Mark Ingram’s injury leaves the door open for C.J. Spiller to finally make an impact
Michael Floyd got Week 14 off to a quick start and every lineup decision from this point forward can be pivotal in continuing or ending a fantasy season. The difficult decisions don’t have to be made on your own.
We understand the potential tough days ahead, so we’ve asked our featured experts to provide some insight on a few pressing questions that may be on your mind.
[Get More Advice: Who Should You Start? | Lineup Suggestions for your Team]
Q1. Name one deep sleeper outside our top 100 flex that you’re high on to exceed expectations in Week 14 and why.
C.J. Spiller: RB, NO at TB
“I think Spiller has the highest upside of the deep sleepers this week. He has the speed to take any run or pass to the house and I see him getting enough touches to make something happen this week.”
– Walton Spurlin (Fantasy Sharks)
Isaiah Crowell: RB, CLE vs. SF
“I think Crowell is in line for a TD this week at home against the 49ers. The Niners are a completely different defense on the road vs. at home, giving up an average of 34 points per game on the road. Crowell certainly hasn’t been spectacular this year, but did have 11 carries for 62 yards last week vs. a more stout defense in Cincinnati, so I do think he has a good shot at outperforming his current overall rank of 109.”
– Brendan Donahue (EDSFootball)
Brian Hartline: WR, CLE vs. SF
“I’ve said all season that I would expect Mike Pettine to duct tape Josh McCown together to get him on the field, if possible. Brian Hartline appears to be cut from the same mold. Hartline’s topped 70 receiving yards in three straight games with a total of 22 receptions. He’s proven his willingness to work through pain, and I suspect that he remains a chief target for Manziel vs. SF. ”
– Mike Harmon (Swollen Dome)
Q2. Who should fantasy owners be most concerned about as a potential bust this week?
Dez Bryant: WR, DAL at GB
“I admit, unless you have some serious studs at WR, you probably aren’t benching Dez Bryant this week, but it’s hard to trust him while Matt Cassel is throwing him the ball. In his last 4 games, he is averaging under 3 catches for 44.5 yards per game and only has 1 TD. I would say he is a boom/bust WR3 this week.”
– Brendan Donahue (EDSFootball)
Julio Jones: WR, ATL at CAR
“Practice indicates that Julio Jones is a go for this week. He hasn’t scored a touchdown in 7 of his last 9 games with only three big yardage efforts during that stretch. Matt Ryan has regressed and a road date with Josh Norman is no win. Norman’s going for a big trophy win here. I’ve got Jones down at #21.”
– Mike Harmon (Swollen Dome)
Drew Brees: QB, NO at TB
“Brees is a different quarterback playing outdoors and not a good type of different. He will also be without two of his best weapons with Mark Ingram on IR and Brandin Cooks likely to miss week 14 due to his concussion.”
– Walton Spurlin (Fantasy Sharks)
Q3. What struggling player gets back on track & rewards patient fantasy owners?
C.J. Spiller: RB, NO at TB
“Everyone was buzzing at the opportunity Spiller was going to have in New Orleans knowing Sean Payton’s track record of running backs catching at least 70 balls a year in his offense. Well that certainly has not been the case thus far as Spiller has struggled to see the field at all let alone catch passes. If you have been stubborn enough to hold onto him this year, your patience should finally be rewarded this week. He should at least be given the opportunity as the 3rd down back vs. Tampa Bay this week and can be a viable starting option in PPR leagues.”
– Brendan Donahue (EDSFootball)
Eddie Lacy: RB, GB vs. DAL
“Perhaps it’s blind loyalty, but I’m looking for Lacy to have an impact against the Cowboys. The last-second win vs. DET doesn’t lessen the need to find a run game for Rodgers heading towards the postseason. Lacy takes on a big workload this week.”
– Mike Harmon (Swollen Dome)
Jarvis Landry: WR, MIA vs. NYG
“I see Landry rebounding with a huge game against the New York Giants. The G-Men have allowed an average of over 200 yards to receivers in their last four games. This is a nice matchup for Landry as both Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker had over 100 receiving yards last week against New York.”
– Walton Spurlin (Fantasy Sharks)
Q4. With the injury to Mark Ingram, who is the running back to own and what do you make of their week 14 outlook (at TB)?
“While I like Spiller’s opportunity as the 3rd down back, I would prefer Tim Hightower in standard leagues. We now have a pretty large sample size that Payton doesn’t want to give Spiller a big role in this offense even though he will be forced to carve out a role for him with Ingram out. I do think Hightower will be the featured back this week and currently have him ranked as the 30th RB.”
– Brendan Donahue (EDSFootball)
“I’ll move forward tepidly with Tim Hightower as the better blocker for Drew Brees. That will reward him with rushes between the tackles and in any red zone situations.”
– Mike Harmon (Swollen Dome)
“I like C.J. Spiller to get the first crack at replacing Ingram and making the most of it. He can catch the ball out of the backfield as well pop off a long run on any given play. In the last five games, the Buccaneers have given up 34 receptions and a pair of scores to running backs. I see Spiller excelling in the passing game this week and scoring at least once.”
– Walton Spurlin (Fantasy Sharks)
Q5. Give us 1 bold prediction for week 14.
“DeVante Parker will double his season total in touchdowns this week against the Giants. Parker appears to not only have overcome his early injuries, but seems to have finally picked up the playbook as evidenced by scoring a TD in his past 2 games. The #11 overall pick in last year’s draft is an impressive 6’3″, 218 lbs. and is a great red zone target for a team that was lacking one. He goes up against the Giants who give up the 5th most fantasy points per game against opposing WRs and in what could be a shootout, I think Parker has a realistic shot at 2 TDs this week.”
– Brendan Donahue (EDSFootball)
“Brian Hoyer finishes as a back-end QB1 as the Texans battle New England on Sunday night. Throw it up and let Hopkins make plays. Guessing whether it will be Chris Polk, Nate Washington or Cecil Shorts to supplement Hopkins’ effort is a difficult proposition, but the Texans will need to try and keep pace with Brady.”
– Mike Harmon (Swollen Dome)
“‘Ben Roethlisberger throws five touchdowns against the Bengals on the road in week 14. He just has too many receiving options for Cincinnati to account for and the Steelers offense is firing on all cylinders.”
– Walton Spurlin (Fantasy Sharks)
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Thank you to the experts for taking the time to answer the five questions above. Give them a follow on Twitter for more advice.
