Frank Ammirante | December 5th, 2019
It’s playoff time! Hopefully, you were able to cruise through the season en route to a first-round bye. If not, let’s get you through this first round. The key to success in the fantasy playoffs is to stick with your gut and make moves with confidence. Don’t blindly start the bigger name – go with who you believe will produce more. Let’s guide you through this process with some week 14 rankings.
| Quarterbacks | ||
| Rank | Name | Opponent |
| 1 | Lamar Jackson | at Bills |
| 2 | Aaron Rodgers | vs. Redskins |
| 3 | Deshaun Watson | vs. Broncos |
| 4 | Patrick Mahomes | at Patriots |
| 5 | Russell Wilson | at Rams |
| 6 | Matt Ryan | vs. Panthers |
| 7 | Dak Prescott | at Bears |
| 8 | Kirk Cousins | vs. Lions |
| 9 | Sam Darnold | vs. Dolphins |
| 10 | Josh Allen | vs. Ravens |
| 11 | Baker Mayfield | vs. Bengals |
| 12 | Carson Wentz | vs. Giants |
| 13 | Tom Brady | vs. Chiefs |
| 14 | Ryan Tannehill | at Raiders |
| 15 | Jameis Winston | vs. Colts |
| 16 | Jared Goff | vs. Seahawks |
| 17 | Kyler Murray | vs. Steelers |
| 18 | Kyle Allen | at Falcons |
| 19 | Jimmy Garoppolo | at Saints |
| 20 | Philip Rivers | at Jaguars |
| 21 | Jacoby Brissett | at Buccaneers |
| 22 | Drew Brees | vs. 49ers |
| 23 | Ryan Fitzpatrick | at Jets |
| 24 | Andy Dalton | at Browns |
Jackson has proven to be matchup-proof, producing in tough match-ups against the Patriots and 49ers. He’s QB1 despite having to face a tough Bills defense. The dark horse for QB1 is Ryan, who should benefit from the long layoff following the Thanksgiving game. He gets Austin Hooper back this week, which will help. Look for Ryan to have a big game against a mediocre Panthers defense.
| Running Backs | ||
| Rank | Name | Opponent |
| 1 | Christian McCaffrey | at Falcons |
| 2 | Derrick Henry | at Raiders |
| 3 | Aaron Jones | vs. Redskins |
| 4 | Nick Chubb | vs. Bengals |
| 5 | Dalvin Cook | vs. Lions |
| 6 | Ezekiel Elliott | at Bears |
| 7 | Leonard Fournette | vs. Chargers |
| 8 | Alvin Kamara | vs. Saints |
| 9 | Josh Jacobs | vs. Titans |
| 10 | Saquon Barkley | at Eagles |
| 11 | Le’Veon Bell | vs. Dolphins |
| 12 | Melvin Gordon | at Jaguars |
| 13 | Todd Gurley | vs. Seahawks |
| 14 | Chris Carson | at Rams |
| 15 | Devonta Freeman | vs. Panthers |
| 16 | Mark Ingram | at Bills |
| 17 | Kareem Hunt | vs. Bengals |
| 18 | James White | vs. Chiefs |
| 19 | Phillip Lindsay | at Texans |
| 20 | Joe Mixon | at Browns |
| 21 | Sony Michel | vs. Chiefs |
| 22 | Austin Ekeler | at Jaguars |
| 23 | Miles Sanders | vs. Giants |
| 24 | David Montgomery | vs. Cowboys |
| 25 | Devin Singletary | vs. Ravens |
| 26 | Tevin Coleman | at Saints |
| 27 | Jamaal Williams | vs. Redskins |
| 28 | Raheem Mostert | at Saints |
| 29 | Jonathan Williams | at Buccaneers |
| 30 | Benny Snell | at Cardinals |
| 31 | Kenyan Drake | vs. Steelers |
| 32 | Latavius Murray | vs. 49ers |
| 33 | Carlos Hyde | vs. Broncos |
| 34 | Patrick Laird | at Jets |
| 35 | Duke Johnson | vs. Broncos |
| 36 | Royce Freeman | at Texans |
McCaffrey had a down game by his standards against the Redskins. Look for him to bounce back in a likely shootout against the Falcons. The dark horse for RB1 is Freeman – the Panthers are getting gashed in the run game and this is going to be a high-scoring contest with multiple touchdown opportunities.
| Wide Receivers | ||
| Rank | Name | Opponent |
| 1 | Davante Adams | vs. Redskins |
| 2 | Michael Thomas | vs. 49ers |
| 3 | Chris Godwin | vs. Colts |
| 4 | Mike Evans | vs. Colts |
| 5 | Stefon Diggs | vs. Lions |
| 6 | Julio Jones | at Panthers |
| 7 | Tyreek Hill | vs. Patriots |
| 8 | D.J. Moore | vs. Falcons |
| 9 | Allen Robinson | vs. Cowboys |
| 10 | Cooper Kupp | vs. Seahawks |
| 11 | Kenny Golladay | at Vikings |
| 12 | Julian Edelman | vs. Chiefs |
| 13 | DeAndre Hopkins | vs. Broncos |
| 14 | Amari Cooper | at Bears |
| 15 | Keenan Allen | at Jaguars |
| 16 | Odell Beckham Jr. | vs. Bengals |
| 17 | Tyler Lockett | at Rams |
| 18 | Jarvis Landry | vs. Bengals |
| 19 | DeVante Parker | at Jets |
| 20 | Courtland Sutton | at Texans |
| 21 | Calvin Ridley | vs. Panthers |
| 22 | Robert Woods | vs. Seahawks |
| 23 | Alshon Jeffery | vs. Giants |
| 24 | DJ Chark | vs. Chargers |
| 25 | Mike Williams | at Jaguars |
| 26 | Tyler Boyd | at Browns |
| 27 | Marvin Jones | at Vikings |
| 28 | Deebo Samuel | at Saints |
| 29 | Michael Gallup | at Bears |
| 30 | John Brown | vs. Ravens |
| 31 | Brandin Cooks | vs. Seahawks |
| 32 | D.K. Metcalf | at Rams |
| 33 | Curtis Samuel | at Falcons |
| 34 | Jamison Crowder | vs. Dolphins |
| 35 | Zach Pascal | at Buccaneers |
| 36 | Mohamed Sanu | vs. Chiefs |
| 37 | Darius Slayton | at Eagles |
| 38 | Will Fuller | vs. Broncos |
| 39 | A.J. Brown | at Raiders |
| 40 | Dede Westbrook | vs. Chargers |
| 41 | Emmanuel Sanders | at Saints |
| 42 | Tyrell Williams | vs. Titans |
| 43 | James Washington | at Cardinals |
| 44 | Robby Anderson | vs. Dolphins |
| 45 | Allen Lazard | vs. Redskins |
| 46 | Terry McLaurin | at Packers |
| 47 | Anthony Miller | vs. Cowboys |
| 48 | Marquise Brown | at Bills |
Adams has returned to form, which is great news for Rodgers and the Packers. He takes over WR1 in a great matchup against the Redskins. The dark horse for WR1 is Beckham – we’re still waiting for his blow-up game and this might finally be the one, as he takes on a mediocre Bengals secondary.
| Tight Ends | ||
| Rank | Name | Opponent |
| 1 | George Kittle | at Saints |
| 2 | Travis Kelce | at Patriots |
| 3 | Zach Ertz | vs. Giants |
| 4 | Austin Hooper | vs. Panthers |
| 5 | Hunter Henry | at Jaguars |
| 6 | Darren Waller | vs. Titans |
| 7 | Mark Andrews | at Bills |
| 8 | Jack Doyle | at Buccaneers |
| 9 | Jared Cook | vs. 49ers |
| 10 | Mike Gesicki | at Jets |
| 11 | Ryan Griffin | vs. Dolphins |
| 12 | Evan Engram | at Eagles |
| 13 | Kyle Rudolph | vs. Lions |
| 14 | Vance McDonald | at Cardinals |
| 15 | Greg Olsen | at Falcons |
| 16 | Dallas Goedert | vs. Giants |
| 17 | O.J. Howard | vs. Colts |
| 18 | Noah Fant | at Texans |
| 19 | Jacob Hollister | at Rams |
| 20 | Tyler Higbee | vs. Seahawks |
| 21 | Jimmy Graham | vs. Redskins |
| 22 | Cameron Brate | vs. Colts |
| 23 | Jason Witten | at Bears |
| 24 | Foster Moreau | vs. Titans |
Kittle has a better matchup than Kelce, so he takes over TE1 in a potential shootout against the Saints. The dark horse for TE1 is McDonald, a preseason darling who has been a major disappointment – he gets a chance to rectify this with a dream matchup against the Cardinals who have struggled against tight ends.
| D/STs | ||
| Rank | Team | Opponent |
| 1 | Pittsburgh Steelers | at Cardinals |
| 2 | Cleveland Browns | vs. Bengals |
| 3 | Philadelphia Eagles | vs. Giants |
| 4 | New York Jets | vs. Dolphins |
| 5 | New England Patriots | vs. Chiefs |
| 6 | Baltimore Ravens | at Bills |
| 7 | Green Bay Packers | vs. Redskins |
| 8 | San Francisco 49ers | at Saints |
| 9 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | vs. Colts |
| 10 | Tennessee Titans | at Raiders |
| 11 | Minnesota Vikings | vs. Lions |
| 12 | Atlanta Falcons | vs. Panthers |
The Steelers defense has been the most consistent D/ST in Fantasy Football, aside from the Patriots and 49ers. They take over D/ST1 against a struggling Cardinals offense. The dark horse for D/ST1 is the Jets, who should have opportunities for turnovers against Fitzpatrick.
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