Last minute fantasy football start/sit advice, projections Week 14: 49ers-Jets

The 49ers and Jets kick off at 1:05 pm PT in San Francisco. Niners Nation is here to break down the fantasy implications of the matchup, with sit/start advice, statistical projections from NFL.com, and last minute waiver wire targets at every position.

Quarterbacks

Colin Kaepernick’s awful performance in Week 13 burned a lot of fantasy owners, making it hard to trust him moving forward. Owners brave enough to roll the dice this week should be richly rewarded, however. Don’t forget, over the four weeks leading into the nightmare in Chicago, only one player in the entire NFL had scored more fantasy points than Kaepernick. He remains an outstanding option, although one with a high degree of risk. With fantasy playoffs on the line, start Kaepernick.

The 49ers offer a great matchup for fantasy QB’s, but it’s hard to buy into Bryce Petty as an option to start this season. Sit Petty.

Need a QB? If you can’t bring yourself to trust Colin Kaepernick (available in 87% of leagues) the options aren’t great. The hype on Carson Wentz has died down as the Eagles have come back down to earth, but this week he faces a Washington defense allowing the most points to QB’s over the last four games. Wentz is available to 80% of fantasy owners.

Projections:
Colin Kaepernick: 200 pass yards, 1 TD, 34 rush yards, 1 lost fumble - 15.4 points (23rd highest scoring QB)
Bryce Petty: 211 pass yards, 1 TD, 5 rush yards - 15.5 points (25th QB)

Running Backs

The 49ers have consistently given up major points to RB’s, making any No. 1 RB facing them a must start. Start Matt Forte and expect big things. Bilal Powell’s presence in the passing game has given him occasional fantasy relevance, unfortunately his value is entirely too touchdown dependent to trust. Despite the solid projection, sit Powell.

Carlos Hyde is a lock to start nearly every week, but this may be one of his lower stat lines. He should still put up enough points to contribute to a fantasy playoff win. Start Hyde.

Need a RB? The best widely available options at RB are platoon players, making them a high risk/reward play. Tim Hightower has 4 double digit scoring performances in the last 6 weeks, making him the best of those platoon options. Hightower is a free agent in 64% of fantasy leagues.

Projections:
Matt Forte: 72 yards, 1 TD, 16 receiving yards - 14.8 points (4th RB)
Bilal Powell: 22 rush yards, 1 TD, 23 receiving yards - 10.6 points (12th RB)
Carlos Hyde: 73 rush yards, 1 TD, 13 receiving yards, 1 lost fumble - 6.6 points (35th RB)

Wide Receivers

No team has allowed more fantasy points to the WR position this season than the 49ers, but questions at QB dampen fantasy expectations for the Jets group. Start Brandon Marshal, sit everyone else.

The 49ers passing game should get back on track this week, and the Jets are a favorable matchup for wide receivers. Unfortunately, no 49ers receiver has emerged as a trustworthy fantasy performer. Sit all 49ers receivers.

Need a WR? It’s understandable that fantasy owners would avoid the Rams passing game like the plague, but consider the fact that Kenny Britt has scored double digit points in 5 of his last 7 matchups, and is facing a Falcons defense allowing the 10th most points to WR’s. Britt is available in 63% of leagues.

Projections:
Brandon Marshal: 62 yards - 6.2 points (48th WR)
Jermey Kerley: 45 yards - 4.5 points (70th WR)
Robby Anderson: 31 yards - 3.1 pints (90th WR)
Torrey Smith: 29 yards - 2.9 points (94th WR)

Tight Ends

Entering the disaster in Chicago, Vance McDonald was on a miny hot streak, scoring more than all but two other TE’s over the previous for weeks. It’s a toss up whether he’ll produce points, making him a weaker option, but still worth considering. McDonald is a weak start.

Tight End is the only position that the 49ers are a bad fantasy matchup at, allowing the 10th least points to that position. The Jets don’t have anyone worth considering at TE, even in good matchups. Sit the Jets TE’s.

Need a TE? Cameron Brate has emerged as one of the favorite endzone targets for Jameis Winston, scoring TD’s in 4 of his last 6 games. The Buccaneers will need to put up points to keep up with the Saints, who have the No. 1 offense in the NFL. Brate is a free agent in 655 of leagues.

Projections:
Vance McDonald: 39 yards, 1 TD - 9.9 points (7th TE)
Austin Sefarian-Jenkins: 12 yards -1.2 points (42nd TE)

Kickers

Both teams give up a lot of points to kickers, and both kickers are fairly reliable. As most fantasy owners ignore the kicker position, there are likely better options on the waiver wire, but this should be a good week for both. Start Phil Dawson and Nick Folk.

Need a K? Matt Prater is a Top 5 kicker, with a Top 5 matchup, available in 80% of fantasy leagues.

Projections:
Phil Dawson: 11 points (4th K)
Nick Folk: 9 points (6th)

Defense/special teams

Both the 49ers and Jets offer a great matchup for fantasy defenses. The Jets in particular have allowed the 2nd most points to opposing defenses. Unfortunately both defenses are very very bad, ranking 27th and 28th in fantasy points. Sit both DEF’s.

Need a DEF? No defense has put up more fantasy points over the last four weeks than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but they’ve got a tough matchup against the No. 1 offense in the NFL. If you can’t trust the Buccaneers, the Miami Dolphins are the next best widely available option. They are on a downward trend, but the Dolphins have a matchup against a Cardinals team allowing the 4th most points to fantasy defenses.

Projections:
49ers DEF: 4 points (16th DEF)
Jets DEF: 4 points (18th DEF)