Fantasy Football 2016: Best Week 14 Lineups, Rankings For FanDuel, DraftKings And More

Every bye is done and there’s only a handful of weeks left for DraftKings, FanDuel and other daily fantasy football owners to cash in on the 2016 season. Turning to Week 14, there are a number of highly intriguing matchups that could make all the difference in your combinations.

The week begins Thursday with a major AFC West showdown between the first place Oakland Raiders and second-place Kansas City Chiefs, pitting quarterback Derek Carr against one of the worst defenses against opposing quarterbacks and a Raiders defense that has shown improvement but is still ranked in the bottom third against almost every position in fantasy.

Then the rolling Pittsburgh Steelers face a challenging Buffalo Bills defense that’s ranked 11th in the fantasy against both quarterbacks and wide receivers, seemingly canceling the effectiveness of the dynamic tandem of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and wide receiver Antonio Brown. Though running back Le'Veon Bell, who’s ripped off 100 yards or more in three straight games for the first time in his career, could still punish a Buffalo D that allows an average of 87.1 yards and a touchdown to opposing backs.

There are also chances for the Washington Redskins to further dampen what’s become a mess of a season for the Philadelphia Eagles, and the same goes for the San Diego Chargers when they travel to face the reeling and defending NFC champion Carolina Panthers.

But the biggest matchups of the week involve the Seattle Seahawks traveling to face their favorite foe, the Green Bay Packers, at Lambeau Field, followed by the Dallas Cowboys potentially solidifying their stranglehold on the NFC East against a New York Giants offense that looked tired and uninspired in Week 13.

Now, let’s turn to Week 14’s rankings and see which, if any, of these teams have the best matchups on FanDuel, DraftKings and every other platform.

QB

1.Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders

2.Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers

3.Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals

4.Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks

5.Alex Smith, Kansas City Chiefs

Statistically, Carr doesn’t have the outright best matchup in Week 14 – that belongs to Jared Goff vs. Atlanta’s last-place D against QBs – but the Raiders passer should avenge his squad’s last loss and has been even better on the road. To boot, the Chiefs are sixth-worst in fantasy vs. QBs. Rivers meets a downtrodden Carolina defense that’s allowing nearly two passing touchdowns a week, while Dalton can somewhat salvage the Bengals season against the woeful Browns. Wilson looked far sharper in Week 13, and should carry that over against the Packers limping D. Smith meets Oakland’s D, which could flourish or flat-line, too close to call.

RB

1.Todd Gurley, Los Angeles Rams

2.Jeremy Hill, Cincinnati Bengals

3.Matt Forte, New York Jets

4.LeSean McCoy, Buffalo Bills

5.Doug Martin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Opposing Ds have a blueprint for the Rams: Stack the box against Gurley and let whoever is under center try and beat us. However, the Falcons have proven incapable of stopping anyone, ranking No. 30 against fantasy backs. Hill’s going to get a ton of snaps vs. Cleveland, which is allowing 126.8 rushing yards and 4.2 receptions for nearly 33 yards a game to running backs. Forte has been the best part of New York’s offense for the majority of the season, and he has the best matchup of any back in Week 14 at San Francisco. The Steelers defense looked excellent against the Giants in Week 13, but are still fourth-worst against fantasy backs, and McCoy should make them pay. Injuries have hampered Martin, who’s averaging just 3.0 yards per carry, but he can find the end zone against New Orleans – fifth-worst in fantasy against rushers.

WR

1.Amari Cooper, Oakland Raiders

2.Doug Baldwin, Seattle Seahawks

3.Golden Tate, Detroit Lions

4.Brandon LaFell, Cincinnati Bengals

5.Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs

In PPR formats Cooper is a must-own (though a very expensive one) since the Chiefs are letting up 15.1 receptions, 203.4 yards and 1.3 touchdowns per week to opposing receivers. Baldwin figures to explode against Green Bay’s limited secondary, and Tate meets the Bears, who are just one spot higher than the Packers as fourth-worst in fantasy. LaFell emerged as the Bengals best receiver in Week 13, and he could expand that role against the lowly Browns. Hill’s a multi-faceted player who could hurt Oakland both in the air and on the ground.

TE

1.Tyler Eifert, Cincinnati Bengals

2.Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers

3.Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

4.Jimmy Graham, Seattle Seahawks

5.C.J. Fiedorowicz, Houston Texans

Eifert’s found the end zone in the last two games and should extend the streak in Cleveland, while Gates’ numbers show he’s not the same player but he’s facing Carolina, who is second-worst in all of fantasy against tight ends with 11.18 points allowed per week. Kelce’s only at No. 3 because of his price tag likely skyrocketing, while Graham could also have a monster game at Lambeau now that the Seahawks can actually threaten teams with their running game again. And, somehow, the Texans offense has shown signs of life with Fiedorowicz one of the main beneficiaries. Houston meets the rival Colts, who are No. 25 vs. TEs.

FLEX

1.DeMarco Murray, RB, Tennessee Titans

2.Michael Crabtree, WR, Oakland Raiders

3.Tyler Lockett, WR/KR, Seattle Seahawks

4.Pierre Garcon, WR, Washington Redskins

5.Frank Gore, RB, Indianapolis Colts

Murray’s an expensive choice as either your starting back or FLEX, but he can and will exploit Denver’s lone weakness: the run. Cooper will eat up chunks of yards and have plenty of catches, but it's Crabtree who will find the end zone. Lockett’s finally healthy and in league’s that count kick-return yardage he’s a must-own. Garcon could torch an Eagles D that’s plummeted to seventh-worst against WRs, and Gore could be a sleeper against the Texans.

Defense

1.Minnesota

2.Detroit

3.Washington

4.Cincinnati

5.NY Jets

The Vikings offense is a mess, but their defense is still one of the best in the NFL and fantasy, and next face a severely struggling Jacksonville and quarterback Blake Bortles. Detroit shocked the Saints on the road not with Matthew Stafford but with its defense, and now has a much easier task against the Bears. Washington, which is tied for just No. 21 in the league with seven interceptions forced, could be the next team to torture Philadelphia rookie quarterback Carson Wentz, who’s heaved six interceptions and taken six sacks in the last three games.