Fantasy football start/sit advice, Week 14: Raiders vs. Jets
Two teams that were expected to contend for worst in the NFL come into Sunday with a combined nine wins. And that’s pretty much the only positive thing there is to say about this game.
The Oakland Raiders and New York Jets come into Sunday's matchup on a combined five-game losing streak. The losses have taken the Jets from a tenuous hold on the AFC's six seed to a playoff afterthought, while the Raiders haven't ever really been in the conversation. Sunday, the Raiders travel to take on the Jets in a 1 p.m. ET game, and the game's relative dearth of fantasy performers matches the game's relative dearth of real-football relevance:
Raiders
Start in every league: Defense/special teams
Start if you’re desperate: ...
The Raiders’ defense has been very average this year, ranking 16th in fantasy points; the Jets’ offense has been insanely generous to opposing defenses, especially lately. An average defense with one of the best possible matchups means a low-end start at the worst, with the potential for a huge performance.
And that’s about it; there aren’t any single players on Oakland’s roster who deserve a start. In his three starts, McGloin’s production has steadily dropped, and that could easily continue. ... Jennings and/or McFadden might be fine starts in a vacuum, but injury concerns, timeshare status, and the great-against-running-backs Jets defense makes them really hard to use. ... Streater and Holmes have both had big games recently, but only one each, and expecting another is likely expecting too much. ... Janikowski is easily having his worst season.
Jets
Start in every league: ...
Start if you're desperate: Chris Ivory, Bilal Powell, Nick Folk
Bench: Geno Smith, Matt Simms, David Nelson, Santonio Holmes, Jeremy Kerley, Stephen Hill, Kellen Winslow, Jeff Cumberland, Defense/special teams
There are no sure-fire starts among the Jets. Ivory and Powell are both defensible, as they’ve both had their moments this season, but the increased struggles the Jets have had at quarterback have really hurt the running backs’ overall potential. ... After a great early season, Folk only has eight total fantasy points since Week 9, with his opportunities severely limited by the team’s offense. He’s good if he gets the chance, but will he?
Not that there was much question, but anyone considering Smith or Simms has no business in the fantasy playoffs. ... The same can be said of the Jets’ pass-catchers -- Nelson, Holmes, Kerley, Hill, Winslow, Cumberland. They aren’t great to begin with, and having bad quarterbacks throwing to them only hurts. ... As average-to-above-average as the Jets’ defense is when it comes to real football, in fantasy it’s just bad. The unit is 28th out of 32, and has scored negative points in three of its last five.
• Week 14 fantasy football position rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | D/ST
