I thought I had the perfect DFS lineup Thursday night. I thought I was going to be swimming in money like Scrooge McDuck with the players I used on FanDuel from the Cowboys-Bears game.
Since I only entered a small tournament, my winnings were minimal, but this isn't about the money. OK, it's always about the money, but sometimes it's fun knowing you picked a good lineup, right?
Ezekiel Elliott was my MVP, and my flex plays were Mitchell Trubisky, Allen Robinson, Anthony Miller and Jesper Horsted. All of them had productive games relative to their cost, and it was great to watch the scoreboard pop throughout the night.
We know the Fantasy season is winding down in most leagues since the playoffs start in Week 14 for a lot of you. But even if your seasonal league is over you can still enjoy more Fantasy action on FanDuel and DraftKings for a few more weeks.
I'll continue to post my DFS lineups through the end of the season here, and hopefully these suggestions are successful for you, starting in Week 14. The sleepers listed here can help you as well in DFS and seasonal leagues, and I'm hoping you end up increasing your bank accounts in time for the holidays.
While it's not always about the money, earning a few extra dollars never hurts.
Week 14 Sleepers
Darnold should hopefully play better against Miami in Week 14 than he did at Cincinnati in Week 14 when he struggled with just nine Fantasy points as the Start of the Week. Against the Dolphins in Week 9, Darnold had 14 Fantasy points, but he lost a touchdown on a bad call for Ryan Griffin in the end zone. The Dolphins allow the second-most Fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks at 26.0 points per game, and I would stick with Dalton this week as a low-end starter in all leagues.
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Tannehill is someone we've been touting for weeks, and he just had his first sub-par Fantasy performance since taking over for Marcus Mariota in Week 7 with 17 points at Indianapolis. Still, he scored multiple touchdowns for the sixth week in a row, and I'm going right back to him as a low-end starter in all leagues in Week 14 at Oakland. The Raiders allow 25.2 Fantasy points a game to opposing quarterbacks, and Tannehill should stay hot in leading the Titans to a potential playoff berth.
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Manning is back for the Giants with Daniel Jones (ankle) banged up, and it appears that Evan Engram (foot) and Golden Tate (concussion) will be healthy as well. That gives the Giants their full complement of weapons with Saquon Barkley, Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton against an Eagles defense that just struggled against Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Dolphins. I would only consider Manning in two-quarterback and Superflex leagues, but he could be making his final start in the NFL. It would be fun to see him go out with a bang in a potential shootout with Carson Wentz.
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James Conner (shoulder) is out again, which should give Snell the chance for a heavy workload in Week 14 against Arizona. In Week 13 against Cleveland, Snell had 13 PPR points, and he has at least 10 PPR points in his past two games. The Cardinals are No. 10 in Fantasy points allowed to running backs, and they have allowed a running back to score in each of their past three games.
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Mattison would be a must-start running back if Dalvin Cook (shoulder/chest) is out, so keep an eye on his status. But even if Cook plays, I would still use Mattison as a flex. Detroit comes into Week 14 having allowed the third-most Fantasy points to opposing running backs for the year, and the Lions have allowed seven touchdowns to running backs in their past five games.
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Laird will start for Miami in Week 14 at the Jets with Kalen Ballage (leg) out for the season, and Laird has scored at least 11 PPR points in two of his past three games. The Jets defense will miss safety Jamal Adams (ankle) if he's out as expected, and Laird has at least four catches in two of his past three outings. I like him as a flex in all leagues, with his value slightly higher in PPR.
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Penny should be considered a borderline starter in all leagues, and I'm putting him in this category just to have somewhere to write about him. He's scored at least 18 PPR points in his past two games, but his performance in Week 15 against Minnesota was impressive. He had 15 carries for 74 yards and a touchdown, along with four catches for 33 yards and a touchdown on five targets. It's doubtful he gets 19 total touches again, but I can see him getting 15 this week. And against the Rams that makes him a flex, with Chris Carson still a must-start running back in all leagues.
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In two of three games since coming back from his knee injury in Week 1, Guice has scored at least 13 PPR points twice. I'm hopeful that his workload continues to increase after having just 12 total touches last week at Carolina, but he scored 26 PPR points in that outing with 129 rushing yards and two touchdowns, along with two catches for 8 yards. Adrian Peterson and Chris Thompson remain speed bumps for Guice, but I still like him as a flex against the Packers, who have allowed five touchdowns to running backs in their past four games.
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Washington has scored at least 10 PPR points in four of his past five games, and he's scored a touchdown in each of his past two outings against Cincinnati and Cleveland with Devlin Hodges under center. The Cardinals were just abused by Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp in Week 13 and then cut cornerback Tramaine Brock in a surprising move Monday. Washington is a strong No. 3 Fantasy receiver in Week 14.
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Westbrook has at least 14 PPR points in his past two games, and he has 13 catches for 129 yards and a touchdown on 17 targets over that span. Westbrook should be considered the No. 2 receiver for the Jaguars behind D.J. Chark, but Westbrook might be the better option in PPR. He should benefit with Gardner Minshew back under center in place of Nick Foles, and Westbrook is a solid No. 3 PPR receiver in Week 14 against the Chargers.
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It would be great if Anderson stays hot in Week 14 against Miami, and he has a terrific matchup against the Dolphins. Miami allows the third-most Fantasy points to opposing receivers, and the Dolphins have given up the most touchdowns to the position with 21. Anderson has a touchdown or at least 100 receiving yards in three games in a row, and he's worth using as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in all leagues this week. I would also use Jamison Crowder as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver this week.
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Tate is back after missing Week 13 with a concussion, and it will be a new look for him with the Giants going against the Eagles on Monday night. This will be his first game with Manning under center since Tate was suspended to start the year when Manning was still starting for the Giants. And now everyone is healthy and active for the Giants for the first time all season with Tate, Sterling Shepard, Darius Slayton, Evan Engram and Saquon Barkley on the field together for the first time. We'll see if Tate it still a primary focus, and prior to missing Week 13 he had at least six targets in all seven games that he played. He also had at least 11 PPR points in six games in a row. This is a revenge game for Tate after he spent the end of the 2018 season in Philadelphia, and the Eagles are No. 4 in Fantasy points allowed to receivers. I like Tate as a high-end No. 3 Fantasy receiver this week in all leagues, with Shepard right behind him. Slayton is just a desperation play with Tate now healthy.
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Higbee was a star against Arizona in Week 13 when he dominated the Cardinals with seven catches for 107 yards and a touchdown on eight targets. He did that with Gerald Everett (knee) out, and we'll see if Everett is able to return this week, which would lower Higbee's value. He does have 14 targets in his past two games, and he's facing the Seahawks in Week 14 who have allowed a tight end to score in each of the past two games. Everett also beat up Seattle in Week 5 with seven catches for 136 yards on 11 targets, and Higbee had three catches for 47 yards in that matchup.
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McDonald gets the free space this week against the Cardinals, who allow the most Fantasy points to opposing tight ends by a mile. Arizona has allowed 13 touchdowns to opposing tight ends, and hopefully McDonald takes advantage of this matchup. The problem with him is he has four targets in his past two games, and he hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 9. He's worth a flier, however, given the Cardinals defense, and hopefully he delivers like most tight ends against Arizona have done this year.
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Thomas is worth a look in deeper leagues if you need a tight end and Greg Olsen (concussion) is out. Thomas finished Week 13 with four catches for 24 yards on four targets after Olsen got hurt against Washington, and he closed last season with at least 14 PPR points in three of his final four games with Olsen out. Keep an eye on Olsen's status, but Thomas can be a low-end starter in deeper leagues in Week 14 against Atlanta.
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DFS LINEUPS
DraftKings
QB - Ryan Fitzpatrick ($6,000) at NYJ
RB - Nick Chubb ($8,000) vs. CIN
RB - Melvin Gordon ($6,400) at JAC
WR - DeVante Parker ($6,900) at NYJ
WR - Zach Pascal ($5,500) at TB
WR - Will Fuller ($5,500) vs. DEN
TE - Jack Doyle ($4,600) at TB
FLEX - Patrick Laird ($4,100) at NYJ
DST - Titans ($2,600) at OAK
I'll stack the Dolphins here with Fitzpatrick, Parker and Laird, and the Miami passing game should continue to have success against the Jets. Laird could also be the best running back in this game if Le'Veon Bell (illness) is out for the Jets.
I'm going to have plenty of shares of Gordon, Chubb, Pascal and Doyle this week. Both running backs have amazing matchups, and the Colts pass catchers should be heavily involved in a solid matchup at Tampa Bay.
Fuller should have success against the Broncos as you already read, and I like the Titans defense this week against the Raiders. I'm excited about this lineup for Week 14.
FanDuel
QB - Baker Mayfield ($7,600) vs. CIN
RB - Derrick Henry ($9,100) at OAK
RB - Devonta Freeman ($6,000) vs. CAR
WR - Odell Beckham ($6,800) vs. CIN
WR - James Washington ($6,700) at ARI
WR - Jamison Crowder ($6,000) vs. MIA
TE - Mike Gesicki ($5,400) at NYJ
FLEX - Melvin Gordon ($7,300) at JAC
DST - Steelers ($4,300) at ARI
I'll play Gordon again here, but I wanted to switch it up with Henry and Freeman at running back. You know Henry's upside, and Freeman has a great matchup against the Panthers, who allow the most Fantasy points to opposing running backs.
I'm going with a Browns stack of Mayfield and Beckham, and they should dominate the Bengals at home. I love the upside for Washington against the Cardinals, and hopefully Crowder takes advantage of his matchup with Miami. He had eight catches for 83 yards and a touchdown on nine targets against the Dolphins in Week 9.
Gesicki has been rolling of late, and he should stay hot against the Jets. He had six catches for 95 yards on six targets against the Jets in Week 9, and now Jamal Adams (ankle) is likely out.
