Fantasy Football Week 14: Friday's Daily Fantasy Market Report

Here we are. It's Friday, and we're just days away from the Sunday slate of Week 14 of the fantasy football season.

Week 14 kicked off Thursday night with the Kansas City Chiefs beating the Oakland Raiders 21-13 in Kansas City.

While the score looks close, this game was really all the Chiefs.

Raiders quarterback Derek Carr was held to just 120 total yards with no scores.

Now, the Raiders are in second place in the AFC West.

The team that could be in the most trouble this week is the New Orleans Saints.

Why? Well, read the slideshow to find out. Two key players could potentially miss Week 14—not good.

Falcons WR Julio Jones Expected to Play

David Goldman/Associated Press

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Atlanta Falcons expect wide receiver Julio Jones to play in Week 14 despite a turf toe injury. 

Good news: Jones did practice (albeit on a limited basis) Thursday, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.

ESPN.com's Alden Gonzalez reported that if Jones suits up, Los Angeles Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson will shadow the perennial All-Pro receiver.

As I mentioned in an earlier Daily Fantasy Market Report this week, Johnson has shadowed two other receivers this year: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Mike Evans (Week 3) and the New York Jets’ Brandon Marshall (Week 10).

While Evans smoked Johnson for double-digit catches, over 100 yards and a score, Marshall was limited to nine yards receiving on four catches—no, seriously. Nine yards. However, he did have Bryce Petty at quarterback—not trying to take anything away from Johnson.

Jones’ turf toe injury is more concerning than being shadowed by Johnson—being shadowed shouldn’t hinder Jones’ production.

The turf toe injury, however, can.

Falcons WR Mohamed Sanu Not Expected to Play in Week 14

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

The Atlanta Falcons definitely need wide receiver Julio Jones to play now.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Falcons wide receiver Mohamed Sanu is not expected to play in Week 14 with a groin injury. 

Also, Sanu was not at practice Thursday, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.

If Sanu sits out, fellow wide receiver Justin Hardy should get the start.

Hardy was a standout receiver at Eastern Carolina and ranks second all-time in career catches in college.

Unfortunately for Hardy, he’ll likely have a date with Los Angeles Rams cornerback Lamarcus Joyner, who ranks as Pro Football Focus’ 20th overall corner.

While Hardy’s value may be limited, we could see Taylor Gabriel against Rams cornerback E.J. Gaines a fair amount. Gaines has been horrid this season, ranking 119th out of 122 qualified cornerbacks in coverage, according to PFF.

If Sanu sits, I want some Gabriel exposure. This is a great spot.

Browns to Start QB Robert Griffin III in Week 14

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According to Michael Silver of NFL Network, the Cleveland Browns will start Robert Griffin III this week at quarterback.

Even though we haven't seen RG3 since Week 1, it’s safe to assume he offers an increase to the skill position players’ value.

In his return, RG3 draws the Cincinnati Bengals, who rank 17th and 20th against the pass and run, respectively.

It also sounds like RG3 will have a little extra motivation. According to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal, Browns head coach Hue Jackson referred to the remainder of the season as an "audition" for RG3. If RG3 doesn’t produce, chances are he’ll be relegated to backup duties for the foreseeable future beyond 2016.

At the minimum price virtually across the DFS industry, RG3 is tough to pass up—especially in cash games. In GPPs, an stack with RG3 and wide receiver Corey Coleman could be interesting. Give them a shot.

Bengals WR A.J. Green DNP Thursday

Gary Landers/Associated Press

He’s not playing, man. Lose all hope you have. 

According to Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green did not practice Thursday.

Fellow wide receiver Brandon LaFell will take over as the No. 1 wide receiver, with Tyler Boyd being the No. 2 option.

Boyd is the pick here if you want to play a Bengals wide receiver—he should get a healthy amount of catches and make himself valuable on PPR sites.

Bills WR Sammy Watkins Returns to Practice Thursday

Brian Bahr/Getty Images

Not surprised. Like. At all.

According to Chris Brown of the Buffalo Bills' official website, wide receiver Sammy Watkins not only practiced Thursday but also increased his workload.

Like I said earlier in the week, Watkins will play, and these missed practices are to be expected. The dude had foot surgery recently.

This will be the first time since Week 2 that we’ll see Watkins and fellow wide receiver Robert Woods on the field at the same time. 

The Bills will be going up against the Pittsburgh Steelers (who rank 11th in DVOA against the pass) in Week 14, so I’d take a wait-and-see approach on these guys until we see how they’re being used.

If you feel so inclined, Watkins is the obvious guy out of these two to play.

Bills RB Mike Gillislee to Continue Red-Zone Work

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

Well, this is actually noteworthy.

According to Mike Rodak of ESPN, Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn reiterated running back Mike Gillislee’s role—red-zone carries.

This is going to be a huge pain in the rear end for fellow running back LeSean McCoy.

From a DFS standpoint, Gillislee isn’t a terrible play, but he might be too touchdown-dependent. Here’s how Gillislee stacks up over the last three games in which both McCoy and Gillislee have been in the lineup:

• Week 9: eight carries, 32 yards rushing, one touchdown
• Week 11 (McCoy got hurt): 14 carries, 72 yards
• Week 13: eight carries, 49 yards, two touchdowns

As you can see, he’s getting work, and at $4,600 on DraftKings, that’s not terrible but not necessarily cheap either.

I think I’ll stay away. To win a GPP with Gillislee, you’ll need a high yardage total regardless of a touchdown in most cases. 

This could be troublesome for McCoy, though.

Redskins TE Jordan Reed Expects to Play in Week 14

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

The best tight end in the NFL could be back in Week 14.

According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, Washington Redskins tight end Jordan Reed has said he expects to play and "feels he's gotten all of his range of motion back."

Play him. Simple. Don’t care about matchup. Price. Any of it. He’s automatic if he plays.

Saints WR Michael Thomas DNP Thursday

Bill Feig/Associated Press

Uh oh. It’s time to worry, folks. 

According to Herbie Teope of the Times-Picayune, New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas did not practice Thursday because of a foot injury.

This is the second day in a row that Thomas has not practiced, with Friday remaining this week as a possible practice day.

If he doesn’t practice Friday, it’s a long shot that he'll suit up.

Fellow wide receivers Willie Snead and Brandin Cooks would have an uptick in value in a game that could be a bit of a shootout or could feature the Saints playing from behind.

They’re both in good spots.

Saints RB Mark Ingram Downgraded to DNP Thursday

Reed Hoffmann/Associated Press

Another New Orleans Saints player to worry about.

According to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times, Saints running back Mark Ingram did not practice Thursday after getting in a limited session Wednesday with a toe injury.

The limited session Wednesday is encouraging, but the change of status later in the week is far from it.

The same is true of teammate Michael Thomas. He needs to practice Friday before we can officially be worried.

Be on the lookout for an update.

Statistics courtesy of Pro Football Focus, Football Outsiders and College Football Reference.

Follow me on Twitter @RichardJanvrin.