Dalton or Roethlisberger in the fantasy playoffs

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Unfamiliar with the ? Well it's about time you get acquainted! The tool can be a great a set for those tough roster decisions, whether you're dealing with start/sit conundrums, trade comparisons, or decisions on which players to pick up on the waiver wire, you can benefit by learning the ins and outs of the customizable tool. This week in what we like to call Football Audibles, we take a look at three player comparisons to help you take some of  Trevor Ariza Jersey the gue swork out of those mind-boggling roster determinations. Here's a quick primer in the factors that the  takes into consideration when analyzing playerserformance:player performance (NFL statistics and points) from the current seasonMatchuppponent-specific fantasy points against (FPA) data and matchup analysisConsistency:stability of historical player fantasy point productionUpside:potential for significant fantasy point performanceIntangibles:additional factors including injury status, weather, game location, team support and player restWho should I start at QB: Andy Dalton or Ben Roethlisberger?The will play the in an important AFC North battle this Sunday. That means two of fantasy's hottest quarterbacks will be going head-to-head in what could be one for the history books. Well, maybe that's a stretch. When these two teams faced each other back in Week 8, I was saying the same kind of thing but the game ended up being a disappointment for fantasy owners. finished the game with 9.64 fantasy points and finished with an even lower 8.48 points with a combined five interceptions and only two touchdown pa ses between the two quarterbacks. But more recently, both signal callers are on fire for fantasy owners. In his last three games, including two tough matchups against the and , Dalton posted fantasy totals of 22, 19 and 23 points. The Red Rifle is also first in the NFL in pa ser rating this season and has 25 touchdown pa ses with just six interceptions. Dalton managed to find ways to score touchdowns (two pa sing to , one rushing) last week without the presence of red zone monster , so it's not out of the question for him to post a solid line against a suspect secondary. But when the question involves Roethlisberger or Dalton Anfernee Simons Jersey , well ... is the leading man for the offense in terms of offensive production. In his last four games, Roethlisberger posted fantasy totals of 21, 26, 22 and 33 points and is the QB2 over the last two weeks with 820 pa s yards (most in the NFL), five touchdown pa ses and two interceptions in that span. His current rate of 338.4 pa s yards per game would be the third highest mark in any season in NFL history. Roethlisberger obviously had some help along the way. His receiving corps of , and is one of the most unstoppable trios in the league, and when you add as a threat out of the backfield -- both running and catching the ball -- defenses have a difficult time figuring out how to cover all of Pittsburgh's playmakers. That gives the upper hand in this comparison for Week 14.Who should I start at RB: Todd Gurley or David Johnson?I wrote in my from earlier in the week that if there was ever a week to bench in fantasy, it's his game against the in Week 14. Detroit's defense allowed fewer than 70 rush yards in four straight games. Opposing teams held Gurley under 100 yards in each of his last five games and he did not score in two straight contests after scoring in five in a row. This week, the fired their offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti, but I'm not completely buying that he was the problem. The team just has little to no talent on offense other than their rookie running back. St. Louis lost their last two games by scores of 31-7 and 27-3 so the fact that Gurley only had nine rush attempts each in those games makes sense. Opposing teams learned Damian Lillard Jersey  how to game plan around stopping the ' only offensive threat in Gurley, stacking the box and leaving him nowhere to run. In fact, he has just one run of 10 or more yards in his last four games. With the run defense playing as well as it has, I just don't see a way you can start Gurley in fantasy this week, especially if you have a guy like on your bench.In his first career start last week, Johnson made the most of his time in the spotlight. He was the feature back with playing time on 70 percent of the team's offensive snaps and collected 24 touches for 120 yards and a receiving touchdown in the game against the . coach Bruce Arians said before the game that he wanted to get the rookie 25 touches, and that promise held true. Arians said basically the same thing this week ahead of Arizona's Thursday night matchup against the . Minnesota's defense will be without three of its top playmakers, and some of the best players at their respective positions this season. According to ProFootballFocus, (foot) is the No. 3 rated defensive tackle in the league this season, (knee, hamstring) is the No. 3 rated safety in the league and (groin, hand) is the No. 2 rated linebacker. All three were ruled out against the , which bodes well for Johnson's chances of having a huge game here. Even if he only sees 15 touches, we know what this guy can do with limited opportunities. His ceiling for this game is virtually infinite and he's a much better play than Gurley for Week 14.Who should I start at D/ST: Denver Broncos or Kansas City Chiefs?If you own two of the season's best fantasy defenses it makes sense if you're stre sing about which one to start in Week 14. Denver's defense is the NFL's No. 1 total defense (284.7 total ypg), lead the league in sacks (41), are the only team in the NFL to hold all of its opponents to under 30 points in every game  Derrick Jones Jr. Jersey this season and lead the league with five defensive touchdowns. The unit is also the only team in the league to not allow a 300-yard pa ser this season. So the seem like a no brainer for fantasy this week, right? Consider the opposing team, the . The last time these two teams met back in Week 5, Denver posted 20 fantasy points with four sacks, an interception returned for a touchdown and a fumble recovery. Since then though, the offense has been firing thanks to the strong play from (although he threw three  Keljin Blevins Jersey interceptions against the last week). If you own the defense, you're starting them this week. They're the best D/ST in fantasy by a wide 24-point margin. But if you happen to have the defense on your bench, consider the following.No defense scored more fantasy points over the last four weeks than the (61 total, 15.25 average per game). In its last eight games, Kansas City allowed just 14.4 points per game to opposing teams, limited opponents to 307.8 total yards per game, has collected 25 sacks and has piled up 20 takeaways. They're the hottest defense in the league right now and a matchup against a offense that's in shambles couldn't be better. San Diego's run game is virtually non-existent behind poor offensive line play, and the team's receiving corps is down to a one-armed , tight end and rookie wideout as ' top targets. So while there's nothing wrong with starting the defense this week, if you also own the D/ST they are the better matchup-based play.Matt Franciscovich is an a sociate fantasy editor at NFL.com. Check out the song . You won't be disappointed. Hit Matt up on Twitter for music recommendations and fantasy advice.