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It was a great Week 14 as every recommendation came through for us. Even though Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger missed a portion of the game due to injury, he was still able to perform well enough that it didn’t kill us in cash games. As always, time to focus on the upcoming week.
Quarterbacks
Cash Game Option:
New England Patriots Tom Brady ($11,000) – Is he back? Was he ever gone? I don’t know the answer to either question, but it was good to see Brady perform at a high level in Week 14. The veteran threw for 358 yards and three touchdowns and has now thrown for over 300 yards in consecutive weeks. The Patriots now face a Steelers pass defense that is ranked 21st in pass defensive DVOA according to Football Outsiders. The Patriots have an implied team total of 27 which is tied for second on the slate. The Patriots are finally completely healthy and Brady will have plenty of options in the passing game. The price has not caught up to the recent production which makes Brady a nice starting point when building cash lineups.
Tournament Option:
Philadelphia Eagles Nick Foles ($10,000) – Last year’s Super Bowl hero is back and checks in at minimum price for quarterbacks. The Eagles take on the Los Angeles Rams and are currently 11.5 point underdogs. Starter Carson Wentz is reportedly dealing with a fractured back so there’s no shot he will be playing this week. The Eagles should have to throw the ball a ton to keep up with the Rams high powered offense and the price tag on Foles makes him an intriguing tournament option. We can easily stack him with tight end Zach Ertz and even run it back with some of the offensive players on the Rams as the over/under is set at 52.5.
Tight Ends
Cash Game Option:
New England Patriots Rob Gronkowski ($11,000) – The tight end position continues to be a disaster that I think the best strategy is to actually pay for the position and find value elsewhere. George Kittle, Eric Ebron and Jared Cook are all strong targets, but I’ll highlight Gronk as he finally played well in Week 14. Gronkowski caught eight passes for 107 yards and a touchdown and has now caught a touchdown pass in two of the last three games. As mentioned with Brady, the Patriots are in a good spot against the Steelers and Gronkowski may be in the best position as Pittsburgh ranks 31st in defensive DVOA against the tight end position according to Football Outsiders. We targeted the Steelers last week with Cook and it paid off and I’m good with going right back at them again.
Tournament Option:
Washington Redskins Vernon Davis ($6,300) – If we are paying down at the position and looking to fit in more studs elsewhere, Davis is a great target. Starter Jordan Reed is likely to miss this week due to injury and after leaving last week’s game, Davis caught four passes for 31 yards. The Redskins take on a Jaguars defense that ranks middle of the pack against the tight end position, but this is more about salary relief and opportunity. There is risk which is why Davis is only in tournament conversation, but I can easily see him catching five passes this week.
Defenses
Jacksonville Jaguars ($6,700) – The Jaguars take on a Redskins offense that has an extremely low implied team total of 14.5. Playing at home also will help and we know they have tremendous upside as the talent is still there despite their under performance this season. If wanting to save a little more money, the Seattle Seahawks and Baltimore Ravens are also strong alternatives.