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Quarterback
Thumbs Up of the Week: Jordan Love (@ NYG)
The Giants aren’t the easiest matchup and had the bye week to prepare for Green Bay’s offense, but Love has been on fire with eight touchdowns and zero interceptions during the team’s three-game winning streak—so his recent play puts him in the QB1 ranks. With the pressure New York is expected to bring, Love will look to continue hitting on the downfield throws versus single coverage, and he can also do damage as a runner after Dak Prescott and Sam Howell both found the end zone on the ground versus the Giants in recent matchups.
Thumbs Up: Joshua Dobbs (@ LV)
Dobbs carries some risk in lineups with head coach Kevin O’Connell previously suggesting the team could make a change coming out of the bye—which puts him in danger of an in-game benching. However, the Vikings will get Justin Jefferson (hamstring) back this weekend, and Dobbs is another quarterback that will use his legs when the opportunity presents itself. If the top-shelf offensive line can hold up, Dobbs has plenty of upside in Week 14 lineups.
Thumbs Up: Jameis Winston (v CAR)
Derek Carr (concussion) seems unlikely to suit up on Sunday, so Winston should get the opportunity to start versus a Carolina defense that—while fourth in the league versus the pass—has the second-fewest interceptions in the league (six) to perhaps stabilize the floor for the former No. 1 overall pick. Last year, Winston had 353 passing yards in a loss to the Panthers, and I’m sure he’s determined to prove he can still be a starting quarterback with explosive downfield weapons he won’t hesitate to chuck it to.
Thumbs Up: Jake Browning (v IND)
Speaking of weapons, Browning has plenty of them with Cincinnati—and he really couldn’t have played any better than he did on Monday night by completing 32-of-37 passes for 354 yards and one touchdown in an overtime victory over Jacksonville. Now at home with sky-high confidence, Browning should at least be a solid QB2 option for a game that could be a shootout based on the struggles for Cincinnati’s defense.
Thumbs Down of the Week: C.J. Stroud (@ NYJ)
Stroud might be difficult to bench, but the Jets have only allowed one quarterback (Josh Allen) to reach 20.0+ fantasy points against them this year, and Houston could have more of a run-heavy game plan this weekend because of the matchup. Also, the loss of Tank Dell (leg) is a massive one, and Stroud has put up average numbers from a fantasy perspective over the past several weeks outside of a couple of explosions. We have him as our overall QB14 for Week 14.
Thumbs Down: Jared Goff (@ CHI)
He is still a top-12 option for this week, but Goff and the Lions had some trouble with Chicago in the first matchup—including three interceptions before the offense got going in a comeback win. In general, the Bears have played much better defensively since a terrible start, and Detroit could go with a heavy dose of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs to prevent giving Chicago favorable field position again. Goff will have a better outlook over the final four weeks with all indoor games.
Thumbs Down: Will Levis (@ MIA)
Since tossing four touchdown passes in his debut, Levis has completed 56.4% of his passes for a season-long pace of 3,495 yards and a 10:7 touchdown-interception ratio—and he’ll now take on an emerging Miami defense that could feast if Tennessee falls behind early. I had hopes about Levis doing damage as a runner if given the opportunity to play, but he’s rushed 17 times for 17 scoreless yards in six starts, so fantasy owners are better off looking elsewhere for a streaming option.
Thumbs Down: Justin Herbert (v DEN)
Herbert getting Joshua Palmer (knee) back in the lineup would remove him from this designation, as Los Angeles would then have a much better outlook through the air with a reliable option alongside Keenan Allen. But if not, Herbert has gone for fantasy-point totals of 13.38 and 7.98 over the past two weeks, and Denver has allowed just 13.3 fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks since Week 5. He’s more of a low-end QB1 on Sunday.
Running back
Thumbs Up of the Week: Javonte Williams (@ LAC)
We are still waiting for Williams to get his first rushing score of 2023, but I like his chances this weekend versus the soft run defense of the Chargers—and workload has been very encouraging with touch totals of 18, 30, 25, 13, 21, and 16 over the past six games. I’m also hopeful about Williams being more involved as a pass-catcher with Russell Wilson missing him a couple of times (including on the game-ending interception) when open in the flat, and Denver should lean on him as a high-end RB2 on the road.
Thumbs Up: Ezekiel Elliott (@ PIT)
Rhamondre Stevenson (ankle) entered last week with three consecutive games of 102+ total yards, but he’s set to miss time, which puts Elliott in line for lead duties on an offense that—despite their struggles—will revolve around the running backs. In expanded work against the Chargers, Zeke turned 21 touches into 92 yards, and he’ll be eager to show he can still be a workhorse versus a vulnerable Pittsburgh run defense. Consider him a definite top-20 option.
Thumbs Up: AJ Dillon (@ NYG)
Aaron Jones (knee) might return on Monday night to put fantasy owners in a tough spot, but Dillon would have a case for strong FLEX value anyway—as he’s handled double-digit touches in all but one game this year, and the Packers have also gotten him involved as a pass-catcher. Focusing on the past four weeks, Dillon has cleared 80 total yards three times, and the Giants rank in the bottom five for rushing yards (136.1 per game), rushing touchdowns (18), and yards per carry allowed (4.8).
Thumbs Up: Keaton Mitchell (v LAR)
Before the bye week, Mitchell showed signs of a backfield takeover with his first career start, and he turned 11 touches into 89 total yards in a win over the Chargers. It’ll be interesting to see how much work the speedy rookie is given, but the Rams could be susceptible to perimeter runs (Pierre Strong Jr. made an impact with 20 yards on two outside carries last week), and Mitchell’s ceiling at least makes him an upside FLEX.
Thumbs Down of the Week: Tony Pollard (v PHI)
The run defense for Philadelphia has been weaker in recent weeks with some injury issues and a slew of difficult opponents, but they are still very stout—and Pollard has not had much success against them in his career with 69 carries for 254 yards (3.7 YPC) and zero touchdowns in eight matchups. So, with the Eagles being much more attackable on the backend, I’d look for Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb to be the focus, while Pollard might need his three-game touchdown streak to continue for him to be more than a decent RB2 play.
Thumbs Down: Alexander Mattison (@ LV)
To his credit, Mattison has held off challengers for one reason or another to remain the lead back in Minnesota, and maybe that will remain the case down the stretch. However, his stranglehold on the lead job has felt very shaky, and a fumble in back-to-back games prior to the bye—along with Ty Chandler showing some juice—could result in changes this weekend. The Raiders are a plus matchup, but the risk puts Mattison outside the top 30 at running back.
Thumbs Down: Chuba Hubbard (@ NO)
Hubbard is coming off the best game of his career (25 carries for 104 yards and two touchdowns), and the run defense has fallen off for New Orleans with 4.5 yards per carry allowed on the year. That said, Carolina’s offense is still in a bad spot overall, and the struggles over the past two years have led to huge games by Hubbard and D’Onta Foreman (last season) being followed up by a dud. Based on the inconsistency, I’d rank Hubbard as more of a volatile FLEX than RB2 option.
Thumbs Down: Bears RBs (v DET)
Khalil Herbert probably has the best pure running ability for Chicago, D’Onta Foreman has shown the highest workhorse potential, and rookie Roschon Johnson was the lead back in Week 12. So, what does that mean coming out of the bye? The situation is a complete mystery, and Detroit—a top-six run defense in yards per game (93.1) and yards per carry allowed (3.8)—might not be the opponent to figure it out on the fly against.
Wide receiver
Thumbs Up of the Week: DeVonta Smith (@ DAL)
I keep putting Smith here, but he keeps producing big-time fantasy numbers without getting much of an industry bump in terms of his weekly outlook (for example, ESPN still has his average ranking in the 20s at wide receiver). Perhaps the return of Dallas Goedert (wrist) will impact Smith’s numbers, but the Eagles should know he needs to featured, and the former Heisman winner torched the Cowboys in Dallas last Christmas Eve with an 8/113/2 line. We have him as a top-ten option for Week 14.
Thumbs Up: Chris Olave (v CAR)
Dating back to last year (which included back-to-back games with 13 targets), Olave has been a pass-catcher that Jameis Winston has loved throwing to—and he’s had plenty of success versus Carolina to begin his career with lines of 9/147, 5/60/1, and 6/86. I don’t think the return of top cornerback Jaycee Horn will be enough to slow down Olave coming off three consecutive games with 94+ yards, and fantasy owners should confidently roll with him this weekend.
Thumbs Up: Gabe Davis (@ KC)
The boom-or-bust nature of Davis can make him a player that fantasy owners are hesitant about, which is especially true with a spot in the fantasy playoffs potentially on the line. A matchup against the Chiefs makes Davis a high-upside WR2, though, and I’d bet on Buffalo wanting to attack vertically after the damage Green Bay was able to do last Sunday night. With the top CBS crew of Jim Nantz and Tony Romo on the call, “Big Game Gabe” going off wouldn’t be a surprise.
Thumbs Up: Romeo Doubs (@ NYG)
As stated, the Giants bringing pressure this week should lead to single coverage for the Green Bay weapons to take advantage of, and Doubs has remained the most-trusted target for Jordan Love—whether it be in scoring territory or down the field. Christian Watson (hamstring) would seem to be a big question mark for Monday night, so Doubs might have a higher floor and ceiling with the Packers going with less of a rotation among their young pass-catchers.
Others: Brandin Cooks (v PHI), Odell Beckham Jr. (v LAR)
Thumbs Down of the Week: Brandon Aiyuk (v SEA)
Aiyuk was able to find the end zone on a 28-yard strike by Brock Purdy in the Thanksgiving matchup versus Seattle, and fantasy owners will almost certainly be starting a guy that’s closing in on a 1,000-yard campaign and has averaged 12.9 yards per target. On the other hand, Aiyuk hasn’t seen the most involvement for this matchup throughout his career, and the outlook might be a lot different right now if not for him and Purdy connecting late. I’d view the 25-year-old as a low-end WR2 for this week.
Thumbs Down: Nico Collins (@ NYJ)
Due to the Tank Dell injury, Collins’ value should be getting a substantial boost in the fantasy playoffs for a couple of matchups versus Tennessee (Week 15 and Week 17); but first, he’ll need to face off against Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed for a New York defense that is still very stingy against the pass, so it’ll take Collins moving enough into the slot or being schemed open for him to pay dividends as a strong start for Week 14. If you have options and need a win to make the playoffs, I’d prefer to keep Collins on the bench based on the matchup.
Thumbs Down: DeAndre Hopkins (@ MIA)
A heavy target total for Hopkins in a game that Tennessee will have to score points in to have a shot might make him worth a start this week, but old AFC South rival Jalen Ramsey won’t be an easy draw—and Xavien Howard has enjoyed a bounce-back season on the other side of the formation. The lack of separation that Hopkins creates will put a lot on Will Levis in terms of delivering precise, on-time throws, but the veteran might not get a ton of opportunities if Tennessee doesn’t want to put the ball in harm’s way.
Thumbs Down: Jordan Addison (@ LV)
Addison has slowed down some in recent games, and there is a chance the return of Justin Jefferson is enough to take attention away and get him back on track. There is also the possibility of Minnesota not being prolific enough without Kirk Cousins (Achilles) to keep everyone afloat, and Addison could be the No. 3 option behind Jefferson and T.J. Hockenson versus a Las Vegas defense that can do a good job of preventing big plays on the perimeter. I would prefer starting an option that might be available such as Romeo Doubs or Odell Beckham Jr.
Others: Tee Higgins (v IND), Tyler Lockett (@ SF)
Tight end
Thumbs Up of the Week: Kyle Pitts (v TB)
Earlier this year, I brought up the possibility of Pitts being someone that can breakout down the stretch similar to Darren Waller back in 2019—as the talent is undoubtedly there for the former No. 4 overall pick. Last week was a potential step in the right direction with four receptions (on eight targets) for 51 yards, and Pitts might not have to deal with Devin White (foot) or Lavonte David (groin) at linebacker this weekend. I’m optimistically viewing him as a top-ten play.
Thumbs Up: Gerald Everett (v DEN)
Tight ends facing the Broncos continue to be a matchup to target, and Brevin Jordan only needed four targets last week to put up three receptions for 64 yards against them—setting up Everett to have success on Sunday. Even with the Chargers struggling over the past two weeks, Everett was able to put up respectable fantasy-point totals of 12.3 and 6.4, so we’ll see if he can keep it going in a home-run spot.
Thumbs Up: Isaiah Likely (v LAR)
David Njoku wasn’t able to live up to expectations for this matchup last week, but No. 2 tight end Harrison Bryant had a 5/49/1 line on five targets—which might bode well for Likely if the Rams are focusing on stopping the Baltimore wideouts. In a start for Mark Andrews (ankle) prior to the bye, Likely caught four-of-six targets for 40 yards, and he can do heavy damage with the ball in his hands as a borderline TE1/TE2.
Thumbs Down of the Week: None
Tight end is back to having a good number of options to consider, so I’ll just add here that Dalton Kincaid shouldn’t be downgraded from the high-end TE1 ranks if Dawson Knox (wrist) is able to return, and it’d be a wise move to plan ahead for possible matchups to target in the fantasy playoffs.