Fantasy football projections, Week 14: Steelers-Bills featuring Ladarius Green, Antonio Brown, LeSean McCoy, more

The Week 14 matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Buffalo Bills features one team looking to keep its playoff hopes alive, while the other looks to rebound from an embarrassing loss. We’ve got the fantasy projections courtesy of numberFire.

Fantasy owners who invested in tight end Ladarius Green while he was working his way back from a prolonged injury may cash in on their investment now that the postseason has arrived. Green scorched the New York Giants in Week 13, finishing with a season-high six catches on 11 targets for 110 yards and his first touchdown of the season. With so many offensive weapons around him, Green isn’t going to produce like that every single week. That said, he is an upgrade from Jesse James, and the Steelers have used the tight end position effectively on offense for many years now. Green faces a tough Buffalo defense in Week 14, but he should see enough targets to put up solid fantasy numbers. He could very well beat his projections for the second week in a row this Sunday.

Of course, the top player on the team when it comes to performing above expectations is wide receiver Antonio Brown. He’ll get the targets when Green doesn’t. Brown caught six of seven passes for 54 yards and a touchdown against the Giants. He has now scored a touchdown in four of the last five weeks, and has six touchdowns over that span. His effort against the Giants put him over 1,000 yards receiving for the season. He should be up to the same old routine in Buffalo against a defense looking to rebound after a disappointing effort against Oakland last week.

While the team clearly let one slip away against the Raiders in Week 13, fantasy owners have to be happy with the numbers running back LeSean McCoy posted. He carried the ball 17 times for 130 yards and also chipped in seven catches for an additional 61 yards, leading all Bills receivers. Only three teams have given up more points to running backs than the Steelers. McCoy is going to be in top form once again in Week 14. That’s especially true if Robert Woods, Charles Clay and Percy Harvin miss the game. The Bills are obviously short on options even with Sammy Watkins back in the lineup.

Watkins was limited to just three catches for the second straight game against the Raiders. He finished the contest with 38 yards. It was clearly McCoy’s afternoon from an offensive standpoint. Watkins may not be at full strength for the rest of the season as he’s basically playing on an injured foot. Even though he received a team-high nine targets against the Raiders, it’s obvious the ailment is still affecting him. The Steelers have been pretty good at defending opposing fantasy receivers this season. They rank top five in that category despite giving up an average of 256 passing yards. Buffalo’s No. 1 running back is much more likely to surpass his projections than Watkins. Fantasy owners should keep that in mind this Sunday.