NFL DFS: Week 14 FanDuel Afternoon Only Slate Special! (4PM Only!)

Got your Week 14 NFL FanDuel NFL DFS lineups all set and looking for a good reason to avoid tinkering with them? Make some more lineups on some smaller slates!! If you aren’t new to FantasyCPR, I do this article weekly for the Early Only slate.

We have a very nice five-game slate for the late games for a change, so I thought I would give you some bonus coverage this week! This NFL DFS article will focus on the top cash game plays for the 4PM only slate on FanDuel.

Well other than MLB at any point in the season, this is usually my favorite time of the year. I am usually crushing in an NFL Season-Long league or two, and breaking even playing DFS. Now we are getting into the late part of the NFL season, and we have plenty of teams jockeying for playoff position.

This slate will feature a clash between two NFC East teams in the Eagles and Cowboys, both looking to stake their claim for  the division title. Other than that, we have a couple of offenses in huge spots that should destroy this week, so let’s break that down quick before we dig in to the targets.

NFC East Battle in Dallas:

With five games on the slate, the one game that all eyes will be on as far as the playoff race goes, will be in Dallas, where the Cowboys will host the Super Bowl Champion 6-6 Philadelphia Eagles.

The Eagles come in to AT&T Stadium looking to avenge a home 27-20 loss to the Cowboys earlier in the season. Also winners of two straight games, Philly will need to be at the top their game, as the Cowboys are on a nice run themselves.

Winners of four straight, the Cowboys defense shocked the world last week, holding the mighty Saints offense to just 10 points, and giving them a 13-10 victory. The win at Philly started the winning streak for Dallas, and it will interesting to see who wants it more here.

I will be watching this game as football fan, but the fantasy interest here is kind of blah, in what should be one of the lower scoring games on the slate. There are two stud targets in this one however, and both will be featured here later in the article. Click below to proceed!

NFL DFS: Week 14 Afternoon Slate Target Games

Cincinnati @ Los Angeles: (LAC -15.5) – (47.5)

It won’t be a secret this week, especially on this shorter slate, so here is the first game to load up on. The 9-3 Chargers will host the 5-7 Bengals, and now with no Andy Dalton or AJ Green for the rest of the season, this team finds themselves 15.5 point underdogs in Los Angeles.

Losers of four straight, including getting throttled by the Saints at home and losing to the Browns at home, this Bengals defense just seems to mail it in early every week.

Melvin Gordon is questionable, but my guess is he sits one more game at least here, given the injury and the match-up. With rookie Justin Jackson cutting into the workload of assumed starter Austin Ekeler, I don’t think I want any part of this running game.

The fact that it will just be muddled is means for a fade in cash games. By all means however, fire up Jackson in tournament play.

The passing game of the Chargers here is my go to. Philip Rivers and Keenan Allen have hooked up for touchdowns in four straight games, and Allen is coming off a monster 19 target game against the Steelers, in which he amassed 29.8 FDP. I am all in on these two, possibly for the main slate as well.

Pittsburgh @ Oakland: (Pit -11) – (51.5)

The other high-powered offense I am looking at to stack along with the Chargers, is the Steelers, as they head to Oakland to face the hapless Raiders. With James Conner already ruled out for this one, it will be Jaylen Samuels and Stevan Ridley carrying the load.

Ridley has been fumble prone his whole career, and the fact he is still in the NFL is kind of remarkable. Nevertheless, Samuels looks like everyone’s favorite play, next to the Chargers rookie Jackson. Samuels and Jackson are getting equal love throughout the DFS industry, but I lean Samuels here.

It very well could be a field day for Ben Roethlisberger and the receiving corps here as well, as Antonio Brown is back to looking like the best receiver in the NFL as of late. Even with Conner out I don’t think this offense skips a beat against this team. Look for JuJu Smith-Schuster and Vance McDonald to be involved as well.

NFL DFS: Week 14 FanDuel Cash Plays (4PM Only)

QB – Philip Rivers – Los Angeles Chargers – $8,300

With 10 teams in action on this afternoon slate, you would think there would be at least a couple of viable quarterbacks in the mid $7K range, but that just isn’t the case here. In fact, the “value” here is plentiful, but none of it can be trusted for cash games in my opinion.

So I am going to pay up on this slate, and there are really only two options for me. I made it pretty clear in the target games that this article will be full of Chargers and Steelers, and while both QB’s are on my radar, I will save the $300 and roll with Rivers.

Rivers and the 9-3 Chargers host the banged up Bengals, and this one could get ugly quick. With the expected time share in the backfield with the injury to Gordon, my hope is that both Jackson and Ekeler will be active in the passing game early on as well, as both are proving to be solid pass catchers.

There is risk here, because the Chargers could just run the ball 80 times and still win this game, but with the connection displayed between Rivers and Allen, I expect them to be able to hook-up plenty in this one.

Rivers has had at least two passing touchdowns in every single game this season, and is averaging just over 20 FDP on the season. The 37-year-old has 28 touchdowns to just 6 INT’s on the season, and has thrown for 3418 yards to this point.

***Also Consider: Ben Roethlisberger – $8,600***

NFL DFS: Week 14 FanDuel Cash Plays (4PM Only)

RB – Ezekiel Elliott – Dallas Cowboys – $8,800

I see no reason to fade Elliott here, despite what looks like a pretty solid Eagles run defense on paper. The other top options on the slate are James Conner, who has already been ruled out, and Melvin Gordon, who will also likely be ruled out before this article is even published. That leaves us with Elliott, and I have no problem firing him up here in all formats.

Both teams need this game, and will likely stay within their limitations of “what they do.” What the Cowboys do, is feed Zeke on the ground, and he also continues to need to be accounted for as a receiver as well. Elliott is among the top overall fantasy backs on the season, as he now as racked up 1149 yards on the ground, and added an additional 423 through the air.

Zeke had his best game of the season in Philly just under a month ago, when he rattled off 151 yards on just 19 carries. Elliott also caught six passes for additional 36 yards in that game, and was able to find pay dirt twice.

He has gone four straight games with over 22 FDP, and that streak started with the 33.7 FDP monster against Philadelphia. I look for a similar result, as the Cowboys have been pounding the ball in the last three games. Zeke had 23 carries twice, and 26 two weeks ago, against another division rival in Washington. He will be fed, and he will be eating.

RB – Phillip Lindsay – Denver Broncos – $7,900

What a story this kid is. When the Broncos drafted Royce Freeman, they had to have no idea what this undrafted hometown kid from Denver, who played his college ball at Colorado, was going to bring to the table in competition.

The rookie has still yet to receive 20 carries in any game, yet he has three 100+ yard rushing games, and two more that have gone for 90+. The stats I love here though, have been in the last three games.

Lindsay has scored five touchdowns in this stretch, and now has back-to-back 100-yard-games. He rushed for 110 on just 14 carries against the Steelers two weeks ago, and ran all over the Bengals last week, rushing for 157 yards on 19 carries and finding the end zone twice.

San Francisco’s defense is right in the middle of the pack as far as stopping the run, but with what Lindsay has proven during this stretch, this price is just too low. Lock in Zeke and Lindsay and decide from there, we have plenty of value coming up next!

***Also Consider or FLEX: Jeff Wilson Jr $5,600 – Jaylen Samuels $4,600 (lock) – Justin Jackson $4,500***

NFL DFS: Week 14 FanDuel Cash Plays (4PM Only)

WR – Antonio Brown – Pittsburgh Steelers – $8,800

I would love to be able to jam AB84 in my cash lineup on this slate, but it just isn’t working out for me at this price. It all comes down to the value elsewhere on this pick, and the premium I am putting on Ezekiel Elliott instead. With the upside and consistency Brown has, along with a match-up in Oakland against the reeling Raiders, I expect him to do plenty of damage in this one.

Oakland has actually been decent against the pass, but with the Steelers losing James Conner for this game at least, they could be forced to rely on the pass a bit more. With that said, Brown is leading the league in targets with 135, and ranks eighth with 81 receptions. His 12 receiving TD’s lead the league, and he is without a doubt as good as he ever has been.

WR – Keenan Allen – Los Angeles Chargers – $7,900

Another reason to pivot down from Brown is the savings you get right here with Allen. For $900 less of your salary, you can have by the numbers the top WR on the slate, as the Chargers face the leagues worst defense. For a guy who is easily the number one threat on this offense right now, and who has scored a touchdown in four straight games, I would argue his price should be right up there with Brown.

If you watch any Chargers football, the routes that Allen runs are pretty simple, yet he is very precise. His pivots and ability to get away from defenders across the middle or out in the flat, and turn it into extra yards, are among the best in the league.

He has been healthy all season and it has been a while since we could say that. As this team is gearing up to make another playoff run with their aging quarterback, I expect to see plenty of Rivers to Allen down the stretch.

WR – Bruce Ellington – Detroit Lions – $4,900

The questionable tag is a slight concern at this point, but with limited sessions at practice on Wednesday and Thursday, signs are pointing to Ellington playing here, and he is quietly becoming the second look for Matt Stafford behind Kenny Golladay.

With all of the injuries to this wide receiving corps, the Lions brought in Ellington just three weeks ago, and he immediately made a minor impact. The production isn’t quite there, as he has not scored yet, but he is being used more as a possession type receiver.

He has seen a staggering 26 targets in these three games, and has made 19 catches. The problem is, it has only been good for 115 yards total. This is more of a punt to play instead of going with Justin Jackson at the flex, which allows me to play Zeke and Lindsay.

***Also Consider or FLEX: JuJu Smith-Schuster $7,500 – Larry Fitzgerald Jr. $6,200 – Courtland Sutton $5,600***

NFL DFS: Week 14 FanDuel Cash Plays (4PM Only)

TE – Zach Ertz – Philadelphia Eagles – $7,400

Being able to pay all the way down at the running back and wide receiver positions with Samuels, Jackson, Sutton and Ellington, the ability to easily pay up for one of the best tight ends in the league presents itself. The Cowboys defense has been rolling lately, and really the last time they gave up a huge game was the last time these teams met.

Ertz was a monster in that game, catching 14 passes on 16 targets for 145 yards and two touchdowns. After an anomaly bad game against the Saints the following week, Ertz has bounced back nicely in following last two.

In division games against the Giants and Redskins, Ertz caught 16 passes for 174 yards and a touchdown combined. Expect Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz to look for Ertz early and often in this one, and I expect him have another solid game.

***Also Consider: Vance McDonald – $5,500***

DEF – Denver Broncos – $4,800

There are definitely three good defenses to choose from here, and it turns out it’s pretty easy to pay up for whichever blowout you desire. The Chargers should be elite against the Bengals at home, and the Lions will face Josh Rosen and the Cardinals.

However, for what it is worth, the Broncos defense is coming together at the right time, and they also have an elite match-up with the San Francisco 49ers.

Denver has won three straight games, and most of that success can be attributed to their defense. In that stretch, this defense has forced nine turnovers, and is averaging 11.33 FDP per week. I think I like the Broncos just a hair more than the Chargers here, and if you have the extra $200 it might be worth it. I did not.

***Also Consider: Los Angeles Chargers $4,600 – Detroit Lions $4,200***

NFL FanDuel DFS: Week 14 Sample Cash Lineup (4PM Only)

The line-up below is meant to be illustrative only to further back-up the logic laid out in previous slides. It is not an optimal line-up. It is in fact, just a “Sample Lineup.” 

QB – Philip Rivers – $8,300
RB – Ezekiel Elliott – $8,800
RB – Phillip Lindsay – $7,900
WR – Keenan Allen – $7,900
WR – Courtland Sutton – $5,600
WR – Bruce Ellington – $4,900
TE – Zach Ertz – $7,400
FLEX – Jaylen Samuels – $4,600
DEF – Los Angeles Chargers – $4,600

I hope you enjoyed some slate specific coverage today. You can find me on Twitter with the link at the top of the page. Reach out to me if you would like to see more of this! We have TONS of FREE content here from many incredibly talented writers at FantasyCPR, and new stuff to check out constantly.

As we try to cover more and more angles of fantasy sports, you will see more articles focusing on the smaller slates among the different NFL DFS sites. Good luck on the afternoon slate!