Whether you made your season-long fantasy football playoffs or not, you don’t have to stop playing DFS. For all of us that started out the season with that “awesome” Keenan Allen/Sammy Watkins one-two-punch, we welcome a new DFS slate every single week.
Here are some Week 14 DFS bargains that could end up a top play at each position.
Quarterbacks
Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals (at Cleveland)
FanDuel: $7,700 (15th, tied)
DraftKings: $6,100 (15th)
Yahoo: $32 (10th, tied)
The last time these two teams played one another, Dalton threw for more than 300 yards and two touchdowns. All but three quarterbacks that have faced the Browns this year have thrown for over 300 yards and/or scored three touchdowns. Even without A.J. Green, Dalton threw for over 300 yards on Philadelphia last week. It seems like this offense is starting to find a new identity after the onslaught on injuries.
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Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers (vs. NY Jets)
FanDuel: $7,300 (21st)
DraftKings: $5,800 (17th)
Yahoo: $33 (eighth, tied)
I’m still wrapping my head around Kaepernick’s one completion from last week, as I’m sure you are as well. He clearly was not prepared for the game and certainly not prepared for the weather. However, did you also see the Jets against the Colts on Monday night? The Jets have fallen apart at the seams and allowed four passing touchdowns to Andrew Luck. Kaepernick is no Luck, but from Week 9 to 12 he was scoring between 19 and 33 fantasy points in every game, regardless of scoring rules. It’s worth going back to this well.
Robert Griffin III, Cleveland Browns (vs. Cincinnati)
FanDuel: $6,200(33rd, tied)
DraftKings: $5,000 (QB minimum)
Yahoo: $21 (33rd, tied)
Total shot in the dark, but if Griffin is the starting quarterback this week he should be considered. First, he’s at the DraftKings QB minimum. You can do a lot with that extra cap space. Second, we’ve seen Kaepernick do a lot on his legs lately; hopefully Griffin was watching the same tape we were. Other than that, we don’t have any current and/or relevant stats to give you about Griffin. GPP play only.
Running backs
Frank Gore, Indianapolis Colts (vs. Houston)
FanDuel: $6,000 (27th, tied)
DraftKings: $4,800 (32nd, tied)
Yahoo: $20 (21st, tied)
Since the Indianapolis Week 10 bye, Gore hasn’t scored a touchdown. Last week he also didn’t even catch one pass. But honestly, the Monday Jets game was such a weird blowout that the team decided to go away from him in the fourth quarter because he wasn’t needed. When they played Pittsburgh in Week 12 they had Scott Tolzien as the quarterback. And then in Week 11 he carried the ball 18 times for 50 yards and caught all four of his targets for another 71 yards. That’s the kind of usage we want to see this week against Houston, and I think we’ll get what we want.
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Thomas Rawls, Seattle Seahawks (at Green Bay)
FanDuel: $6,500 (21st, tied)
DraftKings: $5,700 (14th)
Yahoo: $24 (14th, tied)
Rawls is almost not a bargain, but like I’ve said before, I don’t like getting too deep into the running back bargain bin. There’s a lot of junk out there. I wanted to write about Rawls because his price on FanDuel is a much better bargain than on DraftKings. I believe that the Rawls we saw last week is the healthy version we’ll see the rest of the season. Going over 100 rushing yards and scoring two rushing touchdowns is certainly promising, and last year his numbers predicted that kind of success. He averaged 5.6 yards per carry, 3.1 yards after contact. He’s getting back to that and should do well against a banged-up Packers defense.
Isaiah Crowell, Cleveland Browns (vs. Cincinnati)
FanDuel: $5,500 (36th, tied)
DraftKings: $3,900 (49th, tied)
Yahoo: $19 (23rd, tied)
I usually like teams that are coming off their bye, but Tennessee plays Denver this week and the Browns… Well, we don’t even know who’s going to be their starting quarterback yet. Crowell’s numbers have been pedestrian as of late, but Cincinnati has given up at least one double-digit fantasy performance to an opposing running back every week since Week 5, regardless of the DFS platform. And the last time these two teams met in Week 7, Crowell carried the ball 12 times for 63 yards and a touchdown and tacked on three catches for 16 yards, for good measure.
Ryan Mathews, Philadelphia Eagles (vs. Washington)
FanDuel: $4,600 (55th, tied)
DraftKings: $4,000 (42nd, tied)
Yahoo: $15 (31st, tied)
Mathews got hurt at Seattle in Week 11 and hasn’t seen the field since. The week prior to his injury, he rushed for over 100 yards and scored two rushing touchdowns. This week he is expected to practice and possibly play. I know that Mathews is touchdown dependent, but Washington has given up 14 rushing touchdowns so far this season, second-most in the league. Check the injury reports, but if Mathews comes back, this is the perfect matchup for his upside.
Wide receivers
Emmanuel Sanders, Denver Broncos (at Tennessee)
FanDuel: $5,900 (41st, tied)
DraftKings: $5,700 (26th)
Yahoo: $24 (16th, tied)
I only suggest playing Sanders if Trevor Siemian is back. Prior to last week with Paxton Lynch under center, Sanders caught seven passes for 162 yards and a touchdown against Kansas City. That was one of his best games of the season, but he will need to replicate that production to compete with the red-hot Tennessee offense fresh off their bye week. The Titans are allowing an average of 185.6 receiving yards per game to opposing wide receivers, the third most in the leagues. Sanders will be a big part of that and his FanDuel price tag makes little to no sense based on the matchup.
Michael Crabtree, Oakland Raiders (at Kansas City)
FanDuel: $6,200 (31st, tied)
DraftKings: $6,200 (19th, tied)
Yahoo: $26 (12th, tied)
It seems like Crabtree’s ankle is all healed up, and like Sanders, Crabtree’s pricing on FanDuel is way too low. Over the last two weeks he’s gone for at least 74 yards and scored a touchdown last week versus Buffalo. The Raiders are on the road, but Kansas City gives up 203.6 receiving yards per game to opposing wide receivers, the absolute most in the league.
(Note: Mike Tagliere also lists Crabtree as one of his players to avoid in DFS this week. Two writers can come to different conclusions. Evaluate the arguments as you see fit.)
Malcolm Mitchell, New England Patriots (vs. Baltimore)
FanDuel: $6,200 (31st, tied)
DraftKings: $4,200 (54th, tied)
Yahoo: $18 (34th, tied)
Now that Rob Gronkowski is out for the season; you can count on some Malcolm Mitchell job security. Over the last three week Mitchell has 12 total targets and 322 yards and three touchdowns. Baltimore has given up 18 receiving touchdowns to opposing wideouts, tied with Green Bay for the second-most in the league.
Michael Floyd, Arizona Cardinals (at Miami)
FanDuel: $4,700 (83rd, tied)
DraftKings: $3,900 (61st, tied)
Yahoo: $13 (60th, tied)
In any other circumstance, I would tell you that Floyd is too risky. He has one of the lowest PFF grades in the league (56.5) with a ratio of four touchdowns to five drops on the season. However, with the news that John Brown will be on a snap count for the remainder of the year while he finds a way to better cope with sickle cell trait, the Carson Palmer targets must go somewhere. Floyd went over 100 receiving yards in Week 10 and scored a touchdown in Week 13, so there is some upside, especially on FanDuel where he is by far the best deal.
Ted Ginn Jr., Carolina Panthers (vs. San Diego)
FanDuel: $4,700 (83rd, tied)
DraftKings: $4,000 (59th, tied)
Yahoo: $13 (60th, tied)
Three games in a row with a touchdown. Six or more targets in five of his last six games. Ginn is a boom-or-bust play priced just right for all of your GPP needs. Right now, the Panthers play from behind and let Cam Newton chuck it up to keep up with their opponents. Ginn is averaging a high 13.9 yards per reception which is just fine for a low-priced starting receiver.
Dontrelle Inman, San Diego Chargers (at Carolina)
FanDuel: $5,500 (51st, tied)
DraftKings: $4,800 (48th)
Yahoo: $19 (29th, tied)
Since Week 7, Inman has been targeted at least five times in every outing. He’s scored touchdowns in back-to-back weeks. He seems to be the only San Diego pass-catcher who can stay off the injury report. Carolina has given up the fourth-most receiving yards to opposing wide receivers in the league (2,208). If his price tag remains modest, Inman is a trusty receiver that will always get you points, making him a high-floor option for a solid cash game lineup.
Tight ends
Antonio Gates/Hunter Henry, San Diego Chargers (at Carolina)
FanDuel: $5,200 (15th)/$5,500 (12th, tied)
DraftKings: $3,800 (13th, tied)/$2,900 (21st)
Yahoo: $20 (seventh)/$14 (14th, tied)
Gates put up a touchdown every week from Week 8 to Week 10. Since the bye, he’s been cold. But don’t you worry — Carolina, Detroit and Cleveland have all given up nine touchdowns this season to opposing tight ends, the league-high. I wrote an entire article on the tight end position and how terrible it is Tuesday. When it comes to touchdowns, Henry is a strong end-zone target. And before you get too worried that only one will get fed, they both scored touchdowns in Week 5 and 10. This is a good matchup for both, so both should be considered.
Vance McDonald, San Francisco 49ers (vs. NY Jets)
FanDuel: $4,700 (25th, tied)
DraftKings: $3,000 (20th)
Yahoo: $14 (14th, tied)
The Jets gave up three touchdowns to Dwayne Allen last week. That is all that needs to be said, but I’ll give you more. From Week 9 to Week 12, McDonald had six or more targets and 50 or more yards in every outing. The entire team imploded in the snow in Chicago, but look for a nice bounce back in Week 14.
Jermaine Gresham, Arizona Cardinals (at Miami)
FanDuel: $4,500 (TE minimum)
DraftKings: $2,500 (TE minimum)
Yahoo: $10 (TE minimum)
Gresham has six or more targets in three of his last four outings. He has touchdowns in two of his last four games, as well. He’s priced as the tight end minimum on every platform, and this week the Cardinals announced that John Brown will be on a snap count for the remained of the season while he gets the symptoms from his sickle cell trait under control. It’s an unfortunate situation, but one that also indicates that Gresham’s usage isn’t a fluke.
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