Fantasy football projections, Week 14: Ravens-Patriots featuring Steve Smith, Tom Brady, Martellus Bennett, more

The Week 14 matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and the New England Patriots is a decidedly lopsided contest on paper. We’ve got the fantasy projections courtesy of numberFire.

After scoring touchdowns in back-to-back games, wide receiver Steve Smith has just 73 receiving yards in the last two weeks combined. He tried his best to make his mark in Week 13 however and still delivered reasonable value in PPR formats. Smith caught six out of 10 targets for 53 receiving yards against the Miami Dolphins last week. Believe it or not, as much as New England can outscore anybody in the NFL, the team actually takes pride in its defense. Only two teams have allowed fewer fantasy points at the wide receiver position than the Patriots. That’s something to keep in mind for fantasy owners hoping to get their first playoff win with Smith in the lineup. It’s hard to assume that he’ll reach his projections in a tough road game in Week 14.

A better bet to do just that would be teammate and running back Terrance West. He barely has an edge on fellow rusher Kenneth Dixon at this point. The two are basically splitting carries. The advantage that West has is he seems to have more of the coaches’ trust when the Ravens are in position to score. Consider that Dixon has yet to score a touchdown in seven career games. West, on the other hand, scored twice against the Dolphins last week, once through the ground and once through the air. He finished with 68 total yards on 13 touches. Neither running back will be a high-volume play but West is more likely to match his projections in New England. He might do especially well in PPR formats this time around.

Tight end Rob Gronkowski is officially on injured reserve thanks to back surgery. That means teammate Martellus Bennett has moved up to No. 1 tight end status in time for the fantasy postseason. That’s big news for his fantasy owners. Those owners may have a sour taste in their mouths however. In three games without Gronkowski, Bennett has just six catches for 40 yards and has not found the end zone. Baltimore is fairly good at defending opposing tight ends and although Bennett has the physical ability to go off on any given opponent, especially with Tom Brady calling the shots, it might be best to look elsewhere in Week 14.

Of course it wouldn’t be Brady’s fault if Bennett doesn’t perform. Brady might be the MVP of the league were it not for him missing the first four games of the season due to suspension. As well as he’s played, even Brady has cooled down a bit lately. He’s been held under 300 yards passing in three consecutive contests. He was also held to just one touchdown pass against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 3. Considering the Ravens averaged just 222 passing yards allowed per game this season, it’s not inconceivable to think that Brady will fall short of 300 once again this week. Still he’s got plenty of offensive weapons and should challenge his projected totals leading the heavily favored Patriots at home in Week 14.