DraftKings NFL Week 14 Lineup
By Joe Romano
Wide Receivers
Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers @ Oakland Raiders – $9000
Antonio Brown on top of the receiver pricing just feels right. A year ago it was common place, this year it has not been as much. Brown is still having an amazing season, but JuJu Smith-Schuster has been eating into his production. This week the two may both be able to have big games again with an Oakland secondary that has struggled. Gareon Conley has been lights out as of late and will likely follow Brown. It should not stop the All-Pro but is an interesting note if he does struggle. Brown is in a good spot against a good matchup but that price gives me a bit of pause.
Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers – $8600
One thing that is nice about the end of the season games is there are a lot of divisional games that are rematches. The one to watch this weekend is New Orleans traveling to Tampa Bay. The Saints lost at home to open the season, and are coming off a loss. This game has revenge written all over it. Michael Thomas was certainly not the reason for that loss with 180 yards and a touchdown in the fist meeting. Similar numbers are expected this week, and he is a great play as a center piece of a lineup.
DaVante Adams, Green Bay Packers vs Atlanta Falcons – $8400
A player that has also been the clear cut lead for their team in receiving has been DaVante Adams. With Randall Cobb looking like a shell of himself and the rest of the receivers being rookies, Adams has stepped up repeatedly. This will be an interesting watch for the Packers offense. A lot of blame was placed on former coach Mike McCarthy. With a banged up Falcons defense, if the team does not score a lot of points, blame may start shifting to the quarterback. Adams should be fine, regardless. Atlanta is 11th in points per game to receivers and he has the target share to withstand a struggling quarterback.
Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants @ Washington Redskins – $8300
In a shocking addition to the injury report, Adam Schefter reported that the Giants will be without their star receiver Odell Beckham for this divisional matchup. Beckham suffered a quadriceps injury and was actually ruled out on Saturday.
JuJu Smith Schuster – Pittsburgh Steelers @ Oakland Raiders – $8200
The Steelers passing attack has been discussed at length already. JuJu Smith-Schuster is coming on as the perfect compliment to Antonio Brown. As previously discussed, Gareon Conley scares me a bit for Brown’s value. It may be Smith-Schuster that sees the big game against Oakland. He’s been a top ten fantasy receiver all season and will be again on Sunday.
Value Wide Receivers
Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals vs Detroit Lions – $4900
The value theme this week is at least one ageless player. Running back had Adrian Peterson and wide receivers have Larry Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald is not anywhere near his old self but he is still a reliable target for rookie Josh Rosen. With Christian Kirk headed to injured reserve, Fitzgerald will get back to dominating slot targets and being the quarterback’s safety blanket. They play a Detroit defense that allows the seventh most touchdowns to receivers. Fitzgerald is a lower floor player but has upside because of the defense he is playing and lack of other options for the passing attack.
Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos vs San Francisco 49ers – $4500
No team in the NFL has given up more touchdowns to receivers than the San Francisco 49ers. That is good news for the Broncos receivers and specifically Courtland Sutton. With Emmanuel Sanders tearing his Achilles and being ruled out for the season, Sutton becomes the clear cut number one option. Sutton is a red zone target through and through. With a touchdown a week ago, he showed excellent ability to win in contested catches and in the end zone. Sutton was a favorite coming out of college and Denver liked him enough to trade away Demaryious Thomas.
Special note, keep an eye on DeSean Hamilton here as well. He’s valued at $3000 and should take over the Sanders role. Both he and Sutton are rookies that the NFL Draft folks were fans of throughout the process.
Sterling Shepard, New York Giants @ Washington Redskins – $4400
Another player that makes the value cut because of someone getting hurt ahead of the depth chart. Sterling Shepard is the lost name in the Giants offense, but will be the top receiver for Sunday’s game with Beckham out. Shepard has had a solid season despite being the third pass catching option. This Sunday he gets a Washington team that has not fared well against receivers, surrendering the third most points per game. Shepard will be a wise play in all formats.