Where do I begin? It’s Week 14 and you may be fighting for a playoff spot while dealing with six bye weeks. What do you do if you’re down quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson, Anthony Richardson (QB7 since returning as a starter, don’t hate), Jayden Daniels, Bo Nix or C.J. Stroud? I don’t usually put quarterbacks in this column, but here are a few streaming options with decent matchups this week:
- Will Levis vs. Jaguars
- Derek Carr at Giants
- Cooper Rush vs. Bengals
- Aidan O’Connell at Buccaneers
Players who were in this column last week like Rico Dowdle (RB4), Rachaad White (RB28) and DJ Moore (WR7) showed up for us. We weren’t so fortunate with guys like Michael Pittman Jr. (WR48), Khalil Shakir (snow) and Taysom Hill (injured). This week is the week of all weeks in fantasy football and we shall finish strong. Some names here you may not be ready for, but remember there are a lot of big names on bye including:
- RB: Derrick Henry, Joe Mixon, Jonathan Taylor, Brian Robinson Jr., Rhamondre Stevenson
- WR: Zay Flowers, Nico Collins, Tank Dell, Courtland Sutton, Josh Downs, Terry McLaurin
- TE: Mark Andrews, Hunter Henry, Zach Ertz
LET’S WIN.
Jameson Williams, WR, Lions vs. Packers
In Week 14 Williams will get the luxury of playing at home, in primetime and in a game where the current Over/Under is 51.5 points (the highest of the week). In five home games this season, Williams is averaging seven targets, 4.2 receptions, and 86.4 receiving YPG as opposed to on the road where those numbers are 4, 2.6 and 39.6 respectively (in five away games). Furthermore, in his last three games, Williams has seen at least six targets. In a pivotal NFC North matchup, look for the Lions to attack with Williams on first-and-10, where he’s gained 43.6% of his receiving yards this season.
Adam Thielen or Jalen Coker, WR, Panthers at Eagles
Bryce Young has turned the corner as a young quarterback and it’s paying dividends for the Panthers, their offense and the wide receiver group. Now it’ll get a little tougher against an Eagles defense that just held the Ravens to 12 points until there were seconds left in the game. The Panthers are 12-point underdogs and should be in throw-mode. Thielen has been active and involved since returning as he’s coming off a game in which he went 8-99-1 on 10 targets. The return of Jalen Coker should see him pick up right where he left off. In Coker’s absence, David Moore averaged 9.5 targets per game and while Xavier Legette could be in play as well, I’d go with Thielen or Coker first.
Tre Tucker, WR, Raiders at Buccaneers
Tucker is coming off of a very fluky Week 13 performance where he caught his lone target for a 58-yard touchdown. The key here is that he was on the field for 97% of the Raiders’ offensive snaps, his highest of the season. Now to be fair, he’s played no less than 89% of the snaps in a game since Week 6 and has only been able to scrounge up 18-235-1 since then, but we’ve got six bye weeks remember? In Week 12 he saw a lot more volume catching 7-of-8 targets for 82 yards in a game against the Broncos that the Raiders were trailing. That will likely be the case in Week 14 where the Raiders are 6.5-point underdogs against the Bucs. Roll with it.
Khalil Shakir, WR, Bills at Rams
Shakir had a down week, going only 4-30-0 in the snow, which made him the WR60 in Week 13. I don’t fear that happening again in any shape or form this week in Los Angeles against a Rams defense that allows the sixth-most fantasy points per game to receivers. With two high-powered offense and an Over/Under of 49.5 points, I expect the game to be back-and-forth. Even with the addition of Amari Cooper, Shakir has remained Josh Allen’s most trusted and reliable target. He’s averaged 9.5 targets per game in the four games prior to Week 13. He’ll be ready to go.
D’Andre Swift, RB, Bears at 49ers
This one may be the toughest one on the list, but you have to remember the circumstances we are in. It looks like a horrible matchup when you say and think “Bears at 49ers”, but there’s reason for hope with Swift in Week 14. The 49ers’ defense has allowed 100 or more rushing yards to a single running back in two straight games. Furthermore, they’ve allowed a rushing touchdown to a running back in SEVEN straight games. Who would have ever thought the 49ers would be a bottom 12 team in allowing fantasy points per game to running backs? Managers may have to worry about Roschon Johnson taking away some carries at the goal line, but he failed to get a single carry in Week 13. This is a nice spot for Swift to kind of bounce back.
Rico Dowdle, RB, Cowboys vs. Bengals
I spoke about Dowdle earlier this week in my Stock Up, Stock Down article in regards to his opportunities and his upcoming schedule. He’s the RB7 over the last two weeks in fantasy points per game (16.1) after being RB31 over the first 11 weeks. Now, he gets a Bengals defense that just let up 129 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown to Najee Harris in Week 13. That performance landed Harris as RB3 for the week, the best weekly finish for him this season. Even if the Cowboys fall behind, you still like Dowdle in the receiving game as he’s caught three passes in four out of his last five games. If anything, volume will take Dowdle to the promised land.
