December means holidays, winter weather and the NFL playoff push, though if you're a fantasy footballer, the playoff push might already be done and dusted.Depending on the size and setup of your fantasy league, the make-believe playoffs might already be upon you in Week 14. If not, they are right around the corner. The waiver wire has likely been picked clean, so much more time will be spent in these pressure-packed final weeks crafting the perfect lineup based on the players already on hand.Week 13 saw some superlative displays from young guns on struggling teams like Marcus Mariota, Allen Robinson, Blake Bortles and Javorius Allen, as well as standout performances from the usual veteran suspects like Cam Newton, Russell Wilson and A.J. Green.A good fantasy day can come from any player on any team, especially as some of the poorer squads lose focus or experiment at the end of the season and the better ones only ratchet up the intensity in anticipation of the postseason.Here's a look at the Week 14 fantasy football projections, along with some advice on who might be a waiver-wire hero.QuarterbacksBoom: Jameis Winston, Tampa BayWeek 14 marks Jameis Winston's turn to get another crack at the New Orleans Saints' terrible, horrible, no good, very bad defense, which has been a quarterback's best friend lately. Winston played the Saints all the way back in Week 2, throwing for just 207 yards and one touchdown.He's done quite a bit of growing up since then, and his five touchdown passes in Week 11 against Philadelphia showedthat he can take advantage of a poor passing defense when one comes along. Even though the rookie's stats have since come back to earth, the talent is there for another big game. Ken Belson of theNew York Timespoints out he's essentially calling his shots these days:In the huddle four plays later, Winston said he asked his teammates, Who wants to score a touchdown', and wide receiver Mike Evans replied, Me, me, me. Winston then threw Evans a 6-yard pass in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown and a 4-point lead. Moments later, the Buccaneers sealed a 23-19 victory when Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan threw an interception.Cam Newton, Kirk Cousins and Marcus Mariota have all slashed the Saints in recent weeks. Look for Winston to get a trio of passing touchdowns as Tampa Bay continues its push for a playoff spot.Bust: Brian Hoyer, HoustonBrian Hoyer has been one of the league's nicer surprises this season, tossing 18 touchdowns against just six interceptions in nine games. He tallied 295 passing yards and three touchdowns in Sunday's loss to Buffalo. It was a fine effort, but one he's unlikely to repeat in Week 14 against New England.The Pats are coming off two close losses and are now the No. 3 seed in the AFC after spending nearly all their time as the conference's top seed. Despite losing both those games, neither Denver's Brock Osweiler nor Philadelphia's Sam Bradford put up many fantasy points. New England has been stingy to quarterbacks all year, allowing the 12th-fewest fantasy points per game.Hoyer has one of the league's ultimate weapons in wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who is good for several catches and at least one jaw-dropping display week in and week out. He's not impossible to shut down, however, and New England can stick one of the NFL's better corners on him in Malcolm Butler. Take Hoyer's top weapon away, and you're likely to see a very average-looking QB out on the gridiron.Simply put, I wouldn't want to be, let alone start, the quarterback who has to go up against what is going to be a very pissed off New England team.Running BacksBoom: Thomas Rawls, SeattleThe big game against Minnesota clinched it: Thomas Rawls is going to get his, no matter what.The undrafted rookie racked up 101 rushing yards, 22 receiving yards and a touchdown in Seattle's 38-7 blowout of Minnesota. If he can do it against the Vikings, he can do it against a stout Baltimore defense in Week 14.HawkBlogger.com's Brian Nemhauser pointed out Rawls is outperforming the NFL's other most talked-about rookie running back:Rawls appears to be as good as gold as far as fantasy football is concerned. Wilson's excellent play down the stretch opens up things for him in the running game. With no other healthy back who can compete with his blend of power and speed, Rawls is getting more snaps than a coffeehouse poetry slam.Marshawn Lynch can take all the time needs to recover. Rawls has this running back thing covered for Seattle.Bust: LeGarrette Blount, New EnglandDon't ever trust a running back on a Bill Belichick-coached team. You never know when he's going to pluck a guy from the rotation, or stop taking advantage of whatever unique skill set brought him touches in the first place.Blount finished with 13 carries for 52 yards against the Eagles Sunday. It was his fourth straight game with less than 20 carries and 70 rushing yards. He hasn't scored in his last three games.The Patriots have been forced to use the likes of James White and Brandon Bolden much more with Tom Brady suffering from a dearth of options in the passing game, something that has never been Blount's strong suit.ESPN.com's Mike Reiss relayed the snap counts for Pats running backs in Week 13:White picked up 10 catches for 115 yards and a touchdown in those 51 snaps, so don't expect Blount to eat into his total too much going forward. He has a low fantasy ceiling with a game against a playoff-hungry Houston coming up.Wide ReceiversBoom: Sammy Watkins, BuffaloSammy Watkins and Tyrod Taylor have been in total sync the past two weeks, just in time to feast on a poor Philadelphia pass defense in Week 14.Watkins reeled in nine catches for 267 yards and three touchdowns in Weeks 12 and 13. He's pleased with Taylor's improvement this year and is clearly benefiting from the results"He is just getting better every week with leading this team, being a leader," Watkins said of Taylor, per John Wawrow of the Associated Press (via the San Francisco Chronicle). "He is the guy we are rolling with."Watkins has had several very poor fantasy performances this year, though much of that was due to injuries slowing both players. It appears the athletic tandem has turned a corner, so look for more big outings from the second-year wide receiver to close out the season.Bust: T.Y. Hilton, IndianapolisAfter a huge game against Tampa Bay in Week 12, T.Y. Hilton was an absolute dud against Pittsburgh Sunday. Matt Hasselbeck struggled mightily against what has been one of the league's leakier pass defenses this year, and Hilton managed just three catches for 36 yards as a result.Indy has Jacksonville coming up in Week 14, who, despite letting Mariota and the Titans go supernova against them in Week 13, have been good about limiting wide receivers this year. The Jaguars are giving up 22.89 fantasy points per game to wideouts, the20th-stingiest mark in the league.Hilton's numbers have been a mixed bag with Hasselbeck as the starter. In the five games the 40-year-old quarterback's been slinging passes, Hilton has been shut out of the end zone four times and topped 75 receiving yards in three of them. Don't expect a big day against Jacksonville.Tight EndsBoom: Scott Chandler, New EnglandSo long as Rob Gronkowski is injured, you can go ahead and slot Scott Chandler into your lineup. Brady has hit him for touchdowns in each of the past two games, and the Pats figure to keep on slinging the ball with Blount's declining production in the run game.He's also proved to be valuable in ways that don't make it to the box score, per Eagles Insider:Even if Gronk makes it back for Week 14, Chandler might still see a good amount of snaps and perhaps be able to poach a touchdown. The Patriots won't want to rush Gronkowski back, as they'll need him as fit as possible for the postseason.Chandler would be a risky play in that scenario, but it wouldn't be the craziest you could do in a 14-owner fantasy league with few other options on the table.Bust: Martellus Bennett, ChicagoChicago has a tough game against Washington in Week 14, one that could mean another slow day at the office for tight end Martellus Bennett. Washington has allowed the seventh-fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends this year.Bennett hasn't had a good game in weeks, and managed just three receptions for 14 yards against San Francisco in Week 13. It was a poor total, especially considering his tight end counterpart, Zach Miller, managed just one reception for six yards. Bennett just couldn't take advantage.The 49ers really roughed up Jay Cutler Sunday, with one play forcing him to go through the league's concussion protocol, per ESPN.com's Jeff Dickerson. He passed the protocol, but any lingering effects heading into Week 14 would really cause Bennett's fantasy value to plummet.Waiver-Wire TipsTake a Chance on a QuarterbackWinston, Hoyer, Mariota, Taylor and Cousins are all owned in less than 50 percent of Yahoo Sports leagues.Taylor, Winston and Cousins at least have solid chances of putting up big point totals in Week 14, while Hoyer could be worth stashing as an emergency starter for that Week 15 date against Indianapolis.Mariotahas tons of upside in general, as evidenced by his blistering 87-yard touchdown run against Jacksonville, per the NFL:If you have the nerve, starting one of these guys over some of the more popular quarterbacks could go very well.Philip Rivers' team is crumbling around himas the Chargers keep on succumbing to the injury bug and basically play their way out of America's Finest City. He's a great quarterback, but has few reliable options to throw to and a tough game at Kansas City in Week 14. There's also the matter of those pesky pick-sixes.Matt Ryan's fantasy value is limited as Atlanta free falls its way out of the playoffs. He's thrown six interceptions in his last three games. Oakland's Derek Carr, a popular fantasy player early in the season, has been hit or miss lately. The Raiders take on Denver's mean defense in Week 14.Yes to DeVante Parker, No to Dorial Green-BeckhamRookie wide receiver DeVante Parker has done a fine job the past two weeks in a starting role with Miami. He picked up three catches for 63 yards and a touchdown against Baltimore, a fine encore for his 80-yard, one-score effort against the Jets in Week 12.Fellow rookie Dorial Green-Beckham had a coming-out party against the Jaguars, picking up five receptions for 119 yards and a touchdown.Green-Beckham had a fine day Sunday in a shootout, but Parker might be a bit safer in Weeks 14 and 15.The Titans go on the road to play the Jets, and Green-Beckham could be in for a very tough outing if Darrelle Revis is back in action after suffering a concussionin Week 11, though they could match him up with Kendall Wright.Plus, Green-Beckham's big day came in a laugher of a game against Jacksonville, with a point total the Titans are unlikely to repeat. Green-Beckham hasn't been reliable all season. Maybe it's best not to start trusting him now (next year is a different story).Parker has much better matchups on the horizon. Miami plays the Giants in Week 14, then San Diego the week after. Both teams have rather shoddy defenses. Parker could see plenty of targets in the coming weeks, assuming he gets the necessary snaps.There is one major condition to this waiver-wire advice. If Miami's Rishard Matthews is recovered from his injuries and ready to play in Week 14 and beyond, then Parker becomes a fantasy nonentity. Miami's offense hasn't played well enough to justify playing a rookie wide receiver seldom used until injury forced him into a major role.Fantasy scoring stats courtesy of Yahoo Sports unless otherwise noted.
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