The 2022 NFL regular season is gearing up for its final stretch, which promises to be an exciting finish with unexpected results. For starters, no one thought Baker Mayfield (QB – Rams) would be contributing to the Rams’ offense with only two days to prepare, but Sean McVay put him in a good position to win, winding up throwing the game-winning touchdown pass to Van Jefferson (WR – Rams) with a beautifully thrown ball over the shoulder of the defensive back. It was a microcosm of how wild this season has been for all 32 teams.
Six teams will be on Bye in Week 14, which limits the number of players to target when constructing DFS lineups. Despite the lack of teams available to use, there are a lot of good games on the slate. The highest scoring games are projected to be Detroit rematching Minnesota, with the point total line set at 52, while the Dolphins will remain in California to face the Chargers on Sunday Night Football in a game with a 52.5 point total. These are juicy matchups to target for DFS purposes, but there are other games such as New England at Arizona, Cleveland at Cincinnati, and Philadelphia at the New York Giants that all could produce huge production from a fantasy football perspective.
Briefly recapping last week’s recommended plays for Week 13, we have to start with Jalen Hurts (QB – Eagles), who balled out with 37.4 DraftKings points as the overall QB1. He relied on his arm instead of his legs, but he also scored a fourth touchdown as a ball carrier in a rout of the Tennessee Titans. The running backs didn’t perform nearly as well as anticipated, but David Montgomery (RB – Bears) did wind up as the RB12 with 61 rushing yards and a touchdown against Green Bay. Brian Robinson (RB – Commanders) also ripped off 96 rushing yards to log an RB21 finish, so it wasn’t all bad. The wideouts popped in a big way, led by A.J. Brown (WR – Eagles) and Amon-Ra St. Brown (WR – Lions), who finished as the overall WR3 and WR2, respectively. It was an uncharacteristic week for Travis Kelce (TE – Chiefs), but Gerald Everett (TE – Chargers) logged a TE6 finish for the Chargers, while Pat Freiermuth (TE – Steelers) hauled in an impressive 57-yard reception that featured a lot of YAC and nearly his second touchdown of the season. Last but not least, Cleveland’s D/ST, which had a field day against Houston, finishing with 32 points on FanDuel thanks to two touchdowns and five forced turnovers.
The 2022 NFL regular season is gearing up for its final stretch, which promises to be an exciting finish with unexpected results. For starters, no one thought Baker Mayfield (QB – Rams) would be contributing to the Rams’ offense with only two days to prepare, but Sean McVay put him in a good position to win, winding up throwing the game-winning touchdown pass to Van Jefferson (WR – Rams) with a beautifully thrown ball over the shoulder of the defensive back. It was a microcosm of how wild this season has been for all 32 teams.
Six teams will be on Bye in Week 14, which limits the number of players to target when constructing DFS lineups. Despite the lack of teams available to use, there are a lot of good games on the slate. The highest scoring games are projected to be Detroit rematching Minnesota, with the point total line set at 52, while the Dolphins will remain in California to face the Chargers on Sunday Night Football in a game with a 52.5 point total. These are juicy matchups to target for DFS purposes, but there are other games such as New England at Arizona, Cleveland at Cincinnati, and Philadelphia at the New York Giants that all could produce huge production from a fantasy football perspective.
Briefly recapping last week’s recommended plays for Week 13, we have to start with Jalen Hurts (QB – Eagles), who balled out with 37.4 DraftKings points as the overall QB1. He relied on his arm instead of his legs, but he also scored a fourth touchdown as a ball carrier in a rout of the Tennessee Titans. The running backs didn’t perform nearly as well as anticipated, but David Montgomery (RB – Bears) did wind up as the RB12 with 61 rushing yards and a touchdown against Green Bay. Brian Robinson (RB – Commanders) also ripped off 96 rushing yards to log an RB21 finish, so it wasn’t all bad. The wideouts popped in a big way, led by A.J. Brown (WR – Eagles) and Amon-Ra St. Brown (WR – Lions), who finished as the overall WR3 and WR2, respectively. It was an uncharacteristic week for Travis Kelce (TE – Chiefs), but Gerald Everett (TE – Chargers) logged a TE6 finish for the Chargers, while Pat Freiermuth (TE – Steelers) hauled in an impressive 57-yard reception that featured a lot of YAC and nearly his second touchdown of the season. Last but not least, Cleveland’s D/ST, which had a field day against Houston, finishing with 32 points on FanDuel thanks to two touchdowns and five forced turnovers.
Let’s keep cashing out and get right to my favorite players to add on DraftKings and FanDuel ahead of the Week 14 main slate.
Quarterbacks
DraftKings
DraftKings maximum salary is set at $50,000
Kirk Cousins (QB – Vikings): $6,100
Saving salary while maximizing upside is the name of the game in DFS. Kirk Cousins fits this bill in Week 14 on the road against Detroit. The Lions are -2.5-point favorites over the 10-2 Vikings, but Cousins lit them up in Week 3, logging 260 passing yards and two touchdowns without a turnover. Detroit’s defense is much better right now but they are still vulnerable, so in a game with a 52-point total, Cousins is a smash add on DraftKings.
Jared Goff (QB – Lions): $5,600
Sticking with the Lions vs. Vikings matchup, let’s invest in Jared Goff. He’s played very well recently and has been good at Ford Field all season, nearly beating Buffalo on Thanksgiving and routing Jacksonville 40-14 in Week 13. Goff is getting more wide-receiving weapons back and also benefits from D’Andre Swift (RB – Lions) getting healthier as well, so at $5,600, don’t hesitate to insert him into lineups.
Honorable Mention: Tyler Huntley (QB – Ravens) ($5,500) has the rushing upside that fantasy managers drool over. The third-year quarterback will log his first start of the 2022 season against Pittsburgh on the road in Week 14. Last year, Huntley ran 12 times for 72 yards against the Steelers’ defense in Week 18, and he did the same thing against Denver’s defense last week. Add him for his rushing upside, but don’t be shocked if Huntley winds up with a couple of passing touchdowns against a porous Pittsburgh secondary.
FanDuel
FanDuel maximum salary is set at $60,000
Jalen Hurts (QB – Eagles): $8,700
Kings stay kings when it comes to Jalen Hurts. He’s now in a tight race with Patrick Mahomes (QB – Chiefs) for the MVP, especially after his massive 380-yard, four-touchdown outing against Tennessee in Week 13. The Giants are one of the worst run defenses in the league, which means Hurts could return to running 16 times for 100 yards and a touchdown in Week 14. He’s expensive but well worth the investment.
Joe Burrow (QB – Bengals): $8,300
The Cleveland Browns have been Joe Burrow’s kryptonite during his three years in the league. Burrow is 0-4 against the Browns and their last loss came against their in-state rival back in Week 8, so expect a motivated offense led by the talented signal-caller. He’s thrown for at least 270 yards in three consecutive games, so fire Burrow up with confidence.
Honorable Mention: Ryan Tannehill (QB – Titans) ($6,700) is a nice dart throw against one of the league’s worst secondaries in Week 14. Jacksonville is the eighth-best quarterback matchup on FanDuel this season, so add Tannehill as a nice salary-saving option, even if he winds up without rookie wideout Treylon Burks (WR – Titans).
Running Backs
DraftKings
Joe Mixon (RB – Bengals): $6,900
After a couple of weeks in the league’s concussion protocol, Cincinnati’s RB1, Joe Mixon, was cleared to return to action against Cleveland’s third-worst run defense in Week 14. Samaje Perine (RB – Bengals) was awesome in relief duties, and while he could wind up with a few more touches than normal, Mixon will be handling a normal workload, as confirmed by head coach Zac Taylor, so fire up Mixon as a low-end RB1 in a juicy matchup against the Browns.
Tony Pollard (RB – Cowboys): $6,700
We’ve seen the highs and lows of Tony Pollard this season, but it’s mostly been filled with highs. The fourth-year running back logged an RB3 finish on DraftKings last week, handling 12 carries and turning them into 91 yards and two touchdowns. Houston is the best run defense to go up against, although they’ve been stingier as of late, but it’s too good of a matchup to fade Pollard. Pay up to land the talented Cowboys running back in lineups.
Honorable Mention: D’Andre Swift (RB – Lions) ($5,800) finally saw enough usage to be considered the RB1 in Detroit again during a Week 13 blowout win over the Jaguars. Swift averaged 4.4 YPC in Week 3 against Minnesota while hauling in three of four targets for an additional 15 yards. However, with how he looked last week, combined with the momentum Detroit’s offense has right now, Swift has a big ceiling to offer, so take advantage of the sub-$6,000 salary.
FanDuel
Miles Sanders (RB – Eagles): $7,100
Miles Sanders is set to explode after a quiet outing in Week 13. The New York Giants have allowed 160 rushing yards in three straight games, meaning Nick Sirianni will likely dial up a heavy dose of the rushing attack, which is Philadelphia’s primary identity. We’ve seen Sanders produce massive outings in plus matchups all year, so pay up to acquire his ceiling, which could hit above 20 points on FanDuel for the third time this season.
Isiah Pacheco (RB – Chiefs): $7,300
Rookie running back Isiah Pacheco has taken over the Chiefs’ backfield, handling 14-20 carries in his last four games played. Pachecho has also started to find the end zone, ripping off back-to-back scores against the Rams and Bengals. The Broncos have allowed over 100 rushing yards in three straight games, so expect the Chiefs to put the offense in cruise control to take advantage of the run defense, which is much worse than the stout pass defense led by Pat Surtain (CB – Broncos).
Honorable Mention: Dameon Pierce (RB – Texans) ($6,500) is going to be handling a ton of volume without Houston’s top two wideouts likely to play. He’s not an attractive, high-upside pick, but the floor could be there with 20-25 carries, despite facing a red-hot Dallas defense in Week 14.
Wide Receivers
DraftKings
Amon-Ra St. Brown (WR – Lions): $7,800
Until we see otherwise, Amon-Ra St. Brown should be locked into all DFS lineups. Minnesota is the second-best wide receiver matchup on DraftKings, allowing over 41 points per game to opposing wide receivers, which means St. Brown should continue to produce monster numbers in Week 14. The Vikings allowed him to haul in six of nine targets for 73 yards in Week 3, but St. Brown has logged over 114 receiving yards and at least one touchdown against Buffalo and Jacksonville across the last two weeks. He’s available to roster at under $8,000, which makes St. Brown a good value with a huge ceiling and nice floor.
Christian Kirk (WR – Jaguars): $6,600
Jacksonville didn’t accomplish a whole lot in a plus-matchup in Week 13 against Detroit’s defense, but Christian Kirk still logged 19.4 points on DraftKings with six receptions for over 100 yards. Kirk is Trevor Lawrence’s (QB – Jaguars) favorite and most consistent target within the Jaguars’ offense, and he’ll get the best matchup against Tennessee’s secondary, which got chewed up by Hurts and the Eagles last week. Plug Kirk in with confidence at this salary.
Honorable Mention: Garrett Wilson (WR – Jets) ($5,900) is a steal at under $6,000 on DraftKings against Buffalo in Week 14. Yes, the Bills are getting healthier, but they also aren’t the best at stopping the pass, which means second-year quarterback Mike White (QB – Jets) could pepper the talented rookie wideout with another 10-15 targets in a divisional road game.
FanDuel
Justin Jefferson (WR – Vikings): $9,300
Minnesota continues to lean on Justin Jefferson in every game due to his elite talent as a wide receiver. The third-year wideout already has over 1,200 receiving yards and has scored a touchdown in four of his past five games played. Detroit’s secondary shut him down in Week 3, holding Jefferson to three receptions for 14 yards, but don’t expect a quiet outing the second time around. Fire up Jefferson with confidence, just know that it’ll cost a pretty penny to do so.
Chris Godwin (WR – Buccaneers): $7,500
Tom Brady’s (QB – Buccaneers) favorite target has become Chris Godwin in 2022. After overcoming some nagging injuries earlier in the year, Godwin has seen 13 targets in back-to-back games, finishing with at least 63 yards or a touchdown. The 49ers are arguably the best defense in the NFL right now but its secondary can be vulnerable, so expect Brady to dial up a couple of deep shots to Godwin to sustain his high-end WR2 floor.
Honorable Mention: Brandon Aiyuk (WR – 49ers) ($6,700) will be an interesting case study with rookie quarterback Brock Purdy (QB – 49ers) under center and making his first career start. Tampa Bay’s defense is not a joke, but the secondary can be thrown on, so Aiyuk should continue drawing five to nine targets. He hasn’t cracked 80 yards in three games, but Aiyuk is a red-zone asset and can finish plays with his strength and route-running ability.
Tight Ends
DraftKings
T.J. Hockenson (TE – Vikings): $5,100
Who doesn’t love a revenge game narrative? T.J. Hockenson has already been fed way more volume in Minnesota than he was accustomed to in Detroit, so expect him to be motivated playing against his former team in Week 14. His targets have dipped a bit recently but Cousins looks to Hockenson in the red zone frequently, while also relying on him as a security valve. The floor is low but the ceiling is high, which makes Hockenson a solid play in a game with a 52-point total.
Honorable Mention: Greg Dulcich (TE – Broncos) ($3,400) has been Russell Wilson’s (QB – Broncos) favorite target lately. The rookie tight end benefits from an injured wide receiving corps and running back room, but he’s talented enough to sustain a floor against Kansas City, which is surprisingly a bottom-ten tight end matchup on DraftKings. The targets have to go somewhere though, so Dulcich is in play at home in Week 14.
FanDuel
George Kittle (TE – 49ers): $5,900
Tampa Bay is one of the worst defenses against tight ends, allowing 11.87 points per game to the position on FanDuel, so George Kittle makes a lot of sense despite the high salary. Purdy will be under duress frequently, and if the run game doesn’t work out, he’ll look towards Kittle to bail him out in the middle of the field or the flat. He’s volatile but expect a big day from the talented 49ers’ tight end in a pivotal Week 14 matchup.
Honorable Mention: Chig Okonkwo (TE – Titans) ($4,800) has quickly gained steam based on his usage within Tennessee’s offense. The rookie tight end has steadily built his rapport with Ryan Tannehill, popping for four receptions and 68 yards on five targets in Week 13. Okonkwo could be in line for even more volume if Treylon Burks doesn’t play, and he’s going up against the Jaguars, which offer a top-12 matchup. He’s a great value to obtain.
Defense/Special Teams
DraftKings
Chiefs D/ST: $3,900
Anyone playing Denver’s offense deserves recognition in DFS. Kansas City will play the Broncos at Mile High for the first of two divisional matchups this season, so expect them to focus on shutting down the run and forcing Russell Wilson to drop back under duress. The Broncos are the 32nd-ranked scoring offense, averaging less than 14 points per game, so the Chiefs are a solid D/ST plug in Week 14.
Honorable Mention: Ravens D/ST ($3,300) looked good throughout their Week 13 win against Denver and will face a low-scoring Pittsburgh offense on the road in Week 14. Kenny Pickett (QB – Steelers) is playing better but the formula for the Steelers to win consists of heavy running, mixed with a few deep shots. The Ravens’ pass defense is not good but the front seven is much improved with Roquan Smith (LB – Ravens) in the mix now, so don’t shy away from inserting them in Week 14.
FanDuel
Cowboys D/ST: $3,800
Not much needs to be said here. Dallas will face Houston’s one-dimensional offense that is pivoting back to Davis Mills (QB – Texans) as the QB1 ahead of this in-state Week 14 matchup. It looks like Brandin Cooks (WR – Texans) and Nico Collins (WR – Texans) will not play, so as long as the Cowboys can contain Dameon Pierce in the run game, they could wind up as the top D/ST like Cleveland did a week ago.
Honorable Mention: Buccaneers D/ST ($2,900) will face the inexperienced Brock Purdy with one of the league’s best front-seven units. The secondary is also getting healthier for Tampa Bay, so if you want to save some money and use it elsewhere, the Buccaneers are a strong salary-saving option in Week 14.