Fantasy Football Week 14 Wide Receiver Start/Sit: Jauan Jennings, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Keenan Allen, Amari Cooper, DeVonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle

Welcome to FantasySP’s Week 14 fantasy football wide receiver start/sit breakdown! As always, I’d like to start by taking a look back at last week’s results. On the Start side, results were fairly mediocre. Darnell Mooney let us down with just 3.5 Half-PPR points, Jauan Jennings managed just 7.1 points in a snowstorm, and even Jakobi Meyers was just okay at 12.7 points despite 11 targets. 

As has become a trend, I was more effective as a hater: DeAndre Hopkins performed the best of my Sits with a middling 11.0 points, while Amari Cooper and Deebo Samuel combined for just 4.7. Samuel and Cooper were both hurt by the weather, but they also both had thoroughly mediocre usage regardless, so I like the process there. 

Hopefully this week I can hit on some Starts while keeping my hating hot streak alive. With six teams on bye, including some of the NFL’s best offenses, options are more limited, so standards will be lowered with playoff hopes on the line. Let’s get right into it!

For more help with your toughest Week 14 Start/Sit decisions, check out FantasySP’s NFL Start/Sit tool!

Fantasy Football Wide Receivers To Start Week 14

Jauan Jennings, San Francisco 49ers vs. Chicago Bears

Last week, I included Jennings as a Start, and he didn’t do much. But I’m willing to throw that game away entirely due to the weather and go right back to him. Even if we include the snow game, Jennings’ stats in recent weeks are excellent. Since returning from injury in Week 10, he has averaged 11.6 Half-PPR points per game on a 29% target share and a 38% air yards share. 

Not only do those numbers lead the 49ers, but that target share number lands Jennings seventh among all NFL WRs over the last four weeks. Back at home in warmer weather and with a healthy Brock Purdy, those targets should turn into points for Jennings. The Bears’ defense isn’t an ideal matchup, but I have faith that Third & Jauan will get the job done. 

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Tennessee Titans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Everyone and their uncle knows that Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is running unsustainably hot on touchdowns. He has eight touchdowns for the season on just 20 receptions, an absurd 40% TD rate — the next highest TD rate among players with at least five scores belongs to Jalen Nailor at 28%. However, the fact that he’s not going to keep finding pay dirt at this rate doesn’t necessarily mean NWI isn’t a good play.

There are a few things that make me optimistic about Westbrook-Ikhine’s chances for this week. For one, his actual volume usage is trending in the right direction. He posted a season-high 20% target share in Week 12, then followed it up with a team-leading 19% and season-high eight targets in Week 13. He also posted an absolutely elite 95% route participation rate last week. 

This increased usage sets up perfectly for NWI heading into a dream matchup with the Jaguars, who have been far and away the worst pass defense in the NFL this season. They allow outside receivers to score 5.1 PPR fantasy points above their averages, the highest mark in the league. Jacksonville's defense also allows a league-high 0.312 EPA per dropback, while no other team is above even 0.175. If you’re in a pinch with byes this week, Westbrook-Ikhine may be your saivor with one more big outing.

Keenan Allen, Chicago Bears @ San Franciso 49ers

I can’t believe that Keenan is still projected to be started in less than half of fantasy leagues this week. Yes, his season-long stats aren’t great, but things change fast in the NFL (and therefore fantasy football). Since Thomas Brown took over as the Bears’ OC (he has since been promoted to interim HC), Allen has averaged 15.7 Half-PPR points per game.

The big reason for that change has been that Brown has simplified the Bears’ passing offense. After throwing to his first read just 60.5% of the time under Shane Waldron, Caleb Williams has jumped way up to a 71% first-read target rate over the last three weeks, and he was above 80% in each of Brown’s first two weeks. That is a huge deal for Keenan, who leads the Bears with a 32% first-read target share with Brown calling plays. All those schemed-up looks have turned into a 26% overall target share and a 30% air yards share, both of which also lead Chicago’s offense. 

If there’s any reason for concern, it’s that the 49ers have been the league’s worst matchup for slot receivers so far this season. But Allen actually only runs roughly half of his routes from the slot, and San Francisco is more beatable out wide. Especially with the amount of designed looks he is seeing, I love the veteran’s chances to come through for us this week.

Fantasy Football Wide Receivers To Sit Week 14

Amari Cooper, Buffalo Bills @ Los Angeles Rams

I said in the intro that I liked my process for calling Cooper a Sit in Week 13 regardless of the weather, so I’m going to double down in Week 14. The big problem with Cooper’s Bills tenure has been that he simply isn’t being used as a full-time receiver. He has never been above a 62% route participation rate in a Bills uniform, including just a 58% rate last week even with Keon Coleman sidelined.

With that low of a participation rate on a run-happy offense, it’s almost impossible for Cooper to provide value. Not being on the field reduces his chances to rack up targets, massively lowering both his ceiling and floor outcomes. Even in a good matchup with the Rams’ defense, he’s not worth playing this week. 

DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles vs. Carolina Panthers

After missing the last two games with a hamstring issue, Smith is on track to play in Week 14. However, I’m not so sure you should plug him right back into your lineups. The issue with Smith is simple: The Eagles are too good. They are the only team in the league with a rush rate above 50%. Not only do they have a suddenly dominant defense and an elite running game, but they have the most conservative play-calling in the league with a pass rate 6.8% below expected. That number has gotten even crazier in recent weeks, as they have been a massive 9.9% below their expected pass rate since their Week 5 bye. 

That means there simply aren’t many targets to go around in this offense: Jalen Hurts is averaging just 21.5 attempts per game over the last eight weeks. On a normal team, Smith’s 23% target share would be great. On the Eagles, he has seen just 4.5 targets per game since Week 6. That number isn’t likely to get any higher this week, as Philadelphia is a 12.5-point favorite over the lowly Panthers. Smith has the talent to have a good day with just one play, so he’s not a must-bench. But he’ll essentially need a big play to be worth starting given his very low projected volume, so I’d consider other options if you have them.

Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins vs. New York Jets

In some ways, Waddle’s situation is comparable to Smith, his fellow member of the 2021 NFL Draft. Like with Smith, I don’t doubt Waddle’s talent or explosive ability; he’s not a must-bench. But Waddle has struggled for volume even more than DeVonta, with just a 15% target share (5.0 targets per game) for the season. The Dolphins’ have reworked their offense, and Waddle is clearly the fourth option in the Miami passing game behind De’Von Achane, Jonnu Smith, and Tyreek Hill.

At the same time, this is a tough matchup for Waddle. Despite all their struggles this season, the Jets have still done well against opposing receivers. They rank as the fourth-toughest schedule-adjusted matchup for WRs, giving up the third-fewest yards per game to the position. Sauce Gardner is likely to miss this matchup, making things slightly easier on Waddle. But I simply don’t think he sees enough volume to be startable in crucial Week 14 fantasy matchups. If you are one of the nearly 50% of managers currently relying on Waddle, I would start looking elsewhere. 

Ted Chmyz is a fantasy football contributor for FantasySP. Find him on Twitter @Tchmyz for more fantasy content or to ask questions.