Fantasy Football Week 14 QB’s: Start Mahomes, Josh Allen; Sit Brandon Allen

 There has been a shakeup since we surveyed the top and bottom-tiered quarterbacks in fantasy football two weeks ago.  Patrick Mahomes has ascended to the top spot, Kyler Murray has slid to No. 2, Josh Allen has risen to No. 3 and Russell Wilson has fallen to No. 4.

Tier 1 Starting Quarterbacks

Let’s look at the top tier (QB1)  quarterbacks and highlight the “Surefire Starters” for week 14 in that group

1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City quarterback, accumulated 50.6 fantasy football points (FFP) in weeks 12 and 13 to move past Kyler Murray into sole possession of the No. 1 ranking among fantasy football quarterbacks.  He faces another tough challenge this weekend as the Chiefs go on the road to play the Miami Dolphins.  The Dolphins secondary is rated in the middle of the pack, so Mahomes should be a Surefire Starter and be able to score 20-25 FFP against Miami.
2. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals quarterback, joins Mahomes as the only QB’s to score more than 300 FFP this season.  (Murray has 307.38 and Mahomes has 310.7 points.) Murray has rushed for just 61 yards in the last three weeks and will be tested by the New York Giants secondary. It could be a subpar 15-20 point week for the Cardinals quarterback.
3. Josh Allen,Buffalo Bills quarterback, passed for 350 yards and tossed 4 touchdown passes in the Bills’ 34-24 win over San Francisco in week 13.  Allen’s improvement as the season has progressed makes him a potential MVP candidate, a Surefire Starter on Sunday and a projected 20+ point scorer in week 14.
4. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks quarterback, scored 15 points or less in two consecutive games for the first time this season in weeks 12 and 13.  Expect him to paly like a Surefire Starter and rebound with 25+ FFP against the winless New York Jets.
5. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers quarterback, has moved up to No. 5 at quarterback in fantasy football.  Rodgers has thrown 10 touchdown passes in the last three games.  Detroit fans are hoping the Packers can be contained in this critical week 14 home game for the Lions.
6. Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans quarterback, played like a Tier 2 quarterback the first half of the season, but he has scored 83.92 FFP in the last 3 games to move up to No. 6.  Though his primary target, wide receiver Will Fuller V, has been suspended for the rest of the season, Watson should be productive against the Bears who are mired in a 6-game losing streak.
7. Ryan Tannehill,  Tennessee Titans quarterback, cannot be faulted for  the Titans loss to Cleveland in week 13.  Trailing 38-7 at the half, Tannehill was forced to gear up Tennessee’s passing attack to the tune of 389 yards passing and 3 touchdown passes.  Don’t expect Tannnehill to throw 45 passes against Jacksonville this Sunday.
8. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers quarterback, had a miserable game against the New England in week 13.  He completed only 26 of 53 passes and threw 2 interceptions in the 3rd quarter.  Herbert will look to duplicate his effort from week 11 and score 27 FFP against Atlanta this Sunday.

Tier 2 Starting Quarterbacks

This group of quarterbacks is better suited as a “QB2” on a fantasy team and averages 15-20 FFP per week.  Please note that often  there is a “sleeper”” in this group.

1. Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback, home against Minnesota in week 13.
2. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens quarterback, Monday night in Cleveland.
3. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, Sunday night at Buffalo.
4. Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings quarterback, Sunday afternoon at Tampa Bay.
5. Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions quarterback, late Sunday afternoon home game against Green Bay.  Stafford may be playing with injuries, but he always plays hard against archrival Aaron Rodgers.  After rallying to beat the Bears in the final minute of their week 13 game, it would be surprising if Stafford was this week’s “Sleeper” at quarterback.
6. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons quarterback, late Sunday afternoon at Los Angeles Chargers
7. Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders quarterback, hosting Indianapolis late Sunday afternoon
8. Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints quarterback, travels to Philadelphia to play Eagles late Sunday afternoon

Tier 3 Starting Quarterbacks

This group of quarterbacks is averaging 10-15 FFP per week.  They represent the best of the bottom part of the quarterback fantasy pool.

1. Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams quarterback, beat New England Thursday night but Goff scored 14.58 FFP.
2. Cam Newton, New England Patriots quarterback, lost to the Rams 24-3 Thursday night and Newton scored only 4.36 FFP
3. Teddy Bridgewater, Carolina Panthers quarterback
4. Philip Rivers, Indianapolis Colts quarterback
5. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins quarterback
6. Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns quarterback
7. David Jones, New York Giants quarterback
8. Alex Smith, Washington Football Team quarterback

Tier 4 Starting Quarterbacks

This group of quarterbacks should be “riding the bench”.

1. Andy Dalton, Dallas Cowboys quarterback
2. Drew Lock, Denver Broncos quarterback
3. Nick Mullens, San Francisco 49ers quarterback
4. Sam Darnold, New York Jets quarterback
5. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback
6. Mitchell Trubisky, Chicago Bears quarterback
7. Mike Glennon, Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback
8. Brandon Allen, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback