Fantasy football start/sit advice, Week 14: Lions vs. Eagles

Put either of these two teams in literally any other division, and neither is a first-place team. Lucky for them, they play in the divisions they play in, and the Lions are in first, while the Eagles are tied for the same.

by Daniel Kelley

Dec 8, 2013, 12:20 PM UTC

Leon Halip

Only the Denver Broncos have gained more yards on offense this season than the Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions, while only the Dallas Cowboys have allowed more yards than the Eagles. Although the Lions are in the middle of the pack in that stat, the team can hardly be called a stout defense. Basically, the matchup between these two teams (in Philadelphia at 1 p.m. ET Sunday) promises to be an offensive showcase, and offensive showcases always promise big fantasy numbers:

Lions

Start in every league: Matthew Stafford, Reggie Bush, Calvin Johnson

Start if you're desperate: Joique Bell, Nate Burleson

Bench: Kris Durham, Brandon Pettigrew, David Akers, Defense/special teams

The worst performance by Stafford this season? Week 5, against the Green Bay Packers, when he scored only 14. Not at all coincidentally, that is also the one game this season Johnson missed. Even if he has no other great offensive options, Stafford always has his pet wide receiver, and that will always make him viable. He's the No. 3 fantasy quarterback this season. ... Bush rebounded from his mini-slump (12 combined points in Weeks 11 and 12) last week, with 21 fantasy points on Thanksgiving. He's averaging 14 points per game that he's appeared in, and could easily reach the end zone in what promises to be a high-scoring game. ... Did you navigate to this page wondering if you should bench Johnson? What is wrong with you?

Bell did almost nothing in Weeks 4-7, with 13 total fantasy points. Outside of that, he’s been every-other-game productive this season, with five different outings in double figures in fantasy points. Of course, that means he’s been every-other-game worthless, which makes him risky, but there’s upside. ... After a big first game back from injury, Burleson was shut down in Week 13, but he still has the skill set necessary to be a viable No. 2 to Johnson.

Burleson's return means Durham's already flagging fantasy value is basically gone, and whatever value Pettigrew might have had leaves as well. ... Meanwhile, Akers hasn't had double-digit fantasy points since Week 4; even on a good offense, he doesn't offer a lot of fantasy production. ... The Lions' defense had a huge game on Thanksgiving, but it's not like Detroit will face Matt Flynn very often; overall, it's not a great defense.

Eagles

Start in every league: Nick Foles, LeSean McCoy, DeSean Jackson

Start if you're desperate: Riley Cooper

Bench: Brent Celek, Zach Ertz, Alex Henery, Defense/special teams

Is there a more surprising story in the NFL this season than Foles? The kid still hasn’t thrown an interception this season, and has scored 21-plus fantasy points five times, with the two misses being (a) 15 points in his first start and (b) five points in a game he left with an injury. There’s just nothing not to like about Foles right now, and while it won’t stay this good forever, there’s no sense at all in bailing now. ... McCoy is averaging 14.5 fantasy points a game; he’s averaging 16 in his last four. He hasn’t been slowing down, and the team will need him to stay hot if it wants to beat the Cowboys for first place in the NFC East. ... Jackson had an awful game Sunday after a middling performance the game before, but he’s still No. 8 among fantasy wide receivers this season, and the team was looking toward its tight ends Sunday. Jackson will be fine.

Cooper might not be as fine as Jackson; outside of his enormous, 54-combined-fantasy-points performance in Weeks 9 and 10, he has only topped eight fantasy points once all season and has only seven in his last two games. He has upside, but he also has barely-there downside.

Even with his fourth touchdown of the season Sunday, Celek still hasn't reached 10 points since Week 5. He's a low-end TE2, and how many leagues use two tight ends? ... There might be a bright future for Ertz, but his big game Sunday was more about facing an Arizona Cardinals team that struggles against tight ends than it was about Ertz becoming a big factor in Philadelphia. Expect him to slide back this week. ... Henery has only two double-digit fantasy performances all year, and hasn't done so since Week 5. He has only kicked multiple field goals once since Week 5. ... The Eagles' defense was awful early in the year, but has bounced back to respectable performance of late. Still, the team faces a strong Lions offense, and the performance will likely slip back.