Here’s a look at 10-team DRAFT lineup advice for Week 14 NFL contests. I provide my rankings per position, a list of injuries to keep an eye on, and I conclude the article with a sample draft to give you a sense of how to approach your DRAFT contests.
Import your team to My Playbook for instant Lineup advice
Quarterback
Player | Team | Opponent |
1. Drew Brees | NO | at TB |
2. Patrick Mahomes | KC | vs BAL |
3. Andrew Luck | IND | at HOU |
4. Deshaun Watson | HOU | vs IND |
5. Jameis Winston | TB | vs NO |
6. Aaron Rodgers | GB | vs ATL |
7. Ben Roethlisberger | PIT | at OAK |
8. Cam Newton | CAR | at CLE |
9. Matt Ryan | ATL | at GB |
10. Mitchell Trubisky | CHI | vs LAR |
Drew Brees currently sits as the number two fantasy QB. He is coming off of a terrible game where the Cowboys defense completely shut down the Saints offense. Brees has been mostly boom or bust this season, as he has three games of less than 10 fantasy points and six games of more than 25 fantasy points. Brees gets the Bucs defense this week who rank 30th in defense versus QBs. The major concern with Brees is that the Saints steamroll the Bucs and only throw the ball 20-25 times. There have been three games this year where Brees has thrown the ball 25 times or less. His point totals in these games were 11.8, 28.9, and 21.44. Brees is still capable of having a big day with limited throws.
The Saints secondary has been playing better of late. Though they have played better, they still are about league average in terms of fantasy points given up to QBs over the last five games. Jameis Winston has looked sharp the last two games. Even though he has some pass catchers sidelined with injuries, he still has several great weapons at his disposal. I expect Tampa Bay to be able to move the ball through the air and put up enough points to keep this game within reach into the fourth quarter.
All of the top-10 QBs this week are in a position to put up a big game. I plan to take Brees and Mahomes two or three times in the 3rd round but mostly wait until the 5th round to take my QB. I want to get a good mix of all of the top eight QBs and maybe one each of my 9th and 10th ranked guys.
Injury Watch
Mitchell Trubisky practiced in full on Wednesday as he looks to return after missing two games. He looks very likely to play but make sure to check his status Friday.
Ebron and Hilton both missed Wednesday and Thursday practices. They have both been rested for a lot of practices this year, but check to make sure they get back on the practice field Friday. Luck should be moved down the board if either one of these players are out this weekend.
Running Back
Player | Team | Opponent |
1. Ezekiel Elliott | DAL | vs PHI |
2. Christian McCaffrey | CAR | at CLE |
3. Saquon Barkley | NYG | at WAS |
4. Todd Gurley | LAR | at CHI |
5. Alvin Kamara | NO | at TB |
6. Aaron Jones | GB | vs ATL |
7. David Johnson | ARI | vs DET |
8. Phillip Lindsay | DEN | at SF |
9. Sony Michel | NE | at MIA |
10. Nick Chubb | CLE | vs CAR |
11. Joe Mixon | CIN | at LAC |
12. James White | NE | at MIA |
13. Mark Ingram | NO | at TB |
14. Dalvin Cook | MIN | at SEA |
15. Austin Ekeler | LAC | vs CIN |
16. Tarik Cohen | CHI | vs LAR |
17. Justin Jackson | LAC | vs CIN |
18. Jaylen Samuels | PIT | at OAK |
19. Adrian Peterson | WAS | vs NYG |
20. Jeff Wilson | SF | vs DEN |
Ezekiel Elliott has been on fire in the five games since Amari Cooper joined the Cowboys. In the last five weeks, Zeke sits 2nd in points per game, trailing only Christian McCaffrey. In these games, Zeke is averaging 106 rushing yards, 5.6 receptions, 50 receiving yards and 1 TD (this includes games against the Saints and the Titans who rank 3rd and 5th in defense vs RBs). He now gets a matchup with the Eagles who are giving up the 2nd most fantasy points to RBs over the last five weeks. This includes a game against the Cowboys in Philadelphia. Zeke went for 151 rushing yards, six receptions, 36 receiving yards, and two TDs in that game.
Most rankings will have Zeke somewhere between 3rd and 5th. I have him as my top-overall pick and will try to load up on Zeke in a big divisional matchup. I also like McCaffrey a lot this week, and he usually goes as the top-overall pick. I have actually taken McCaffrey twice with the number-one pick just because I want some exposure to him. I am only doing this because I have gotten Zeke consistently with the 2nd-4th pick.
Injury Watch
None
Wide Receiver/ Tight End
Player | Team | Opponent |
1. Antonio Brown | PIT | at OAK |
2. DeAndre Hopkins | HOU | vs IND |
3. Michael Thomas | NO | at TB |
4. Odell Beckham Jr. | NYG | at WAS |
5. Julio Jones | ATL | at GB |
6. Davante Adams | GB | vs ATL |
7. Keenan Allen | LAC | vs CIN |
8. Travis Kelce | KC | vs BAL |
9. Adam Thielen | MIN | at SEA |
10. T.Y. Hilton | IND | at HOU |
11. Zach Ertz | PHI | at DAL |
12. Tyreek Hill | KC | vs BAL |
13. Mike Evans | TB | vs NO |
14. Robert Woods | LAR | at CHI |
15. Brandin Cooks | LAR | at CHI |
16. Juju Smith-Schuster | PIT | at OAK |
17. Amari Cooper | DAL | vs PHI |
18. Stefon Diggs | MIN | at SEA |
19. Eric Ebron | IND | at HOU |
20. Chris Godwin | TB | vs NO |
Antonio Brown comes in as my top WR this week. AB is averaging the 3rd most fantasy points among WRs over the last five weeks and the 4th most over the season. He has the most targets and the most TDs of all WRs. James Conner is out this week and Pittsburgh will turn to some combination of Jaylen Samuels, Stevan Ridley and possibly some Roosevelt Nix. We have no idea how much volume the run game will get or how successful it will be, so it is very possible that Pittsburgh leans more on the passing game this week. Lastly, AB seemed to be pretty motivated last week after Big Ben called him out on a radio show for not running his route properly on a game-sealing INT the week before against Denver. This is a must-win game since the Steelers get the Saints and Patriots after this. I think the Steelers rely heavily on their best weapon, Antonio Brown. I am okay taking AB as early as the end of the first round after my top seven RBs.
Injury Watch
Julio Jones sat out practice Wednesday and Thursday. This is likely rest, but again you should check his status Friday.
T.Y. Hilton sat out Wednesday’s practice and the report at the time of me writing this is that he was not seen at Thursday’s practice. Check his status Friday.
Eric Ebron is in the exact same boat as T.Y. Hilton.
DeSean Jackson is looking very unlikely to play again this week. If Jackson somehow manages to play this week, Godwin should be removed from the rankings and Tyler Boyd should slide up to 20th.
Sample Draft
My pick: 2nd
1st round – Ezekiel Elliott (RB – DAL)
Ezekiel Elliott is my top ranked RB and I took him with the 2nd overall pick.
2nd round – Travis Kelce (TE – KC)
Odell Beckham was still on the board, and he is ranked higher for me than Kelce. I took Kelce because OBJ was lasting into the mid to late 3rd round frequently in my prior drafts. I went with my 2nd highest rated WR/TE on the board in Kelce.
3rd round – Adam Thielen (WR – MIN)
OBJ was taken in between my 2nd and 3rd round picks so I went with my next highest rated WR/TE, Adam Thielen. Michel was my highest rated RB at this point but there was a chance I could get him in the 4th/5th round so I went with Thielen.
4th round – Andrew Luck (QB – IND)
There was only one team picking between my 4th and 5th round picks. They already had taken two RBs, so I knew I could wait until the 5th round to take my second RB. I selected my highest rated QB still on the board, Andrew Luck.
5th round – James White (RB – NE)
I was hoping to get Michel with this pick but he was taken one pick before my 4th round selection. I have done 15 drafts now and Michel usually goes somewhere in the 4th round. James White is still heavily used in this offense, and I am happy taking him in the 5th round.
Get a free analysis of your team with My Playbook
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Spotify | Stitcher | SoundCloud | TuneIn | RSS
Steven Roy is a correspondent for FantasyPros. For more from Steve, follow him on Twitter @Rockhead_Roy.