We got the unfortunate news Friday that Isiah Pacheco (shoulder) is out for Sunday's game against Buffalo in Week 14. And now Fantasy managers want to know who to start out of Clyde Edwards-Helaire or Jerick McKinnon against the Bills.
Both should be considered sleepers in Week 14, but I'm going to lean slightly toward Edwards-Helaire as the better Fantasy option. Andy Reid said Friday that Edwards-Helaire is the next man up, and he should get the majority of touches in place of Pacheco. McKinnon, who has missed the past two games with a groin injury, should return to his role in the passing game.
I'm going to be conservative in where I rank both Chiefs running backs. While Pacheco had top-five upside given his performance this season, I expect to see Edwards-Helaire and McKinnon split touches. Edwards-Helaire should be considered a low-end No. 2 running back, with McKinnon as a high-end flex.
It's been a tough season for Edwards-Helaire, who has one game with more than seven total touches. That was in Week 3 against Chicago when he had 15 carries for 55 yards and a touchdown, along with one catch for 2 yards on one target, and he scored 12.7 PPR points.
Going back to last season, Edwards-Helaire had five games with double digits in touches, and he scored at least 14.9 PPR points in four of them. In 2021, he had nine games with at least 10 total touches, and he averaged 12.7 PPR points over that span. This could be a great situation for him with the increased workload against the Bills.
As for McKinnon, he's also struggled this season playing in a secondary role behind Pacheco. He's only topped 10 PPR points twice, which was Week 3 against Chicago and Week 9 against Miami, and those are the only games where he's scored a touchdown. He's been held to three catches or less in every game this season and doesn't have more than 28 total yards in any outing.
But last year, McKinnon was a Fantasy star to close the season when he scored a touchdown in each of the final six games, with nine total touchdowns over that span, and he had at least 12.8 PPR points in five of those outings. He also had three games during that stretch with at least five catches.
While I'd rather have Pacheco healthy and active for this week, I'm curious to see what Edwards-Helaire and McKinnon can do against the Bills, who have allowed a running back to score at least 14.5 PPR points in five of their past six games. Give me Edwards-Helaire over McKinnon, but both could be good sleepers for Fantasy managers in Week 14.
Now, let's look at some other sleepers I like for Week 14. Hopefully these players will deliver in a big way to help your lineups. And if you're looking for my Week 14 DFS plays, you can find my million-dollar contest tournament lineups for both DraftKings and FanDuel over at SportsLine.
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Week 14 Sleepers
Sleepers
I liked Minshew going into last week's game at Tennessee, and he delivered a standout performance with 22.7 Fantasy points, which was his best game since Week 7. Now, let's see if he can string together back-to-back quality Fantasy outings for the first time all season. It helps that he's facing a Bengals defense that has allowed five of the past six opposing quarterbacks to score at least 20.3 Fantasy points, and this is a big game for the Colts, who are in the mix for a playoff spot in the AFC. Minshew should be considered a low-end No. 1 Fantasy quarterback in Week 14.
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Wilson is struggling as a Fantasy quarterback of late with three games in a row with fewer than 19 Fantasy points. He's also passed for more than 200 yards just once since Week 4. But I still like Wilson as a low-end starter in deeper leagues in Week 14 at the Chargers, who are No. 4 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. Wilson will hopefully continue to make plays with his legs after rushing for at least 30 yards in four of his past five games, including a rushing touchdown in consecutive outings. And the last time he faced the Chargers in Week 18 last season he scored 29.1 Fantasy points, so hopefully history repeats itself.
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Mayfield has scored 17.3 Fantasy points or less in three games in a row, but he gets Atlanta in Week 14, and the Falcons could be without standout cornerback A.J. Terrell (concussion). Atlanta held Derek Carr and the combination of Tim Boyle and Trevor Siemian to a combined 16.3 Fantasy points the past two weeks, but prior to that, the Falcons allowed the previous three quarterbacks (Will Levis, Joshua Dobbs and Kyler Murray) to each score at least 23.4 Fantasy points. Mayfield has top-10 upside in this matchup
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Williams has actually scored 10.1 and 10.0 PPR points in each of his past two games against Cleveland and Houston, but it feels like he's been worse than that. He does have at least three catches in five of his past six games, but he's still searching for his first rushing touchdown of the year. The Chargers matchup is favorable since they've allowed three running backs to score at least 13.2 PPR points in their past four games, and Williams should be considered a low-end No. 2 running back in Week 14.
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Hubbard has been great the past two games against Tennessee and Tampa Bay with at least 20.2 PPR points in each outing. Over that span, he has 39 carries for 149 yards and three touchdowns and five catches for 47 yards on five targets. With Thomas Brown calling plays for the Panthers, Hubbard has excelled, and the Saints have become a favorable matchup of late. New Orleans has allowed a running back to score in three games in a row, with David Montgomery and Bijan Robinson each scoring at least 12.5 PPR points against the Saints in the past two weeks. Hubbard is worth using as a flex in all leagues in Week 14.
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Mitchell will hopefully continue to get more playing time for the Ravens following their bye in Week 13, and he's scored at least 10.9 PPR points in three of his past four games. In Week 12 at the Chargers, Mitchell handled 11 total touches (two catches for 25 yards on two targets), and he averaged 7.1 yards per carry. He has the ability to change the game with one play, but unfortunately, he shares playing time with Gus Edwards and Justice Hill. I would still use Mitchell as a flex option against the Rams this week, and hopefully the Ravens give one of their best playmakers more touches as the season goes on.
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It will be tough to trust Mattison as a starter in the majority of leagues, but I like this matchup for him against the Raiders, who are No. 6 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs. Mattison has yet to score a rushing touchdown and has only four games this season with at least 12 PPR points, but this could be one of his best outings of the year. With Justin Jefferson (hamstring) back, the offense should open up for Minnesota, and Mattison remains the lead rusher ahead of Ty Chandler. Mattison could finish as a top-20 running back in all leagues, but he's worth starting as at least a flex in all formats in Week 14.
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It seems like Derrick Henry (head) will play Monday night at Miami after leaving Week 13 against the Colts, but this feels like a bad game script for him with the Dolphins favored by nearly two touchdowns. Enter Spears, who could see a lot of playing time if the Titans are trailing, and the more touches for Spears, the better. We saw that against Indianapolis with 16 carries for 75 yards and four catches for 13 yards on six targets. He won't get that much work if Henry is healthy, but Spears could still be a flex option in deeper leagues in Week 14.
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I like Beckham and Zay Flowers as No. 3 Fantasy receivers this week against the Rams. Flowers should be considered the better Fantasy option, but Beckham has the chance for a revenge game against the Rams. He scored at least 11 PPR points in three of his past four games prior to Baltimore's bye in Week 13. With Mark Andrews (ankle) out, I expect Beckham to be a top target for Lamar Jackson against the Rams, who have allowed three receivers in the past two games to score at least 11.7 PPR points.
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Christian Watson (hamstring) is banged up, which should allow Reed and Romeo Doubs the chance for more production against the Giants in Week 14. Doubs has scored at least 11.2 PPR points in three of his past four games, and Reed has scored at least 15 PPR points in three of his past four outings. The Giants are No. 4 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers, and Jordan Love is on fire right now. This is a great week to trust both Reed and Doubs as No. 3 Fantasy receivers in the majority of leagues, especially if Watson is out.
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Joe Flacco will hopefully start again for the Browns in Week 14 against Jacksonville, and Amari Cooper (concussion) could be out for this game. Both situations should benefit Moore, who has a rapport with Flacco going back to their time with the Jets. Flacco just gave Moore 12 targets in Week 13 at the Rams, and Moore now has 35 targets in his past four games. He's scored at least 12 PPR points in three of those outings, and he's worth starting as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in all leagues against the Jaguars, who are No. 7 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers.
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Mingo could be a sneaky No. 3 Fantasy receiver in deeper leagues for Week 14 against the Saints, who have struggled recently against opposing receivers. In their past five games, the Saints have allowed five receivers to score at least 12.9 PPR points. Adam Thielen, despite his recent struggles, is still the safer Panthers receiver to trust. But Mingo has picked up his play of late with at least six targets in four games in a row, including 10 targets in Week 13 at Tampa Bay when he finished with six catches for 69 yards. Bryce Young is developing a rapport with Mingo, and that could pay off in a big way to close the season.
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Christian Kirk (groin) was placed on injured reserve Friday, which means Washington should be the slot receiver for the Jaguars for the next four games, starting in Week 14 at Cleveland. When Kirk was injured in Week 13 against Cincinnati, Washington stepped up with six catches for 61 yards and a touchdown on six targets. We'll see if Trevor Lawrence (ankle) can play against the Browns in Week 14, but Washington is a good deep-league flier even if C.J. Beathard starts for Jacksonville. And Washington could be a decent sleeper to add for the rest of the year.
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In his first game without Mark Andrews (ankle) in Week 12 at the Chargers, Likely had four catches for 40 yards on six targets. It was a good start, but hopefully Likely can do more, starting this week against the Rams. It's a good matchup to trust Likely since the Rams have allowed a tight end to score at least 13 PPR points in four of their past five games.
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Zach Wilson is back under center for the Jets, and that should help Conklin this week in a great matchup against the Texans. Houston is No. 4 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends, and Conklin just had nine targets in Week 13 against Atlanta. He has five games this season with at least six targets, and Conklin has scored at least 10 PPR points in four of them, so hopefully he gets a lot of volume this week from Wilson against Houston.
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The Broncos are No. 2 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends, so this is a good spot to trust Everett as a low-end starter in all leagues. He has proven to be a reliable target for Justin Herbert of late, and Everett has eight catches on nine targets for 87 yards and a touchdown in his past two games against Baltimore and New England.
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Defense/Special Teams
Kickers
- Cameron Dicker (vs. DEN)
- Blake Grupe (vs. CAR)
- Younghoe Koo (vs. TB)
