This article is part of our Draftster NFL series.
We move on to Week 14 of the NFL season, and Draftster continues into Week nine of its Single Entry Championship. The Championship already has 24 qualifiers for the final in December and is running buy-ins this week at $5, $10 and $20. Also moving into its fifth week is the Terrell Owens Challenge. This week it is a $25 buy-in with a $500 top prize. The contest also pays out an outstanding 38 percent. Please note the following rankings do not include Thursday's game between Dallas and Chicago.
Quarterback
1. Aaron Rodgers (GB) vs. ATL - $9,000
2. Peyton Manning (DEN) vs. BUF - $8,500
3. Drew Brees (NO) vs. CAR - $9,500
4. Andrew Luck (IND) at CLE - $8,700
5. Tom Brady (NE) at SD - $7,100
6. Matthew Stafford (DET) vs. TB - $6,400
7. Russell Wilson (SEA) at PHI - $8,100
8. Ryan Tannehill (MIA) vs. BAL - $6,900
9. Matt Ryan (ATL) at GB - $6,800
10. Philip Rivers (SD) vs. NE - $6,700
11. Ben Roethlisberger (PIT) at CIN - $8,100
12. Eli Manning (NYG) at TEN - $6,300
Drew Brees (NO) vs. CAR - $9,500
Brees connected with nine receivers last Sunday, ending with 257 yards and five touchdowns. Brees, shockingly, did not look Jimmy Graham's way at all against the Steelers, as Graham finished with zero catches on zero targets. It speaks volumes to how deep the Saints are with playmakers as Brees was able to still find the end zone five times without his top playmaker being a factor. Next up for Brees and the Saints is a Carolina team that has struggled defensively this year. The Saints are going to need the best out of their quarterback if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Matthew Stafford (DET) vs. TB - $6,400
If you are looking for a cheaper quarterback with equal upside as the top-priced plays, then Matthew Stafford is just the guy for you. On Thanksgiving against the Bears, Stafford threw 45 times for 390 yards and two touchdowns, both to Calvin Johnson. With Stafford's top playmaker back, he topped 300 yards for the first time since Week 8. The Buccaneers are going to have their hands full keeping Stafford and Calvin Johnson out of the end zone come Sunday.
Russell Wilson (SEA) at PHI - $8,100
A bit of an under-the-radar play this week for me is Russell Wilson. Nothing about Wilson's current production is eye-popping, but it has at least been consistent. The intriguing part of his upcoming matchup with the Eagles is the fast paced play that Chip Kelly and the Eagles like to run. If the Seahawks want to keep pace with the Eagles, Wilson could get more involved with his legs. Wilson has eclipsed 70 yards rushing three of the last four weeks. Regardless if Wilson gets it going on the ground, the Eagles rank 26th against the pass and 24 in total defense.
Running Back
1. Le'Veon Bell (PIT) at CIN - $9,500
2. Jaamal Charles (KC) at ARI - $6,900 (P - Knee)
3. Eddie Lacy (GB) vs. ATL - $7,400
4. Marshawn Lynch (SEA) at PHI - $7,200
5. Arian Foster (HOU) at JAX - $8,900
6. C.J. Anderson (DEN) vs. BUF - $7,000
7. Rashad Jennings (NYG) at JAX - $7,000 (P - Ankle)
8. Justin Forsett (BAL) at MIA - $6,800
9. Mark Ingram (NO) vs. CAR - $6,000
10. LeSean McCoy (PHI) vs. SEA - $5,800
11. Alfred Morris (WAS) vs. STL - $5,500
12. Tre Mason (STL) at WAS - $5,100
Le'Veon Bell (PIT) at CIN - $9,500
There isn't much more I can say about Le'Veon Bell that I haven't said in my past few articles. Bell is simply a workhorse for the Steelers and his highly involved in both the rushing and passing game. Last week against the Saints he rushed for 95 yards on 21 carries and added 159 yards receiving on eight receptions. Bell has went over 30 fantasy points in his last two weeks and has a dream matchup against the Bengals in Week 14.
Eddie Lacy (GB) vs. ATL - $7,400
Although I have Lacy ranked third, there is a very good chance he comes out of Monday night as the top scoring running back in Week 14. Last week in a win against the Patriots Lacy carried the rock 21 times for 98 yards in a hard fought, physical game. Lacy has four touchdowns in his last three games and is averaging over 110 all-purpose yards. This week he faces a Falcons team dead last against the rush on Monday Night Football. The Packers will enter as double digit favorites and if all goes as plan, Lacy should see a large workload.
Rashad Jennings (NYG) at TEN - $7,000 (P - Ankle)
Jennings left last Sunday's game late in the fourth quarter with what appeared to be an ankle injury, though he isn't expected to miss any time. Monitor his status throughout the week but if he is at full strength, fire him up against Tennessee. Before his injury last week, Jennings managed 91 yards and two touchdowns against Jacksonville and is averaging over 100 yards since returning to full strength. The Giants face Tennessee this week, a team that ranks next to last against the rush and has been picked apart by running backs the last few weeks.
Wide Receivers
1. Antonio Brown (PIT) at CIN - $8,500
2. Demaryius Thomas (DEN) vs. BUF - $8,600
3. Calvin Johnson (DET) vs. TB - $7,400
4. Jordy Nelson (GB) vs. ATL - $7,900
5. Julio Jones (ATL) at GB - $8,000
6. A.J. Green (CIN) vs. PIT - $7,300
7. Josh Gordon (CLE) vs. IND - $7,200
8. Odell Beckham (NYG) at TEN - $7,700
9. T.Y. Hilton (IND) at CLE - $7,300
10. DeAndre Hopkins (HOU) at JAX - $5,800
11. Emmanuel Sanders (DEN) vs. BUF - $7,500
12. Randall Cobb (GB) vs. ATL - $6,800
Calvin Johnson (DET) vs. TB - $7,400
In what might be the "must play" of the week, Calvin Johnson comes in at an severe under-price. On Thanksgiving, Johnson got his fill with 11 receptions for 146 yards and two touchdowns. With what appears to be a full strength Calvin Johnson, the best receiver in football looks hungry to contribute to the Lions playoff run. They get the Buccaneers in Week 14, a team that ranks 21st against the pass.
Odell Beckham (NYG) at TEN - $7,700
Since his coming out party in Week 9 against the Colts, Beckham has averaged 7.5 receptions and 118 yards per week. The electrifying rookie has been a sparkplug to the Giants offense and is being utilized in both short and deep passing situations. To keep this simple, the Titans are bad. They rank 30th in overall defense, 32nd against the rush, and 18th against the pass. In their last two games they have allowed over 40 points to their opponents. As the season stretches on it appears an exhausted Tennessee team is the perfect team to target in daily fantasy.
DeAndre Hopkins (HOU) at JAX - $5,800
Not many saw the week DeAndre Hopkins had coming, but to those who did, congratulations. Hopkins torched the Titans in Week 13 to the tune of 238 yards and two touchdowns. With the return of Ryan Fitzpatrick under center, the Texans offense took advantage of a bad Tennessee team. Fitzpatrick and Hopkins posted solid numbers together throughout the season and with Fitzpatrick being the guy the rest of the way, Hopkins low price could easily pay off again.
Tight End
1. Rob Gronkowski (NE) at SD - $6,300
2. Jimmy Graham (NO) vs. CAR - $7,800
3. Greg Olson (CAR) at NO - $6,000
4. Travis Kelce (KC) at ARI - $5,100
5. Antonio Gates (SD) vs. NE - $5,300
6. Coby Fleener (IND) at CLE - $4,300
7. Delanie Walker (TEN) vs. NYG - $5,200
8. Jordan Reed (WAS) vs. STL - $5,100
Jimmy Graham (NO) vs. CAR - $7,800
The biggest surprise coming out of Week 13 was the lack of utilization of Jimmy Graham. Graham only played 31 of the Saints' 56 offensive snaps and accumulated zero targets. It's hard to accurately rank Graham at this point but going by historical data, there is nothing to make me believe he is at risk of a repeat effort this week. The Saints face the Panthers in the Superdome this Sunday and Graham makes a great tournament play since a lot will be scared off by the zero.
Travis Kelce (KC) at ARI - $5,100
I am going back to the well with this pick as Kelce seems to disappoint every time I suggest him as a weekly play. Kelce finished Week 13 with three receptions for 36 yards. Surprisingly, Kelce led the Chiefs in receiving yards as Alex Smith finished the week with only 153 yards passing. Kelce is still playing a high percentage of snaps that merits him as a weekly play, but his number of targets would need to see an increase to provide any valuable production.
Coby Fleener (IND) at CLE - $4,300
For the second time in the last three games Coby Fleener eclipsed 100 yards, adding two touchdowns in a huge Week 13 for the Colts. Fleener's price has not yet caught up to his current production and is still a bit low from his Week 12 dud against Jacksonville. Fleener is a great upside play at a low price for this week.
Kicker
1. Stephen Gostkowski (NE) at SD - $4,100
2. Adam Vinatieri (IND) at CLE - $3,900
3. Connor Barth (DEN) vs. BUF - $3,400
4. Mason Crosby (GB) vs. ATL - $3,900
Kicker selection is picked week to week based on the highest over under totals. Originally, you would want to target the cheapest kicker in a high scoring game. Lately however, Draftster has evened out kicker prices where it becomes increasingly more difficult to pick against the top, most consistent kickers in the league. That being said, don't be surprised to see Gostkowski, Vinatieri, and Bailey ranked near the top weekly. This week Vinatieri comes in at a cheaper price than normal.
Defense
1. Houston (at JAX) - $4,200
2. San Francisco (at OAK) - $4,100
3. Arizona (vs. KC) - $3,800
4. Detroit (vs. TB) - $4,000
I'm sticking to a popular theme for defenses this year and that is to match them up against Jacksonville or Oakland. Houston ranks near the top weekly for the explosive playmaking ability of J.J. Watt and San Francisco gets an elite matchup against the league worst Raiders.
Salary Saver Plays:
QB: Mark Sanchez ($5,300), Brian Hoyer ($3,100)
RB: Denard Robinson ($4,200), Jeremy Hill ($3,700), Marion Grice ($3,000)
WR: Michael Floyd ($4,100), Nick Toon ($3,000)
TE: Kyle Rudolph ($3,700)
Last Week's Lineup:
QB: Ryan Fitzpatrick (42.32)
RB: C.J. Anderson (29.50)
RB: Justin Forsett (17.30)
WR: Josh Gordon (14.50)
WR: A.J. Green (15.70)
TE: Rob Gronkowski (16.80)
FLEX: Jamaal Charles (15.90)
K: Randy Bullock (9.00)
D: Miami (8.00)
TOTAL: 169.02
I don't think I am alone when I say that Ryan Fitzpatrick was hands down the top must play on Draftster this past weekend. I ended up rolling Fitzpatrick on several fantasy sites, but the impact is much stronger here on Draftster where minimum price frees up nearly $6,000 in cap space. Fitzpatrick faced the lowly Titans so I had no fear that he wouldn't find the end zone, I knew he was a lock for at least two touchdowns and was hoping for three. I guess I'll take six.
There were a few running backs I was high on this week. Le'Veon Bell was one, but he was just a bit too high for what I was trying to assemble this week. Tre Mason was another player I really liked (and played on other sites) but his price was just slightly too high to justify playing him when Forsett and Anderson were priced only slightly higher. I ended up with Anderson and Forsett. Anderson had another big game being the go-to-guy in Denver and Forsett had a respectful game but couldn't find the end zone for me.
Moving to wide receiver, I stuck with my plan of playing slightly underpriced high upside receivers in Gordon and Green. Both had huge outputs in Week 12 and I was hoping for similar numbers in Week 13. However this is where my team took a backseat to others in tournaments as neither of Gordon or Green found the end zone.
Gronkowski was another guy who had a nice game, yet failed to find the end zone. There is a theme going here. I ended up with Charles in my flex spot. I felt if the Chiefs stood any chance of winning they would need to go to Charles early and often. Charles ended with only 10 carries and a brusied knee.
All in all, I had four players not find the end zone that on most weeks are a guaranteed lock. Fitzpatrick's high point output, however, saved me a bit and allowed me to cash in every tournament and qualifier I played this week.
