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Benching a star fantasy football player with a recognizable name is never an easy task.
You would think it would be easier in Week 14 since no team has a bye, which means you have more options than usual. But then one remembers this is playoff crunch time, and the idea of sitting a major name becomes devastating all over again.
Like coaches going with a hot hand or dealing with injuries, though, owners understand this as a necessary evil this time of year. More often than not, finding a smart alternative ends up being the difference between a fantasy championship and a premature look at team names for next year.
To help make the difficult process easier, here is a look at matchup-value comparisons and start-sit decisions.
Quarterback
Star to Know: Jameis Winston, TB (vs. NO)
Now would be a good time to consider Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston a big name worth a start most weeks.
Winston has come into his own this year as a fantasy option, scoring 18 or more points six times. A smart floor is what owners should seek—Winston delivers, having hit 15 or more points seven games and running.
Next is an encounter with the New Orleans Saints, who allow the 13th-most points to quarterbacks on average, including 23 in Week 13.
With Winston knowing full and well how to exploit a shaky defense, he's in for a big day just when owners need it.
Star to Sit: Dak Prescott, DAL (at NYG)
On the other hand, this time of year is when owners should veer away from rookie quarterbacks.
Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys has been quite the sensation and helped many owners. But he's coming off a 10-point performance in Week 13, and this is the time of year when owners can't afford to have a rookie performance from a starter.
Prescott simply doesn't inspire going into an NFC East encounter with the New York Giants, who held him to 10 points in Week 1 and allow the third-fewest points to opposing quarterbacks on average.
Prescott has improved since Week 1. These Giants, though, haven't budged.
Running Back
Star to Know: Spencer Ware, KC (vs. OAK)
Fantasy owners have to love the sight of a healthy Spencer Ware—unless the Kansas City Chiefs running back lines up against them.
Ware managed 16 points in Week 13 via a rushing and receiving score; it was his first double-digit outing since Week 7. That's an encouraging sign because Ware looks to be back to his dual-threat ways at a time when owners need him the most.
Next up is a Thursday game against the Oakland Raiders. For as great as the Raiders have been this season, they still permit the fifth-most points to backs on average.
Ware knows all about this, having posted 22 points against Oakland in Week 6.
Star to Sit: Mark Ingram, NO (at TB)
Saints back Mark Ingram is one of the more untrustworthy names this time of year.
It's never easy to predict how the Saints will use their backs, if at all. Ingram's last two performances exemplify this conundrum—he exploded for 28 points in Week 12 and then dropped four in Week 13.
That's normal, as Ingram has five double-digit outings and six in the single digits, not to mention one outing at minus-two points.
It isn't wise to trust Ingram on the road against the Buccaneers, who have surrendered only eight touchdowns to backs this year, with only five opposing backfields hitting the 20-point mark.
Wide Receiver
Star to Know: Julian Edelman, NE (vs. BAL)
New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman looks to have hit his stride right when owners need him to.
Edelman finally hit double digits in Week 11 and now has a pair of such outings over his past three games, scoring eight or more points three times in a row.
It's almost as if Tom Brady trusts Edelman when it matters most. Owners should as well when the Patriots line up against a Baltimore Ravens defense that is coughing up the ninth-most points to opposing wideouts on average.
Five opposing sets of wideouts have scored 25 or more points on the unit, including Cleveland's group. It's easy to bank on Edelman and New England being next.
Star to Sit: Allen Robinson, JAC (vs. MIN)
Allen Robinson has completely fallen off the map.
So it goes in the NFL and fantasy realms this time of year—teams like New England rise to the occasion, while teams such as the Jacksonville Jaguars nosedive.
While he's one of the best receivers in the league, Robinson has hit on single-digit production in each of his last three games and now has just four double-digit performances all year. While he's the No. 1 target for the Jaguars, he doesn't have more than three catches in a game three weeks and counting.
This won't change in Week 13 against the Minnesota Vikings. They give up the second-fewest points to wideouts on average, permitting only two outings of more than 20 fantasy points all year.
Tight End
Star to Know: Zach Ertz, PHI (vs. WAS)
Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz might just be back in time for the playoffs.
Ertz didn't benefit much from rookie Carson Wentz's output earlier this year and hasn't benefited from the careening play of the offense most of the year.
In Week 13, though, Ertz broke through with his best game of the season, catching nine passes for 79 yards and a touchdown, hitting 13 points.
Owners have to hope it is a turning point for an offense that could look to him more often going into a Week 14 encounter with the Washington Redskins.
Star to Sit: Kyle Rudolph, MIN (at JAC)
Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph might rank among the top 10 in scoring at his position, but his position is also one of the most inconsistent every week.
Rudolph hasn't scored more than six points in each of his past three outings, including a one-point dud. He isn't a major part of the Sam Bradford-led offense, which isn't all that potent to begin with.
The Jaguars do many things wrong, but defending tight ends isn't one of them. Jacksonville has allowed only three touchdowns to the position all year, and two of them came in one game.
Rudolph's outlook seems bleak going into a game against a defense that has allowed one point to tight ends in total over its past two games.
All scoring info and statistics courtesy of ESPN.com standard leagues, as are points-against info and ownership stats.
Follow Chris Roling (@Chris_Roling) on Twitter.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
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