Should I pick the 49ers or Eagles defense in Week 14? Exploring matchups for fantasy football

While the San Francisco 49ers are in high spirits in Week 14, the Philadelphia Eagles are looking to bounce back and make a statement. San Francisco came away with a slam-dunk 42-19 win from Philadelphia when these teams faced off in Week 13, causing a shift in the NFC landscape.

With the fantasy football playoffs now dangerously close, every aspect of your lineup needs to be analyzed carefully. There are some difficult matchups to navigate in Week 14 and picking the right defense could be the difference between making the postseason and having to watch as your rivals battle it out.

Let's take a look at the fantasy outlooks of both these defenses, starting with the San Francisco 49ers:

49ers defense fantasy outlook for Week 14

49ers defense fantasy outlook for Week 14

After toppling the NFC's top seed in spectacular form, the 49ers certainly look like Super Bowl contenders this season. While their offense has looked unstoppable, their defense is also emerging as a tough nut to crack.

San Francisco added Chase Young to their pass rush before the trade deadline and this looks to have been an inspired piece of business. With Nick Bosa and Fred Warner living up to their reputations, this defense is formidable, to say the least.

The 49ers defense has racked up 36 sacks 15 INTs and 6 fumble recoveries while conceding 183 points on the season. This is good for 104.00 points in fantasy football, which is the sixth-highest-scoring defense in the league.

In Week 14, San Francisco will host bitter NFC West rivals, the Seattle Seahawks. While this is a perennially tricky matchup, the 49ers will feel confident as they comfortably defeated the Seahawks 31-13 in Seattle in Week 12. In that contest, the 49ers D came away with 14.00 points.

Factor into that the Seahawks may or may not have issues at running back and this gets a little more interesting. While Kenneth Walker III is questionable to return from an oblique injury, it feels likely he won't be at full strength if he plays. Zach Charbonnet is also questionable with a knee bruise, which could at the very least limit him in Week 14.

The Seahawks put on an offensive display in the 41-35 loss to the Dallas Cowboys last week, but San Franciso is a much more familiar enemy. As such, that seems unlikely to happen again.

The 49ers are one of Week 14's best defenses, due to their ability to put pressure on the QB and their proclivity for getting into the backfield quickly.

Sportskeeda's Start/Sit tool projects the 49ers defense to record 11.00 points in Week 14, so they are a very good pick in fantasy football.

Eagles defense fantasy outlook for Week 14

Eagles defense fantasy outlook for Week 14

The Philadelphia Eagles had one of the best defenses in the NFL only a year ago but it seems those days are behind them. While they have one of the most potent offenses in the league, they also have one of the most porous secondaries.

Philadelphia's D is 32nd against WRs in fantasy football and that weakness was exposed last week. Deebo Samuel easily evaded tackles and was then able to run almost unopposed for 3TDs (2 receiving, 1 rushing) and of his 116 receiving yards, 115 came after the catch.

The flip side is that Philly gets to the QB frequently and has recorded 34 sacks, 6 INTs 8 fumble recoveries, 1 safety and 1 TD on the season. However, having conceded 282 points in total, they rank 24th in fantasy football with 75.00 points.

Making matters worse is that they face the Dallas Cowboys in Week 14. The Cowboys are a high-powered offense featuring CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks and Jake Ferguson in the passing game. They also have the potentially explosive Tony Pollard and Rico Dowdle as RBs, so any defensive mistakes could be huge here.

Sportskeeda's Start/Sit tool projects the Eagles D to record 5.30 points and they are one of the riskiest picks of Week 14. While there may be a time to start Philly's defense, this does not appear to be it.

49ers vs. Eagles defense, which one's the right call in fantasy football Week 14?

If you are choosing between them, start the San Francisco 49ers defense in Week 14. In all likelihood, this is a defense that needs to start every week as they can stop anyone.

49ers vs. Eagles defense, which one's the right call in fantasy football Week 14?

The Eagles' defense should certainly not be dropped as they face the New York Giants in Week 17, which is fantasy football championship week in most leagues. However, they are not a risk worth taking in Week 14 against the Dallas Cowboys.

There are likely defenses with better matchups available, so picking up one of those here would be the safest choice.