My rest-of-season fantasy football rankings provide a comprehensive overview of projected player performances for the season’s remaining games, helping guide you toward making informed decisions on trades, waiver wire transactions, and starting lineups.
Don’t have the time to read this just yet? You can find my full set of ROS rankings here—they're free for everyone!
Welcome to the unique challenges of Week 14, where fantasy football playoff spots hang in the balance for many, and the stakes couldn't be higher. Six teams have byes, injuries are piling up, and weather could affect game outcomes. Therefore, traditional start/sit choices may not work well, and you may need to think over your usual surefire options.
Rest of Season Fantasy Football Rankings Strategy Entering Week 14
With the Broncos, Colts, Commanders, Patriots, Rams, and Ravens on bye, it will be important to get ahead of the typical risk management strategies if you haven’t done so already. Playoff contenders should grab replacement players early since this week’s waiver wire could get competitive fast, but it’s important to understand how to optimize your team’s bench depth first.
Clear roster fodder and middle-tier players that you don’t project to start and focus on those upside players over low-return options. Hoard RB handcuffs from productive rushing offenses seeing how streaming becomes essential during the playoffs. Blocking your opponents’ moves can make a difference as well. Focusing on what their needs are and beating them to those replacement options could offer your team a savvy advantage.
Just look at what happened to the 49ers in Week 13. Both Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason are heading to IR, leaving Isaac Guerendo as the next man up behind center in San Francisco.
Kendall Valenzuela has you covered on Week 14’s waiver wire, but all eyes will be on Guerendo, who took 17 touches for 102 all-purpose yards and a touchdown on a 66% snap share in Week 8. If you miss out on him, other high-upside stashes that could be available and boost your playoff success include Blake Corum, Braelon Allen, and Tank Bigsby.
In Week 12 I discussed how Kyren Williams hadn’t logged a RB1 week since Week 8 but still sees enough utilization every week to make it matter. He was the PPR RB10 in Week 13, but Corum also saw his best utilization of the season that game and proved efficient with 42 yards on eight carries. The Rams are looking at the 3rd-easiest RB schedule in Week 14, and the 9th-easiest through Week 17. Corum could smash if Williams were to miss time.
Allen is beginning to emerge as a potential feature back as well and could see plenty of work if Breece Hall were to miss time or see a reduction in utilization seeing how the Jets season is all but lost. Allen shows real promise whenever he gets the ball. He scored almost 29.4 FP in Weeks 2-3 on a 33% snap share. The Jets have the 2nd-easiest RB schedule through Week 17.
Bigsby returned to action in Week 13 after nursing an ankle injury but saw limited work due to the Jaguars being behind in the box score. Trevor Lawrence left Week 13 with a concussion and is at risk of missing Week 14. If that happens, Bigsby could see additional work with Mac Jones under center. He scored double-digit fantasy points in three of four games where he saw double-digit touches.
If you’re light at wide receiver, one player who will be highly sought after if he’s still on waivers is Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. He has eight touchdowns in his last eight games and boasts a 6.2 utilization score and 14.6 FPPG over his last six. The Titans are projected as having the 4th-easiest WR schedule through Week 17, and with Westbrook-Ikhine commanding a 15% TPPR rate and 61.25 air yards since Week 6, he could be a league winner.
If Westbrook-Ikhine isn’t available, Parker Washington could come in clutch as an emergency WR replacement option. He left Week 12 as the PPR WR6 thanks to six catches for 103 yards and a touchdown. With Christian Kirk and Gabe Davis out for the season, Washington could continue to surprise.
Risers in ROS Rankings Based On Fantasy Football Schedule
Now, outside of the waiver wire, it’s important to know who has the best matchups between now and Week 17. I’ve discussed these heavily over the past few weeks, but as a quick reference, here are the teams with top-five positional matchups based on strength of schedule (SOS):
Quarterbacks
- Week 14: Bengals, Cowboys, Eagles*, Raiders*, Titans*
- Week 15: Chargers, Giants, Jets, Panthers*, Titans*
- Week 16: Browns, Buccaneers, Cowboys, Raiders*, Steelers
- Week 17: Broncos, Eagles*, Panthers*, Texans, Titans*
*Multi-week upside players include Jalen Hurts, Will Levis, Bryce Young, and Aidan O’Connell.
Running Backs
- Week 14: Bears, Eagles, Rams, Saints, Titans*
- Week 15: Broncos, Cowboys, Jets*, Lions, Ravens
- Week 16: Cardinals, Dolphins, Patriots, Raiders, Titans*
- Week 17: Buccaneers, Colts, Giants, Jets*, Titans*
*Multi-week upside players with high utilization include Tony Pollard and Breece Hall.
Wide Receivers
- Week 14: Falcons, Giants*, Packers*, Titans*, Vikings
- Week 15: Bears*, Bills, Dolphins, Giants*, Jets
- Week 16: Bears*, Chiefs, Raiders, Steelers, Seahawks
- Week 17: 49ers, Packers*, Ravens, Texans, Titans*
*Multi-week upside players with high utilization include Malik Nabers, DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, Jayden Reed, Calvin Ridley, and Westbrook-Ikhine.
Tight Ends
- Week 14: Buccaneers*, Cowboys*, Chargers, Eagles, Raiders
- Week 15: Broncos*, Browns*, Cowboys*, Falcons, Titans*
- Week 16: Browns*, Cardinals, Jaguars, Texans, Titans*
- Week 17: Broncos*, Buccaneers*, Giants, Saints, Steelers
*Multi-week upside players with high utilization include Cade Otton, David Njoku, Jake Ferguson (pending health), and possibly Chig Okonkwo. No Broncos TE is worth rostering.
Weather Impact On ROS Fantasy Football Rankings
Lastly, it’s important to consider the impact of weather on games in December. For playoff preparation, monitor weather forecasts carefully, especially for outdoor stadiums in cold-weather cities.
According to Pro Football Network using TruMedia data, games played in temperatures between 30-40°F see a 5-10% reduction in fantasy point output compared to warmer conditions. When adding wind speeds above 5 mph, QB and WR performance is reduced 10-25%, RBs see a slight increase in production, and teams overall are scoring 15-20% fewer fantasy points.
When it comes to snow, RBs see a 30% increase in rushing output, while passing numbers decrease by 10-15%. Teams playing in games with snow at kickoff average 79.6 FP, which represents a 25% drop from clear-weather conditions.
I have ranked nearly 250 more players from a ROS outlook, with most seeing small changes every week as further game data points are entered and the integrity of Defense vs. Position and SOS tables are strengthened.
Focusing on trends surfacing from the Utilization Report, making savvy waiver wire pickups, and understanding how to optimize your lineups for the fantasy playoffs will set you up for success. Fantasy championships reward calculated aggression.
They aren’t won by playing it safe. Use these insights to make confident roster decisions, stay ahead of your league mates on the waiver wire, and position your team for a strong playoff run. Results should become apparent quickly, though some moves might take until championship week to fully pay off.
