“Start, Sit & Seth” is the original column of In-Between Media, bridging feel-good lifestyle advice with redraft fantasy football analysis. Consistently following Seth Woolcock’s journey as a young creator, this series is now in its sixth season. Join him in this edition as he shares the lessons learned from this year’s IBT office fantasy league – his first guillotine league – and his start/sit selections for Week 14.
In a recent interview, I was asked, “Why do you love fantasy football?”
It should be a simple question, really, especially for someone who has played the game since I was 12 and somehow wound up making a career of it.
Still, it brought me to a pause.
Defaulting to my go-to answer when asked this, I spoke on enjoying the game’s strategy and how we can draw comparisons from it to life and vice versa. I tipped my cap to the community and camaraderie it creates; nothing new that regular readers have heard me say before.
When my rant was all said and done, I eventually landed on probably the one truth that millions of people agree about fantasy football: “It’s just fun as hell.”
Commonplace as it may sound, it’s easy to lose sight of the fun aspect, specifically when you now treat the game as a business, staring at web traffic and YouTube analytics way more than you ever said you would.
Many moments so far this season have reminded me of the enjoyment that fantasy football brings. The first was the Scott Fish Bowl (SFB13) live draft in Philadelphia this July. The next was seeing 140-plus people live drafting and vibing at an event that my team and I hosted in August. Being back home with my boys a month later for our best-ever Kane’s Extraordinary Gentlemen (KEG) draft was another. The close wins, league recap videos and shit-talking since have also all been tremendous.
Yet, it has actually been our In-Between Media (IBT) office guillotine league that’s been some of the most fun I’ve had playing fantasy football in a long time.
The Stakes Are High When You’re Next in Line
Funny enough, I didn’t even want to do an office league. With so many of us usually in a dozen or so leagues and making content, an additional IBT league has felt more like a chore than enjoyment in the past (even though I did take it down back in 2021).
Luckily, I have a pretty stubborn staff, specifically our senior video editor, Nick Hoover, aka Hoov, the league’s commissioner. I eventually conceded, saying I would support an office league if we make it a guillotine – a format where the lowest scorer is eliminated each week, putting their players on the waiver wire.
It was the first time I had ever played the format, but I’ve wanted to for a long time. To spice it up and also make it more manageable, we also made it a best ball, meaning your roster’s highest scorers are automatically in your lineup each week. This removes the burden of having to set a lineup.
My back was against the wall early, as I was the second-lowest scorer in Week 2, letting my girlfriend and editor, Katie, (love you) take the bullet for me. That happened again in Week 6 (thank you, Kyle), Week 9 (shoutout, Trash Sandwiches and Rachel), Week 10 (you’re the man, Bo), Week 12 (appreciate you, Scott) and Week 13 (hell of a run, Sven).
It is now Week 14, and I have somehow advanced into the final three. Our writer, Matt Kelly, and podcast co-host, Eric Romoff, who have both dominated the league for most of the year, are my only competitors that remain. With six near-elimination performances – sometimes escaping by tenths of a point – I am dumbfounded and shocked I have made it this far. Still, I want to win this league more than most.
It has been completely different from how I usually manage teams, making me much more aggressive in my drops. Other than a few studs I’ve held through, if it was a player’s bye, I usually said “bye, Felicia” and left them for the souls brave enough to roster players through their off week.
Spice Up Your Leagues by Trying Something New
Whether I win or lose, playing in this guillotine league has been a blast. It’s something I highly recommend other players try if they’re looking to shake things up. While I haven’t tried them yet either, there are also other formats to try, like vampire leagues, bizzaro leagues or rotisserie leagues that look like a lot of fun.
And isn’t that what we’re supposed to be doing here, having fun?
With just four weeks remaining in most fantasy leagues, I will try to indulge myself in as much fun as this game brings. I’ll talk my greasy shit, post up with some friends to catch games and just try to laugh it off if and when things don’t break my way down the stretch.
I hope you can do the same.
Alright, and here we go.
The following Week 14 start/sit selections are based on stats, trends and film research, reflecting value in Points Per Reception (PPR) Redraft Leagues.
Quarterback I’d Start in Week 14:
Baker Mayfield (Tampa Bay): I’ve been stashing Baker Mayfield in multiple leagues, mainly to play this week in Atlanta and Week 16 against the Jaguars. The former first-overall draft pick hasn’t been a world-beater in his first season as a Buccaneer, but he’s been more than serviceable. He’s the QB16 on the season, averaging 15.2 fantasy points per game, more than the likes of former fantasy standouts Joe Burrow, Geno Smith and Derek Carr. He has his best TD-INT ratio (18-8) and QB rating (90) since 2020 and a completion rate of 63.6%, almost matching his career-high set as a rookie.
The 2017 and 2018 Heisman Trophy winner has always gotten up for big games. There’s none bigger than this Week 14 tilt with the Falcons for the lead in the NFC South. Atlanta’s defense has been exposed down the stretch, allowing four TDs to Will Levis in his first start in Week 8, 24.9 fantasy points to Joshua Dobbs in Week 9, 17.3 fantasy points in Kyler Murray‘s season debut and 304 yards to Derek Carr in Week 12.
After facing a flat Jets offense last week, I expect Mayfield and the Buccaneers to catch Atlanta off guard and punch them in the mouth early. With 12 backup QBs likely active this week, Mayfield has QB1 upside.
Quarterback I’d Sit in Week 14:
Jared Goff (Detroit): Though the theory that Jared Goff performs worse on the road has become someone mute, it still holds true in outdoor stadiums. Goff has averaged 14.3 fantasy points per game in outdoor contests this season versus 18.8 in controlled conditions under a dome.
Not only will he be outdoors in Chicago with a high of 37 degrees on Sunday, but there are also 15 mph winds forecasted for the afternoon. Aside from the weather, I don’t really want to play any QB against this Bears defense right now. The unit has completely turned it around since Montez Sweat was acquired, ranking as the second-toughest matchup for signal-callers over the past month. Knowing that the Bears have allowed three passing TDs to eight interceptions in that span and just limited Goff to 13.7 points in Week 11, I’m passing on the California kid.
Running Back I’d Start in Week 14:
Raheem Mostert (Miami): Every so often, industry consensus rankings have had Raheem Mostert outside their top 24. The last time they did, I reminded managers to start Mostert still. He proceeded to go for 21.4 fantasy points against the Jets on Black Friday.
The only thing that’s changed since then is that De’Von Achane has returned. However, Achane only out-touched Mostert last week when the game was well in hand.
Though the Tennesee defense has been better against RBs over the past month, that is all about to change now that they’ve lost defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons to a knee injury. The two-time Pro Bowler was the heart of this Tennessee front. Look for Miami head coach Mike McDaniels to expose that weakness, giving Mostert and company more looks up the gut.
Running Back I’d Sit in Week 14:
D’Andre Swift (Philadelphia): With the current state of the running back position, I get it if you can’t bench D’Andre Swift this week. However, I am concerned he leaves managers without double-digit PPR points for the third-straight game. The former Georgia Bulldog’s workload is back in line with career averages in the mid-teens rather than the high-teens or low-20s he saw earlier this season.
The plus is that Swift wasn’t on the injury report this week after it appeared he may have picked up a stinger in the Eagles’ Week 13 loss to the 49ers. The downside is that Kenneth Gainwell has nine targets over the past two weeks and that Jaylen Hurts is still frequently scoring on the “Tush Push,” limiting Swift’s upside and floor. I’d prefer to sit this one out against a Dallas defense that has been one of the four-toughest matchups for the position, both on the season and over the past month.
Receiver I’d Start in Week 14:
DeAndre Hopkins (Tennessee): There haven’t been many more frustrating players to roster this season than DeAndre Hopkins. If you’re like me, you might have missed out on the best performances (like 35.3 PPR points in Week 8) but rode out the five single-digit performances. Regardless of how badly he’s burned you, it’s time to go back to the well.
Chasing the Miami offense, Will Levis will throw it a ton in this Monday night matchup. With a 27.7% target share (12th-highest among WRs), the 31-year-old WR is a lock for double-digit targets. Though the Miami defense has improved since the return of Jalen Ramsey, every receiver who has recorded double-digit targets against them (four) has scored double-digit PPR points for an average of 24.6 PPR points per game.
While not always shadowed, Hopkins has also scored double-digit PPR points in all three of his last games on the opposite side as Ramsey. Look for a repeat of that and perhaps even a vintage “Nuk” game on Monday night.
Receiver I’d Sit in Week 14:
Adam Thielen (Carolina): Shockingly, after letting go of almost the entire offensive coaching staff, things have not improved for the Carolina Panthers. While their season has been long lost, it’s now taking Adam Thielen’s fantasy season with it. The 10-year veteran has totaled just 27 yards in the past two weeks on six targets and hasn’t scored since Week 6.
The New Orleans Saints defense has become Swiss cheese over the past six weeks, allowing an average of 26.5 points per game. However, it’s not their secondary failing them, as they’ve allowed the least amount of PPR points to opposing WRs over the past month. With this game total being set at 37.5, the second-lowest on the Sunday slate, I’ll try to avoid it where possible.
If you have a feel-good story that you would like to share for an opportunity to be featured in an upcoming edition of “Start, Sit & Seth,” please reach out.
And for more fantasy football and uplifting content, especially start/sit advice, you can find me on Twitter @Between_SethFF.