devonta Smith
Xavier Worthy or Devonta Smith
Zay Flowers or Devonta Smith
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