Week 14 QB Start, Sit Fantasy Strategy: Kirk Cousins Rolling into a Great Matchup

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First of all, apologies for all of the Darnold hype last week. However, he’s back on the list again, and I don’t think he’ll disappoint against the Dolphins this week. A lot of good quarterbacks have great matchups this week, so there’s a couple of strong starts on the list. Here are my recommendations for who to start and who to sit in week 14.

Start ‘Em

Kirk Cousins

Since week 5, Kirk Cousins has had 5 games over 20 points in PPR leagues (these are, however, his only games over 20 points). He’s really kicked it up a notch in the latter half of the season and the Vikings are looking like a force to be reckoned with. They’re matched up against the Lions this week, who allowed a struggling Mitch Trubisky to throw for 338 yards three touchdowns and only one interception for a passer rating of 118.1 in their week 13 matchup. I think this powerful Vikings offense is going to throw the ball well against the Lions and therefore Kirk Cousins is a great pickup for week 14.

Ryan Tannehill

Tannehill is coming off of a 13.8 point game against the Colts, but he had a huge 32.4 point game against the Jaguars the week before. The Raiders, their next opponent, allowed 19.5 points to Mahomes and 28.2 points to Sam Darnold and the Jets the week before. Tannehill and the Titans have been on fire lately and I’m expecting that trend to continue against a Raiders defense that’s had trouble containing the pass this season.

Sam Darnold

First of all, I’m sorry for leading you astray by recommending Darnold last week. I thought he was going to trounce the Bengals and continue his hot streak, but he was held to 10.5 fantasy points and allowed the Bengals their first win of the season. However, I still have hope in Darnold for this week. The Jets are up against the Dolphins, one of the easiest matchups they could have. If Darnold is looking to start building momentum again, it’ll be in this game. While the Dolphins had a surprising win against the Eagles last week, they still allowed Wentz to have a 24.4 point game. I think Darnold is going to come up with big points this week against the Dolphins.

Carson Wentz

Wentz has been on and off this season but had his biggest game last week against the Dolphins, putting up 24.4 points in PPR leagues. The Eagles are up against the Giants this week, which is a good matchup for them. Last week, the Giants allowed Aaron Rodgers to rack up 28.1 points. The Giants have been an easier team to throw against this season and therefore I think Wentz is in for another big game this week.

Tom Brady

Brady had 24.3 points last week against the Texans, breaking a three game streak of sub-14 point performances. The Chiefs are their next opponent, and while they’ve been stronger against the pass over the past two weeks, it was against the Chargers and the Raiders, two passing offenses that haven’t been as strong as the Patriots this season. For most of the season, the Chiefs have been an easier team to throw against. I think Brady and the Patriots are going to put up a lot of points against the Chiefs in week 14.

Sit ‘Em

Jimmy Garoppolo

While Garoppolo has had some big games this season, and there’s no doubting the 49ers are one of the best offenses in the league (2nd highest scoring!) he’s had some lows this season as well. One of them was last week against the Ravens, who allowed him only 9.1 points in PPR leagues. This is partially because they only threw the ball 21 times, but he had 18.2 points against the Packers the week prior, when he threw the ball only 20 times. A good pass defense like that of the Ravens has the potential to give Garoppolo a lot of trouble, and that’s what they’ll be facing this week against the Saints. I think Garoppolo is a sit for this week as I see them relying more on the run against the Saints.

Kyler Murray

While Murray has been a super solid fantasy quarterback this season, I think it’s time to sit him this week. The Rams held him to 19 of 34 passes for 163 yards and an interception and kept him to only 4 carries for 28 yards. Clearly Murray can be shut down, and I think Pittsburgh is going to do a good job containing him this week. The Steelers held Mayfield to a mere 8 points last week. They were also able to hold Lamar Jackson to 13 points in week 5. They’ve been one of the stronger pass defenses this season, and I expect Murray to have trouble against them like he did with the Rams in their last matchup.

Jacoby Brissett

Brissett hasn’t been the greatest fantasy pick over his last five games. His high over their past 5 games was 15.1 points against Jacksonville, and his low was 2.8 against Pittsburgh. It might be tempting to call him a start given that they’re up against the Buccaneers this week, but I don’t think that’s a guaranteed big game for Brissett. The Buccaneers have only allowed two passing touchdowns over the past two weeks, and have three interceptions in the same amount of time. Plus, Brissett will be down two of his biggest targets, T.Y. Hilton and Eric Ebron. I don’t think Brissett is going to have the easiest time against the Buccaneers, so I’m keeping him on the “sit” side of the fence.

Josh Allen

Given his ability to run the ball, Allen has been a super lucrative fantasy quarterback this season. He has 5 games over 20 points, one of which was a huge 33.8 point game against Miami. However, the Bills are up against a tough Baltimore defense this week. I don’t think Josh Allen is going to get a lot done against the Ravens, who have been holding some pretty good passing offenses, like the 49ers last week.

Gardner Minshew

Minshew and his magic returned to the field when the Jaguars were floundering against the Buccaneers last week. He’s starting again this week, but I don’t think he’s going to get a lot done. The Jaguars are up against the Chargers, who have been tough to throw against all season. Over the past 5 weeks they haven’t allowed a quarterback above 16 points in PPR leagues. I think Minshew can breathe new life into the Jacksonville offense, but I don’t think it’ll be enough to have a huge game against the Chargers.