December has arrived! It’s hard to believe, but we are in the home stretch of the NFL regular season. It’s crunch time, and what better way to begin the first full week of December than setting a winning NFL DFS lineup? There are some pretty enticing matchups this upcoming week. So, let’s dive in.
(NFL DFS salaries courtesy of DraftKings)
Week 14 NFL DFS Picks & Lineup Advice (2024)
Quarterback
Sam Darnold (Minnesota Vikings) | $6,100
If you don’t want to spend up to take the phenom that is Josh Allen this week, Sam Darnold is a fine choice. Darnold has found his way this season in Minnesota. Has he “pumpkin’d” a few times in 2024? Of course. All quarterbacks have down games, though. Darnold has only had one game with sub-18 fantasy points in the last six weeks. In three of those games, he hit 20 or more points. It’s hard to argue that he hasn’t looked good because he has.
It sounds even better when Darnold and the Vikings take on a subpar Atlanta pass defense this week. The Falcons have allowed fantasy quarterbacks to average 21 points per game and almost two points over expectation. Add together the roll Darnold’s been on, and the poor Atlanta defense and you get a chance for another great game from Darnold on Sunday!
Running Back
Isaac Guerendo (San Francisco) | $5,400
Without a doubt, the new hotness in fantasy football this week is Isaac Guerendo. The San Francisco 49ers running back catapults into the lead role for the team after Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason both landed on Injured Reserve (IR). If you need the confidence to start him in fantasy football and NFL DFS lineups, here it is. He has the chance to make an immediate impact and should. With McCaffrey and Mason out, Guerendo should see a ton of opportunities. Let’s start by noting that he is on a team led by Kyle Shanahan, and everyone knows how much he loves to run the ball.
It’s not just opportunity this week, though. The Chicago Bears have been very kind to fantasy running backs, allowing an average of 22 points a game to the position. The 49ers have been on the struggle bus lately, but this could prove to be a get-right game for them. They’re at home, favored by four and will look to right their season. Shanahan typically does that with a full head of steam from the backfield with a running back who has breakaway speed.
Guerendo is also cheap this week at only $5,400. This leaves you more wiggle room to add a more expensive anchor back who also has a good matchup, like James Cook or James Conner.
Wide Receiver
Calvin Ridley (Tennessee Titans) | $5,700
Look, this isn’t the consistency we hoped Calvin Ridley would have at the beginning of the season. Still, he does have the ability to have blow-up games. The matchup is too good to ignore, and with more expensive options taking away so many possibilities in your lineup, at $5,700, you again establish a little leeway.
The most important thing here is targets. Ridley hasn’t had a game with under six targets since Week 4, so there is a manageable floor. The upside? He had 15 targets, 10 receptions and 143 yards in Week 8.
As noted, the Jacksonville Jaguars are a pristine matchup for big-play wide receivers. They’re allowing a massive 33.3 fantasy points per game to the position. Now, you can’t expect him to get all of those, but Ridley has the chance to take a large chunk of it. Why wouldn’t he take advantage of a team currently ranked 30th against the position in fantasy football?
Tight End
David Njoku (Cleveland Browns) | $5,100
Would you rather have a cheaper option like David Njoku or the most expensive option, Brock Bowers, in your Week 14 NFL DFS lineup? Let’s save some salary and go with Njoku. Although the matchup isn’t perfect for the former first-round pick, it’s not bad by any means either. He faces a Pittsburgh Steelers team that is in the bottom-third against tight ends this season.
Since Jameis Winston has been under center, the Browns have almost completely abandoned the run. The former Florida State Seminole is throwing at an insane rate, which, if you know Winston, you know he’s a gunslinger. These two teams last met in Week 12 amidst a blizzard, and while Winston was still chucking that pigskin, Njoku was quiet.
However, over the last six games, Njoku has a beautiful 59 targets, with 17 of them last week on “Monday Night Football.” That’s nearly 10 targets per game and a big boost for a big-bodied tight end who can easily find the end zone multiple times.
Defense/Special Teams
Pittsburgh Steelers D/ST | $3,500
Let’s stick with this Cleveland/Pittsburgh game. As noted, Winston loves to air it out. While he has his share of touchdowns, he almost nearly throws as many interceptions. The Steelers had a mediocre performance in Week 12 when they played against Winston. Still, they managed to sack him once, intercept him and recover two fumbles. Pittsburgh is a defense that can easily lock people down and take the ball away. Why not start them against a quarterback who loves to throw interceptions, with maybe a few of them being pick-sixes?
Check out all of our Week 14 fantasy football content:
- Week 14 Fantasy Football Advice Mailbag (2024)
- Fantasy Football Whiplash! | Week 14 News & Notes (2024)
- Week 14 NFL DFS Picks & Lineup Advice (2024)
- Week 14 Shore Thing Sleepers (2024)
- Week 14 In the Scope Targets (2024)
- PropKings: NFL Week 14 (2024)
Thanks for reading my Week 14 NFL DFS picks! Check out more of our fantasy football and other written content here at In-Between Media, or head over to our YouTube channel to get your fix via video.
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*Photo Credit: Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean – USA TODAY Sports*
