By MIKE HERNDON

This is it – the last week of the regular season in most redraft fantasy leagues. It may be the next-to-last if you have a four-team playoff, but either way this week is important for many of us.

Unless you’re fortunate enough to have already clinched a playoff spot, or unfortunate enough to be out of the running, this week’s games carry some major importance.

Hopefully, you didn’t play any Steelers on Thursday night. Blech.

And unfortunately, quarterbacks keep getting hurt. Trevor Lawrence is the latest signal-caller to suffer an injury and, while the Jaguars say he’s day-to-day and has a chance to play Sunday, odds are better that he won’t. Derek Carr looked like he might be out this week too after leaving last week’s loss to Detroit, but he has reportedly cleared concussion protocol and is ready to go.

With about a third of the league playing with backup quarterbacks, pegging the right matchups to target can be a little trickier. Here’s our take on Week 14’s starts and sits:

QB:

Starts:

Brock Purdy, 49ers: He’s playing great, throwing 11 touchdowns in his last four games. However, the one relative dud in that string was a 209/1 TD performance against the same Seahawks defense he’ll face this week. This week, however, the 49ers are at home.

Sits:

Geno Smith, Seahawks: He put together one of his best performances of the season last week against Dallas, but the 49ers on the road is a different assignment altogether. Especially since he’s already a game-time decision with a groin injury.

RB:

Starts:

Javonte Williams, Broncos: Williams hasn’t found the end zone in the last three games, and hasn’t broken 50 yards rushing in two of them, but facing the Chargers seems like a good get-right spot.

Alvin Kamara, Saints: He scored twice last week and he should have more opportunities this week against Carolina, regardless of who’s under center.  

Sits:

Devin Singletary, Texans: He’s lost carries now that Dameon Pierce is back (14 carries in the last two weeks) and the yards will be tough to come by against a stingy Jets defense.

Kenneth Walker III, Seahawks: This is a misnomer, of course – you probably can’t afford to sit him if he plays. But coming off an injury against the 49ers is not a prime spot for peak production. There’s also a chance they’ll ease him back in with a reduced workload since Zach Charbonnet is expected to play. Temper expectations.

WR:

Starts:  

Michael Pittman, Jr., Colts: He’s hot. Pittman has had 100-yard games the last two weeks and he’s drawn 12 or more targets in the last three weeks. The Bengals are not a stay-away defense. Keep firing him up.

D.J. Moore, Bears: Now that Justin Fields is back, Moore is back in our WR1 plans. He popped the Lions for 96 yards and a score just a few weeks ago.

Drake London, Falcons: The Buccaneers secondary has been among the most burnable in the league lately. The Bucs give up the fourth-most fantasy points to receivers in the league.

Sits:

Cooper Kupp, Rams: He hasn’t looked himself since he twisted the ankle and now the Rams are up against a defense playing as well as any in the league.

Noah Brown, Texans: Boy, did Nico Collins ever burn me after I put him in this column last week, but he and Brown have an even tougher setup against a stingy Jets secondary this week. Brown is coming off an injury, too.   

TE:

As with any week, play anyone who’s getting quality targets. If you have Travis Kelce, T.J. Hockenson, George Kittle or Sam LaPorta, congratulations. And if you still have Kyle Pitts, this might be the week he finally gives you something usable against Tampa Bay’s burnable secondary.

Categories: Fantasy Football