Fine or Pine, Week 14

By Adam Filadelfo (@FNTSYArchitect)

Here it is fellow fantasy owners. Week 14. Time for the fantasy football playoffs to officially kick off. If your league hasn't started the playoffs yet, you may need this week to make the playoffs. Either way, this is an important week for fantasy owners alike. There is absolutely no margin for error at this point and every move means more than any other week this season. Should you play your studs or use the player that has been hot over the last couple of weeks? We call this Fine or Pine and we have your answers right here.



Quarterback

Fine- Ryan Tannehill- Miami Dolphins- While some fantasy owners may be scared off by Tannehill this week based on his mediocre performance in week 13 versus the Jets, Tannehill faces a Ravens secondary that is allowing the fifth most fantasy points to opposing signal callers while Tannehill himself is averaging over 21 fantasy points per game. Fantasy owners can bet on Ryan Tannehill looking to redeem himself after the dud of a game last week.

Pine- Drew Stanton- Arizona Cardinals- The Cardinals went from being a juggernaut on offense to barely being able to produce any points. While Drew Stanton filled in admirably earlier in the season while Carson Palmer was out, he just hasn't been getting the job done. While most fantasy owners would be smart enough to not use Stanton, those in two quarterback leagues may not have much of a choice. His match up for week 14 isn't favorable as Kansas City is allowing just over 15 fantasy points per week to the quarterback while Stanton himself has scored less than ten fantasy points in week 12 and less than 20 fantasy points last week.

Running Back

Fine- Eddie Lacy- Green Bay Packers- The former Alabama standout started the season slow but has really picked up his game over the last six weeks scoring double digit fantasy points in each of his last six contests. Lacy is averaging just under 14 fantasy points per week and faces an Atlanta defense that seemingly doesn't defend the running back position allowing almost 30 fantasy points per game to the position.

Pine- Lamar Miller- Miami Dolphins- With a week 14 match up on tap versus the Ravens, the odds aren't in Miller's favor this week. The Ravens are one of the stingiest units when it comes to stopping the run as they are giving up the second least fantasy points to the position. Add to that Lamar Miller only has two double digit fantasy points games in the last five weeks. Even with the suspension of Haloti Ngata, it will be difficult for Miller to get much going this week.

Wide Receiver

Fine- Jarvis Landry- Miami Dolphins- While Baltimore has no trouble shutting down running backs, they do let receivers run wild allowing the most fantasy points to wide receivers in fantasy football this season. Landry has become a favorite target for Ryan Tannehill as he's seen 22 targets over his last two games and no less than five targets since week eight where he saw only three. Landry also has scored double digit fantasy points in two of his last three games and has become PPR gold for fantasy owners this year. Fantasy owners can expect another double digit fantasy points game in week 14 for their playoff match up.

Pine- Keenan Allen- San Diego Chargers- Let me start off by saying Keenan Allen should be benched only if there isn't a better option. The only reason I recommend sitting the second year wide out is because of the opponent and not the player himself. The Patriots are allowing the third least fantasy points to opposing wide outs and it is common knowledge at this point that Bill Belichick likes to take away the opposing team's best weapon and right now that's Keenan Allen. Allen has been much better as of late scoring double digit fantasy points the last two weeks. The match up on Revis island just doesn't bode well for Allen this week.

Tight End

Fine- Jordan Reed- Washington Redskins- Quite possibly the only bright spot for the Redskins as of late is the tight end Jordan Reed. Often banged up, Reed returned to action last week and immediately made an impact seeing how new starter Colt McCoy likes to rely heavily on his tight end to bail him out. Reed got 13 targets last week and pulled in nine of them for 123 yards. His week 14 opponent, the Rams aren't too bad versus the tight end allowing 10 fantasy points per week to the position but seeing how Reed gets his fair share of targets, it will be difficult for Reed not to post double digit fantasy points based on receptions alone. Fire Reed up in PPR formats.

Pine- Owen Daniels- Baltimore Ravens- Are there any fantasy owners who are relying on Owen Daniels at this point in the season? The Ravens face the Dolphins this week and the Fins are allowing the least amount of fantasy points to the tight end on a weekly basis. Add to that, Owen Daniels has not posted a double digit fantasy points game since week seven and has not received more than five targets in his last three contests.

Defense/Special Teams

Fine- Minnesota Vikings- Simply put, the Vikings face the Jets in week 14 and Geno Smith has 11 interceptions on the year and is completing just over 57 percent of his passes. While fantasy owners shouldn't expect a repeat performance of what Minnesota did last week with their two blocked punts for scores, they can expect a low scoring effort from the Jets and probably a turnover or two from the second year signal caller.

Pine- Philadelphia Eagles- While the Eagles defense has been dependable most of the season, they rely heavily on turnovers and that's something that Russell Wilson just doesn't do much of. The Seahawks signal caller has only five interceptions on the season and is completing almost 70 percent of his passes. Without turnovers, the Eagles defense will not score many fantasy points this week.