Let’s dive into some news and notes around the league, my top fantasy plays and favorite picks for Week 14.
Notes:
• The NFL needs to start considering the fantasy football community when making the schedule. It is the final week of the regular season for most fantasy leagues, but there are four teams on a bye. It is not ideal to have players on a bye in such a crucial week.
• Lamar Jackson struggled once again in Week 13, marking three straight games with single-digit fantasy points. Jackson is QB27 in the past three weeks, ranking behind Shedeur Sanders and Tyler Shough. You need to ride it out if you have him in fantasy football, but the various injuries are taking a toll on Jackson.
• The Rams lost on Sunday, but Matthew Stafford has the offense cooking. Puka Nacua is WR4, and the best goal-line player in football, Davante Adams, is WR5. Adams has found the end zone in six consecutive games, with 11 touchdowns scored during the stretch. Even Kyren Williams is posting solid numbers, ranking as RB9 through 13 weeks. The Rams have one of the easiest remaining schedules, so expect the high volume of scoring to continue.
• This is the point of the year when you want to exploit matchups with your defense picks. The Rams and Eagles have favorable matchups but are popular enough that they are rostered. The Saints play the Buccaneers, Panthers, Jets and Titans to close out the fantasy season if you want to lock in on one team.
• Remember to check the weather heading into Sunday for your kicker selection. Target kickers playing in domes and fair weather conditions. Every point matters this time of the year.
Thursday Night Game: Cowboys vs. Lions
Sunday Night Game: Texans vs. Chiefs
Monday Night Game: Eagles vs. Chargers
Start ‘Em:
Quarterback: Daniel Jones
Running Back: Bam Knight
Wide Receiver: Jayden Higgins
Tight End: Darren Waller
Defense: Browns
Sit ‘Em:
Quarterback: C.J. Stroud
Running Back: Tony Pollard
Wide Receiver: Justin Jefferson
Tight End: Dallas Goedert
Defense: Texans
Sleepers:
Quarterback: Tyler Shough
Running Back: Tyler Allgeier
Wide Receiver: Adonai Mitchell
Tight End: Mike Gesicki
Defense: Titans
NFL Picks for Week 14
All odds are from FanDuel Sportsbook at time of writing
Weekly Pick ‘Em (Season Record: 129-63-1)
Lions (vs. Cowboys)
Dolphins (at Jets)
Seahawks (at Falcons)
Buccaneers (vs. Saints)
Commanders (at Vikings)
Jaguars (vs. Colts)
Ravens (vs. Steelers)
Browns (vs. Titans)
Bills (vs. Bengals)
Broncos (at Raiders)
Packers (vs. Bears)
Rams (at Cardinals)
Chiefs (vs. Texans)
Eagles (at Chargers)
Five Picks Against The Spread (Season Record: 32-29-4)
Dolphins -2.5 at Jets
Commanders -1.5 at Vikings
Jaguars +1.5 vs. Colts
Bears +6.5 at Packers
Eagles -3 at Chargers
Five Over-Under Totals (Season Record: 34-31)
Cowboys-Lions Over 54.5
Seahawks-Falcons Under 43.5
Saints-Buccaneers Under 42.5
Bengals-Bills Over 51.5
Broncos-Raiders Under 40.5
One Bold Prediction for the Week
Week 1: Trevor Lawrence finishes as a top-10 QB against the Panthers (miss)
Week 2: Zay Flowers remains the overall WR1 after torching the Browns (miss)
Week 3: Daniel Jones makes it three straight weeks finishing as a top-five fantasy quarterback (miss)
Week 4: Josh Allen accounts for five total touchdowns against the Saints (miss)
Week 5: A tight end leads all FLEX-worthy players in scoring (miss)
Week 6: Matthew Stafford finishes as a QB1 against the Ravens (miss)
Week 7: Quinshon Judkins is a top-10 RB against the Dolphins (finally got one!)
Week 8: Joe Flacco throws for more than 300 yards against the Jets (miss)
Week 9: Marvin Harrison Jr. records more than 150 receiving yards against the Cowboys (miss)
Week 10: Jalen Hurts throws for more than 300 yards against the Packers on “Monday Night Football” (miss)
Week 11: C.J. Stroud finishes as a QB1 against the Titans (miss)
Week 13: Jaxon Smith-Njigba is held under 100 receiving yards (winner winner!)
Week 14: Lamar Jackson gets back on track and finishes as a top-three fantasy quarterback against the Steelers
Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox