Week 14 Wide Receiver Rankings

The fantasy playoffs are starting now in a majority of leagues, so for those of you who have made it to this point, congrats.  The grind of a regular season has gotten you ready for the win or go home nature of the fantasy playoffs.  It doesn't matter if you are the top seed, or if you squeaked in.  As long as you are in the playoffs anything can happen, so it is time to try and get that advantage over your competition.  Now is not the time of the season to over-think your lineup, as that is when you start to either get too cute with your lineup, or you just go with someone since they played great at the beginning of the year, but have fallen off the map lately.  This is where my rankings come in.  One of the factors that can lead to a loss this week is defeating yourself by not making the right decisions.  My advice to you would be to see how I ranked the guys below, and after taking some time to consider who you want in there, you stick to that decision.  There is nothing good about fretting over your lineup on Sunday morning because you think that it doesn't look perfect.  Fantasy Football is a game that relies on luck as well, so even if you make the logical decisions, the end result may not go your way.  Remember this game we play is enjoyable, so don't worry too much about it after the fact.

With that, lets get into my top 50 WR rankings, with some commentary on guys that I feel standout by where I have them ranked.

DeSean Jackson - Last week I rated him quite a bit lower, and that was because of the uncertantiy surronding the QB situation.  Now that we know McCoy is the starter, and that he is willing to look Jackson's way, he is a decent play with big upside potential.  Going up against the Rams he should have no problem getting one of his big plays over the top of the defense, even though the Raiders made it look impossible.  Start him with confidence, as I think he could have a big week here.

Kenny Stills - I wanted to see how the WR situation would play out in New Orleans after the Cooks injury, and it has been looking great so far for Stills.  Last week was a crazy week as Jimmy Graham wasn't even targeted, but his targets will come at the expense of other TE's, and Colston.  Stills has been deployed in a number of ways the last couple of weeks, and I see another 100 yard game coming his way, with the potential of a TD to go with it against a soft Panthers secondary.

Miami Dolphins Wide Receivers - The Dolphins have a terrific matchup this week against the Ravens, but it is hard to rate any of there receivers in the top 20 this week still.  Part of that has to do with the top-end depth that there is at the position, but the other part is because of the distribution of balls.  Jarvis Landry has been a consistent option over the past five weeks, but his upside is limited by Mike Wallace.  Both of these guys will have a fine game, but I do think that there is a better chance Landry gets into the endzone, so he is the one who is ranked slightly higher.

Stedman Bailey - This is now the third different Rams receiver that I have hyped up at some point this season, so it must be something in the water in St. Louis.  Bailey did all of his work in the first quarter last week against the hapless Raiders, so his target numbers last week are lower for a good reason.  Over a full competitive game, he has a great shot at getting 80 receiving yards, but the TD may not be there in the end.  I wanted to rank him higher with a good matchup against the Redskins, but it has yet to be seen if the Rams can sustain a receivers production over more than two weeks.

Sammy Watkins - Well Watkins had a great two week run earlier this season, but it is time to stop pretending like those games were the norm.  I still believe that he is an incredibly talented receiver, but the targets and production just aren't there right now.  Tough matchup against the Broncos make ranking him this lower easier, but unless he starts to pick up the production, he will continue to slip in my rankings.

Davante Adams - If you want to know my thoughts on Adams, then you can read my column from Monday morning.  The only reason I am bringing him up now is because Roddy White plays on Monday night this week, so you may need to have a backup plan if you are thinking about starting him.  It seems as though White will play, but if he is a late scratch on Monday night, you could be left with a zero in your lineup.  If Adams is available in your league I would pick him up immediately if you feel you could fall victim to a White inactive listing.  There is a chance he could play like last week, but the more likely scenario is that he picks up about 50 yards with upside for a little more.