Welcome to Week 14: the last obstacle before fantasy playoff chaos kicks off. Some of you are clawing for that coveted first-round bye, while others are fighting tooth and nail just to sneak into the bracket. We’ve got four teams on bye this week: San Francisco 49ers, Carolina Panthers, New York Giants, and New England Patriots. No need to panic, FootClan, I’ve got you covered. I’m diving into the biggest Start/Sit dilemmas of the week using the Fantasy Footballers’ Start/Sit tool and breaking it all down along the way. Let’s make the right calls, lock in those byes, and punch some playoff tickets.
Jacoby Brissett or Justin Herbert?
Kyler is still on IR, which means another week of Jacoby “Beef Brisket” Brissett, and honestly? I’m kinda here for it. The Rams aren’t exactly a layup. They’re holding QBs to 6.5 yards per attempt and sit top 12 against the position. Cool. Doesn’t matter. Besides, just last week, Bryce Young threw for three TDs against them. Regardless, Brissett isn’t eating off efficiency; he’s eating off volume. Since he took over, Arizona has literally been leading the league in pass rate over expectation. Jacoby doesn’t score fantasy points because it’s pretty; he scores because they let him throw until his elbow falls off. The Cardinals’ rushing game is depleted. When that dropback count creeps into the mid-40s because they are behind, the run game is completely abandoned, and Brissett is sitting at 280, and a couple TDs, and your fantasy team lives to fight another week… yeah, you’ll be glad you let Beef Brisket cook.
SEVEN straight top-12 finishes!
Since becoming the Cardinals starting QB in Week 6, only Josh Allen has scored more fantasy points than Jacoby Brissett
pic.twitter.com/5JYqIZpIOA
— Fantasy Footballers (@TheFFBallers) December 1, 2025
All signs point to Justin Herbert suiting up on Monday night against the Eagles, even after surgery on a fractured bone in his non-throwing hand. Per Matthew Betz’s Week 13 Injury Recap, Herbert is expected to play with a splint and glove and likely spend the night operating exclusively from pistol and shotgun. The matchup is a total roller coaster. Philly has given up just 12 passing TDs all year (second-fewest in the league), and they are basically middle of the pack in fantasy points allowed to QBs. But they’ve been all over the place lately. Dak dropped 31.1 on them two weeks ago, after holding Jared Goff to 13 the week prior. Add in the fact that Omarion Hampton is trending toward returning, and the Eagles can be had on the ground. Don’t be shocked if Hampton and Kimani Vidal do a lot of the heavy lifting while Herbert plays game manager. Herbert’s a risky QB1 this week. You can start him, but between the hand issue and Philly’s boom-or-bust defense, the ceiling is definitely capped.
Verdict: Give me Jacoby “Beef Brisket” Brissett. Herbert is dealing with a hand injury and a volatile matchup, while Brissett should once again get fed pure volume. If you need safer fantasy points, roll with Beef.
Devin Neal or Woody Marks?
Yeah, having Christian McCaffrey on bye in a do-or-die week is brutal. I’m not even going to pretend Devin Neal or Woody Marks can fill CMC’s shoes. Sorry, FootClan. BUT I can help you figure out which RB gives you the best fighting chance. We’ve all lost a matchup by a couple of points… sometimes half a point. In weeks like this, every single point matters. So while neither of these backs is delivering a CMC-type eruption, one of them can still give you enough production to keep your season alive. Let’s find the better bet.
Alvin Kamara’s still out, so the Saints are rolling with rookie Devin Neal again. Neal played a massive 82% of the snaps and posted career-best numbers across the board. The usage is there, and that’s half the battle at RB. I love the matchup against the Buccaneers this week. Tampa has been soft against RBs since their Week 9 bye, giving up 15+ fantasy points to an RB in three of their last four. Mike pointed this out when he named Neal his RB Start of the Week. This year, the Bucs have allowed 12 RB TDs in 12 games and are coughing up 22.4 FPPG to RBs. You are betting on volume in a favorable spot, and with another 18–22 touches on deck, Neal has a real shot to finally find the end zone this week.
Woody Marks got in a limited practice Thursday after sitting out Wednesday, so he’s likely good to go. Marks has taken over as Houston’s lead back, but the production just hasn’t matched the workload. The efficiency just has not been there. Per PlayerProfiler, he’s sitting 38th in yards per touch and 69th in fantasy points per opportunity. And the matchup is brutal. Kansas City is the 7th best against RBs in fantasy points allowed, and they are coming home to Arrowhead after a brutal loss last week at Dallas. Expect a locked-in, angry defense.
Verdict: I’m firing up Devin Neal this week. If you’ve got options, this is a week to leave Marks on the bench.
Alec Pierce or Christian Watson?
The Colts at Jacksonville is shaping up to be one of the best games of the week: a divisional slugfest with both teams sitting at 8–4 and the AFC South lead hanging in the balance. Alec Pierce remains the bright spot for Indy’s passing game. He just went 4-for-78 and a TD, and every catch went for at least 18 yards. That’s not random… he has 70+ yards in four of his last six. Daniel Jones is gutting it out through a broken fibula, and yeah, his efficiency has dipped (56.9% completions over his previous two), but context matters: those games came against KC and Houston. Even banged up, Jones has tossed four TDs with zero picks in that stretch. Now they get Jacksonville, and this is where it gets spicy. Per Kyle Borgognoni’s DFS Pace of Play, this game has real shootout potential with a 46.5 O/U, and the Jags are 20th vs. WRs while allowing the highest opponent pass rate in the NFL (65.4%). Pierce has ceiling in this spot.
Alec Pierce: All 4 of his receptions vs HOU this past week were 15+ yards down the field pic.twitter.com/GKrslKBhJu
— Andy Holloway (@AndyHolloway) December 1, 2025
Christian Watson finally looks healthy, and the usage finally matches the eye test. He just finished as WR13 with a season-high 10 targets, and he’s put up 18+ fantasy points in two of his last three. Green Bay’s been banged up. Jayden Reed still hasn’t been medically cleared and is only getting in limited practices. We might not have a real answer on whether he plays until Sunday. Matthew Golden has been out too and is questionable again. Basically, keep an eye on the injury report, because when the Packers have all their guys, they love to spread the ball around… and that can put a cap on Watson’s ceiling. What doesn’t cap his ceiling? This matchup. We love a divisional game with something on the line, and a 44.5 implied total is exactly what we want. Chicago’s defense has been a dream for opposing WRs. They are 29th against WRs and fresh off giving up 42.2 fantasy points to Philly’s receivers (and Philly has looked rough lately). Jordan Love is playing confidently, and Watson has quietly stepped into legit volume with the WR and TE rooms injured. Bottom line: this isn’t the old “pray for a deep shot” Watson. He’s a steady volume play now with real big-play upside in a plus matchup.
Verdict: It’s close, but I’m rolling with Christian Watson. Yeah, Colts/Jags has the bigger total, but I’m actually leaning under with Daniel Jones playing on a broken fibula. He’s survived, but the efficiency just isn’t there. Watson’s situation is cleaner: if Jayden Reed and Matthew Golden sit, he’s a smash. Even if one of them plays, I still prefer Watson. Golden hasn’t threatened target share, and Reed hasn’t suited up since Week 1. Watson gives you the better blend of volume and upside, and I trust a healthy Jordan Love to get it done against the Bears.
Darren Waller or Brenton Strange?
Oh FootClan! Why must you cause me such despair? Look, I might be dangerously biased here because I had Darren Waller’s “Top Play” as my literal Top Played Song of 2025 on Spotify Wrapped. But bias aside, the stars are lining up for the Walrus. Waller came off IR last week and didn’t waste any time getting involved. His two of three targets for 47 yards led the Dolphins in yardage. He almost came down with a TD, but Tua, of course, overthrew it. (which is difficult considering Waller is 6’6″, but I digress.) McDaniel even admitted they were conservative with him in his first game back, which means the workload will only go up from here. Miami is fighting for a wild-card shot, and this matchup against the Jets is quietly intriguing. New York is 15th vs TEs, so middle of the road on paper, but don’t forget: Waller cooked them for two TDs in Week 4. The Dolphins should control the game script, which means more red-zone trips and more opportunities for Waller to cash in. He’s healthy, involved, and back in the playbook where it matters for TEs: the end zone.
Brenton Strange has been heating up since coming off IR himself. In just two games back, he’s put up eight catches on nine targets for 138 yards and a TD, with splash plays every week, including a 21-yard score last Sunday. What really matters: the role. Strange logged 83% of the snaps last week and ran a route on 81% of dropbacks, which is legit TE1 usage. He’s being schemed into the passing game. We already talked about how Vegas has this line set to 46.5, so they’re expecting some scoring. The Colts are 28th in schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed to TEs and 2nd-to-last in receiving yards allowed to the position. Jason has stamped Strange as his TE Start of the Week.
Verdict: Forgive me, Waller, but I’m rolling with Brenton Strange. He’s a matchup cheat code right now, and his full-time routes in a smash spot against a Colts defense that’s bottom five vs TEs are impossible to ignore. Waller has red-zone upside, but Strange has the cleaner path to volume. Miami could easily control the game on the ground, while the Jags are likely going to have to push it through the air to keep up with Indy.
The end of the regular fantasy season always sneaks up on you. Trust what you’ve learned up to this point. And if you’re still sweating a decision, drop a comment or hit me up on X. And don’t forget to lean on the Ballers’ Start/Sit tool, weekly rankings, and Mike’s Sunday start/sit show for those last-minute pivots. When the dust settles, and the playoffs are set… you’ll want to say you left nothing on the table.
from Fantasy Footballers Podcast https://ift.tt/1IPA0r6
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