Week 14 Fantasy WR Rankings: Injuries to Julio Jones, T.Y. Hilton, Adam Thielen among biggest worries

Three of the top nine players in our Week 14 fantasy WR rankings didn't play last week -- and aren't sure things to play this week -- so you know it's going to be a fun start to the fantasy football playoffs. Maybe "fun" isn't the right word. Obnoxious? Stupid? Annoying? You know what? Let's save those for this time next week when you lose because some waiver wire wide receiver sleeper posted a 6-100-1 line against you.

Wide receiver is one always one of the toughest positions to handicap in a given week. Matchups tend to matter, but it's never easy guessing which one or two guys on a team will truly take advantage of favorable spots. Moreover, tough matchups only mean so much for ultra-talented WRs. DeAndre Hopkins (5-64) did fine last week against Stephon Gilmore even before throwing a TD; Amari Cooper (8-85) put up solid numbers against Tre'Davious White; Darius Slay didn't do much to slow down Allen Robinson (8-86-1); and both of the top Falcons receivers, Calvin Ridley (8-91) and Russell Gage (5-52-1) had good days, regardless of who Marshon Lattimore was covering. Obviously, garbage time factored into some of those numbers, but it all counts the same in fantasy. 

WEEK 14 NON-PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

Of course, we know some matchups are tougher than others, and many of the CBs mentioned above still qualify as tough matchups. We don't expect Gilmore and the Pats to slow down Tyreek Hill too much this week, but the rest of Kansas City's WRs are a worry. White faces Marquise Brown, who cooked the Rams in a tough matchup two weeks ago but was shut down by the 49ers last week, so there are major worries with him. Michael Thomas gets the 49ers this week, but we just can't bet against fantasy's top receiver. DJ Chark gets a stingy Chargers secondary, but L.A. was just roasted by rookie QB Drew Lock and Courtland Sutton, so we're not going overboard on downgrading Chark this week. The same goes for Cooper against the Bears, who were just torched by Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones with third-string rookie David Blough throwing to them. 

Of course, fantasy owners aren't looking to bench any of those WRs (with the possible exception of Brown). It's the mid-tier guys like Larry Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk (vs. Steelers), Will Fuller (vs. Broncos), DK Metcalf (@ Rams), Michael Gallup (@ Bears), and Terry McLaurin (@ Packers) who are bigger worries. Even mediocre bubble guys with decent matchups, such as Mike Williams (vs. Jaguars), Brandin Cooks (vs. Seahawks), and Tyrell Williams (vs. Titans), are worries.

WEEK 14 PPR RANKINGS: Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end

Fortunately, there are a bunch of matchup-based sleepers. A.J. Brown/Corey Davis (@ Raiders), Sterling Shepard/Darius Slayton (@ Eagles), Robby Anderson (vs. Dolphins), Russell Gage (vs. Panthers), and James Washington (@ Cardinals) all make the list. There are several more deep sleepers, including Zach Pascal/Marcus Johnson (@ Bucs), Tim Patrick (@ Texans), Allen Lazard (vs. Redskins), and Nelson Agholor (vs. Giants). 

There's never a shortage of viable options when it comes to receiver, and Week 14 is no different. It won't be easy picking your starters -- especially if everyone is healthy -- but hopefully we're all still alive in Week 15 so we can keep complaining about things. 

Note: We'll continue to update these rankings all week, so check back for the latest and individual player analysis. 

WEEK 14 DFS: Lineup Builder

Week 14 Fantasy WR Rankings

These rankings are for standard, non-PPR leagues.