Nobody needs to be told
starting Aaron Rodgers, Adrian Peterson, or Calvin Johnson is
a good idea. Duh, right? You can’t have studs at every position,
though, unless you’re in the shallowest of leagues. This
is where the Shot Caller comes in. Need help deciding which bargain
basement QB to use and which to ignore on Rodgers’ bye week?
Let’s talk. Looking for solutions at running back because
Peterson is a game-time decision? Look no further. Need to know
which of your unproven targets to start and which to sit since
you ignored Megatron and went RB-QB-Jimmy Graham in your first
three rounds? I’m your huckleberry. Past results may not
guarantee future success, but I believe ignoring them entirely
can ruin your Sundays in a hurry. Read on for a little history
and, hopefully, a little sage advice..
Note: Fantasy points
based on FF Today’s default scoring system.
Bye Weeks: N/A
Grab a Helmet
Matthew
Stafford @ PHI or Nick
Foles v. DET: There’s no such thing as a sure thing
in fantasy football – a lesson Drew Brees’ performance this past
Monday night should have hammered home – but there are some guys
you wouldn’t want to bet against most every week. Brees is still
one of them (provided he didn’t get you bounced from the playoffs
already) and Stafford has been for several seasons now. Foles,
though? He wasn’t even guaranteed a snap when the 2013 campaign
began. All he’s done with the ones he’s received since is throw
for 19 TD strikes and ZERO interceptions, an astonishing streak
of flawlessness that could soon put him in the record books if
he avoids playing catch with Stafford’s teammates this Sunday.
Two white-hot QBs vs. two bendable and frequently breakable defenses
is as sure a thing as you’re gonna get for Week 14. Start them
both.
Alex Smith is on a three-week roll.
Alex
Smith @ WAS: Smith will likely never be considered a must-start
signal caller and that’s probably just fine with him. It’s been
a long, strange trip for the former overall #1 pick (2005) and he
now knows vindication in the NFL, true vindication, comes only with
victories, not numbers. He’s certainly piled up plenty of the former
these past three years (30 including playoffs), but has also shined
statistically at times in this, his ninth season. Smith is currently
the 14th most valuable QB and has posted top 5 numbers (26.1 pts/game)
the past three weeks. If that doesn’t pique your interest, maybe
this might: He’s rushed for only 15 fewer yards than Colin Kaepernick,
the supposedly more dangerous runner who made him expendable in
San Francisco. If Smith needs any further vindication, here’s what
I’ll offer: I’d start him over Kap this Sunday and it wouldn’t be
a difficult decision.
Ryan
Fitzpatrick @ DEN: If Kaepernick is one of the league’s most
highly regarded dual-threat QBs and Smith one of its most underrated,
Fitzpatrick is easily its sneakiest. Coming out of Harvard, also
in 2005, the career journeyman was known more for his brains (a
48 on the Wonderlic test) than his foot speed (a 4.86 40-yard dash).
Yet, despite starting only five games in 2013, he’s currently one
of the most prolific ground-gainers at the position. Fitz has already
carried the ball 34 times for 200 yards and three scores, a better
per-carry clip than either of the aforementioned players and just
as many TDs as Kaepernick. In fact, that’s only one less rushing
TD than Tennessee’s $50M RB has scored this season (in almost double
the appearances). He’s always a gamble, both for his real employers
and his pretend ones, but Fitzpatrick might be worth that dice roll
against a generous Denver D on Sunday.
Grab a Clipboard
Colin
Kaepernick v. SEA: All this chatter about Kaepernick reminds
me he’s playing a pretty important game this Sunday night, one
his teammate Vernon Davis called a “statement game.” Here’s the
statement the Niners have made the last two times they’ve faced
Russell Wilson’s Seahawks: “We’re not worthy!” In order for that
to change in Week 14, Kaepernick will need to show off those fancy
feet because Seattle’s front is going to make life miserable for
him if he stays in the pocket. That was no Johnny-come-lately
they relentlessly harassed last Monday night. It was one of the
league’s most accomplished triggermen, albeit one who’s far less
inclined to venture outside the pocket. Kap’s 87 rushing yards
in the Week 2 showdown v. Seattle were the most he’s gained this
season and he’ll need at least that many in the rematch to make
it interesting. I don’t think he gets them.
Andrew
Luck @ CIN: I wasn’t terribly concerned about Indy’s franchise
when he lost some valuable weapons early this season (Reggie Wayne,
Ahmad Bradshaw, Vick Ballard). I figured he was the type of talent
to elevate whomever lined up with him in the Colts’ huddle. And
someday, he may well be. That day hasn’t arrived yet, however.
Since Week 7, when he notched a stellar 32.3 points against Peyton
Manning et al., Luck has scored progressively fewer points in
every successive game (25.6, 23.4, 20.7, 15.3, and finally, 14.2
against the Titans last week). That’s a downward trend which may
very well have imperiled your playoff life. If you’ve managed
to survive his mini-slump, you might have some other viable options
at the position. Consider using them this Sunday because the Bengals
haven’t allowed a 20-point passer at home all season and they’ve
hosted some pretty good ones (Roethlisberger, Rodgers, and Brady
to name three).
Eli
Manning @ SD: Manning admitted this week he doesn’t
even remember why he didn’t want to play for the Bolts back
in 2004 when they initially drafted him. Though the animosity
hasn’t completely dissipated, I’m betting more than
a few San Diego fans are ultimately, secretly glad he didn’t.
Those two Super Bowl trophies say plenty about his talent, sure,
but his has been a decidedly up-and-down career and 2013, without
question, has been much more of the latter than the former. Since
posting a 24.7-point outing against the Eagles back in Week 5,
Kid Bro hasn’t even once topped the 20-point mark and only
came close against the Packers three weeks ago. Week 5 was in
early October, by the way. There could be two sets of fans booing
the Giants’ field general this Sunday, so don’t get
too excited about what seems like, on paper, a pretty favorable
matchup.
Running Backs 
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