Quarterback
Aaron Rodgers- QB is really condensed for me on a chalky Week 14 slate. Starting with Aaron Rodgers at the top, who draws one of our favorite matchups against the Detroit Lions. The Lions have been unable to generate pressure on opposing QB’s this season, and will once again be down their top two corners in Desmond Trufant and Jeff Okudah. I don’t typically spend up for quarterbacks that don’t run the ball, but Rodgers has been one of the most consistent producers at his position this season. Buoyed by a pass-heavy approach anytime the Pack near the goal-line, Rodgers is a tough fade due to the Packers slate-high 31.5 team total.
Jalen Hurts- There’s tons of value that has opened up making Rodgers an easy fit, but if choosing to fade him I like dropping all the way down to Jalen Hurts in his first ever NFL start. It’s a tough matchup vs the Saints, but the ceiling with someone like Hurts is so massive that it’s worth the risk for his price tag.
GPP Pool: Firstly, on FanDuel I will be siding with Patrick Mahomes over Rodgers, as he is priced cheaper. As far as tournaments go, I love Mahomes and the Chiefs stack, along with some lower-owned options in Tom Brady and Deshaun Watson. Brady is in a smash matchup vs the Vikings defense that is reeling with injuries. Brady is fresh off a bye, and I think the Bucs go over their 30 point team total. Watson is going overlooked once again due to a bad matchup, but few players on the slate possess his sort of upside. I also love a flier on Mike Glennon in larger field contests. The Titans may very well have the worst defensive unit in the NFL, and Glennon has been surprisingly aggressive since taking over for Jake Luton.
Running Back
Derrick Henry- Henry burned me bad last week, but going back to the well against the Jaguars makes sense in Week 14. We have tons of value to fit him comfortably into our lineups, and we don’t expect the Jaguars to jump out to a 20 point lead instantly on the Titans, despite how bad they are defensively. Henry has one of the safest usage projections of the slate, and Jacksonville is allowing the sixth-most fantasy points to running backs this season.
Austin Ekeler- Ekeler was a chalk bomb last week, like Henry, but did manage 10 PPR points in a game where his team scored 0 points. The Falcons haven’t been the pass-catching RB funnel we’ve come to know this season, but they have allowed four touchdowns through the air to Ekeler’s position. The Chargers are my favorite bet to cover this week, and I think they can smash offensively this week.
JD McKissic- I can’t believe it’s 2020 and I’m locking JD McKissic into my main lineup, but here we are. He has an insane nine target average with Alex Smith at QB, and saw ten in their last game after Antonio Gibson exited the game. Peyton Barber is still there and is very much a thing, but McKissic is very safe for his price tag on DraftKings where you get a full point per catch.
GPP Pool: This week got really interesting when Myles Gaskin got ruled out. I want to say I’m considering Aaron Jones, but his projected ownership is so high that it’s going to be tough for me to not come in underweight on him. The two guys I want to be overweight on this week are David Montgomery and Mike Davis. Monty gets my favorite matchup on the ground against the Texans, and everyone wants to target Panthers players this week…at least the ones not named Mike Davis.
Wide Receiver
Davante Adams- I hate spending this high up at WR, but I simply can’t ignore Adams’ monster workload. He will once again dominate the looks from Aaron Rodgers, and as I said above the Lions are still without their top two corners.
Corey Davis- Davis monster game vs the Browns wasn’t a fluke, and he’s now in full post-hype breakout mode with three 100 yard games in his last five. The Titans have the third-highest implied total on the slate at 30 points, and the Jags give up the fifth-most fantasy points to wideouts. He is still significantly cheaper than AJ Brown, and can be considered in all formats.
Panthers- The Panthers boast two of the chalkiest WRs according to out ownership projections in Robby Anderson and Curtis Samuel. Both will see a boost with Christian McCaffrey and DJ Moore sidelined for this game. Samuel is cheaper and has a sneaky floor due to his involvement in the run-game, but Anderson has one of the top target projections on the main slate as well. Like Detroit, Denver will be missing their top two corners this weekend.
Jets Value- This is how we can afford the Derrick Henry’s of the world, with Denzel Mims confirmed out and Jamison Crowder looking unlikely to play. I don’t love targeting a bad team like the Jets in cash games, but the targets will be extremely condensed this week if both end up missing. The Jets should need to pass to stay in the game vs Seattle, and the Seahawks are still allowing the most fantasy points to WRs. I think Breshad Perriman will be the highest-owned option here, but Braxton Berrios in the slot (assuming Crowder out) might actually be my favorite play.
GPP Pool: I will likely be focusing on stacks/run-backs at WR this week starting with Tyreek Hill, who I once again want to be overweight on. I like AB-Adam Thielen in my Brady stack and DJ Chark-AJ Brown and/or Corey Davis in my Mike Glennon stack.
Tight End
Travis Kelce- TE is once again extremely straightforward, you either spend up on Travis Kelce or you look to save as much as possible at the position. Kelce has seen positive regression come his way this season with eight touchdowns already in 2020 compared to just five a year ago. He would currently be sitting as the WR4 in PPR if he was eligible at the position, and the Chiefs going all-in on passing the ball recently just boosts his floor/ceiling even more.
Logan Thomas- And here is your punt, the man that I went all-in on in Week 1! Thomas has been really good for the Football Team this season, and is just one off Kelce with 13 targets inside the 20 this season. Everyone watched him hang 25 DK points on the Steelers on Monday Night Football, so don’t expect him to be a secret this weekend.
GPP Pool: In tournaments I will look to be overweight on Kelce, especially in my stack with Mahomes. I also like Jordan Reed (revenge game) against the Football Team in the same game as Thomas.
Written by Ben Hossler (Follow @BenHossler on Twitter)
