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Quarterback
Start of the Week: Jared Goff (v DAL)
Amon-Ra St. Brown (ankle) likely being out for Detroit could limit the appeal for Goff, but he had 20.64 fantasy points without his top target on Thanksgiving—and now faces a Dallas defense that’s allowed the most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks (24.8). While there has surprisingly been no real difference in the home/road splits this season, Goff should still benefit from being at Ford Field in a game the Lions badly need. With a 25:5 touchdown-interception ratio on the year, we have Goff as our overall QB4 on Thursday night.
Start: Daniel Jones (@ JAX)
Jones playing through a fractured leg might decrease his upside, but he seemed to be moving very well last week in the loss to Houston—throwing for 201 yards and two touchdowns versus a very stout defense. This weekend, the matchup will be much easier with Jacksonville ranking in the bottom 10 in passing yards per game (230.1) and passing touchdowns (22) allowed, and Jones has thrown for multiple touchdowns in six of his past eight outings. I like the 28-year-old as a top-eight play for Week 14.
Start: Baker Mayfield (v NO)
Mayfield gets a huge boost with Mike Evans (collarbone) looking set to return on Sunday, and that comes on the heels of Chris Godwin Jr. showing more explosiveness last week—not to mention Bucky Irving being back as well. The first matchup against New Orleans didn’t go well for fantasy owners with 152 passing yards and zero touchdowns, but Mayfield expressed his hatred for the Saints before that one (which was still a 23-3 win for Tampa Bay), so we’ll see if he fares better as a QB1 in the rematch.
Start: Marcus Mariota (@ MIN)
Jayden Daniels (elbow) has a shot at returning this weekend, but not being cleared until at least Friday would seem to position Mariota for another start. If so, fantasy owners can ride the momentum from last week when Mariota was lights out in the overtime loss to Denver (294 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception through the air with 10 carries for 55 yards as a runner). Minnesota’s aggressive defense will be another challenge, but the poise, touch, and accuracy—on a Washington offense that is now healthy—should make Mariota a top-end streaming option.
Sit of the Week: Patrick Mahomes (v HOU)
Unless you have a backup such as Jared Goff or Baker Mayfield, Mahomes probably isn’t someone to consider benching—especially since it’s wise to rely on your stars with a trip to the fantasy playoffs on the line. However, the Texans are allowing the fewest fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks (11.6), and zero signal-callers have reached 20.0 fantasy points against them this season. Even after a four-touchdown performance on Thanksgiving, Mahomes barely crack the top 10 this week.
Sit: Jordan Love (v CHI)
We’ll see if the forecast changes before Sunday, but temperatures at Lambeau Field could be in the teens for Bears-Packers—downgrading Love several spots in the QB2 ranks. And although Chicago has allowed the fourth-most passing touchdowns in the league (24), they’ve totaled the most interceptions (17), so Green Bay might be less hesitant about testing their coverage in scoring territory for a possible slugfest with NFC North supremacy on the line.
Sit: C.J. Stroud (@ KC)
Cold weather is also expected for Texans-Chiefs, and Stroud struggled a bit in both matchups in Kansas City last season—throwing for 244 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions on Christmas Eve, and then getting sacked eight times in a 23-14 playoff loss. Since allowing three passing touchdowns to Justin Herbert in the opener, the Chiefs have surrendered just 10 scores over the past 11 games—and Stroud has thrown for 11 touchdowns in nine starts this year. I’d look elsewhere for a streaming option.
Sit: Jacoby Brissett (v LAR)
Brissett stayed hot for fantasy owners with 19.64 fantasy points in the loss to Tampa Bay last week, and his floor has been remarkable with 18.68+ fantasy points in all seven starts this season. That said, the Rams will come in angry after being upset by the Panthers last week, and Arizona’s offense seems bound to have a disappointment at some point. Brissett should be a borderline top-15 option and would be helped by a high-scoring game breaking out, but I wouldn’t put him in the QB1 ranks.
Running Back
Start of the Week: David Montgomery (v DAL)
The Cowboys have been excellent against the run since the bye week (and acquiring Quinnen Williams) by holding running backs for the Raiders, Eagles, and Chiefs to a combined 36 carries for 107 scoreless yards—so there is certainly some risk for Montgomery this week. Still, he should be a more involved again with Amon-Ra St. Brown going down, and Montgomery rumbled his way to 80 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries last year in a blowout win over the Cowboys. Consider him a high-end RB2 for what could be a shootout.
Start: Kyle Monangai (@ GB)
Again, weather will likely impact Bears-Packers this weekend, so the game flow could be in Monangai’s favor—with a case to be made for him being ahead of teammate D’Andre Swift (who might not have the usual upside in the passing game on a frozen track). Green Bay can be disruptive up front, but they’ve been more vulnerable versus the run recently with 109.2 yards per game and five touchdowns allowed over the past five weeks; Monangai should be at least a low-end RB2 after 22 carries for 130 yards and a score on Black Friday.
Start: Jordan Mason (v WAS)
Aaron Jones Sr. (shoulder) is day-to-day and might be ready for Sunday, but either way, Mason is arguably the preferred play based on how he’s run over the past month—averaging 6.6 yards per carry and providing a spark off the bench. At the very least, Mason should handle goal-line carries (if the Vikings can get there), and the Commanders have been hit by Jahmyr Gibbs (36.7 fantasy points), De’Von Achane (19.0), and RJ Harvey (19.7) as lead runners over their past three games.
Start: Blake Corum (@ ARI)
This is a similar situation to Keaton Mitchell last week (who paid off with an 18-yard touchdown run)—as Corum might be the No. 2 back in Los Angeles, but he’s involved enough to potentially make an impact for desperate fantasy owners. Last week, Corum rushed seven times for 81 yards and a touchdown, and he’s averaged a solid 10.0 carries per game since Week 7. In a game where the Rams should play from ahead, Corum is a quality FLEX option.
Sit of the Week: Omarion Hampton (v PHI)
Hampton (ankle) appeared here last week and didn’t end up playing, but the thinking is the same with the Eagles—despite what they showed in the loss to Chicago—being a difficult draw if the rookie is indeed back on Monday night. I would think Philadelphia having a couple of extra days to reflect on getting run all over by the Bears will have them better for a trip to Los Angeles, and Kimani Vidal showing well again last week (26 touches for 137 yards and a touchdown) limits the workhorse appeal for Hampton in lineups.
Sit: Devin Neal (@ TB)
Alvin Kamara (knee) is expected to miss another game, and Neal should be a volume-based low-end RB2/FLEX option after turning 17 touches into 69 total yards last week. Unfortunately for those counting on him, the Bucs have the sixth-best run defense in the league (97.4 yards per game allowed), and the touchdown upside isn’t very high on an offense that hasn’t reached 20 points as a team in any of Neal’s eight outings to begin his career.
Sit: Isiah Pacheco (v HOU)
As anticipated ahead of Week 13, the Chiefs kept Kareem Hunt as the starter, and he totaled 15 touches for 80 yards while Pacheco was limited to five touches for 33 yards. Perhaps the second game back will be more of a split, but fantasy owners would be making a big leap to find out—and Houston is allowing just 91.7 rushing yards per game (which ranks No. 4 in the NFL). Plus, it’s worth noting that Pacheco combined to rush 14 times for 44 yards (3.1 YPC) and zero touchdowns in the two meetings with the Texans last season.
Sit: Javonte Williams (@ DET)
Williams is the overall RB7 on the season and someone who will be locked into all lineups this week, but he should be downgraded with Detroit allowing the second-fewest fantasy points per game to opposing runners (14.5). A big reason for the Lions being a difficult matchup is their stoutness in scoring territory with one rushing touchdown allowed since the start of October—and they’ve allowed 3.9 yards per carry on the year. Look for CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens to be the focus in the primetime battle.
Wide Receiver
Start of the Week: Jameson Williams (v DAL)
Speaking of the superstar duo in Dallas, they are both projected—based on betting lines—for over 80 receiving yards this week in the expected shootout. So, it says a lot that it’s actually Williams (with an over/under of 84.5) who is the betting favorite to lead Cowboys-Lions in receiving this week. Of course, we don’t need a sportsbook to tell us how awesome Jamo is when featured, and fantasy owners should be able to count on him to build on the 7/144/1 line on Thanksgiving when Amon-Ra St. Brown went down. We have him as a no-doubt WR1 play.
Start: DK Metcalf (@ BAL)
Metcalf has struggled mightily since the start of November with fewer than 50 yards and zero scores in all five games—but he didn’t suddenly fall off as a player after an encouraging start to the season (10.7 yards per target and five touchdowns in September and October). Instead, opponents are simply able to take Metcalf away with limited threats behind him at wide receiver, but I’ll be interested in how Baltimore tries playing him; if given single coverage on the outside versus a smaller cornerback duo of Nate Wiggins and Chidobe Awuzie, Metcalf can pay off as an upside WR2.
Start: Michael Pittman Jr. (@ JAX)
Fantasy owners might be hesitant about getting Pittman in lineups with a cold stretch (yardage totals of 19, 27, and 13 over the past three weeks)—but Jacksonville has been a tremendous matchup for him over the years with lines of 5/71, 6/64/1, 13/134, 8/97/1, 9/109, 5/37/1, and 6/72 since his rookie season. On the year, Pittman is already up to a career-high seven touchdowns catching passes from Daniel Jones, and he should be able to thrive as a low-end WR2 after dealing with Derek Stingley Jr. last week.
Start: Tee Higgins (@ BUF)
Higgins needs to clear the concussion protocol to return this week, and Bengals-Bills being another matchup with cold weather (and possible snow) is something to keep in mind. But in the lone regular season meeting a couple of years ago, Higgins caught eight-of-nine targets for 110 yards with the Bills focused on stopping Ja’Marr Chase (four receptions for 41 yards)—so a similar game plan could allow Higgins to have a big day. In the past six healthy appearances with Joe Burrow or Joe Flacco under center, Higgins has gone for point totals of 13.1, 8.7, 18.6, 10.9, 29.6, and 13.8.
Others: Chris Godwin Jr. (v NO), Christian Kirk (@ KC)
Sit of the Week: Christian Watson (v CHI)
We know the weekly upside Watson has shown throughout his career, and that’s been supported by a raised floor so far this year—going for 45+ receiving yards in all six games since his season debut. However, the cold weather for the NFC North clash lowers both the floor and ceiling on Sunday, and Watson has totaled three receptions for nine scoreless yards in two career home matchups versus Chicago. If you have options, Watson should be left out of lineups unless the forecast improves.
Sit: Mike Evans (v NO)
Evans returning this week would make him worth considering as a FLEX option, but the star power shouldn’t lead to fantasy owners immediately inserting him into lineups without second thought. To begin the season, Evans had averaged just 4.4 yards per target in three-plus games, and Tampa Bay will play more through Bucky Irving, Emeka Egbuka, and Chris Godwin Jr. for at least this week as Evans works his way back into form. I would say the fantasy playoffs (v ATL, @ CAR, @ MIA) is the better stretch for Evans to potentially be started.
Sit: Darnell Mooney (v SEA)
Drake London (knee) appears set to miss another game, so Mooney will be the No. 1 wideout for Atlanta again. So far, the results in the role have been split with a 3/74/1 line versus the Saints being followed by two receptions for 25 yards last week—and the Falcons would be better off playing through Bijan Robinson and Kyle Pitts Sr. again rather than testing Seattle on the perimeter. Connecting on a deep ball like we saw in Week 12 is the best chance of Mooney being more than a solid FLEX.
Sit: Bears WRs (@ GB)
Maybe the weather is being weighted too much here, but bitter cold seems to be what has the biggest impact on offenses—and we saw a possible glimpse of that last week with Caleb Williams having just 154 passing yards last week in the win over the Eagles. Even worse conditions this week at Lambeau Field could be bad news for Rome Odunze, DJ Moore, and Luther Burden III—and the Packers have allowed the second-fewest passing yards per attempt (6.2) in the league.
Others: Jerry Jeudy (v TEN), Hollywood Brown (v HOU)
Tight End
Start: of the Week: Dalton Kincaid (v CIN)
It’s unclear if Kincaid (hamstring) will be back on Sunday, but if he is, we’d have him as the overall TE1 as the beneficiary of a dream matchup versus the Bengals. Last week, we saw Isaiah Likely take advantage with five receptions for 95 yards, and Cincinnati has allowed a whopping 19.3 fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends this season—including 150+ receiving yards to the position in back-to-back games.
Start: Kyle Pitts Sr. (v SEA)
The touchdown potential for Pitts not being unlocked at the NFL level is frustrating based on the ability he showed at Florida—but he had a more central role last week with seven receptions for 82 yards to boost his outlook ahead of Week 14. Seattle allowing the fourth-most fantasy points per game to the position (13.1) and Atlanta being without Drake London again should put Pitts in the top half of the TE1 ranks.
Start: Dallas Goedert (@ LAC)
Goedert couldn’t take advantage of a matchup versus a Chicago defense that was down a few linebackers last week, and he’s gone cold with 27 or fewer yards in each of the past three games. That said, I get the feeling things could slant back in his direction with the Chargers wanting to limit the chunk plays, and Philadelphia might even overcorrect by playing through Goedert—particularly if he can avoid Derwin James Jr. in coverage.
Sit of the Week: Oronde Gadsden II (v PHI)
On the other side of Eagles-Chargers, it might be a good idea to avoid Gadsden—who has also fallen off in recent weeks with a combined 81 receiving yards and zero touchdowns over the past three games. Justin Herbert (hand) being less than 100% adds another layer of uncertainty, and Philadelphia is still allowing the third-fewest fantasy points per game to enemy tight ends (7.1) despite vulnerability shown in each of the past two weeks.
Sit: David Njoku (v TEN)
Looking ahead to 2026, I think Njoku has plenty left in the tank, but Shedeur Sanders is more comfortable throwing to wide receivers—and Harold Fannin Jr. has become the clear No. 1 target at tight end. At this point, Njoku is just a touchdown-or-bust option with a combined 11 receiving yards in three games (two starts) where Sanders has seen action.
Sit: Cade Otton (v NO)
The Bucs getting healthier leads to Otton taking more of a backseat, and Bucky Irving is perhaps the main reason to downgrade him with fewer underneath opportunities in an offense that will already play through the wideouts when they’re all healthy. Last week, Otton was limited to two receptions for nine yards, and he doesn’t have the highest ceiling this week or moving forward.