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Week 14 Fantasy Picks: Start 'Em, Sit 'Em for the Cowboys vs Bengals

By Larry Rupp

The Cowboys' inability to stop the run makes Giovani Bernard a great start in Week 14.
The Cowboys' inability to stop the run makes Giovani Bernard a great start in Week 14. / Michael Reaves/Getty Images
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The Cincinnati Bengals (2-9-1) will look to snap a 4-game losing streak when they host the Dallas Cowboys (3-9) in Week 14 NFL action. While this game may not have a major impact on the NFL playoff standings, it is still full of fantasy football stars will play a vital role in many first round matchups this week.

If you need help with your fantasy football lineups, here's some start 'em, sit 'em advice for the Week 14 Cowboys-Bengals showdown.

Amari Cooper Fantasy

Start Amari Cooper, WR, Dallas Cowboys: Amari Cooper has made the most of his opportunities lately as he has had over 80 receiving yard or a touchdown in each of his last three games. He has seen 24 targets over that span and is becoming quarterback Andy Dalton's go-to option in the passing game. He draws a favorable matchup in Week 14 as the Bengals have given up 14 touchdowns to opposing wide receivers this season (T-No. 22 in the NFL). In a season in which Cooper has been all over the place, it seems like he may have finally found his stride. He's worth a start in your FLEX this week and comes with some upside as well.

Giovani Bernard Fantasy

Start Giovani Bernard, RB, Cincinnati Bengals: Despite having a backup quarterback thrown into a starting role, the Bengals have seemed to completely abandon the running game. Giovani Bernard has just 37 carries over the last four games and hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 8. It's surprising to see the veteran running back see such little work given the track record of production he has. However, this is exactly the kind of matchup Bernard could exploit. The Dallas Cowboys are giving up the most rushing yards per game in the NFL this season (167.8) and just got shredded by the Baltimore Ravens to the tune of 294 rushing yards. You just can't overlook this matchup. Start Bernard this week.

CeeDee Lamb Fantasy

Sit CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys' passing game is slowly improving each and every week, but rookie CeeDee Lamb is still not producing enough results to be worthy of starting in fantasy football right now. Although Lamb has seen 22 targets over the last three games, he has totaled just 101 yards on 15 catches (6.7 yards per reception) and 1 touchdown. While this matchup does look favorable on paper, Lamb is still competing with Michael Gallup for targets as the No. 2 receiver on the team. That type of player is not someone you can trust in round 1 of the fantasy football playoffs. Keep Lamb on your bench for now.

Tee Higgins Fantasy

Sit Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals: Tee Higgins has had an impressive rookie campaign, but cannot get anything going lately given the quarterback change in Cincinnati. He was able to haul in 5 of 7 targets last week for 56 yards, but it was clear the passing attack was not going to allow him to produce any type of big numbers moving forward. This is a perfect matchup for the Bengals wide receivers, but it is likely Tyler Boyd is the one to reap the benefits. Boyd caught 72 yard touchdown last week before he was ejected from the game. Unless you have no other reliable options, it would be smart to avoid starting Higgins this week.

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Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.