2009 Fantasy Football Start and Bench Advice: Week 14

Here is our Week 14 Fantasy Football Start and Bench Advice for the 2009 Fantasy Football Season. Start ‘EM & Sit ‘Em Advice was meant to be bold, yet calculated. We know that and we understand that. We also understand that fantasy owners aren’t looking for answers to the obvious questions, which is why we have addressed more dilemma-like situations entering Week 14 of the 2009 fantasy football season.

Smitty’s Week 14 Take

Smitty’s Start Of The Week

If you were considering benching Pierre Thomas in week 14, you might want to rethink that approach. That Saints coaching staff is counting on Thomas more and more as the season moves along, and Mike Bell is very questionable for this one. Recent news suggest Bell could play now, but we still believe that Thomas might produce strong fantasy RB2 numbers in this Week 14 battle against the Faclons (23rd against the run).

More Random Week 14 Thoughts By Smitty

If you own Kevin Smith, consider using other alternatives in Week 14 if you have any. Smith and the Lions face the Ravens this week, a rushing defense that currently ranks 6th in the league against the run. The thing is, Daunte Culpepper is starting Week 14, as Matthew Stafford has been ruled out with a shoulder injury. The Ravens should get out to an early lead, which will force Detroit to abandon the running game… Even if given the touches in this one, Smith will likely have a tough time producing. All that said, being down early in the game will be a good thing for Calvin Johnson owners.

Moving to a bigger name player, I think Steven Jackson owners might end up being disappointed in Week 14. The Titans aren’t the top ranked rushing defense in the league, but they are in the league’s top eight. With Jackson’s back still bothering him, and because Tennessee and Chris Johnson will likely dominate early and often in this one, the Rams will be "trying" to pass their way back into this contest. "Trying" being the key word. A good rushing defense + a back injury + the odds of playing from behind early = bad game for Jackson. Don’t bench the Rams rusher for just anyone, as lucky field position could have Jackson punching in a score, or something, but jump on our forums and get some Week 14 advice if you appear to have a competitive alternative.

More Week 14 Start & Bench Advice

Should I start Knowshon Moreno (@IND) or Joseph Addai (vs. DEN) ?

xyz is a Fantasy Football Xtreme contributor Joseph Addai has been one of the pleasant surprises of the 2009 season based on his preseason draft position. Most saw him splitting carries with rookie Donald Brown and eventually losing his job by midseason, but it hasn’t happened. Instead, Addai has been a model of consistency. This week he gets a home matchup with Denver and should be good for 80+ total yards and a score. Knowshon Moreno is a little tougher to peg because of the split with Correll Buckhalter, but for the most part I think you can expect similar numbers to Addai. When all is said and done, these two could be easily be within a point or two of each other, but if I have to make a choice I’ll take the home player and go with Addai.

Should I start LaDainian Tomlinson (@CLE) or Fred Jackson (vs. NYJ)?

xyz is a Fantasy Football Xtreme contributor This choice is a lot closer than the production of these two in week 13 would make it seem. Rookie LeSean McCoy was barely involved in the Eagles trouncing of Atlanta, only putting up 26 total yards, while Brandon Jacobs had a monster game for the Giants, putting up 113 yards and two TDs. However, a closer look at those numbers reveals more than 2/3 of Jacobs yards came on a single play – a 74 yard TD catch that is a major anomaly in Jacobs stats. Take away that play and you are looking at a very pedestrian game for him, maybe 45 total yards and a single TD on 14 touches. Bottom line – I am going against the numbers with this one and I will take McCoy. He is the more dynamic player and I expect him to bounce back this week and have a great game against the Giants.

2009 Defensive Rankings Against The RUN Entering Week 14

Here are the defensive ranks against the run through Week 13.

Rk	Team	G	Yds	Avg	Yds/G	TD
1	Pittsburgh Steelers	12	933	3.6	77.8	3
2	Cincinnati Bengals	12	981	3.8	81.8	6
3	Minnesota Vikings	12	1,011	4	84.2	3
4	Green Bay Packers	12	1,046	3.6	87.2	4
5	San Francisco 49ers	12	1,150	3.6	95.8	9
6	Baltimore Ravens	12	1,168	3.5	97.3	7
7	Philadelphia Eagles	12	1,186	3.8	98.8	8
8	Tennessee Titans	12	1,204	4.2	100.3	11
9	Dallas Cowboys	12	1,230	4.2	102.5	5
10	New York Giants	12	1,231	4	102.6	15
11	Jacksonville Jaguars	12	1,245	4	103.8	7
12	Arizona Cardinals	12	1,257	4.4	104.8	8
13	Seattle Seahawks	12	1,271	4.3	105.9	9
14	Miami Dolphins	12	1,284	4.1	107	14
15	New England Patriots	12	1,295	4.3	107.9	3
16	Denver Broncos	12	1,304	3.9	108.7	7
17	New York Jets	12	1,313	4	109.4	9
18	Indianapolis Colts	12	1,340	4.2	111.7	8
19	Detroit Lions	12	1,361	4.1	113.4	9
20	New Orleans Saints	12	1,367	4.5	113.9	14
21	San Diego Chargers	12	1,414	4.4	117.8	8
22	Houston Texans	12	1,427	4.6	118.9	14
23	Atlanta Falcons	12	1,437	4.3	119.8	10
24	Washington Redskins	12	1,462	4.2	121.8	6
25	Chicago Bears	12	1,517	4.4	126.4	10
26	Carolina Panthers	12	1,600	4.6	133.3	12
27	Kansas City Chiefs	12	1,725	4.4	143.8	13
28	St. Louis Rams	12	1,754	4.6	146.2	17
29	Cleveland Browns	12	1,850	4.5	154.2	14
30	Oakland Raiders	12	1,904	4.6	158.7	18
31	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	12	1,921	4.8	160.1	13
32	Buffalo Bills	12	2,065	4.9	172.1	16

2009 Defensive Rankings Against The PASS Entering Week 14

Here are the defensive ranks against the pass through Week 13.

Rk	Team	G	Yds	Yds/G	TD	Int
1	New York Jets	12	2,004	167	7	12
2	Denver Broncos	12	2,163	180.2	10	10
3	Green Bay Packers	12	2,236	186.3	22	21
4	Buffalo Bills	12	2,258	188.2	10	21
5	Washington Redskins	12	2,282	190.2	13	8
6	Carolina Panthers	12	2,309	192.4	12	17
7	New York Giants	12	2,388	199	21	9
8	San Diego Chargers	12	2,453	204.4	17	11
9	Chicago Bears	12	2,454	204.5	21	11
10	Philadelphia Eagles	12	2,463	205.2	18	20
11	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	12	2,468	205.7	24	13
12	Cincinnati Bengals	12	2,538	211.5	13	14
13	New England Patriots	12	2,568	214	21	14
14	Houston Texans	12	2,572	214.3	16	10
15	Baltimore Ravens	12	2,580	215	15	14
16	St. Louis Rams	12	2,610	217.5	16	8
17	Pittsburgh Steelers	12	2,635	219.6	15	8
18	Oakland Raiders	12	2,643	220.2	12	8
19	Indianapolis Colts	12	2,689	224.1	11	14
20	Dallas Cowboys	12	2,711	225.9	17	8
21	Minnesota Vikings	12	2,726	227.2	18	9
22	New Orleans Saints	12	2,760	230	12	23
23	Jacksonville Jaguars	12	2,905	242.1	20	12
24	Miami Dolphins	12	2,915	242.9	15	12
25	Seattle Seahawks	12	2,922	243.5	22	10
26	Cleveland Browns	12	2,953	246.1	18	6
27	San Francisco 49ers	12	3,007	250.6	13	11
28	Kansas City Chiefs	12	3,010	250.8	21	8
29	Atlanta Falcons	12	3,056	254.7	20	8
30	Arizona Cardinals	12	3,094	257.8	18	13
31	Tennessee Titans	12	3,204	267	26	11
32	Detroit Lions	12	3,297	274.8	28	8

Week 14 Fantasy Football Player Projections

Be sure to check out our 2009 Fantasy Football Weekly Player Projections, which are updated daily.

Our player projections include over 100 offensive player projections each and every week.

Also, be sure to utilize our ASK OUR STAFF feature if you have tough decisions to make heading into Week 14 of the 2009 fantasy football season.

For NFL Breaking News, click here. Things happen quickly in this league and knowledge is power!

Get your 2009 fantasy football fix here at FantasyFootballXtreme.com.

FFX is truly a year-round fantasy football information source.

Week 14 Fantasy Football Roundtable Debate:

Each week Fantasy Football Xtreme is a part of a fantasy football roundtable debate (also known as "4th and 1 Debate"), where a group of fantasy Sites attack the same question and we interlink the content within each of our Sites. This week’s question for debate is:

The Sites involved include: FantasyFootballXtreme, rotoprofessor.com, JunkyardJake.com, lesterslegends.com, fantasypros911.com, kffl.com, top-fantasy-football.com, footballjabber.com, HattyWaiverWireGuru.com

Question: Which unheralded player is going to make a huge splash in the opening round of the 2010 fantasy playoffs?

Smitty’s answer to the question for this week:

UPDATE: Early Reports suggest that Hines Ward will in fact start in tonight’s Week 14 Thursday night game, but Mike Wallace is still a solid fantasy WR3 play this week, as Hines Ward is said to be far from 100 percent.

ORIGINAL POST: If you’re looking for an unheralded hero in Week 14, consider giving Steelers WR Mike Wallace the green light for your third wide receiver spot. He shouldn’t be anyone’s fantasy WR2 heading into round one of the 2009 fantasy football playoffs, but with Hines Ward a long-shot to play in Week 14 (Thursday night game), Mike Wallace could see a grip of targets against the Browns. Wallace is a rookie, and he has a lot of learning to do, but he has shown flashes of brilliance at times this season. In Week 3, Wallace pulled in seven passes for 102 yards, and he also looked good in Weeks 5-9 (bye in Week 8), where he scored touchdown in three out of those four games. Take advantage of the match-up and the situation if you own Wallace and expect a a good 4-5 receptions, 70-80 yards and a score in this one. This kid has a bright future in Pittsburgh if he can stay healthy and refine his game.

>> Read The Entire Week 14 Roundtable Debate HERE

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2 Comments so far

Week 14 Hot Hands and Cold Shoulders: You Know Where This is Going | Fantasy Football Fools December 10th, 2009 5:03 pm

[...] Football Xtreme’s Smitty cautions against Kevin Smith and Steven Jackson, and I would agree. As great as Jackson’s been on a bad, [...]
American Football NFL » Week 14 Hot Hands and Cold Shoulders: You Know Where This is Going December 11th, 2009 1:02 am

[...] Football Xtreme ’s Smitty cautions against Kevin Smith and Steven Jackson, and I would agree. As great as Jackson’s been on a bad, horrible, [...]