Fantasy QB Rankings Week 14: Who to start, sit at quarterback in fantasy football

Jackson Sparks

Fantasy QB Rankings Week 14: Who to start, sit at quarterback in fantasy football image

It's too late in the season for a four-team bye, right? Well, we have one more to go. Streaming quarterbacks will still be somewhat important as we enter the fantasy football playoffs, but this will be the last crucial week with non-injury-related absences. Our Week 14 fantasy QB rankings will help you identify the top players and sleepers so you can end your regular season on a high note.

Jalen Hurts, Carson Wentz, Mac Jones, and Tua Tagovailoa are getting PTO this week, so that takes an elite fantasy stud and some popular streamers off the board. We do get back Cam Newton (vs. Falcons), Ryan Tannehill (vs. Jaguars), Aaron Rodgers (vs. Bears), and Baker Mayfield (vs. Ravens), though.

WEEK 14 PPR RANKINGS:
Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

Tom Brady (vs. Bills) is in a tough matchup, so it's worth noting we have him lower than usual, but he'll still be in most starting lineups. Matthew Stafford (@ Cardinals) has had his struggles in recent and has a tough matchup this week, but we also have him as a low-end QB1.

WEEK 14 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

Now, let's dive into what most people come to QB rankings for anyway: Quarterbacks on the start-or-sit bubble. Those with favorable matchups are Taysom Hill (@ Jets), Taylor Heinicke (vs. Cowboys), Teddy Bridgewater (vs. Lions), and Cam Newton (vs. Falcons). You might think Newton is too low -- and he could obviously shatter his ranking -- but we saw the downside of Newton a couple weeks ago, so he's far from a safe option. Those of you who are ceiling chasers will probably opt to start him over any of the other fringe starters, though.

MORE WEEK 14 DFS: Best stacks | Best values | Lineup Builder

The borderline signal-callers with overly worrisome matchups include Matt Ryan (@ Panthers), Jimmy Garoppolo (@ Bengals), and even Ryan Tannehill (vs. Jaguars). The first two players mentioned square off with top-seven defenses against fantasy QBs heading into Week 13.

WEEK 14 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel | Yahoo

In regards to Tannehill, he'll face a Jacksonville defense that has mostly limited QBs, and based on his play as of late, it's tough to trust him. Dontrell Hilliard and D'Onta Foreman should see heavy workloads, and Tannehill's best pass-catcher would be a banged-up Julio Jones. Trevor Lawrence (@ Titans) has the second-most QB-friendly matchup, but can you trust him against the Titans' pass-rush fresh off a bye? We'd have a hard time doing so.

WEEK 14 FANTASY: Sleepers | Busts | Start 'em, sit 'em

Again, this is the last week of byes, and we still have plenty of options to get you through the week. Whether you prefer dual-threat guys with traditionally higher floors (Hill, Newton) or boom-or-bust types (Heinicke, Ryan), you should be able to go into this week feeling confident about your QB.

Note: We'll be updating these QB rankings throughout the week, so check back for the latest player movement and analysis.

Fantasy QB Rankings Week 14: Who to start at quarterback

Rankings are based on standard, four-point passing TD formats.

Rank Player
1 Dak Prescott, DAL @ WAS
2 Josh Allen, BUF @ TB
3 Patrick Mahomes, KC vs. LV
4 Kyler Murray, ARI vs. LAR
5 Justin Herbert, LAC vs. NYG
6 Russell Wilson, SEA @ HOU
7 Aaron Rodgers, GB vs. CHI
8 Lamar Jackson, BAL @ CLE
9 Joe Burrow, CIN vs. SF
10 Tom Brady, TB vs. BUF. We know it's Tom Brady, but the matchup is concerning here, and it's not as if he hasn't struggled in any games from a fantasy sense. You're still likely playing him unless you have a top-five option, but there is some risk.
11 Matthew Stafford, LAR @ ARI. Like Brady, you're likely starting Stafford, but he takes a hit in the rankings because of the matchup. Ultimately, Stafford has usually come through for fantasy owners, even when he's had a bad "real life" performance.
12 Derek Carr, LV @ KC. Carr didn't feast on the Washington defense as much as we'd hoped, but he'll get a chance for redemption in a rematch with Kansas City. Even though the Raiders only scored 14 points in the first meeting, Carr produced 19-plus fantasy points, and we know his ceiling is much higher. Kansas City is still among the top-five teams in fantasy points per game (FPPG) allowed to QBs, so Carr is virtually a must-start.
13 Taylor Heinicke, WAS vs. DAL. Dallas is a neutral matchup for fantasy QBs, but Heinicke is constantly on the border of a QB1, and this should be a pass-heavy game script with Dak Prescott and co. on the other sideline. Heinicke has thrown at least one touchdown in 11-of-12 games this season, and he also has sneaky rushing upside.
14 Taysom Hill, NO @ NYJ. Hill's ceiling will be the overall QB1 for the rest of the year in favorable matchups, but we can't assume he'll rush for 100 yards again as he did against Dallas. The Jets are mostly a neutral matchup against fantasy QBs, but you can almost throw those stats out the window when it comes to Hill. We know he doesn't need a solid passing day, but it's worth noting he's dealing with multiple injuries, so we'll see if his upside is limited. If he smashes in this game, we'll probably view him as a QB1 for the rest of the season -- barring incredibly tough matchups.
15 Teddy Bridgewater, DEN vs. DET. The Broncos' offense looked lifeless on Sunday night, but Bridgewater threw for over 250 yards and one passing touchdown. Against Detroit, the Broncos might simply run the ball non-stop, but they'll surely be in scoring position, so the touchdown upside is here. His floor and ceiling cause concern, but a QB against the Lions is always going to draw some kind of interest. If the game stays relatively close, Bridgewater is a top streaming option.
16 Kirk Cousins, MIN vs. PIT. The Steelers don't have the elite defense that we've been accustomed to, but their stop-unit isn't a favorable matchup for QBs, either. Throughout Cousins' career, he's been placed right in the middle of QB rankings in neutral matchups, so that feels like where he should be in this spot. Because he's attempted at least 32 passes in every game this year, his floor is someone safe for a pocket passer, but his ceiling is usually limited when he faces an elite pass-rush and he'll likely be without Adam Thielen (ankle) on Thursday night.
17 Cam Newton, CAR vs. ATL. Cam's upside is sky high, but we saw his floor hit rock bottom against Miami the last time he took the field. We don't blame you if you start Newton over a bunch of the guys we have ahead of him, but the last thing your fantasy team needs is another dud right before the fantasy playoffs. Again, Atlanta is the fourth-worst defense against fantasy QBs, so it'd be silly to dismiss the idea of a QB1 day, and it's almost surprising when he doesn't score a rushing touchdown.
18 Ryan Tannehill, TEN vs. JAX. This matchup looks great, but Tannehill has struggled mightily in recent weeks, so he's tough to trust. With Derrick Henry (foot), A.J. Brown (chest), and Julio Jones (hamstring) all on IR, it's been rough for Tannehill, and unless Jones is back (and healthy) this week, Tannehill's best pass-catcher will be Nick Westbrook-Ikhine or an aging Golden Tate. This feels like a spot where Tennessee would like to establish their rushing attack and play great defense, so a high-volume passing day probably isn't in the cards this week.
19 Trevor Lawrence, JAX @ TEN. We've been waiting for the Lawrence breakout, but it's probably time to give that up based on what we've seen this year. The Jags offense is awful all around, so even though Tennesee is the second-worst defense against fantasy QBs, you can't trust Lawrence. After all, the Titans are coming off of a bye, and still, have one of the best pass-rushes in the league. That spells bad news for a rookie QB that has shown very few flashes.
20 Ben Roethlisberger, PIT @ MIN
21 Jimmy Garoppolo, SF @ CIN
22 Matt Ryan, ATL @ CAR
23 Baker Mayfield, CLE vs. BAL
24 Zach Wilson, NYJ vs. NO
25 Jared Goff, DET @ DEN
26 Justin Fields, CHI @ GB
27 Davis Mills, HOU vs. SEA
28 Mike Glennon, NYG @ LAC

Jackson Sparks