Fantasy Football Week 14: Start 'em and Sit 'em

The playoffs have started for most Fantasy Football leagues. Your wife is probably confused because you told her it is playoff time and she thinks football is near the end, but then you clarify and say there is still another month of NFL regular season before their postseason begins. She gets pissed at you for giving her false hope and tells you to cook your own dinner. You better start cooking, but before you do, make sure you start and sit these guys.

QBs:

Start 'em:

Philip Rivers: He's had problems with turnovers and inconsistency, but he's facing a team that has one interception in the past four weeks. Buffalo is also last in sacks and will be making a long trip to San Diego. Since the Bills give up plenty of yards and points, but force few negative plays, they're a good defense to start your QB against.

Carson Palmer: The game against Miami was more of the exception for him, but even then he still had two garbage time TDs. He'll be playing catchup with Green Bay and even if Oakland is blown out again, which they should be, he should rack up plenty of yards and possibly a TD or two in garbage time. Sad for the Raiders, but good for fantasy teams.

Sit 'em:

Andy Dalton: He has a tough matchup against a good Houston defense. It'll probably be a low scoring game as well so expect Cincy to play for field position and run the ball to control the clock. Dalton was never one to throw many TDs in a game, but has only thrown a single TD in his past 3 games. Unless you want to settle for 200 yards and a possible TD, you may want to go with a better option.

Tyler Palko and Caleb Hanie: Do you really want to test the waters in playoff time? If you had a free week within the past few weeks, it wouldn't have been too bad to give one a shot if you wanted, but the postseason is no time to start making such changes and hope they work. Palko is going against a stingy defense with the Jets and Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil may just destroy Chicago's offensive line.

RBs:

Start 'em:

Reggie Bush: Miami will avoid Asomugha, Samuel, and Rodgers-Cromartie if he returns. Expect a lot of throws to the middle of the field and some underneath routes. Philly is an attacking defense and Bush should be able to be effective, including on draws and short passes.

C.J. Spiller: He finally looked good against the Titans last week and the Chargers rank 26th against the run. With the injuries to Buffalo's WR corpse, it'll be important for Spiller to be involved. He'll get plenty of carries and Buffalo may, and should, look to use Spiller more in the passing game.

Sit 'em:

Beanie Wells: The 49ers boast the best run defense in the NFL, allowing only 71.8 yards per game on the ground. That should be enough to convince you.

Steven Jackson: Tom Brandstater is probably starting for the Rams this week, meaning the Seahawks will have no respect for him or his underwhelming WRs. Jackson may be facing 11 men in the box on Sunday. Last time he played Seattle, he finished with 42 yards.

WRs:

Start 'em:

Santana Moss: He's been slowly brought along back in the offense since he's returned from a hand injury. He'll be going against Devin McCourty, but Kyle Arrington has quietly been the star CB for New England's secondary and will be matched up against Jabar Gaffney. I look for Moss to see most of the passes for Washington, especially with Fred Davis out for the year with suspension. The Redskins will be playing from behind and will be forced to pass to try and stay in the game.

Percy Harvin: His play has been improving over the past few weeks and he caught 4 TD passes in the past 3 games. Detroit has been struggling with their pass defense as well. Not only does Harvin have a good chance of having over 60 yards and a TD, but he should carry the ball a few times as well.

Sit 'em:

Dwayne Bowe: Tyler Palko is his QB and he's going up against Darrelle Revis. Enough said.

Steve Smith (Car): He started the season scolding hot, but he hasn't had a 100 game since the end of October. He's also had only 2 TDs in the past 7 games. What makes his start even tougher is that he'll be paired up with Brent Grimes, who has quietly been the top ranked CB in the NFL this year. Carolina may beat Atlanta, but it won't be with big plays made by Smith.

TEs:

Start 'em:

Anthony Fasano: A Dolphin TE makes an appearance on a start list? That is about as rare as Big Foot being caught on film. The Eagles to have a talented set of CBs, but they are a vulnerable defense. Part of that vulnerability is up the middle and I fully expect Fasano to be involved in the passing game. Miami has been more aggressive on offense lately and have sent Fasano out on more routes as a receiver instead of keeping him in to block.

Dustin Keller: He's a good receiving target and the Chiefs have surrended 8 TD passes to TEs this year, tied for most in the NFL. The only problem with Keller is how involved he is in New York's offense and that appears to change every week. This week should be a good week.

Sit 'em:

Brandon Pettigrew: His plays has slowed down a bit and he's unreliable because Tony Scheffler steals targets away from him, even in the red zone. He's just one of those boom-or-bust players, but it's hard to rely on that in the playoffs.

Scott Chandler: He was a popular TE earlier in the year because he scored often in the red zone. He's gone 5 weeks without scoring a TD and he was never one to rack up many yards. He's another player that is just too risky to start. It's bad when you have to bank on a player scoring a TD to even have a decent game.

Miami Dolphins Sleeper of the Week:

Miami Dolphins D/ST: The unit has really stepped up. The Eagles have a ton of talent on the offense, but Michael Vick is just coming back and he's been careless with the ball at times with fumbles and INTs. DeSean Jackson has appeared to have given up on the team as well. Their two best players are rusty and unmotivated. The Dolphin defense may be able to take advantage of this and generate a few turnovers. Vick also stays in the backfield a lot with the ball because he can outrun most pass rusher, but Cameron Wake has a good chance to chase Vick down for a sack as well.