Top Week 14 Fantasy Football matchups: Austin Ekeler vs Broncos and more

Modified Dec 07, 2023 02:02 GMT

Los Angeles Chargers v Indianapolis Colts — Top Week 14 Fantasy Football matchups

Direct matchups are one of the most important factors when setting fantasy football lineups each week. Sometimes it's more valuable to make lineup decisions based more on a player's opponent in a given week rather than their actual performance during the season.

Consistent success in fantasy football is simply based on scoring the most points each week, not necessarily having the best players on a roster. Playing the NFL matchups is one of the best ways to approach this strategy. Managers should basically look to target players in favorable situations each week to give themselves the highest probability of posting a high score.

It's important to mention that in traditional season-long fantasy football leagues, managers should be starting their superstar players just about every week, with few rare exceptions. Matchup-based decisions are utilized more often for the next tier of options and all the way down to potential bench players.

Where matchups become extremely important for elite fantasy options is in DFS formats. It can help to determine which studs to spend high on and which others to avoid. DFS managers only have a limited bank to spend on players, so using it wisely on the most-favorable weekly situations, rather than the biggest names, can be a winning strategy.

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Austin Ekeler is an ideal example of a player to target in Week 14 based on his direct matchup. He has uncharacteristically struggled to post big fantasy numbers this season, but a matchup with the Denver Broncos could be just what he needs to get back on track. They are allowing the most fantasy points per game to running backs.

The opposite side of this strategy can be represented by a player like Matthew Stafford. He has been on a hot streak in recent weeks, finishing among the top eight quarterbacks in each of the past two weeks. He is still a clear fade candidate in Week 14 against the Baltimore Ravens, who allow the fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks.

The following list highlights the three best and three worst matchups for specific players to be aware of for Week 14 of the 2023 fantasy football season. It includes only players who are legitimate lineup options in most weeks, and they are ranked only according to how good or bad their opposing defense has been against their direct position, based on fantasy points allowed per game.