With trade deadlines having passed in the vast majority of fantasy football leagues, it is time to shift to the weekly Trade Market article to a breakdown of positional matchups headed into Week 14; or, Week 1 of the fantasy football playoffs. I live by a motto in all fantasy sports and it is very simple: Start Your Studs. If you own Aaron Rodgers, there is no debate—he needs to be in your starting lineup regardless of the matchup. The breakdown needs to happen when you are trying to decide between Lamar Miller, Shaun Draughn, and Jonathan Stewart. Things get tricky in the middle tiers and that’s what we need to focus on.

Quarterback

If you were a smart fantasy owner and waited on your quarterback this year, you may be staring down the barrel of a back-and-forth debate on who to start during Week 14. That doesn’t necessarily mean you have mediocre quarterbacks, but rather, one has a clearer matchup advantage.

Starting with the Thursday night game, Carson Palmer should be started in all formats. He is putting up an MVP-like season and has a home game against a reeling Vikings team.  Being completely healthy has done wonders for Palmer and he should have no problem slicing up an overrated Vikings secondary. Russell Wilson threw for 274 yards and three touchdowns during a Week 13 thrashing and I expect Palmer to go over 300 yards with multiple touchdowns.

Speaking of Wilson, he gets to face the Ravens in Baltimore. It’s been a lost season for the Ravens as they’ve dealt with an unprecedented amount of injuries. Baltimore has been better against the run than the pass this year, so don’t be surprised if Seattle comes out throwing the ball in an attempt to jump to an early lead on the road. Over the last three weeks, Wilson has thrown for 879 yards with eight touchdowns and zero interceptions. Fantasy owners are reaping the blessings of Wilson’s strong play as Seattle fights for a playoff spot. I would start Wilson over Philip Rivers, Ryan Tannehill, or Matt Ryan.

Another quarterback that I love this week is the rookie, Jameis Winston. Tampa Bay gets a juicy matchup against a New Orleans team that gives up a ton of points and the most fantasy points to the quarterback position. Whether Winson does damage through the air or with his legs, he is absolutely in a great spot to put up monster number this week.

Strong Matchups

Jameis Winston vs. New Orleans (Ranked 32nd against opposing QBs).*

Tyrod Taylor vs. Philadelphia (Ranked 30th against opposing QBs).

Weak Matchups

Matt Ryan vs. Carolina (Ranked 3rd against opposing QBs).

Philip Rivers vs. Kansas City (Ranked 9th against opposing QBs).

Running Back

On paper, one of the better matchups of the week goes to Shaun Draughn of the San Francisco 49ers. It’s hard to say what is worse: the Browns’ rushing attack or their rushing defense. Draughn is San Francisco’s lead back by default, but he has been serviceable in the role and could see 20 carries this week. Where Draughn has especially excelled this year is as an option in the passing game. If you own the former undrafted free agent, he makes for a fine RB2 and a must-play in the FLEX spot.

A trend continues with using the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week. The Saints are almost as terrible against the run as they are against the pass, so Doug Martin should see plenty of work this week. Martin had a decent showing against the Saints during a Week 2 matchup, rushing for 78 on 20 carries. This is a different Martin, though, so expect much better numbers this time around.

Coming off a poor performance against a stout Seattle run defense, Adrian Peterson gets another rough matchup in Arizona on Thursday night. While it’s tough to let Peterson ride the pine, if you have a clear viable option, it may be something to consider. The Vikings are going to need a huge game from Peterson if they want to have a chance to win, but the Cardinals have given up a league low 782 yards against the run. I prefer both Charcandrick West and Todd Gurley to Peterson this week.

Strong Matchups

Charcandrick West vs. San Diego (Ranked 29th against opposing RBs).

Jonathan Stewart vs. Atlanta (Ranked 28th against opposing RBs).

T.J. Yeldon vs. Indianapolis (Ranked 26th against opposing RBs).

Weak Matchups

Javorius Allen vs. Seattle (Ranked 1st against opposing RBs).

Jeremy Hill/Giovani Bernard vs. Pittsburgh (Ranked 2nd against opposing RBs).

DeAngelo Williams vs. Cincinnati (Ranked 10th against opposing RBs).

Wide Receiver

Often times it’s a very smart idea to go back to the overflowing well that quenches your thirst. That’s exactly what you want to do this week with the Jacksonville wide receivers. With Allen Hurns healthy, both he and Allen Robinson are excellent options against an Indianapolis Colts secondary that got torched by Ben Roethlisberger on Sunday night. Robinson is the better option, as he’s easily been one of the best—and least talked about—receivers in all of football this year.

With the Steelers and Bengals both tough against the run, expect a barnburner in Cincinnati on Sunday afternoon. Obviously, you start Antonio Brown in any situation because he’s the most dominant force in the NFL, but both Martavis Bryant and even Markus Wheaton are worth a long look. On the other side of the field, A.J. Green should be deployed and started with confidence. Marvin Jones makes for a decent WR3 play as a high-scoring game is expected.

You can’t fade Aaron Rodgers against a strong Cowboys pass defense, but that doesn’t mean you have to use his wide receivers. Randall Cobb has underperformed all season, while James Jones normally needs a touchdown to justify a spot in your starting lineup.

The Broncos have allowed just one touchdown through the air this year, which is downright amazing. Rookie Amari Cooper is just 80 yards away from a 1,000-yard season, but he’s unlikely to reach that mark this week.

Strong Matchups

Sammy Watkins vs. Philadelphia (Ranked 32nd against opposing WRs).

Allen Robinson vs. Indianapolis (Ranked 30th against opposing WRs).

Jarvis Landry vs. New York Giants (Ranked 25th against opposing WRs).

Weak Matchups

Amari Cooper/Michael Crabtree vs. Denver (Ranked 1st against opposing WRs).

Dez Bryant vs. Green Bay (Ranked 11th against opposing WRs + Matt Cassel).

Tight End

If there is one horse at the tight end position to ride into the playoffs with, it’s Gary Barnidge. The veteran came out of nowhere this season and is only 183 yards from a 1,000-yard season. The Browns have stated publically that they will be starting Johnny Manziel this week. In Manziel’s last start against Pittsburgh on November 15, he targeted Barnidge eight times. Of those eight targets, Barnidge caught six passes for 65 yards and a touchdown. Cleveland hasn’t established a running game yet this year and there’s no reason to think that will start this week. San Francisco has actually been solid against opposing tight ends, but that is unlikely to matter in this case.

Another player to look at starting would be Austin Seferian-Jenkins. Even though he played just 21 snaps last week against the Falcons, he gets a pristine matchup against a Saints team that has allowed 1,016 yards and 10 touchdowns to the tight end position. The Buccaneers are a much better team when ASJ is involved; so expect him to see more snaps in his second game back from injury.

Strong Matchups

Austin Seferian-Jenkins vs. New Orleans (Ranked 32nd against opposing TEs).

Crockett Gillmore vs. Seattle (Ranked 27th against opposing TEs).

Tyler Eifert vs. Pittsburgh (Ranked 26th against opposing TEs).

Weak Matchups

Antonio Gates/Ladarius Green vs. Kansas City (Ranked 1st against opposing TEs).

Delanie Walker vs. New York Jets (Ranked 3rd against opposing TEs).

*Rank based on standard scoring.