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Quarterbacks
Cash Game Options:
Sam Darnold, NYJ ($11,300) vs MIA
Darnold has been a top-seven quarterback in three of the last four weeks. He now gets the premier matchup for quarterbacks in week 14. Miami’s defense has given up the second-most touchdown passes and second-best yards per pass attempt to opposing quarterbacks. One concern we usually have with Darnold is the Jets woeful offensive line. That isn’t much of a concern in this matchup because the Dolphins are either last or next to last in pressure percentage, sacks, and QB hits. Darnold is also very cheap, allowing us to pay up at other positions.
Derek Carr, OAK ($10,000) vs TEN
Carr for some reason is the minimum price at quarterback this week. This isn’t a crazy difficult matchup or anything for the Raiders passing game. The Titans are 16th in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks. They are also in the middle of the pack in all of the pressure categories. The Titans also have multiple defensive players already ruled out for this game, thus boosting his matchup. Carr also plays behind one of the best offensive lines in football. He doesn’t have a huge ceiling but his price tag allows us to fit anyone else we want in our lineups.
Tournament Option:
Jared Goff, LAR ($11,100) vs SEA
Goff is extremely cheap this week, at home against a mediocre Seattle pass defense. Earlier this year, at Seattle, Goff threw for 395 yards and a touchdown. Seattle’s defense is bottom-seven in the league in pressure percentage, sacks, and QB hits. Goff himself is third in the league in pass attempts and fourth in passing yards. He has five top-eight fantasy performances this year and this game should stay close throughout with Russell Wilson at quarterback on the other side.
Wide Receiver
Cash Game Options:
Michael Thomas, NO ($15,700) vs SF
With all of the savings we used at quarterback we can now spend up at receiver and Thomas is the best of the bunch (also the most expensive). Before last week, Thomas had eight+ receptions and 100 or more yards in five straight games. He has at least eight receptions in all but two games on the season. He has been a top-15 WR in 9 of 12 games on the season and has the best ceiling/floor combination at the position. Thomas may garner a little lower ownership this week in a pretty tough matchup on paper.
Mike Williams, LAC ($8,300) at JAX
If we are looking to pay down at a receiver spot I like Williams to fill one of those spots. He is 11th at receiver in deep targets (20+ yards) and number one in yards per reception at a whopping 20.5 ypr. Williams is also due for some serious positive touchdown regression. He does not have a receiving touchdown this year after scoring 11 in 2018. He has only come down with two of his 13 red-zone targets this year. He has nine or more PPR points in six of his last eight games and that is without scoring. We know we will get some decent points at a minimum from Williams at a dirt-cheap price and maybe this is the week he finally scores.
Tournament Options:
Diontae Johnson, PIT ($9,100) at ARI
This one is all about the matchup. Arizona has allowed the most passing touchdowns, and passing yards this season. The Steelers leading receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster has already been ruled out for this one meaning Johnson will be a full-time player once again this week. Over the last four games, he is two behind the team-lead in targets. His box scores haven’t been good in a while but this is still an elite matchup for Johnson. You will get him with no ownership and a great price.
Curtis Samuel, CAR ($10,200) at ATL
Samuel has six or more targets in 10 his last 11 games. He is the deep-threat for this Panthers offense, where he is 11th at wide receiver in deep targets. The problem with that is quarterback Kyle Allen has been the least accurate passer on deep throws. He has completed just 8 of 38 passes beyond 20 yards down the field. The Falcons are allowing the fourth-most PPR points to wide receivers and a whopping 45 completions of 20+ yards this season. The Falcons defense is bottom-three in pressure percentage, sacks, and QB hits. That leads me to believe that Allen will have a more comfortable pocket to try and hit Samuel deep in this game. He comes in at a fine price and will get his shots at a big play. Let’s hope he connects on one this week.
Tight End
Cash Game Option:
Ian Thomas, CAR ($5,600) at ATL
I am usually a proponent of paying down at the tight end position in cash games. Thomas caught all four of his targets for 24 scoreless yards in relief on the injured Greg Olsen last week. With Olsen ruled out this week with a concussion, Thomas is the starter in Carolina. He had a similar role at the end of last season stepping in for an injured Olsen. He averaged 13 PPR points per game in those four games. That would be good for the TE10 in fantasy this season and we get him at $100 more than the minimum price this week. Thomas lets us pay all the way up at receiver and running back.
Tournament Options:
Tyler Higbee, LAR ($7,600) vs SEA
With fellow tight end Gerald Everett expected to miss another game, it will be the Higbee show. Last week without Everett, Higbee was second on the team in targets with eight and he caught seven of them for 107 yards and a score. Seattle has allowed the eighth-most points to tight ends over their last five games. Everett and Higbee combined for over 170 yards in their first meeting with Seattle this year. I really like this game for stacking and Higbee makes a cheap component of that this week.
Darren Waller, OAK ($10,600) vs TEN
With receiver Hunter Renfrow out last week, Waller got back to leading the team in targets with nine. Renfrow has not practiced this week and will likely miss this game. Waller tallied his third 100-yard game of the season last week (the only tight end that has accomplished that). Waller is an elite playmaker at the tight end position. He is top-three at the position in yards after the catch, deep targets, contested catch rate, and yards per target. The do-it-all tight end can easily finish as the TE1 this week but he is only the fifth most expensive option, $1,100 behind Travis Kelce (#1).