Notes:
• Deshaun Watson was rusty in his return from a two-year absence, but he’s a far better option than others. Watson needs to knock the rust off, but if he is available, he is someone to target in the event you lost Lamar Jackson.
• Speaking of Jackson, in typical John Harbaugh fashion, the Ravens head coach was vague on the status of Jackson’s knee injury. His backup, Tyler Huntley, is someone to consider if you’re a Jackson owner. Baltimore’s offensive game plan doesn’t change with Huntley running the system, and his rushing prowess makes him a fantasy option.
• The 49ers looked to be marching their way to another conference championship game. Jimmy Garoppolo’s season-ending injury changes all that. This doesn’t hurt Christian McCaffrey’s value much, if at all, but it is a blow to Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle owners. Whether it’s Brock Purdy or someone else under center, this hurts fantasy owners at the worst time of the year.
• I mentioned this in my waiver-wire pickups for Week 14, but this is the time of the year you want to start stacking up on handcuff running backs. Semaje Perine has been terrific for fantasy owners with Joe Mixon out of the lineup. Pick up all your handcuffs and any other prominent ones instead of holding onto a second quarterback or tight end.
• Zonovan Knight looks to be the preferred running back for the Jets while Michael Carter rehabs from injury. Carter is likely to miss at least another week, which makes Knight a FLEX play this week. However, he’ll be hard to trust once Carter is back in the lineup.
• Derrick Henry owners have to be frustrated with his play as of late, but he has very juicy matchups in the coming weeks. The next three weeks feature games against the Jaguars, Chargers and Texans.
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• Josh Jacobs was on everyone’s “Do Not Draft” list during the draft season, including yours truly. We were all wrong. He’s been arguably the most consistent running back this year. To be fair, the Raiders didn’t seem too high on him, either, when they declined his fifth-year option.
• What Christian Watson has done as of late is otherworldly. He barely touched the ball the first nine weeks of the season, but he has eight touchdowns in his last four games after two more scores this week. He’s vaulted into top-25 wide receiver territory the rest of the way.
• Thankfully, this is the final week of byes. Unfortunately, six teams are on a bye in crunch time of the fantasy regular season. The Bears, Commanders, Colts, Falcons, Packers and Saints will all be off this week.
Thursday Night Game: Raiders vs. Rams
Sunday Night Game: Dolphins vs. Chargers
Monday Night Game: Patriots vs. Cardinals
Top Pickups of the Week: Tyler Huntley, James Cook, Zonovan Knight, Darius Slayton, Nico Collins, Raiders D/ST
Send to the Waiver Wire: James Robinson, Darrell Henderson, George Pickens, Adam Thielen
Start ‘Em:
Quarterback: Geno Smith
Running Back: Ezekiel Elliott
Wide Receiver: Drake London
Tight End: Pat Freiermuth
Defense: Raiders
Sit ‘Em:
Quarterback: Daniel Jones
Running Back: James Conner
Wide Receiver: Courtland Sutton
Tight End: Robert Tonyan
Defense: Broncos
Sleepers:
Quarterback: Mac Jones
Running Back: James Cook
Wide Receiver: Corey Davis
Tight End: Austin Hooper
Defense: Cardinals
NFL Picks for Week 14
Weekly Pick ‘Em (Season Record: 117-75-2)
Raiders (vs. Rams)
Vikings (vs. Lions)
Bills (vs. Jets)
Ravens (vs. Steelers)
Bengals (vs. Browns)
Titans (vs. Jaguars)
Cowboys (vs. Texans)
Eagles (vs. Giants)
Chiefs (vs. Broncos)
Buccaneers (vs. 49ers)
Seahawks (vs. Panthers)
Dolphins (vs. Chargers)
Cardinals (vs. Patriots)
Five Picks Against the Spread (Season Record: 35-28-2)
Vikings +1.5 vs. Lions
Jets +9.5 vs. Bills
Titans -3.5 vs. Jaguars
Buccaneers +3 vs. 49ers
Cardinals +1.5 vs. Patriots
Five Over-Under Totals (Season Record: 41-24)
Ravens-Steelers under 38
Texans-Cowboys over 44.5
Browns-Bengals over 47.5
Panthers-Seahawks under 43.5
Dolphins-Chargers over 51.5
One Bold Prediction for the Week
Week 1: Baker Mayfield and Russell Wilson each throw for 300 yards and two touchdowns against their former team. (miss)
Week 2: Four different wide outs finish with over 100 receiving yards in the two Monday night games. (miss)
Week 3: Jalen Hurts has five total touchdowns against the Commanders. (miss)
Week 4: Lamar Jackson has more than 500 yards of offense against the Bills. (miss)
Week 5: Josh Allen finishes with more rushing yards than the entire Steelers offense. (miss)
Week 6: Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes combine for 800 yards of total offense in a potential preview of the AFC championship game. (miss)
Week 7: Derrick Henry has three rushing touchdowns against the Colts. (miss)
Week 8: The Colts rush for more than 200 yards against the Commanders. (miss)
Week 9: Davante Adams goes over 150 receiving yards after being held to one catch in Week 8. (missed by 4 yards on 17 targets)
Week 10: Justin Fields has his first 300-yard passing game on the season against Lions. (miss)
Week 11: The Patriots’ defense forces four turnovers against the Jets. (miss)
Week 12: Tua Tagovailoa throws five touchdown passes against the Texans. (miss)
Week 13: The Jets defense holds Justin Jefferson under 55 receiving yards (FINALLY, got one!)
Week 14: The Cowboys tally more than 500 yards of total offense against the Texans.
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