Week 14 Rankings: Standard | PPR
Week 14 got off to a good start for Fantasy owners who started Latavius Murray, Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill in the Thursday night game between the Raiders and Chiefs. But Hill was the only one who qualified as a sleeper.
And now we'll give you some more sleepers for the first week of the Fantasy playoffs in the majority of leagues.
Since it's the playoffs, it might be difficult to trust some of these players given their borderline status as starters all year. But you might get lucky and hit on someone like Hill, who outscored Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree on Thursday night.
It's not farfetched to see Colin Kaepernick outscore Marcus Mariota this week, Jerick McKinnon do better than Devontae Booker, or Taylor Gabriel produce more points than Kelvin Benjamin, Allen Robinson and Brandon Marshall. And these are the types of moves that help you win your league when they work.
That's our goal. And we expect these players to succeed.
For all of your must-start options go here for the Week 14 Start 'Em and Sit 'Em.
Editor's Note: Projections are provided by CBS Sports and not Jamey Eisenberg.
Quarterbacks
Was last week an indication of Kaepernick being done as a quality Fantasy quarterback or was it just a bad game in the snow of Chicago? Thankfully, Chip Kelly is sticking with Kaepernick this week against the Jets in what should be a great matchup at home. The Jets have allowed 60 Fantasy points to Tom Brady and Andrew Luck in the past two weeks, and six quarterbacks have scored at least 23 Fantasy points against the Jets this year.
Kaepernick scored at least 23 Fantasy points in four games prior to Week 13, including his last two games at home, and he should rebound with a solid performance in Week 14.
Let's hope Palmer takes advantage of this Dolphins defense, which has been abused the past two weeks by Kaepernick and Joe Flacco for 75 Fantasy points, and six quarterbacks have scored at least 23 Fantasy points against Miami this year.
Palmer has at least 21 points in two of his past three road games, and he's coming off one of his better games of the year in Week 13 against Washington with 300 passing yards and three touchdowns for 30 Fantasy points. We hope he stays hot for one more week on the road.
Prescott made his first NFL start in Week 1 against the Giants, and he passed for 227 yards and ran for 12 yards to finish with 10 Fantasy points in a standard league. Since then, he has scored at least 21 Fantasy points in eight of 11 games, and he's done a nice job on the road, averaging 20.7 Fantasy points in six games.
The Giants have been tough against opposing quarterbacks this year, with only Kirk Cousins and Ben Roethlisberger scoring at least 20 Fantasy points, including matchups with Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers. But standout pass rusher Jason Pierre-Paul (hernia) is out and that will hurt the Giants defense, and Prescott can still make enough plays to have a quality outing. He should be the third quarterback with at least 20 Fantasy points against the Giants this year.
Running backs
Lewis hasn't stepped up as we hoped since he was activated off the PUP list in Week 11. In three games, his best outing is 58 total yards in Week 12 at the Jets, and he hasn't scored a touchdown yet. The nice thing is he has 11 catches in three games, and this is a good week for him to get going against the Ravens. Baltimore has allowed nine running backs to catch at least four passes this year, and Lewis could be useful to offset the pass rush.
Lewis is a flex option in standard leagues and a low-end starter in PPR.
Bills offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn has said Gillislee will continue to get goal-line opportunities, which has worked out well for him and his production recently. He scored twice in Week 13 at Oakland and now has six touchdowns in his past seven games. He also has at least 35 total yards in five of those outings, with at least eight carries in four games in a row. The Bills are using him in tandem with LeSean McCoy, and he's put himself in consideration as a flex option this week against the Steelers. If he doesn't score you'll likely be disappointed, but Buffalo is running the ball at a high level all year.
Gillislee is a potential Hail Mary play against Pittsburgh at home.
McKinnon hasn't played at the level many hoped when Adrian Peterson (knee) went down in Week 2, especially in the passing game. But that's changed of late with at least three catches in three of the past four games.
He has scored at least 10 Fantasy points in a PPR league in his past two games against Detroit and Dallas with eight catches for 59 yards and a touchdown over that span. He could also get carries late if the Vikings are playing with a lead, which has been rare, and he's worth using as a flex in all formats in Week 14.
We keep waiting for Dixon to take over for Terrance West, but West continues to be a significant factor for the Ravens. Dixon has still played well, and this week he could play a prominent role catching passes out of the backfield against the Patriots. He has at least four catches in three of his past four games, and New England has allowed 37 catches to running backs in the past six games.
Dixon has scored seven Fantasy points in a standard league in three of the past four games, and if he does that again this week he'll be a flex option once again in all formats.
We don't know what's going on with Doug Martin and how much Sims and Rodgers might play this week against the Saints, and Sims has yet to be put on the active roster after being out since Week 4 with a knee injury. Tampa Bay clearly is frustrated with Martin and his recent struggles, and Rodgers could be a flex option in standard leagues, with Sims an option in PPR.
If Martin were to miss the game after being "bent back" in Week 13 at San Diego, the value for both players would rise dramatically, but Martin isn't listed on the injury report. It's a situation to monitor heading into Sunday morning against the Saints.
Wide receivers
Shepard was back in the end zone in Week 13 at Pittsburgh after a one-week hiatus, and he's now scored in four of his past five games. He's still been held to 50 receiving yards or less in each of his past nine games, but he did have three catches for 43 yards and a touchdown on four targets against Dallas in Week 1.
Covering slot receivers has been an issue for the Cowboys all season (see Shepard, Jamison Crowder twice, Jeremy Kerley, Randall Cobb, Jordan Matthews and Eli Rogers), and the Giants should be throwing plenty in this matchup at home. Shepard is a low-end No. 2 receiver this week in all formats.
Britt has been the best offensive player for the Rams this season, especially of late. He has at least 10 Fantasy points in four of his past five games, and he has scored a touchdown in two games in a row with Jared Goff under center. Britt also has 33 targets in his past four games, and Atlanta has allowed seven touchdowns to receivers on the road this season.
Britt might be getting production in garbage time, but the stats are all that matter. And he should be considered a No. 3 Fantasy receiver this week at home.
Like the Cowboys, the Giants have struggled with slot receivers at times this season (see Willie Snead, Crowder, Cobb, Tavon Austin and Matthews), and Beasley had eight catches for 65 yards against New York in Week 1 on 12 targets. He's been good on the road this season with either 75 receiving yards or a touchdown in three of six road games, and he's a decent starter in PPR and a potential option in standard leagues given the matchup.
Ginn is the definition of a boom-or-bust player, but he's been more boom than bust of late. He's scored in three games in a row, and he has 16 targets in his past two outings, which is good because Cam Newton is not just leaning on him for one big play each week.
The Chargers have been stingy to opposing receivers lately with only three touchdowns allowed to the position in the past six games, but Ginn has proven the past three weeks that he can be a threat to any defense, no matter the matchup, especially after he had five catches for 80 yards and a touchdown at Seattle in Week 13. He's a Hail Mary play against San Diego this week at home.
Gabriel could see a boost in playing time if Mohamed Sanu (groin) is forced to miss the game as expected, and Julio Jones (turf toe) is also banged up. Prior to last week, Gabriel had scored in four games in a row, and we'd love to see him with increased targets since his season high is six.
The Rams, as evidenced with Brandin Cooks in Week 12, could scheme to take away the best receiver for the Falcons with Jones, which could lead to a big game for Gabriel. He's a potential No. 3 Fantasy receiver in all leagues this week.
Tight ends
Witten just had his streak of 130 games in a row with a catch come to an end in Week 13 at Minnesota, and he's been a bad Fantasy tight end this season. He only has two touchdowns and one game with double digits in Fantasy points in a standard league, which was at Cleveland in Week 9. But he has a great history against the Giants, especially in PPR leagues, and he's worth a flier this week in deeper formats.
Witten has at least 13 Fantasy points in a PPR league in four consecutive games against the Giants, and the Giants have also allowed a tight end to gain 90 receiving yards or score in four of their past five games.
Last week was awful for the 49ers passing game in the snow at Chicago, and McDonald suffered when Fantasy owners finally bought into him. He had two catches for 9 yards on four targets, but he should rebound this week at home against the Jets.
McDonald had scored in two of four games prior to Week 13, including his previous two home games against the Saints and Patriots, and the Jets have allowed two tight ends in the past four games to score at least 10 Fantasy points in a standard league.
I'm going with McDonald for one more week in this matchup at home in one of my leagues.
If the NFL is considered the ultimate copycat league, the Cardinals should do what the Ravens did against the Dolphins last week. Baltimore leaned on Dennis Pitta in Week 13 for nine catches for 90 yards and two touchdowns on 11 targets, and the Dolphins have allowed five touchdowns to tight ends in their past four games.
Gresham has scored a touchdown in two of his past three outings, and he also has 16 targets in his past two games against Atlanta and Washington. He's a great streaming option in Week 14 given the matchup.
DFS Advice for Week 14
Here's my FanDuel lineup for Week 14
- QB: Colin Kaepernick ($7,300) vs. NYJ
- RB: David Johnson ($9,700) at MIA RB:
- Le'Veon Bell ($9,000) at BUF
- WR: Mike Evans ($8,900) vs. NO
- WR: DeSean Jackson ($5,800) at PHI
- WR: Taylor Gabriel ($5,400) at LAR
- TE: Vance McDonald ($4,700) vs. NYJ
- K: Caleb Sturgis ($4,500) vs. WAS
- DST: Lions ($4,600) vs. CHI
Here's my DraftKings lineup for Week 14
- QB: Jameis Winston ($6,700) vs. NO
- RB: Jeremy Hill ($5,800) at CLE
- RB: Jonathan Stewart ($5,400) vs. SD
- WR: Mike Evans ($8,900) vs. NO
- WR: Jamison Crowder ($5,600) at PHI
- WR: Tyler Lockett ($3,700) at GB
- TE: Cameron Brate ($4,100) vs. NO
- FLEX: Devonta Freeman ($6,100) at LAR
- DST: Bengals ($3,500) at CLE
I'm sticking with Kaepernick and McDonald for another week, especially at home against the Jets. The price is right, and there's plenty of upside when they aren't playing in the snow at Chicago. Using the 49ers guys allowed me to spend money on Johnson, Bell and Evans, and those three should be dominant this week. Gabriel could score plenty of points this week with Jones hurt and Sanu out, and I love the upside of Jackson against his former team, which is a favorable matchup.
On DraftKings, I used a Buccaneers stack with their matchup at home against the Saints, and I'm excited for Winston, Evans and Brate. Winston is our Start of the Week in Week 14. Hill and Stewart could both get multiple touchdowns given their matchups with the Browns and Chargers, and Crowder has been consistently good all season. I took a flier on Lockett given his matchup with the Packers, and Freeman is an excellent flex since he has at least 75 total yards and two touchdowns in each of his past two games.
#fantasymail
@JameyEisenberg Rawls & Hyde over Ingram?? And Moncrief over Adams?? Playing for the division and a playoff berth this week #fantasymail
— DJCaso (@AzcasoMe) December 9, 2016
Yes, go with Thomas Rawls and Carlos Hyde over Mark Ingram. There's a strong level of concern with Ingram and his injured toe, which forced him to miss practice Thursday, and Rawls and Hyde will get plenty of work in Week 14. It might appear that both have daunting matchups, but I like Rawls and Hyde a lot this week.
@JameyEisenberg looking ahead to wk 15. Which dst to pick up Bills (vs Browns), Texans (vs Jax) or Dolphins (at Jets)? #fantasymail
— texasbruin67 (@texasbruin67) December 9, 2016
I'm going with the Bills here because of the matchup with the Browns at home, although all three options are enticing. We'll see how Robert Griffin III does this week in his return to action against the Bengals, but I still expect the team facing Cleveland to have success, which has been the case for most of the season.
@JameyEisenberg Better keeper. Jordan Matthews or Tyreek Hill? #Fantasymail
— Sketcher Doodle (@sketcherdoodle) December 9, 2016
I just got finished watching Hill dominate the Raiders on Thursday night with six catches for 66 yards and a touchdown, and he also added a 78-yard punt return for a score, so I might be a little swayed by his performance. But Hill appears to have much more upside, even with Alex Smith at quarterback. Jordan Matthews has been good at times and will hopefully grow with Carson Wentz, but Hill appears to have the higher ceiling heading into next year.
@JameyEisenberg Brady or Winston? Brady has higher floor but do you think Winston has higher ceiling? #fantasymail
— Michelle Watson (@watsonml77) December 9, 2016
I'm struggling with this decision myself in one league, and heading into Sunday I'm sticking with Brady over Winston. I expect both to play well, and Winston probably has the higher ceiling given his matchup with the Saints compared to Brady against the Ravens. But Brady has a higher floor, and you'd hate to lose your playoff matchup with Brady on your bench if he outscores Winston.
@JameyEisenberg would you bench Rodgers for Kap #LOB#fantasymail
— Byron Castro (@Im_dkplayboy) December 9, 2016
I like Kaepernick this week, but I'm still starting Aaron Rodgers over him, even with the matchup against Seattle. Rodgers is always a good play at home, and Seattle could struggle with the loss of safety Earl Thomas (leg). I expect Rodgers to be a top-five Fantasy quarterback this week, and Kaepernick is more of a low-end starting option in all leagues.
