Dudes
QB – Tua Tagovailoa @ LA Chargers
Tua was held to below 17 points in each of his last 2 games while facing the league’s 4th and 3rd best defenses against the quarterback. Tua and the Dolphins head to sunny LA and face a Chargers defense that is ranked 20th against the pass. Look for Tua and the Dolphins offense to bounce back in a big way.
QB – Dak Prescott Vs. Houston Texans
Dak has been bitten by the turnover bug a bit but, for the most part, he’s been able to overcome it. Dak has thrown 10 passing touchdowns over the last 4 weeks and has benefited from playing in an offense with a rushing attack of TP and Zeke. Look for Dak to throw for 250+ and 2 TDs this week.
RB – Dallas Cowboys RBs Vs. Houston Texans
You read that right, I’m starting Pollard and Zeke this week. In 4 of his last 5 games Pollard topped 20 PPR points. In his last 5 games, Zeke topped 15 fantasy points. Both of these guys are eating and have a very high floor against a Texans defense that is allowing a league worst 26 points per game to opposing running backs.
RB – D’onta Foreman @ Seattle Seahawks
Before the bye week, Foreman faced a top-10 rushing defense in the Denver Broncos and hit them for 113 yards on the ground. Foreman will be well rested this week and will be facing a rushing defense that’s not top 10, not top 20, not even top 25! The chargers are 29th against the run and are giving up an average of 25 points per game to opposing RBs.
WR – Jaylen Waddle @ LA Chargers
Waddle has not topped 15 fantasy points or scored a touchdown since week 9. I believe Waddle will change that this week while facing the Chargers, going over 15 points and scoring not just 1, but 2 touchdowns.
WR – Amon-Ra St. Brown Vs. Minnesota Vikings
St. Brown has been an absolute PROBLEM since week 10, going for a total of 37 receptions, 431 yards and 3 touchdowns, which puts him at WR2 over that timespan. I’m playing the hot hand here and I feel pretty confident about it since the Vikings are allowing 32 points per game to opposing WRs (29th).
TE – Hunter Henry @ Arizona Cardinals
I’m old enough to remember when the Patriots brought in Henry and Jonnu to become the 2nd coming of Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. Well, the shine wore off very early on those signings. Though Henry has been pretty disappointing, he’s more than capable of going off against a Cardinals defense that is allowing the most points to opposing tight ends this season.
Flex – Samaje Perine Vs. Cleveland Browns
This hinges on whether or not Joe Mixon plays…If Mixon plays, he’ll take Perine’s place as my flex dude of the week. If Mixon sits again, I feel completely comfortable starting up Samaje. The Browns are allowing the 2nd most points per game to opposing RBs and Perine has been RB2 with 69 total Fantasy points since week 11.
Duds
QB – Patrick Mahomes @ Denver Broncos
Mahomes and the Chiefs are coming off of a tough loss and now they have to head to Denver to face a Broncos team that are kings of ugly football. The Broncos have been absolutely stout on defense and will make it difficult for the Chiefs to try and bounce back.
QB – Tom Brady @ San Fransisco 49ers
I’m sure when Brady saw this game on the schedule before the season started, he had circled the match-up and was looking forward to his homecoming. As of today, I don’t think he’s quite as excited to head to San Francisco. The 49ers will be rolling with a 3rd string QB and their defense will be extra locked in to ensure that this game is a low-scoring affair.
RB – James Conner Vs. New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are now the #1 ranked run defense in football, allowing a measly 14 points per game to opposing running backs. Conner will have his hands full this week and not only will he fail to get a touchdown, he will fail to rush for over 50 yards.
RB – Travis Etienne @ Tennessee Titans
Fantasy managers were very happy to find out that Etienne did not suffer a serious injury 2 weeks ago but just because he’s not severely hurt does not mean he’s an automatic start. Travis has not topped 10 fantasy points since week 9 and will be facing a Titans defense that is 7th best in the league against the run.
WR – Amari Cooper @ Cincinnati Bengals
Deshaun Watson looked off last week against the Texans and I don’t think he’ll fix it immediately, it’s going to take some time to get back in the swing of things. Unfortunately for those who roster Cooper, Amari is going to suffer from the drop off at QB play until Watson gets it figured out.
WR – Brandon Aiyuk Vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
With Jimmy GQ going down and the 49ers having an upcoming bout against the Buccaneers and their strong defense, I expect Aiyuk to take a step back. Look for CMC to dominate the touches in this one with a sprinkling of Deebo Samuel who the 49ers will work into the game plan. Both Deebo and CMC are more QB friendly than Brandon Aiyuk.
TE – Brevin Jordan @ Dallas Cowboys
Jordan got the start in week 13 and gifted any Fantasy manager that started him with 10 PPR points. That is very promising and I am definitely keeping an eye on him over the next few weeks but I will NOT be starting him this week. The Cowboys are only giving up 6 points per game to opposing tight ends and Jordan is going to be a non factor in week 14.
Flex – Rachaad White @ San Francisco 49ers
As I stated previously, the 49ers defense will understand the task going forward and that task is, absolutely dominate opposing offenses and keep them under 14 points per game. The 49ers defense is great against the run and they’ll keep White to under 10 PPR points this week.
