Fantasy Football Week 14: Early FanDuel, DraftKings Optimal Lineup Picks
Fantasy football season is over for many players eliminated from playoff contention. Luckily for those not ready to hang up their coaching hat, they can always turn to daily leagues.
Anyone can start fresh by filling out a Week 14 lineup, or 20 if you want, on FanDuel or DraftKings. Did Calvin Johnson cost you a traditional Week 13 matchup? Well now he can work for you, if you're willing to play a price.
When it comes to daily fantasy, value is the name of the game. In a regular league, anybody who owns Peyton Manning is starting him. In daily, those same players can look at a difficult matchup and decide to roll with Ryan Tannehill at a fraction of the price instead.
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A player is only as useful as his value, and anybody is worth exploring at the right price. Here are the best plays at each position on both major daily fantasy platforms. Too lazy to go that in depth? Take a gander at these complete lineups.
| QB | Ryan Tannehill | Baltimore | $7,300 |
| RB | Mark Ingram | Carolina | $6,500 |
| RB | Joique Bell | Tampa Bay | $5,500 |
| WR | Odell Beckham Jr. | at Tennessee | $7,700 |
| WR | Dez Bryant | at Chicago | $7,100 |
| WR | Andre Johnson | at Jacksonville | $5,300 |
| TE | Kyle Rudolph | New York Jets | $3,300 |
| FLEX | Carlos Hyde | at Oakland | $3,900 |
| D/ST | Minnesota Vikings | New York Jets | $3,400 |
| QB | Colt McCoy | St. Louis | $6,800 |
| RB | Eddie Lacy | Atlanta | $8,500 |
| RB | Frank Gore | at Oakland | $5,700 |
| WR | Calvin Johnson | Tampa Bay | $9,200 |
| WR | Randall Cobb | Atlanta | $8,400 |
| WR | Kenny Stills | Carolina | $6,400 |
| TE | Jordan Reed | St. Louis | $5,300 |
| D/ST | Minnesota Vikings | New York Jets | $5,000 |
| K | Connor Barth | Buffalo | $4,700 |
Quarterback
| Tony Romo | at Chicago | $7,500 | $8,300 |
| Ryan Tannehill | Baltimore | $7,300 | $8,600 |
| Philip Rivers | New England | $6,800 | $8,200 |
| Ryan Fitzpatrick | at Jacksonville | $6,400 | $7,200 |
| Colt McCoy | St. Louis | $6,000 | $6,800 |
Before tossing last week's unsung heroes to the curb, consider giving them another twirl while they remain inexpensive options.
FanDuel appraises Colt McCoy for the same amount as Robert Griffin III, the latter of whom was benched for the former. DraftKings like McCoy $100 more than the recently benched Michael Vick. It'd be understandable if he faltered as the starting quarterback, but he tallied 392 passing yards and three touchdowns against the Indianapolis Colts.
He has now completed a stupendous 75.3 percent of his passes, gaining 9.20 yards per attempt with a 113.5 quarterback rating. Jay Gruden talked up his new starter to The Washington Post's Thomas Boswell.
“Colt competed and he did a nice job out there. All our [performances] in the first half were not good on any level. But he came back and gave us a chance,” Gruden said, “He’s a tough guy. Players play hard for him.”
The St. Louis Rams just shut out the Oakland Raiders, but they still rank 21st in passing defense with a 68.8 opposing completion percentage. They're hot, but they're a decent matchup for a sizzling quarterback whose clearance tag allows players to load up at other positions.
Ryan Fitzpatrick will not throw six touchdowns again. Not this weekend. Not next week. Not ever. Yet after that gigantic day, he averages 17.6 DraftKings points per game, which ties Tony Romo and Cam Newton.
Before getting benched, he averaged 230.7 passing yards over his last three games, amassing five touchdowns in the process. Most importantly, he now gets the Jacksonville Jaguars, who allow 253.8 passing yards per contest.
Running Back
| Eddie Lacy | Atlanta | $7,800 | $8,500 |
| Mark Ingram | Carolina | $6,500 | $7,700 |
| Joique Bell | Tampa Bay | $5,500 | $6,800 |
| Frank Gore | at Oakland | $4,800 | $5,700 |
| Chris Johnson | at Minnesota | $3,400 | $5,200 |
The last time Mark Ingram played the Carolina Panthers, he contributed 100 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Some shaky outings deflated his stock, but the workhorse rebounded with 122 rushing yards on 23 carries against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Yet he's not a top-10 running back on DraftKings due to his touchdown drought. The New Orleans Saints are rolling offensively, but Drew Brees is hoarding all the scores, as noted by Pro Football Focus' Mike Clay.
As everyone should know by now, touchdowns fluctuate. Given 19 rushes per game, few backs are utilized as frequently as Ingram, and the opposing Panthers surrender 4.4 yards per carry. He last found the end zone in this very matchup.
Le'Veon Bell and Eddie Lacy are studs worth the high price, but Ingram represents a more cost-conscious No. 1 back.
Posting 72 combined total yards over his past two games, Frank Gore has plummeted into obscurity. Hold off on that, as the Oakland Raiders just got decimated by Tre Mason. The San Francisco 49ers veteran stunk against two premier rushing defenses, but nobody has allowed more points to opposing backs than Oakland under DraftKings scoring.
Want to go cheaper? Carlos Hyde has punched in four touchdowns already, and this is a great chance for the rookie to enhance that mark. He's a nice flex play in DraftKings, but FanDuel labels him at $5,000 with Gore at $5,700. Take Gore there.
Wide Receiver
| Odell Beckham Jr. | Tennessee | $7,700 | $8,200 |
| Dez Bryant | at Chicago | $7,100 | $8,600 |
| Kenny Stills | Carolina | $6,000 | $6,400 |
| Jarvis Landry | Baltimore | $5,600 | $6,900 |
| Marqise Lee | Houston | $3,900 | $5,700 |
In the past five games, Odell Beckham Jr. has recorded 595 receiving yards and six touchdowns, averaging 7.6 receptions per game. Eli Manning has no other trustworthy alternatives, so the massively athletic rookie has brandished resounding consistency as the New York Giants' top wide receiver.
The Tennessee Titans just surrendered 238 yards and two scores to DeAndre Hopkins, and Manning would be happy just to split Fitzpatrick's six touchdowns. A lone bright spot on the otherwise decrepit G-Men, look for Beckham to astound once again.
Meanwhile, why isn't Dez Bryant a top-10 wideout on DraftKings? The Chicago Bears cough up 8.2 yards per passing attempt, and Calvin Johnson won some leagues against them on Thanksgiving. Bryant's four-catch, 73-yard game on the same day was nothing special, but he scored six times during the previous four bouts. Value, thy name is Dez.
On the other side, FanDuel is a tad slow to jump aboard the Kenny Stills bandwagon. Despite going off for 162 yards and a score on Sunday, he's placed in the same aisle as Michael Floyd, Larry Fitzgerald, Kenny Britt and Reggie Wayne.
Carolina's No. 17 passing defense offers no reason to shy away from him, and the sophomore has safely supplanted Marques Colston as Drew Brees' premier target. He'll make a fine No. 3 wideout this weekend.
Tight End
| Martellus Bennett | Dallas | $5,200 | $6,000 |
| Antonio Gates | New England | $4,700 | $5,600 |
| Jason Witten | at Chicago | $4,700 | $5,500 |
| Jordan Reed | St. Louis | $4,600 | $5,300 |
| Kyle Rudolph | New York Jets | $3,300 | $5,200 |
The Thursday night matchup touts two of the worst defenses against tight ends. Per ESPN.com standard scoring, the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears are two of three teams to allow more than 10 points per game to the position.
That number goes up in DraftKings' point-per-reception format and FanDuel's 0.5-point-per-catch allotment. Jason Witten has underwhelmed all year, but he has scored twice in the past two games. Martellus Bennett is costly, but his 65 grabs and great matchup justify the investment.
Now that McCoy is running the show in Washington, Jordan Reed becomes the top-10 tight end everyone anticipated entering the season. In his three starts, McCoy targeted Reed 24 times, most recently connecting on nine of 11 looks for 123 yards against the Indianapolis Colts.
Josh Moore of 4for4football highlights the duo's production together.
That steadiness is tough to find in a tight end, even if Reed owns a goose-egg in the touchdown column. This could be the last chance to play him before his ticket price skyrockets.
For those who would prefer to swing for the fences at minimal cost, the New York Jets have relinquished 12 touchdowns to tight ends. Kyle Rudolph could give a cheap score with little else for the second consecutive week.
Defense
| San Francisco 49ers | at Oakland | $3,600 | $5,600 |
| Detroit Lions | Tampa Bay | $3,400 | $5,300 |
| Minnesota Vikings | New York Jets | $3,400 | $5,000 |
For what it's worth, FanDuel doesn't allot credit to punt blocks returned to touchdowns. That doesn't help the analysis process much, but it sure stunk to find out after playing the Minnesota Vikings last weekend.
Speaking of the Vikings, don't be afraid to employ them again in another mouth-watering matchup. After exploiting the Panthers, they now face the New York Jets, whose NFL-worst aerial assault won't stand much of a chance against Minnesota's No. 6 passing defense.
They're no longer a terrific bargain, but the Vikings are fairly priced enough to churn out a considerable profit. There's no apparent steal equivalent to Minnesota or the St. Louis Rams last weekend, so after the Vikings, gamers may have to shell out dough for an elite unit in a terrific matchup.
If that's the case, target the Houston Texans, San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions.
Kicker
| Phil Dawson | at Oakland | $4,800 |
| Connor Barth | Buffalo | $4,700 |
| Robbie Gould | Dallas | $4,500 |
DraftKings spares everyone from wasting precious time on kickers, but FanDuel instead relishes in gamers' agony over guessing who will happen to get more field-goal opportunities. Don't pull out any hair here; just scroll down and select one of the cheapest options.
Since he just joined the Denver Broncos for a Sunday night tilt, Connor Barth's market price has not yet skyrocketed. Only five kickers are cheaper, yet this gentleman plays for the offense run by Peyton Manning. Don't assume that means only extra points, as he converted five short field goals in his team debut.
He also showed some range in his last gig, booting nine kicks from 50 or more yards in 2012. The Buffalo Bills boast a tough defense, but these are the Broncos, and their kicker is cheap. Done and done.
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