Week 14 Wide Receiver Rankings - Standard Leagues

It is now time for the playoffs to begin. In most leagues, week 14 is the start of the fantasy playoffs. Every decision you make from now on can either keep your season alive, or it will cause it to come to an end just like that. With how great the position was last week, this week the WR position again could be the difference. Name value means nothing at this point. If someone has been struggling for awhile now (I am looking at you Randall Cobb) or if someone has a bad matchup (Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree) don't feel as though you have to play them. Their are better options this week. With that out of the, let's get to my rankings for week 14.

Julio Jones - It feels weird ranking Julio Jones outside the top 5, but it is the right move. The Falcons are facing the Panthers this week, meaning Jones has a matchup with Josh Norman this week. Norman has been shutting his guys down all year, however he hasn't faced Julio yet. Julio Jones is one of the toughest people to guard in the NFL, which is why Jones still resides in my top 10. Don't expect him to have one of his most explosive games, but if he still sees his high volume of targets, Norman won't even be able to prevent him from having a solid game.

Sammy Watkins - Well that is two consecutive weeks now where Watkins has put up good numbers. The only problem with last week was that he only had three receptions.on four targets. Those numbers are ones that would normally scare me away, but not this week. Watkins has a great chance of putting up some big numbers this week with a matchup against the defensively challenged Eagles. If Watkins had seen the ball more often then he would be higher in the rankings, but the downside here does push him down to number 10 on the list. The downside is there, but the upside is just going to be too good to pass up.

Doug Baldwin - I wrote about Baldwin in my recap of week 13, but it bares repeating the same sentiment here. The Seahawks offense is different now. With the injuries to Marshawn Lynch and Jimmy Graham, they are allowing Russell Wilson to do what he does best, make plays. This has created a more balanced gameplan, with an emphasis on getting the receivers the ball. Baldwin has benefited the most from this. Over the last four games Baldwin has seen at least 5 receptions in each, with a total of 6 TD's over that span, and averaging over 100 yards a game. The matchup with the Ravens makes him an even better play for the week, which is why he is in the top 15.

DeSean Jackson - Okay so you are probably thinking about his poor choice on the punt return currently, but don't forget he actually had a good game. Granted his TD came right after the Cowboys scored, but Jackson still has shown his upside potential. This was now the third consecutive game where he has gone for over 60 yards and a TD. This week the Redskins face the Bears, who have been playing better on defense as of late, but still lets up big plays as we saw in overtime last week. Jackson has the opportunity to break one free here, which is what you are hoping for if you start him.

Randall Cobb - What is going on with Cobb? Cobb and Rodgers just look out of sync when they are playing. It has gotten to the point now where Cobb is falling down in the target pecking order. The Packers are facing the Cowboys, who have done a great job of defending opposing receivers, which makes this an even more difficult matchup for him. While Cobb probably has one big game in him this season, I have no idea when it will be and will be okay if it happens while I am sitting him.

Brandon LaFell - Not much analysis here other then to say LaFell just isn't good. I think Brady now understands the pain Cam Newton had the past few years when LaFell was one of his top guys. Sure there is some upside here, but that is going to be such a small chance of happening that you are better of finding someone off the waiver wire that I have ranked higher, like Dorial Green-Beckahm.