The A List at DFS Academy | NFL DFS Week 14

We have hit NFL Week 14, which means it’s advancement week for Best Ball and the start of the fantasy playoffs for many leagues. If you have already faced elimination, no worries; DFS is here to support you throughout the entire season, as am I.

Week 14 also means that DFS players have condensed on a few players that are must-starts to avoid getting buried and missing the Cash line. Who will it be this week?

Let’s dig into our NFL DFS Week 14 Cash plays.

Cash is in session.

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NFL DFS Week 14

Teacher’s Pet

Michael Pittman Jr. (DraftKings: $7,300 / FanDuel: $8,000)

It’s hard to argue against a receiver who records two consecutive weeks with over 10 catches and 100 yards. Michael Pittman has been as solid of a Cash play as you could imagine. He has double-digit targets in four of his last five games. Now, he matches up against a Cincinnati Bengals defense that has allowed the seventh-most points to receivers since Week 10. Cincinnati is slightly favored, suggesting this will be a back-and-forth affair where the Colts will be pushing to stay relevant. With that, Pittman has a great opportunity to keep his 10-catch, 100-yard streak alive. 

Honor Roll

Justin Fields (DraftKings: $6,800 / FanDuel: $7,900)

It seems like this is the first time Justin Fields has been mentioned in this column this year. In fairness, he missed several games with injury, but also, the Bears seemed to hold him back from running the ball, limiting his DFS upside. That has changed since the bye week. Fields has at least ten carries in each of his past two games, many of which are designed runs. He faces off against the Detroit Lions, who have looked more like the Lions of old on defense in recent weeks. Between the salary savings and a great matchup, Fields is an easy DFS Cash play.

Lamar Jackson (DraftKings: $7,700 / FanDuel: $8,000)

I will likely avoid spending over $7,000 at quarterback on DraftKings, but Lamar Jackson is just $100 more expensive than Justin Fields on FanDuel. And yet, we have seen Jackson’s killer upside and how he can break the slate. While the Los Angeles Rams appear to be a tough matchup for opposing quarterbacks based on their stats, their outcomes are skewed by playing against average to below-average quarterbacks. In the past six weeks, they have faced Joe Flacco, Kyler Murray, Geno Smith, Jordan Love, Dak Prescott, and Kenny Pickett. Of those, only Prescott and Murray have similar upside as Jackson. Expect Jackson and the Ravens to come out swinging from the bye week.

Joe Mixon (DraftKings: $6,100 / FanDuel: $7,200)

Remember when Joe Burrow got injured, and I had Joe Mixon as a Cash play for volume, and then the Bengals ran the ball a whopping 11 times? I do. And I’m still bitter. But the Bengals were more balanced against the Jaguars, relying on the run to set up play-action passes. Mixon also found the endzone, which bolstered his performance. Now, he gets a solid matchup against the Indianapolis Colts, who just gave up two touchdowns to Derrick Henry. Additionally, they have allowed the eighth-most points to the position since Week 10. Need I say more?

D.J. Moore (DraftKings: $6,500 / FanDuel: $7,700)

It’s not hard to imagine why DJ Moore is in my player pool this week, given everything I said above about Justin Fields. Moore has demonstrated why he was worth being included in a package for the first overall pick, dominating the Bears receiver room. He already has 1,000 yards on the season and is just two weeks removed from putting up nearly 100 yards on the Detroit Lions. Moore is a slightly better play on DraftKings, where you can rely on the PPR scoring, but half of his touchdowns this season came in one game, so he is harder to rely upon on FanDuel.

 

Check the Chalkboard

Christian McCaffrey (DraftKings: $9,200 / FanDuel: $10,500)

With no Tyreek Hill in the main slate, we don’t have to worry about choosing between him and Christian McCaffrey. McCaffrey has been a sure thing week in and week out, scoring over 20 DraftKings points in six consecutive games. Now, he gets the best matchup for fantasy running backs in the Seattle Seahawks, who he just destroyed on Thanksgiving Day. I don’t care about the salary; my goal is to find a way to get McCaffrey in my lineup.

Participation Grade

Jonathan Mingo (DraftKings: $3,500 / FanDuel: $5,500)

Look, we gotta get creative with our punt plays this week. Jonathan Mingo has yet to light the world on fire, but he has slowly been progressing. Most notably, his target share has ticked up in recent weeks. He has at least six targets in each of his last four games, including 10 targets against Tampa Bay. When Carolina and New Orleans played in Week 2, Mingo had eight targets. Now, the targets may not be pretty, but if Mingo can bring in a few catches and allow you to fit McCaffrey in your lineup, it is well worth it.

Back of the Classroom Studs

Zack Moss (DraftKings: $5,900 / FanDuel: $6,800)

If you just looked at the results, you would say that Zack Moss was a bad pick last week. However, he was over 90% rostered in double-ups last week. 90%! That is a ridiculous rostership and likely the highest I’ve seen a single player rostered since I began playing DFS. And, because he had a down week, the DFS sites barely bumped his salary. The Bengals have struggled against the run, positioning Moss for a bounce-back week. 

Javonte Williams (DraftKings: $5,800 / FanDuel: $6,600)

Javonte Williams has quietly become a consistent part of the Denver Broncos offensive game plan, recording at least 15 touches in five of his last six games. Consistent volume will always make someone Cash-viable (see also; Rachaad White), but Williams also has a good matchup this week. The Los Angeles Chargers have been better on defense in recent weeks, but they’re still allowing the fifth-most fantasy points to the running back position since Week 5. The Chargers are favored, so Denver is likely to need to pass to keep up in this game, targeting Williams along the way. While not my favorite running back on the slate, Williams is a solid option if looking elsewhere from the likes of Zack Moss.

Elijah Moore (DraftKings: $4,500 / FanDuel: $6,200)

If Amari Cooper misses this week, Elijah Moore will likely become one of the highest-rostered players in DFS Cash lineups. Moore is coming off a week with 12 targets from Joe Flacco, who seemed to be attempting to reconnect with his former New York Jets teammate. Even before Cooper exited, Moore was bringing in targets. Because of this, Moore will likely be in my lineup regardless of Cooper’s status. Plus, the Browns seem ready to pass the ball more with Flacco under center, bringing the volume we need to sustain the pass-catchers.

Isaiah Likely (DraftKings: $3,500 / FanDuel: $5,200)

In his first game without Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely brought in six targets. That didn’t light the world on fire, but it feels more sustainable than his ceiling performances from 2022 when Andrews exited. Now, the Ravens are coming off a bye week, where they had time to identify a game plan for deploying Likely. He has flashed multiple times since being drafted last season. With a sub-$4,000 on DraftKings, Likely is an easy play given the potential to lead the Ravens in targets on Sunday.

Gerald Everett (DraftKings: $3,400 / FanDuel: $5,100)

Despite the Los Angeles Chargers utilizing multiple tight ends throughout the season, Gerald Everett has continued to be a key part of the offense. He now has two consecutive games with four catches, which is plenty given his salary. He is also a consistent touchdown threat, so is a perfectly fine FanDuel play, especially given the salary savings.

Denver Broncos (DraftKings: $2,800 / FanDuel: $3,600)

We are going back to the Denver Broncos, who are still one of the cheaper defenses for DFS. Despite losing to the Houston Texans, the Broncos scored five fantasy points, which is acceptable for DFS lineups. Plus, the Chargers tend to pass the ball a ton, providing opportunities for opposing defenses to force turnovers and record sacks. The Broncos still have yet to record negative fantasy points this year, making them a safe floor play with plenty of upside.

Cincinnati Bengals (DraftKings: $3,100 / FanDuel: $3,700)

Gardner Minshew has been a walking turnover machine despite continuing to keep the Indianapolis Colts in playoff contention. While the Bengals are coming off a rough performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars, allowing 31 points, they still managed four sacks, keeping them in the positive in terms of fantasy points. Since becoming the starter in Week 6, Minshew has averaged two turnovers per game, raising the value of any defense he faces.

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Report Card

DraftKings

Scoring System

• A: Scored over three times their price
• B: Scored over two times their price
• C: Matched their price
• F: Scored lower than their price

Player	Price	Points	Grade
Tyreek Hill	$9,600	35.3	A
Bijan Robinson	$6,700	10.9	C
Rachaad White	$6,300	19.6	A
Michael Pittman	$7,100	30.5	A
Sam LaPorta	$5,600	32	A
Zack Moss	$4,600	7.7	C
David Njoku	$4,100	3.7	F
Brock Purdy	$6,100	32.46	A
Russell Wilson	$5,700	18.84	A
Najee Harris	$5,200	9.7	C
Josh Downs	$5,100	4.4	F
Greg Dortch	$3,700	2.9	F
Cleveland Browns	$3,100	-1	F
Denver Broncos	$2,700	5	C
Overall	$59,300	165.8	B
Season Long	$862,000	2302.66	B

FanDuel

Scoring System

• A: Scored over two times their price
• B: Scored over one and a half times their price
• C: Matched their price
• F: Scored lower than their price

Player	Price	Points	Grade
Tyreek Hill	$10,000	29.8	A
Bijan Robinson	$8,100	9.4	C
Rachaad White	$7,500	18.1	A
Michael Pittman	$7,900	22	A
Sam LaPorta	$7,000	24.5	A
Zack Moss	$5,600	6.7	C
David Njoku	$5,600	2.7	F
Brock Purdy	$7,800	29.46	A
Russell Wilson	$7,400	18.84	A
Najee Harris	$7,200	8.7	C
Josh Downs	$6,100	2.9	F
Greg Dortch	$5,200	2.4	F
Cleveland Browns	$4,100	-1	F
Denver Broncos	$4,000	5	C
Overall	$75,400	140.3	B
Season Long	$1,048,800	1978.66	B

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Be sure you’re following Austin on Twitter! Also, you can find our Week 14 rankings here and the rest of our Week 14 content here!

And don’t forget to check out our Week 14 DFS Matchup Report before you submit those lineups!