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

Matt Lutovsky

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

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. 

WEEK 14 DFS LINEUPS:
DK Cash | DK GPP | FD Cash | FD GPP | Y! Cash | Y! GPP

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 receiverTight 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. 

MORE WEEK 14:
Waiver pickups | FAAB planning | Stock watchSnap counts | Fantasy playoff SOS

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

MORE WEEK 14 DFS: Stacks | Values | Lineup Builder

Week 14 Fantasy WR Rankings

These rankings are for standard, non-PPR leagues.

Rank Player
1 Julio Jones, ATL vs. CAR
2 Davante Adams, GB vs. WAS
3 Michael Thomas, NO vs. SF
4 D.J. Moore, CAR @ ATL
5 Courtland Sutton, DEN @ HOU
6 Stefon Diggs, MIN vs. DET
7 Tyreek Hill, KC @ NE
8 Alshon Jeffery, PHI vs. NYG
9 Julian Edelman, NE vs. KC
10 Chris Godwin, TB vs. IND
11 DeAndre Hopkins, HOU vs. DEN
12 DeVante Parker, MIA @ NYJ
13 Mike Evans, TB vs. IND
14 Jarvis Landry, CLE vs. CIN
15 Emmanuel Sanders, SF @ NO
16 Cooper Kupp, LAR vs. SEA
17 Kenny Golladay, DET @ MIN
18 Odell Beckham Jr., CLE vs. CIN
19 DJ Chark, JAX vs. LAC
20 Keenan Allen, LAC @ JAX
21 Calvin Ridley, ATL vs. CAR
22 Tyler Lockett, SEA @ LAR
23 Amari Cooper, DAL @ CHI
24 Golden Tate, NYG @ PHI
25 John Brown, BUF vs. BAL
26 Deebo Samuel, SF @ NO
27 James Washington, PIT @ ARZ
28 Robert Woods, LAR vs. SEA
29 Allen Robinson, CHI vs. DAL
30 Tyler Boyd, CIN @ CLE
31 Jamison Crowder, NYJ vs. MIA
32 Curtis Samuel, CAR @ ATL
33 Marvin Jones, DET @ MIN
34 A.J. Brown, TEN @ OAK
35 Robby Anderson, NYJ vs. MIA
36 Will Fuller V, HOU vs. DEN
37 DK Metcalf, SEA @ LAR
38 Zach Pascal, IND @ TB
39 Sterling Shepard, NYG @ PHI
40 Mike Williams, LAC @ JAX
41 Corey Davis, TEN @ OAK
42 Brandin Cooks, LAR vs. SEA
43 Tyrell Williams, OAK vs. TEN
44 Terry McLaurin, WAS @ GB
45 Marquise Brown, BAL @ BUF
46 Marcus Johnson, IND @ TB
47 Cole Beasley, BUF vs. BAL
48 Larry Fitzgerald, ARZ vs. PIT
49 Michael Gallup, DAL @ CHI
50 Darius Slayton, NYG @ PHI
51 Russell Gage, ATL vs. CAR
52 John Ross III, CIN @ CLE
53 Tim Patrick, DEN @ HOU
54 Parris Campbell, IND @ TB
55 Mohamed Sanu, NE vs. KC
56 Nelson Agholor, PHI vs. NYG
57 Anthony Miller, CHI vs. DAL
58 Dede Westbrook, JAX vs. LAC
59 Christian Kirk, ARZ vs. PIT
60 Sammy Watkins, KC @ NE
61 Allen Hurns, MIA @ NYJ
62 Allen Lazard, GB vs. WAS
63 Phillip Dorsett, NE vs. KC
64 Demaryius Thomas, NYJ vs. MIA
65 Danny Amendola, DET @ MIN
66 Zay Jones, OAK vs. TEN
67 Geronimo Allison, GB vs. WAS
68 Randall Cobb, DAL @ CHI
69 Auden Tate, CIN @ CLE
70 Javon Wims, CHI vs. DAL
71 Kendrick Bourne, SF @ NO
72 Kelvin Harmon, WAS @ GB
73 Diontae Johnson, PIT @ ARZ
74 Olabisi Johnson, MIN vs. DET
75 Marquez Valdes-Scantling, GB vs. WAS
76 Josh Gordon, SEA @ LAR
77 Ted Ginn Jr., NO vs. SF
79 Willie Snead, BAL @ BUF
80 Mecole Hardman, KC @ NE
81 Chris Conley, JAX vs. LAC
82 Tre'Quan Smith, NO vs. SF
83 Demarcus Robinson, KC @ NE
84 Josh Reynolds, LAR vs. SEA

Matt Lutovsky

Matt Lutovsky Photo

Matt Lutovsky has been a writer and editor for The Sporting News since 2007, primarily writing about fantasy sports, betting, and gaming.