Matt Bowen
In ESPN standard leagues, Week 14 is the start of the fantasy football playoffs. For others, including my leagues, we have to wait another week before the tournament kicks off. But that got me thinking about roster management at this point of the season, because there are still moves (and decisions) to make when you get your lineup ready for playoff football.
Remember: Player trends matter. Production, usage and more. So, let’s look at that today.
I want to start with the players who are trending up. The numbers and the tape tell a story, right? These are the targets to get in your lineups for Week 14, or, with a couple of young receivers I’m eyeing, to pick up off waivers. You might need them for a playoff run, and you don’t want someone else in your league to scoop them up.
I also have three veteran players who are trending down, creating tough decisions for managers. And these are big-time names, too.
Players trending up
Christian Watson, WR, Green Bay Packers
Action: Start in Week 14 (Flex/WR3)
Watson’s recent usage — and tape — tell us he’s more than just a low-volume, deep-ball option for quarterback Jordan Love. Yes, Watson can still stretch defenses at the third level. He’s a glider down the field. However, an uptick in targets, paired with improved footwork and steady hands, has created a higher level of upside to Watson’s game.
Watson has now caught at least one touchdown pass and scored 18 or more points in two of his past three games, plus he has seen seven or more targets in back-to-back weeks. That’s the ability to create separation as a one-cut route runner, along with deployment at multiple levels in Matt LaFleur’s system.
The way I see it, Watson is the prime example of a player trending up at the right time. Get him in the lineup for Sunday’s game at Lambeau Field versus the Chicago Bears.
Jayden Higgins, WR, Houston Texans
Action: Pick up
Available in over 60% of ESPN leagues, Higgins is starting to play up to his rookie profile. It’s the big body, the formation flexibility and the matchup traits at multiple levels of the field.
Higgins, taken 34th in April’s draft, had 11.5 points in the Week 13 win over the Indianapolis Colts, catching all five of his targets for 65 yards. He has averaged 12.5 PPG over his past four games, with a touchdown grab in two. Plus, Higgins is averaging 7.0 targets per game during this stretch. The usage is up.
Higgins can be played as a WR3 in deeper formats for the Week 14 game at the Kansas City Chiefs, but for managers in shallower leagues, this is also an opportunity to pick up the wide receiver (if you have the roster space). As I said in my ultimate guide to the fantasy football playoffs, this is the time of the season to block other managers in your league. So, when there is an ascending player like Higgins, you need to act. Scoop him up, or someone else will.
Kyle Monangai, RB, Chicago Bears
Action: Start in Week 14 (Flex)
The run game has become the foundational aspect of coach Ben Johnson’s offense in his first year with the Bears, and that opens the door for Monangai in a backfield split with D’Andre Swift behind an offensive front featuring a bunch of people movers.
For starters, I love the tape on Monangai. He runs angry. A decisive, downhill runner who invites contact. Where does that play best? In the low red zone. There’s a reason Monangai has rushed for a touchdown in four straight games, all on carries inside the 10-yard line. He gets north-south in a hurry. And with his weekly anticipated rushing volume — Monangai has at least 12 carries in three of his past four games — managers get some real touchdown upside because of his usage in scoring position.
Yes, Monangai gets a tougher matchup this Sunday versus a Green Bay defense that ranks in the top 10 against opposing running backs. But if we are talking about a Flex target, in one of the league’s most run-heavy systems, Monangai fits in Week 14.
Adonai Mitchell, WR, New York Jets
1:05
Why Field Yates sees fantasy upside for Adonai Mitchell in Week 14
Field Yates explains why he sees fantasy upside in Jets WR Adonai Mitchell for Week 14 vs. the Dolphins.
Action: Pick up
Mitchell produced career-best numbers in the Jets’ Week 13 win over the Atlanta Falcons, catching 8 of 12 targets for 102 yards and a touchdown (24.8 points). Now, maybe one breakout game isn’t enough to get Mitchell into the lineup in 10-team leagues. And I get that, if you need to see more or want a better Week 14 matchup. But if you have the space to add a player ahead of the fantasy playoffs, this is where you take a shot.
Yes, Mitchell did score on a 52-yard deep-ball throw in Week 14. Straight speed there over the top. And Mitchell can roll (4.32 40-yard dash time). So, he does bring explosive play upside to the lineup. But I was actually more intrigued with his speed outs and underneath routes. There’s separation ability here to snap off the break. And with veteran quarterback Tyrod Taylor throwing the ball, it is delivered on time. That’s how you cash in on targets.
As we discussed above with Higgins, Mitchell can be an upside player on your roster. Available in over 75% of ESPN leagues, Mitchell also has a couple of favorable upcoming matchups in the fantasy playoffs, in Weeks 15 and 16 (@JAX, @NO). Go get him.
Players trending down
1:44
Yates: Justin Jefferson is a borderline top-20 fantasy WR
Field Yates explains why the Vikings’ quarterback situation has limited Justin Jefferson in fantasy this season.
Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings
Action: Start in Week 14 (WR2/Flex)
We’re now at the point where Jefferson is a borderline WR2/Flex in 10-team leagues. But we also must be honest about his numbers, which are being directly impacted by the subpar quarterback play in Minnesota. Jefferson had a season-low 2.4 points with undrafted rookie Max Brosmer at quarterback in the Week 13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. But even when a healthy J.J. McCarthy was under center from Weeks 9-12, Jefferson averaged only 11.1 PPG. Plus, he had two games under nine points and only one where he topped the 60-yard receiving mark.
So, can you still put Jefferson in the lineup again in Week 14 against the Washington Commanders? I would, if McCarthy (concussion) is up for the game.
For starters, you’re taking the matchup versus a Washington defense that ranks in the bottom 10 against opposing wide receivers. Also, Jefferson was seeing consistent volume from McCarthy, averaging 9.0 targets per game during that Week 9-12 stretch. There’s opportunity here if McCarthy can cut down on the misses. But I would also manage your expectations given the state of Minnesota’s offense, which keeps Jefferson on that WR2/Flex line in Week 14.
Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens
Action: Start in Week 14 (unless you have another option)
Jackson has scored fewer than 10 points in each of his past three games, and the elite dual-threat element he normally brings to the field is missing. After averaging 53.8 rushing yards per game in 2024, Jackson has topped the 50-yard mark only once this season (in Week 1), and he’s completing just 59.8% of his passes with a 20.2% off-target rate since returning from a hamstring injury in Week 9.
Jackson’s recent slide in production is why I strongly recommend rostering two quarterbacks heading into the fantasy playoffs. While this provides injury insurance, it also puts you in a more favorable position if you have a tough matchup on the schedule, or, in this case with Jackson, your No. 1 simply isn’t producing at a rate that will get you to the next round of the playoffs.
So, if you do have a No. 2 with a solid Week 14 matchup, like a Jared Goff versus the Dallas Cowboys, my advice would be to make that switch now. If not? Then you must stick with Jackson, whom I have ranked as a fringe QB1 this week, in his matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers defense. And then you’re banking on Jackson returning to form as an electric playmaker.
Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
1:30
Why Field Yates is ranking Saquon Barkley lower in Week 14
Field Yates examines Saquon Barkley’s tough fantasy season ahead of a matchup vs. the Chargers.
Action: Start in Week 14 (RB2)
Barkley scored 5.6 points (his second-lowest total of the season) in a positive Week 13 matchup versus the Bears defense, and he has topped the 20-point mark only once. So, what is really going on here?
Well, I think we have to start up front with an Eagles offensive line that isn’t sustaining blocks or displacing defenders at the same rate we saw in 2024. Those creases of daylight that Saquon usually hits? They are closing quick. Too many negative plays on the tape, too. And the home runs are missing, right? I’m talking about the big-time plays, which led to breakout weeks.
Remember, Barkley led the NFL with 46 rushes of 10 or more yards last season. This year? He has 17, which ranks 19th in the league. It’s simply not the same run game. And Barkley isn’t creating efficient numbers on the ground, averaging 61.7 yards per game in a Philly offense still trying to find an identity in 2025.
I roster Barkley in a 12-team league. And he’s going to stay in my lineup for the Week 14 Monday night matchup at the Los Angeles Chargers. But he’s not my lead back anymore. He should be played as an RB2, with the expectation that he can give you 12 to 14 points.
