Week 14 Fantasy Picks: Start 'Em, Sit 'Em for Falcons vs Panthers

Two NFC teams desperately trying to keep up in the Wild Card race meet head-to-head in Week 14 as the Carolina Panthers host the Atlanta Falcons. FanDuel Sportsbook has the Panthers slated as 2.5-point home favorites in a game that is expected to go down to the wire.

If you need some help with your fantasy lineups, here's some start 'em, sit 'em advice for this Week 14 NFC South clash.

Russell Gage Fantasy

Start Russell Gage, WR, Atlanta Falcons: Wide receiver Russell Gage has worked his way back onto the fantasy radar in the three games following his zero-point performance in Week 10. In fact, the pass-catcher racked up 241 receiving yards and 1 touchdown on 22 catches (27 targets) during that span. Quarterback Matt Ryan has started to look his way a ton and that should come in handy on Sunday. With a point spread set at just 2.5 points, Gage should be getting work up until the final whistle blows. The 25-year-old has FLEX upside on Sunday despite facing a tough Carolina secondary.

Carolina Panthers D/ST Fantasy

Start Carolina Panthers D/ST: If the Panthers' D/ST unit is still available on the waiver wire, this is the perfect week to scoop 'em up. Atlanta is averaging just 316.3 total yards (No. 24 in NFL) and 18.0 points per game (No. 27 in NFL) this season. Carolina has shown that it can ball out against bad offenses and Ryan has thrown five interceptions over his last four games played. With playmakers like Stephon Gilmore and A.J. Bouye hovering in the secondary, the Falcons' offense could be in for a long day. The last time these two teams met in Week 8, Carolina finished the game with 11 fantasy points on defense.

Mike Davis Fantasy

Sit Mike Davis, RB, Atlanta Falcons: Fantasy managers may see Mike Davis' double-digit PPR performance in Week 13 as a sign that he is back to being a reliable RB option. That simply not the case, though. Davis scored his third touchdown of the season, but he saw just 8 total touches and acted as the change-of-pace back behind starter Cordarrelle Patterson. This isn't the matchup for him to run wild in, either. Carolina is giving up the second-fewest PPR fantasy points to opposing RBs and held Davis to 66 yards on 14 touches back in Week 8. Davis is merely a handcuff player to keep stashed on the bench for now.

Cam Newton Fantasy

Sit Cam Newton, QB, Carolina Panthers: Quarterback Cam Newton's ability to run the ball has always made him an enticing streaming option in fantasy football. However, he has struggled since his return to the NFL and was benched during Carolina's blowout loss to the Miami Dolphins in Week 12. Overall, the veteran signal-caller has thrown for just 281 yards and rushed for 51 yards across his two starts (4 total touchdowns). Head coach Matt Rhule remains adamant that Newton is the team's starter, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him use a short leash with the QB. The possibility of backup PJ Walker seeing playing time makes Newton a bench player on Sunday.

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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.