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Week 14 of the 2023 fantasy football season features one of the most highly-anticipated games of the year on Sunday Night Football. The Dallas Cowboys will host the Philadelphia Eagles in a high-stakes showdown that will likely have a major impact on the NFL playoffs.
The Eagles currently hold a one-game lead over the Cowboys in the NFC East divisional race, as well as in the standings for the potential number-one seed in the NFC playoff picture. A win for the Cowboys would even up the race for the final month of the regular season, while a victory for the Eagles will put them firmly in the driver's seat to achieve both.
The Cowboys and Eagles have been two of the best all-around teams this season, including being deep at their offensive skill positions. This has resulted in both teams featuring plenty of reliable options for fantasy football line-ups. The following breakdown can help managers decide which players to target and fade on Sunday Night Football.
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Sunday Night Football Week 14 Start 'Em & Sit 'Em fantasy football
This particular Sunday Night Football matchup is projected to be a high-scoring game featuring two of the best offenses in the league. They are led by Dak Prescott and Jalen Hurts, who are both among the favorites to win the NFL MVP award this year. While many options on SNF make for strong fantasy football options, managers must still analyze who is best to start and sit.
To determine this, a large number of variables should be taken into consideration. Some of these include recent individual performances, injuries to relevant players, potential game scripts, expected offensive roles, direct weekly matchups, and projected team totals. This helps to accurately project fantasy scores for potential line-up options.
This process can be extensive and complicated, but the Start/Sit Optimizer simplifies. This useful tool considers all of the factors for any players in a given week to generate line-up suggestions and fantasy projections. Managers who take full advantage of it often gain an edge over their competition.
Official injury reports are always another important factor when finalizing line-up decisions for fantasy players in any game. For this particular showdown on Sunday Night Football, both teams are fortunate to be relatively healthy, especially at their skill positions.
The Dallas Cowboys may be without backup running back Rico Dowdle, who is currently questionable to play. The Philadelphia Eagles are expected to have all of their weapons from last week available again for their upcoming game, as well as an additional boost. Starting tight end Dallas Goedert is reportedly trending towards making his return from a forearm injury.
Taking all of this and much more into careful consideration, here is a list of potential players to target and avoid in fantasy football for Sunday Night Football in Week 14 of the 2023 NFL season.
TNF Week 14 Fantasy Football Start 'Em Picks
Jalen Hurts
Few players should ever be blindly started every week in fantasy football, regardless of their matchup. Jalen Hurts is one of the rare exceptions to this rule. He has ranked among the top three overall quarterbacks in each of the past two years and has compiled the most top-ten finishes of any player during that time. Despite the Cowboys' elite defense, Hurts must be started in all formats.
Dak Prescott
The 2023 NFL MVP race has a new contender who probably wasn't expected to be there following a disappointing start to the season. Dak Prescott failed to record a multi-touchdown performance in the first half of the year but has exploded to become the QB1 over the past six weeks. He is an elite lineup option, especially considering the Eagles allow the most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks.
CeeDee Lamb
Volume is one of the most important assets for fantasy wide receivers. This makes CeeDee Lamb one of the best positional options this year. He has recorded at least nine targets in all six games since the bye week and has turned in double-digit receptions in four of them. He has also totaled six touchdowns in his past six games.
Brandin Cooks
After an extremely slow start to the 2023 fantasy football season, Brandin Cooks has turned things around. He failed to finish better than WR55 in PPR leagues in any of the first five weeks but has now ranked among the top 30 in five of his past seven games. He is a solid streamer against the Eagles, who allow the most fantasy points per game to wide receivers.
A.J. Brown
While A.J. Brown has cooled off considerably over the past few weeks, he is still a strong Week 14 option. He still ranks as the overall WR5 this year, despite finishing outside of the top 25 wide receivers in two of his past three games. He may struggle a bit against the Cowboys' top-10 passing defense, but he has been too good to leave on the bench.
DeVonta Smith
It has been a streaky season for DeVonta Smith, as demonstrated by his weekly finishes among fantasy football wide receivers. He opened the year by ranking among the top 20 in each of his first two games. He then failed to do so in any of the next five weeks but has bounced back to do it again in each of his past five games. He must be started in all line-ups during his current hot streak.
Jake Ferguson
Every fantasy football season sees unexpected players emerge as unlikely stars. Jake Ferguson has been one of them in 2023, entering Week 14 as the overall TE7 so far. He has scored a touchdown in four of his past six games, including against the Eagles in their previous meeting this year. He is a reliable option in a traditionally weak position.
Managers looking to acquire any of these Week 14 targets should consult the fantasy football trade analyzer first.
SNF Week 14 Fantasy Football Sit 'Em Picks
Tony Pollard
The Cowboys' entire offense has been revolutionized since their Week 7 bye, with many of their players bouncing back strong in the second half of this season. Tony Pollard is one of them, as he has ranked among the top 12 running backs in each of his past three games after failing to do so in each of the seven weeks prior.
Despite his strong recent form, he should preferably be avoided in Week 14 as the Eagles have been a bad matchup for running backs. They allow the fewest fantasy points per game to the position.
D'Andre Swift
Unlike Pollard, who has been trending up, D'Andre Swift has been going in the wrong direction in fantasy football. Despite ranking as the overall RB19 this year, he has ranked outside of the top 30 running backs in each of his past two games. The Cowboys allow the fourth-fewest fantasy points per game to his position, making Swift a fade candidate.
Dallas Goedert
Before suffering his forearm injury, Dallas Goedert was profiled as a TE1 on most fantasy rosters this year. He has been out for the past four weeks but is expected to make his return in Week 14 on SNF. His extended absence, paired with the Cowboys' 11th-ranked defense against fantasy tight ends, make him hard to trust this week.
