Week 14 Fantasy Football WR Start/Sit Decisions: Brandin Cooks, Jayden Reed, Puka Nacua and More

My week 14 start/sit article from Saturday didn’t include any wide receivers, so we’ll cover some of the trending wideouts from the FantasySP “Who Should I Start?” tool now.

There’s a number of names listed, but we’ll focus on Dallas Cowboys’ Brandin Cooks, Green Bay Packers’ Jayden Reed and Los Angeles Rams’ Puka Nacua. A lot of the other players that are part of trending decisions will get covered as they are pitted against one of these three guys.

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Some Recent Numbers

Cooks has emerged as the Cowboys’ No. 2 receiver over the past several weeks. He’s had at least four targets in each of the past three games.

Cooks is up to 37 catches for 497 yards and five touchdowns on 52 total targets for the season. He’s made three grabs on five red zone targets.

The Cowboys have a matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles in week 14. Cooks is ranked 30th in the weekly projections amongst wide receivers. It’s the best possible matchup a receiver can have, as Philly allows 48 points to the position per week.

Cooks is one of my sleeper picks for the week.

Reed has been great for the Packers in his rookie season. He’s had five or more targets in each of the past four games.

Reed leads the Pack with 513 receiving yards, and has scored five touchdowns on 40 catches and 64 targets. He’s also rushed for 81 yards and a touchdown on seven attempts. Reed has nine grabs on 13 red zone targets.

Green Bay faces the New York Giants on Monday night. Reed is ranked 31st in the projections going into his favorable matchup. Another thing to note is that fellow WR Christian Watson is out, so Reed should be even more involved than usual.

Nacua hasn’t been able to replicate his incredible start to the season, but he has been targeted seven or more times across the past three contests. He’s the team leader in just about every receiving statistic.

The rookie wideout has caught 77-of-118 targets for 1,029 yards and four touchdowns. He’s hauled in half of his 10 red zone looks.

Nacua was limited in practice early in the week, but eventually logged two practices and doesn’t carry an injury designation coming into the game. The Rams will likely be without tight end Tyler Higbee, so there could be a couple extra targets that are up for grabs.

Nacua is ranked 22nd in the weekly projections. The Rams will take on the Baltimore Ravens, which is a very tough matchup for receivers. 

Other Receivers to Consider and the Best Options

Cooks is part of trending decisions with Reed, Seattle Seahawks’ Tyler Lockett, Rams’ Cooper Kupp and Cleveland Browns’ Amari Cooper. Reed is in other decisions with Cooper, Kupp and Jacksonville Jaguars’ Calvin Ridley. Nacua is part of trending decisions with Denver Broncos’ Courtland Sutton, Kansas City Chiefs’ Rashee Rice and Houston Texans’ Nico Collins.

Let’s throw all these receivers into the equation and pick the best options. Collins is the highest ranked receiver at 13th, while Lockett is the lowest at 35th. Collins might be the highest ranked, but he’s also got the toughest matchup.

My list will be based a bit on what defense the receivers are going against, a bit on what they’ve accomplished this season and then a bit of intuition.

Sutton has quietly (I think, at least) been one of the better fantasy receivers of the season. I like his matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers a bunch and see him leading the way of this bunch of wideouts.

I’d take Reed in his matchup against the Giants next, followed closely by Cooks against the Eagles. Give me Collins next against the New York Jets, and then Nacua against the Ravens. 

I’d take Cooper next in a battle with the Jaguars, and then go with Rice against the Buffalo Bills. I’d wrap things up with Lockett against the San Francisco 49ers, Ridley against the Browns and Kupp against the Ravens.

Best of luck in week 14, especially if you are in a playoff matchup!