Adding even more pressure onto fantasy owners’ plates during the final week of the regular season, six teams are on bye and numerous fantasy-relevant players remain on the shelf with injuries. If you need a bye-week or injury fill-in, our Week 14 fantasy sleeper picks, including Tyler Huntley, Cam Akers, or Jameson Williams, can help you end the regular season in the win column.
Please remember that any of our sleeper picks could disappoint this week. We tend to take chances with our sleeper picks because recommending a bunch of highly owned “must-starts” doesn’t help anyone. You probably shouldn’t start the players below over proven stars, but if your roster is full of studs, then you don’t need our help anyway. If nothing else, our sleeper picks can help you spot DFS values, as the prices of these players should be affordable.
Last week, we thought AJ Dillon, Mike White, Diontae Johnson, Taysom Hill, and the Commanders’ D/ST, would play well and they did, but we swung and missed at a higher rate than we’d like. We’re aiming to improve this week, as many fantasy seasons are on the line.
WEEK 14 FANTASY PICKS: Busts | Start ’em, sit ’em
Let’s get to our Week 14 sleeper picks.
Week 14 Fantasy Sleepers: Running backs
Cam Akers, Rams vs. Raiders (Sloan Piva). Akers played 46 offensive snaps and saw 17 touches last week, both easily season highs for the third-year back who has been doghoused most of the season. He amassed 60 yards and two TDs on the ground, nearly helping an embattled L.A. team knock off a solid Seahawks team. The Raiders have surrendered the fifth-most PPR points per game to RBs (seventh-most in standard formats), and most recently allowed Austin Ekeler and Joshua Kelley to rack up 132 scrimmage yards. The Kyren Williams hype was apparently overstated, as this appears to still be Akers’ backfield after all.
Latavius Murray, Broncos vs. Chiefs (Vinnie Iyer). The Broncos need to keep giving him the ball to have any chance offensively, and he has a good history in this matchup going back to his early days with the Raiders in the AFC West.
Samaje Perine, Bengals vs. Browns (Matt Lutovsky). Even with Joe Mixon (concussion) expected back this week, Perine has played well enough to earn a role in Cincinnati’s offense. Remember, prior to Mixon’s concussion in Week 11, Perine had already scored a receiving touchdown. The Browns allow the second-most fantasy points per game (FPPG) to RBs, so even just 10 touches puts Perine on the flex line in a thin week.
WEEK 14 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Week 14 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Quarterbacks
Tyler Huntley, Ravens @ Steelers (Piva). Huntley saved the day for Baltimore in Week 13 after Lamar Jackson left with a knee injury. I guess when you’re the backup to the most athletic mobile QB in football, you stay ready. Huntley was a model of efficiency, completing 27-of-32 passes for 187 yards while adding 41 yards and a TD on the ground. Now Huntley draws a Steelers D that has allowed the fifth-most passing yards and second-most passing TDs in the NFL.
Jared Goff, Lions vs. Vikings. (Iyer). He’s back to putting up big numbers at home vs. weak defenses, and the volume will be high opposite Kirk Cousins.
Ryan Tannehill, Titans vs. Jaguars (Lutovsky). Tannehill rarely has a high ceiling, but his floor should be solid against Jacksonville’s 29th-ranked pass defense. Even if Treylon Burks (concussion) is out, Tannehill has capable enough pass-catchers to put up 250 yards and two TDs as he did in a much tougher matchup against Denver in Week 10.
WEEK 14 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Week 14 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Wide receivers
DJ Chark, Lions vs. Vikings (Piva). In a game with a 53.5 O/U, virtually every pass-catcher has potential upside. Chark hauled in a TD two weeks ago against Buffalo and caught five-of-six targets for 98 yards last week against Jacksonville. He should be heavily involved in Week 14 against a feebly Vikings D that has surrendered 364-plus passing yards in each of the past two weeks. It’s Chark week.
Zay Jones, Jaguars @ Titans (Iyer). He was quiet last week, as Christian Kirk and Evan Engram did work underneath against Detroit, but Tennessee gets mashed quite a bit on the outside, so a bounce-back is in order for Jones.
Jameson Williams, Lions vs. Jaguars (Lutovsky). Admittedly, this is a bold pick since Williams played just eight snaps in his NFL debut last week, but we expect him to ramp up and make his presence felt in Week 14. Minnesota allows the most passing yards per game and the third-most FPPG to WRs. Even with limited snaps, Williams can make an impact with a big play or two, and we’re expecting the Lions to get him more involved.
WEEK 14 DFS: Best stacks | Best values
Week 14 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Tight ends
Hunter Henry, Patriots @ Cardinals (Piva). Arizona struggling against tight ends has become a constant in life, and Henry has seen five targets in each of the past two games. Nine tight ends have garnered five-plus targets against Arizona this season, and every one of them has prospered. The average production among that group: six catches, 73.3 receiving yards, 0.66 TDs. Henry should smoke the Cards, and here’s betting he finds the end zone like TEs have done nine times this season against the Cards.
Chigoziem Okonkwo, Titans vs. Jaguars (Iyer). The rookie has seen five targets in consecutive games, and he’s been key along with fellow rookie Treylon Burks. Okonkwo will have a larger role should Burks not be cleared from his concussion.
Trey McBride, Cardinals vs. Patriots (Lutovsky). McBride has caught five-of-seven targets in two starts since taking over for Zach Ertz (knee) – not great, but at least he’s somewhat involved. The Patriots allow the 11th-most FPPG to TEs and have struggled against the position most of the year, so we like McBride to have a breakout game.
WEEK 14 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel
Week 14 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Defense
Arizona Cardinals vs. Patriots (Piva). Just because I think Hunter Henry will have a good week doesn’t mean the Cardinals’ D/ST should be ignored. New England has been erratic offensively, and the wheels almost came off completely against Buffalo last weekend. Expect Arizona to bring heavy pressure early and often, forcing Mac Jones into plenty of mistakes as he sees ghosts. Arizona has 23 sacks, 14 takeaways, and five defensive TDs this season, so we like the upside of the home squad here.
Seattle Seahawks vs. Panthers (Iyer). The Seahawks will force a lot of passing, leading to some sacks and turnovers from Sam Darnold in front of a raucous 12th Man.
Las Vegas Raiders @ Rams (Lutovsky). The Rams were allowing the most FPPG to D/STs even before Matthew Stafford (neck) got hurt. Now they’re trotting out either a gimpy John Wolford (neck), an overwhelmed Bryce Perkins, or the newly acquired Baker Mayfield. Even the Raiders can take advantage, especially in a short week.
Hits: 0
