You’re either in the playoffs or still fighting for a spot. Good for you. Quick shoutout to those in the Big Blue View fantasy lea

If you’re reading this and it matters Janoris Jenkins Color Rush Jersey , congratulations. gue we put together with a tight race heading into the playoffs. I hope no one in that league is reading this.Here’s start/sit for Week 14:Running backStart: Spencer Ware, Kansas City ChiefsDon’t let a bland 14 carries for 49 yards scare you away from Ware. Within those 14 carries, three came inside the 10 along with a touchdown. Ware should also continue to see more work in the passing game and his ability to break tackles will make him a danger in the run game, even against a defense that’s fifth in DVOA against the run.Start: Jaylen Samuels, Pittsburgh SteelersSamuels himself said the Steelers are likely to employ a timeshare between him and Steven Ridley, but we and the Steelers know what Ridley is and it’s uninspiring. Samuels wasn’t a full-time running back in college, but that’s really more to his benefit than detriment. He’ll be able to get receiving volume out of the backfield and if there’s a defense to throw some things against the wall to see what sticks for future weeks, it’s the Raiders.Sit: Adrian Peterson, Washington RedskinsPeterson had the 90-yard touchdown run when Mark Sanchez came into the game and then six other carries for six yards. We can all agree banking on 90-yard touchdown runs isn’t what you’re hoping for in a fantasy starter. Peterson is likely to be scripted out of the offense and Chris Thompson could see more time as Sanchez and Washington need to keep passing in an attempt to keep the offense on track.Sit: Peyton Barber, Tampa Bay BuccaneersBarber has a touchdown in each of the past three games, but it’s hard to project any rushing volume in what’s more likely to be a passing shootout between the Saints and Buccaneers. Barber also involved enough in the passing game — he’s had over two targets just twice this season — to make a difference if the game goes that way.Wide receiverStart: Courtland Sutton, Denver BroncosFollowing the trade of Demaryius Thomas, Sutton had been getting more work as a starter in the Denver offense. He capped last week with four receptions, 85 yards, and a touchdown on seven targets. Now he’ll take over as the No. 1 passing target with Emmanuel Sanders out for the season due to a torn Achilles. San Francisco allows 71.6 yards per game to opposing No. 1 wide receivers and the 49ers have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to wide receivers this season.Start: Allen Robinson, Chicago BearsIf the Bears fall behind and have to pass against the Rams, Robinson is likely to be the main target. He’ll either be matched up against Aqib Talib, who is still working his way back to 100 percent, or Marcus Peters, who can be beaten deep with a double move. Robinson hasn’t been targeted more than 10 times since Week 2, but he had nine against the Giants when the Bears needed to move the ball. He’ll also get the upgrade to Mitchell Trubisky from Chase Daniel this week.Sit: Zay Jones, Buffalo BillsZay Jones is now officially Buffalo’s No. 1 wide receiver with the release of Kelvin Benjamin, so while that might make him appealing from a workload standpoint, that volume might not be particularly efficient. In the last matchup against the Jets Aldrick Rosas Color Rush Jersey , Jones had eight catches for 93 yards and a touchdown on 11 targets, but that was an outlier performance for both him and the Bills. He’ll likely see a decent amount of Morris Claiborne in coverage, whose 60 percent success rate is tied for 12th among 72 qualified cornerbacks, per Football Outsiders.Sit: Sterling Shepard, New York GiantsThe focus is going to be on Odell Beckham and Josh Norman, but Washington’s best cornerback this year has been Fabian Moreau (56 percent coverage success rate) and he’s likely to take Shepard in coverage often. Shepard looks like he is going to play on Sunday, but will be managing pain in his ribs. As productive as Shepard can be, the Giants haven’t always spread the ball around enough for him to be a fantasy relevant starter this season.Tight endStart: Austin Hooper, Atlanta FalconsHooper has continually been a big part of the Falcons’ game plan as a pass target and that has been the case all season in the red zone. He leads Atlanta in red zone targets (12), receptions (9), and is second in touchdowns (4) thanks to Calvin Ridley’s ridiculous scoring barrage early in the season. Don’t let the matchup against Green Bay scare you off. The Packers have allowed the second-fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends, but that’s from allowing only one touchdown to the position all season. Overall, they’re 23rd in DVOA against tight ends, so there will be an opportunity for Hooper to buck that trend.Sit: Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota VikingsRudolph just hasn’t been fantasy relevant all season and I can assume if you’re reading this with meaning now, you there are better options at the position. Rudolph and the new Vikings offense just haven’t clicked together. He’s still getting volume where it matters inside the 20, but the results haven’t been there. He has 11 red zone targets (third on the team, and only one fewer than Austin Hooper mentioned above) but he hasn’t had one in two weeks and hasn’t scored since Week 3. Seattle’s defense isn’t likely to let him get back on the board, either. There was no BBV Mailbag last week as only a couple of questions came in. This week, though, we have a number of quality New York Giants-related questions. So, let’s open up the mailbag and get down to business.Jason Lyn asks: How would you fix the QB situation if you were in (Dave) Gettleman’s position? I would explore a young veteran a la Kerry Collins route and use the draft to fix the trenches and edge rushers. Who is the veteran QB? Bridgewater.Ed says: Jason, thanks for the question. This one was asked in a number of ways by a number of different people, so to anyone who asked a version of the “quarterback” question B.J. Goodson Color Rush Jersey , here are my thoughts.The way that the Giants offense has played recently, with the team averaging 31.4 points per game since the bye (and I know there were a couple of defensive touchdowns in there) and Eli Manning playing effectively, I’m operating right now with the belief that Manning will be back under center for the Giants next season. Unless he retires.If they can help it I believe the Giants would rather not change to another veteran “placeholder” type quarterback in 2019, then change again to a young, highly-drafted quarterback in 2020. Before the season started I thought there was no way the Giants could bring Manning back if they didn’t reach the playoffs. Now? If it’s my decision, seeing what I see right now, I bring him back for 2019. I would also, though, take some serious steps toward setting the Replacement Plan in motion.I’m not bringing in Teddy Bridgewater or Tyrod Taylor or one of those guys. You pretty much toss away half the season while they learn the offense. I’m just staying with the veteran I already have.Before the draft I’m scouring the league for a young, talented backup quarterback whose path is blocked by a star or highly-paid player in front of him. The names that jump to mind are Kyle Sloter with the Minnesota Vikings and Nate Sudfeld with the Philadelphia Eagles. If you can get a player like that for a song — like a seventh-round pick — why not? Bring him in, let him compete with Kyle Lauletta, get enough information to see if you believe you could go forward with one of them eventually replacing Manning.In the draft, I’m not using a top 10 pick on a quarterback. Quarterbacks get overdrafted and the good ones don’t need to sit around and caddy for a year. They can play almost immediately. I had one scout I trust tell me there isn’t a single quarterback in the 2019 class worth a first-round pick. I really don’t want to use a top 10 pick on a questionable talent who isn’t going to play.I’m using my first-round pick on either the best offensive tackle or best defensive player available. If a quarterback I think has a chance, like for example Daniel Jones of Duke, happens to be available Day 2, I’ll take a swing. If not, I’m building my defense and offensive line.In this scenario, I will kick the can down the road into the 2020 draft class, which is supposed to have more potentially top-tier quarterbacks in it. Ed says: The Giants don’t really provide information on players like Sam Beal, who are on IR. What I can say is that when reporters are around, Beal has been in the locker room. He has been around the practice field, sometimes on the bike, though he is not allowed to practice. He looks healthy. The Giants are still counting on him being part of their defensive backfield next season.Ed says: You know what Bill Parcells always says, right? “You are what your record says you are.” In this case Odell Beckham Jr Color Rush Jersey , I think it’s pretty accurate.The Giants should have beaten the Carolina Panthers, losing on a 63-yard field goal. Maybe they were fortunate to hang on against the Chicago Bears. You can probably argue about a couple of other games, as well. Really, what the Giants are is a mediocre team right now on a hot streak — playing better and taking advantage of their schedule. They are a team fighting back from a 3-13 disaster and years of personnel mistakes that has gotten better and is showing some signs that they might be pointed in the right direction. There is still much to be done to get the Giants back to being an upper echelon team. Right now, though, I guess I would say they are a middle of the road team putting some building blocks in place for the future.Ed says: It is really tough to say at this point. Maybe the Giants re-structure Manning to lower his cap hit. It’s just a gut feeling, but I think only one of Janoris Jenkins/Olivier Vernon returns. Rhett Ellison is probably a candidate for a pay cut/re-structure. Alec Ogletree is due a $6 million roster bonus on March 5. I think the Giants look to re-structure his deal.Patrick Calvert asks: Which Giants team did you feel better about? The 2018 Giants at 5-8, or the 2016 Giants at 11-5 and on the way to the playoffs?Ed says: Patrick, that’s tough to say. I don’t really remember how I felt at the end of the 2016 regular season. With that in mind, I went back and looked at some of what I wrote near the end of that season. What I found was that I think we got fooled by a lot of what we saw in 2016, especially the harebrained thought someone had that the Giants had found themselves a quality young head coach in Ben McAdoo. In retrospect, McAdoo simply rode the coattails of a free-agent spending spree that led to a defense that played far beyond expectations in 2016, and at a level it could not sustain beyond that. The offense was still a train wreck, and McAdoo’s stubbornness and lack of creativity was a big part of the problem.It is also obvious now that Jerry Reese didn’t deliver in the 2016 draft the way we thought he had. Which is yet another reminder not to jump to conclusions about draft picks until we have seen them play a full two or three seasons — most evaluators say three.I wrote earlier this week about whether or not what we are seeing over the past few weeks is sustainable into 2019. I believe it might be. The coach and GM will stay the same. Much of the roster will, too, as coach Pat Shurmur promised recently on WFAN. It looks as though there are some quality young players to go forward with. The Giants appear to be gaining an identity and figuring out how to win games.Shurmur says “years are connected.” If you buy that, you have to feel like the Giants are going in a positive direction heading into the 2019 season.Ed says: No, I really don’t think it’s safe to say that. Let’s start with D.J. Fluker. The guy has been diefied by Giants fans, but the reality is that he’s an average player. I liked him personally and I thought the Giants should have kept him instead of spending big (or at least, bigger) money on Patrick Omameh. For what it’s worth, Fluker is ranked No. 51 out of 60 qualifying guards by Pro Football Focus. He has also missed four games with injuries. Better than Omameh is not a high bar. Fluker is not tearing it up.Now, Andrew Adams. Listen, Curtis Riley is not the answer at free safety. Riley leads all safeties with 20 missed tackles, one every 3.55 attempts. Adams had one amazing three interception game this season Olivier Vernon Color Rush Jersey , but he’s a backup. He has played 183 snaps this year for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He has five missed tackles in 20 attempts, one out of every four. The Giants need to upgrade at safety, but moving on from Adams isn’t the problem. Not having anyone better than Riley is the problem.Finally, Romeo Okwara. He has 6.5 sacks for the Detroit Lions, and I don’t think anyone saw that coming. Okwara wasn’t going to play ahead of Olivier Vernon, Kareem Martin or Lorenzo Carter. Maybe you can argue that the Giants should have kept him instead of bringing in Connor Barwin. This kid played 22 games for the Giants over two years, though, and had one sack. I also don’t think the Giants were comfortable with him standing up as a 3-4 outside linebacker.Ed says: Let’s talk offensive line first. Sorry, Chad Wheeler, but the absolute biggest offensive priority for the New York Giants this offseason is to upgrade the right tackle spot. That simply has to get done, whether it’s via free agency, the draft, or both. Wheeler is the weak link on the current line, ranked 63rd overall of 65 qualifying tackles by Pro Football Focus, and 56th of 60 qualifying tackles in pass blocking efficiency.Jamon Brown is a good, but not great player. He has been an upgrade over Patrick Omameh and John Greco. He is a free agent at the end of this season. I think he would like to stay with the Giants, and they would be smart to bring him back.Center? I am not completely sold on Spencer Pulley or Jon Halapio, but I can see the Giants bringing both players back and letting them compete for the job. They have too many other needs to spend a high draft pick or big free agent dollars on this position.As for pass rushers, I haven’t really taken a deep dive into the market. Here are players who could be available. I do believe the pass rush has to be a priority.Ed says: Nope. Nope. Nope. I’ll admit that I haven’t done anything close to a deep study of Dwayne Haskins. I have, however, had two evaluators I trust tell me there really isn’t a single quarterback in the 2019 draft who should be selected in the first round. That doesn’t mean Haskins and others won’t be. It just means that realistically people who know a lot more about this than I do don’t believe any of them are first-round talents.There is no way I’m trading Odell Beckham Jr. in that circumstance. If Haskins, Daniel Jones of Duke or someone else is sitting there near the end of Round 1 and you believe they could be your guy I would have no issue moving some of the extra picks the Giants have to go up and get him. Deal Beckham? Nope.