The bye weeks are finishing in Week 14. With just two teams on bye this week, start/sits are the quarterback position become a bit trickier. As for the missing players, we'll be without Kyler Murray and Sam Howell with the Arizona Cardinals and Washington Commanders on a bye week.
Jamey Eisenberg has all the Start 'Em & Sit 'Em insight you'll need to make sound decisions at quarterback ahead of Week 14, right here. And don't forget to check out Heath Cummings' quarterback preview for more help with matchup notes, numbers to know and more. Plus check out Heath's Week 14 projections over at SportsLine.
QBs to Start
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Purdy is making a strong case for NFL MVP with his play of late for the surging 49ers. He's scored at least 29.8 Fantasy points in three of his past four games and has at least 296 passing yards in four of his past five outings. His worst outing over that stretch was Week 12 at Seattle when he passed for just 209 yards, one touchdown and one interception and only scored 12.5 Fantasy points. But he'll do much better in the rematch with the Seahawks this week. Purdy has never scored fewer than 20 Fantasy points in all eight home games he's started in San Francisco going back to last season.
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Love is on fire right now with at least 20.7 Fantasy points in four games in a row, including his past two outings at Detroit and against Kansas City where he's averaging 31.2 points per game. I'm hopeful Christian Watson (hamstring) can play this week, but I'll still start Love with confidence even if Watson is out. The Giants only allow 17.5 Fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks and will throw a lot at Love coming off their bye. But based on his recent level of play, I expect Love to handle it and post a top-10 stat line in Week 14.
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The matchup with the Broncos is tough, and Herbert has struggled of late with three games in his past five outings with fewer than 16 Fantasy points. But I have a feeling Herbert shows up in this game at home. Despite not having much home-field advantage in Los Angeles, Herbert has scored at least 22.8 Fantasy points in five of six games at home this season. He's also making plays with his legs of late, rushing for 47 yards in two of his past three outings. It might not be one of his best outings, but Hebert will be the first quarterback to crack 20 Fantasy points against Denver since Week 4.
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It will take some guts to trust Dobbs after his last game in Week 12 against Chicago when he had four interceptions and scored just 6.5 Fantasy points. But as long as he remains the starter in Minnesota for Week 14 then I'm going to consider him a low-end starting Fantasy quarterback at Las Vegas. Keep in mind that prior to the disaster against the Bears, Dobbs had scored at least 26.9 Fantasy points in three of his previous four outings. And now the Vikings are getting Justin Jefferson (hamstring) back following a seven-game absence. The Raiders have been relatively stingy against opposing quarterbacks this year, but Tua Tagovailoa and Patrick Mahomes each scored at least 21.6 Fantasy points against Las Vegas in the past two games. Dobbs will hopefully get back to using his legs -- and start connecting with Jefferson -- in this matchup.
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Sleepers (Start/Sit)
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I liked Minshew going into last week's game at Tennessee, and he delivered a standout performance with 22.7 Fantasy points, which was his best game since Week 7. Now, let's see if he can string together back-to-back quality Fantasy outings for the first time all season. It helps that he's facing a Bengals defense that has allowed five of the past six opposing quarterbacks to score at least 20.3 Fantasy points, and this is a big game for the Colts, who are in the mix for a playoff spot in the AFC. Minshew should be considered a low-end No. 1 Fantasy quarterback in Week 14.
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Wilson is struggling as a Fantasy quarterback of late with three games in a row with fewer than 19 Fantasy points. He's also passed for more than 200 yards just once since Week 4. But I still like Wilson as a low-end starter in deeper leagues in Week 14 at the Chargers, who are No. 4 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. Wilson will hopefully continue to make plays with his legs after rushing for at least 30 yards in four of his past five games, including a rushing touchdown in consecutive outings. And the last time he faced the Chargers in Week 18 last season he scored 29.1 Fantasy points, so hopefully history repeats itself.
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Mayfield has scored 17.3 Fantasy points or less in three games in a row, but he gets Atlanta in Week 14, and the Falcons could be without standout cornerback A.J. Terrell (concussion). Atlanta held Derek Carr and the combination of Tim Boyle and Trevor Siemian to a combined 16.3 Fantasy points the past two weeks, but prior to that, the Falcons allowed the previous three quarterbacks (Will Levis, Joshua Dobbs and Kyler Murray) to each score at least 23.4 Fantasy points. Mayfield has top-10 upside in this matchup.
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QBs to Sit
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Goff is more of a bust alert than a must-sit option since he's scored at least 20.3 Fantasy points in three of his past four games. The one game where he failed to top 20 Fantasy points was Week 11 against Chicago, who held him to 17.7 points with three interceptions. The Bears now have seven interceptions in their past two games and have kept three quarterbacks in a row (Bryce Young, Goff and Joshua Dobbs) to fewer than 18 Fantasy points. Goff has also scored 16 Fantasy points or fewer in three of four outdoor games this season.
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Stafford has been awesome of late in his past two games against the Cardinals and Browns with at least 28.9 Fantasy points in each outing. He has seven touchdowns and one interception over that span, and it's his first time all season he's had back-to-back games with 20-plus Fantasy points. But now he's facing a Ravens defense coming off the bye, and Baltimore is No. 1 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. I love Stafford in Week 15 against Washington, but I would only start him in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues in Week 14 given the opponent.
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Smith was amazing and one of the best surprises in Week 13 at Dallas with a season-best 35.9 Fantasy points. He passed for 334 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, and he also ran for a score. It was impressive, but keep in mind what happened the week before. In Week 12 against San Francisco, Smith scored a season-low 7.3 Fantasy points with 180 passing yards, no touchdowns and one interception, along with 21 rushing yards. In three games as the starter for the Seahawks against the 49ers, Smith has combined for 30.7 Fantasy points. I like Smith against Philadelphia in Week 15 and Tennessee in Week 16, which are favorable opponents, but this is a good week to sit him in most formats.
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Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
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There are a few things to worry about with Stroud here, notably the loss of Tank Dell (leg) for the season. Dell left with a concussion in Week 5 at Atlanta and missed Week 6 against New Orleans, and Stroud scored 16.2 Fantasy points against the Falcons and 18.2 points against the Saints. Stroud also scored just 18.1 Fantasy points after Dell got hurt in Week 13 against Denver. The Jets are No. 5 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks at 15.6 points per game and recently held Tua Tagovailoa to 9.6 Fantasy points in Week 12. And Stroud has been bad on the road this season, averaging just 17.1 Fantasy points per game in five games away from Houston. I would only start Stroud in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues in Week 14.
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