Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) Weekly: The NFL in Week 14
By Sean Eck
Jimmy Graham $5,000
With no Rob Gronkowski this week due to suspension someone has to step up and be the top tight end. Graham could be that guy this week. The Seahawks have to go to Jacksonville and take on the formidable defense of the Jaguars. One of the few weak points of the Jaguares has been their production allowed to the tight end position.
Facing the best pass rush in the NFL Russell Wilson might be regulated to more three-step drops and forced to check down and get rid of the ball earlier than he is used too. Graham could be the big beneficiary of this gameplan. On the season he is averaging 12.9 fantasy points per game and has scored at least one touchdown in seven of the Seahawks last eight games including two multi-touchdown performances in that span.
Graham has been targeted more than any other player in the NFL this season when it gets to the red-zone. On the season he has fifteen catches on 25 targets inside the 20 with all nine of his touchdowns coming in that area of the field. Watch for Wilson to feed him the ball again, and Graham will go for his first 100 yard game of the season and third multi-score effort.
Delanie Walker $5,700
On the year Walker has been very consistent and has recorded three or more catches in every game this year. The only thing holding him back from elite status has been that he had not scored a touchdown in the air all season. That changed two weeks ago at Indianapolis, and he continued the scoring trend against Houston last week. The Titans are firmly in the playoff hunt and with two backs in DeMarco Murry and Derrick Henry that are such a ground threat Walker should continue to be left open.
This week the Cardinals are his opponent, and they are allowing the 16th most points to opposing tight ends. While that alone isn’t an impressive statistics the fact that they have given up the eight most touchdowns to tight ends makes for Walker is a must-start.
While Walker might not reach the 100 yards plateau that is generally set for having an excellent fantasy performance the Titans will move the ball and get Walker in the end zone two times.
Defense
Green Bay Packers $3,700
The Packers get to play the winless Browns this week. On the season no team has been statistically better for opposing defenses than the Browns. Whoever they are playing becomes an instant must-start defense for fantasy points. This week is no exception as the Packers are coming in after pitting up 16 points against a Buccaneers team that is much better and more explosive than Cleveland.
While there is some concern over the return of Josh Gordon as a game changer, it still doesn’t merit not playing the Packers defense. They should get after the DeShone Kizer and continue forcing him to turn the ball over. On the season he has 15 interceptions and that number could help gro this week as the Packers hold the Browns under 17 points and get double-digit fantasy points for the second straight week.
Cincinnati Bengals $3,300
The Bengals the season has not been a fantasy force only averaging 6.9 fantasy points per game, but they are playing at home against a rookie quarterback on one of the worst offensive teams in the NFL.
Until last week Trubinsky had been forced to throw the ball at least 30 times in the previous four contests. Having this type of volume for a rookie quarterback is just an interception waiting to happen. The Bears do a good job of not turning the ball over in general, but the Bengals do a better job of taking it away. Watch for the Bengals to be a top defense this week holding the Bears under 20 pints and recording at least a pair of turnovers.
Next: Could The Bucs Be Facing A Future Roster Member Sunday?
Best of luck to all of you in your DFS leagues this week!