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Week 14 Notes
This week is likely your first week of fantasy playoff matchups. One important note I always like to remind myself of is don’t overthink your decisions. Most of your decisions should be straightforward, go with your studs or who got you here. Good luck!
- Giants S Landon Collins was placed on season-ending IR, a big blow to fantasy owners as we lose a Top 5 scoring defensive back. For owners looking to replace him in your line-ups, we have some suggestions just below.
- In New York, S Michael Thomas should take over as the player to own and replace Collins. While we cannot replace all of his production, he should see plenty of opportunity for a bad Giants defense.
- Packers S Ibraheim Campbell has turned his increased playing time into big-time production. He’s recorded 16 total tackles and is making some big plays. With injuries in the secondary, Green Bay shouldn’t have much competition for tackles in the secondary.
- Jaguars S Barry Church did not play last weekend and it may have been a benching. The team gave Ronnie Harrison a look and he played well. If you are desperate for a pickup and need some potential heading to the playoffs Harrison may fit the bill.
- Bears DE Akiem Hicks has been on a tear and should be in your playoff lineups. Defensive end is a hard position to fill each week but with Hicks tackle floor, he is as safe as you can find this late in the year.
- Another late-season DE add is Rams Dante Fowler who has been quite productive in LA. Fowler is hard to trust but he is an excellent addition if you are a heavy underdog and are looking for a player that could put up one big game.
- Some of the most valuable fantasy production we find late in the year are the ones where young players are given a look heading into the next season. Raiders LB Nick Morrow is one such player. Morrow has been productive in limited playing time but last week he saw extended time.
- Chiefs LB Anthony Hitchens was back in the lineup full-time and finished with double-digit fantasy points. If you need an LB3 Hitchens should be available on your wire after missing time with injury.
Positive / Negative Home Stat Crews
Here is this week’s list of positive and negative matchups. We break down the top and bottom three matchups where home stat crews either hand out tackles and assists or are stingy with them. This metric is Tackles Per Opportunity or TPO and we can use these games to break ties for our lineups.
Note: the matchups are not favorable for fantasy owners this week. Think about getting some big-play defensive players in your lineups to make a difference.
Top 3 TPO Games at Home this week = Jets @ BIlls, Falcons @ Packers, Jaguars @ Titans
Bottom 3 TPO Games at Home this week = Panthers @ Browns, Bengals @ Chargers, Ravens @ Chiefs
Below are the full IDP rankings for Week 14 thanks to this widget from FantasyPros: