Are there too many IDP starting lineup decisions for you this week? Can’t decide which linebacker or edge rusher to start? Which safety gets the nod this week?”
This will not be the typical ‘obvious starters’ type of article. Always start your studs like Myles Garrett, Jordyn Brooks, and Talanoa Hufanga. What needs to be shared is who we start and sit out of the not-so-obvious players. You will not see many of the top-10 players listed in these articles because we are all already familiar with starting these players.
Week 14 brings us the last week of Byes, with four teams on bye: the New England Patriots, New York Giants, Carolina Panthers, and San Francisco 49ers. It is time to nail down that playoff spot.
***Please note that all rankings are pulled from FantasyPros.com’s current weekly rankings for DL, LB, and DB.
More NFL Week 14 Fantasy Football Advice From IDP+
Week 14 – DL/Edge Starters
Nik Bonitto – Denver Broncos
Bonitto has been a little quiet lately after his huge beginning to the season. After four games of single-digit scoring in his last six games played, he delivered 2.5 sacks in his last three games. Those two games were against the Raiders and Commanders, in which he posted a combined 8 tackles (6 solo), 3 tackles for a loss, 4 QB hits, and 1 forced fumble. Bonitto gets to face the 30th-ranked Raiders again this week in points allowed to opposing DE/Edge players. Geno Smith and the Raiders have given up the second-most sacks this season, with 46 in 12 games allowed. Expect a huge game from him in Week 14.
Jared Verse – Los Angeles Rams
Verse has scored 12 or more IDP fantasy points just once in his last five games played. Those five games have all been against top-half-ranked teams in points allowed to DE/Edge players. Week 14 brings the second-worst-ranked team in that category. The Cardinals are that team and have allowed 42 sacks in their 12 games, which ranks as the #4 worst in the NFL. Expect a solid performance from Verse this week. Verse will not only deliver a sack, but he will give you a few tackles as well. The #7-ranked DL could easily claim the top spot this week.
Jordan Davis – Philadelphia Eagles
After giving bad advice last week in his recommended sitting for Week 13, I will say to start him this week. Last week, he played the #9 team in points allowed to opposing DTs and had the #1 scoring week. This week, Carter gets the chance to better his Week 13 stats by playing the 2nd-worst team in this category. He could easily beat the 4 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, and 2 passes defended that he posted against the Bears. The #36-ranked DL should shine this week against the Chargers.
Week 14 – DL/Edge Sits
Rashan Gary – Green Bay Packers
Gary has been on an extreme cold streak over the past five games. No more than 12 points scored in any of the five games. Three of the games were only single-digit scores. Next up are the Bears, who are ranked #21 in points allowed to opposing DE/Edge players. Only five solo tackles and zero sacks combined in those games could be a sign for his production this week.
DeMarcus Lawrence – Seattle Seahawks
Lawrence has only faced one top 5 team in points allowed to opposing DTs this year. His stat line consisted of two assisted tackles in that game. He achieved nothing else against the Rams. This week, he gets his second Top 5 Team by playing the Falcons. There is no path for Lawrence to achieve his #27 ranking this week out of all DL. You can leave him on your bench.
Week 14 – LB Starts
Nathan Landman – Los Angeles Rams
Landman has been one of the most consistent producers all year long for the Rams. He has 106 tackles (51 solo), 5 tackles for a loss, 3 QB hits, 1.5 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, and 4 passes defended on the season. He has just two single-digit IDP scoring performances all year long, and one of those performances was against the best team in allowed points against opposing LBs. This week will not be that issue as he gets to play the most forgiving team in this category, the Cardinals. You can expect double-digit tackles this week with a possible splash play thrown in for bonus points. His #10 ranking is much too low this week.
Eric Wilson – Minnesota Vikings
Another mistake of mine last week was recommending that you sit Wilson against the highly ranked Seahawks. Wilson posted his season-high game last week with 11 tackles (8 solo), 4 tackles for a loss, 1 QB hit, and 1 sack. This was against the highly ranked Seahawks. Week 14 brings the 6th-worst team to Minnesota in the Commanders. A great matchup for LBs means Wilson will deliver again.
Nick Bolton – Kansas City Chiefs
Bolton has had a very lackluster year compared to prior seasons. He has been very inconsistent in scoring. However, he has posted 39 tackles in the last four games. 18 of those tackles have been solo. He also had 1 tackle for a loss, 1 QB hit, and 3 passes defended. Bolton had 11 tackles last week against a top-8 offense against LBs. Another double-digit tackle day is in store for Week 14 against the 24th-ranked Texans. The #23 ranking for this week will end up much too low.
Week 14 – LB Sits
Devin White – Las Vegas Raiders
White is playing against the Broncos this week. He faced the Broncos four weeks ago and posted just 4 solo tackles and 3 assisted tackles for 11 IDP points scored. The Broncos are the 7th toughest matchup for LBs this season. Do not expect much from White in this tough matchup.
Jamien Sherwood – New York Jets
Sherwood has faced lower-than-average teams in his last four games, but has not produced like a starting LB. The teams were ranked #17, 19, 23, and 31 in points allowed to opposing LBs. Sherwood should be on a hot roll in IDP scoring, but it has been the opposite, with just one solo tackle last week against the Falcons. Against the second-worst team in the NFL in this category, Sherwood posted 6 tackles (4 solo) and 1 pass defended for 12 IDP points. Week 14 brings the #4-ranked Dolphins, which is bad news for him. In their first game, he had 1 solo tackle but did accumulate 9 assisted tackles. Sit him with confidence.
Week 13 – DB Starts
Quick Tip – When having a hard time deciding on a DB to start, and a rookie CB is one of those players, always choose the rookie CB if they are going against a pass-heavy team.
Daxton Hill – Cincinnati Bengals
Against the #1, #3, and #9-ranked teams in points allowed to opposing CBs, Hill has delivered 16 of his 74 tackles on the season. He has also produced 1 tackle for a loss and 4 passes defended in these 3 games. Hill is on a five-game streak of at least 16 IDP fantasy points scored. And now, he gets to face a very poor Bills team in points allowed to opposing CBs. Hill is set up to better his #49 ranking by a substantial amount. Start him with a great deal of confidence this week.
Trent McDuffie – Kansas City Chiefs
McDuffie has scored double-digit points in every game this season. He is going up against the #25-ranked Texans in points allowed to opposing CBs this week. McDuffie averages over 21 points per game in all of his games played against teams ranked #21 or worse. The #51 ranking in DBs for Week 14 does him zero justice as he will definitely be Top 24 this week.
Minkah Fitzpatrick – Miami Dolphins
Fitzpatrick has been on fire lately, with 22 or more IDP fantasy points scored in each of his last three games. His production over these last 3 games includes 22 tackles (16 solo), 3 tackles for a loss, 2 QB hits, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 pass defended. The #16-ranked Jets in points allowed to opposing Safeties should provide a very nice floor of 6-7 tackles and 1 splash play for a nice bonus. He should easily surpass his #24 ranking in DBs for this week.
Kevin Winston – Tennessee Titans
Winston has played 100% of the defensive snaps over the last three games. The rookie out of Penn State has delivered an incredible 24 tackles (13 solo), 2 tackles for a loss, 2 QB hits, and 1 sack in these 3 games. He has scored 25 IDP fantasy points in each of his last two games. One of the contests was against the #10-ranked Seahawks. Place him in your starting lineup against the #23-ranked Browns and reap the benefits.
Week 14 – DB Sits
DaRon Bland – Dallas Cowboys
Bland has been very quiet over the past two games, which included the #4-ranked Eagles and #15-ranked Chiefs in points allowed to opposing CBs. Unfortunately, Bland plays Thursday night in Detroit, and that is the 2nd hardest matchup there is for CBs. The odds are not good that he will turn around his last two game performances in this matchup. He probably belongs on your bench this week.
Jessie Bates – Atlanta Falcons
Bates has played only three games against Top 10 teams in points allowed to opposing Safeties. He has not fared to well in any of them. In those 3 games, he has produced 5 solo tackles and 5 assisted tackles. An average of 3.33 tackles per game against Top 10 opponents. He averages over seven tackles per game in the other nine games. Bates faces the #10-ranked Seahawks, so don’t expect much of a stat-filled sheet this week. He will be nowhere near his #11 ranking for Week 14.
Thank you for checking out my Week 14 IDP Start/Sit Advice article! You can read all of my articles on my IDP+ author page. Be sure to follow me on X at @OldMan_FF and @IDP_Plus (we have offense, too), and please consider becoming a subscriber. Week 4 IDP Start Sit
