Key Fantasy Starters and Tough Calls - Lineup Spotlights and Betting Tips for Week 14

Below you will find some of my spotlight choices and players to go with when dealing with challenging lineup decisions in Week 14. These selections are based on my Premium Weekly Lineup Rankings, available as part of the RotoBaller NFL Premium Pass. Enter promo code KING at checkout for a discount and get access to my ranks in all formats, plus a full roster of tools and analysis for the rest of the 2021 season. Skill position analysis here is based on my PPR rankings.

We add in some betting tips, as many of the recommendations here naturally work into some prime player props. Plus, I also share some over/under, ATS, and money line picks for selected games. All odds and prop plays are via DraftKings Sportsbook.

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Running Backs

-Chuba Hubbard had 82 rushing yards and a TD in his Week 8 meeting with the Falcons. He has 50+ scrimmage yards in each of his five starts this season. The Falcons are 25^th in rushing yards allowed to RBs. While Cam Newton is an obvious concern to steal some carries and goal-line chances, the dual threat of the QB and RB both challenging the Falcons' defense will serve the Panthers well. Hubbard should approach 100 rushing yards and may get a few scoring opportunities of his own. The matchup and adequate expected workload are good enough to use him as an RB2 this week. Ameer Abdullah is a mediocre scatback who may only factor in if the Panthers are playing catch-up, which seems less likely in this matchup.

Betting Tip: Newton wants to rebound after an off week and end a 10-game losing streak as a Panthers starter. Take Newton to score any time and for Carolina to win at +240.

-The Texans have allowed the most rushing yards and the third-most TD runs (13) to opposing running backs this season. Rashaad Penny logged a season-high 10 carries last week and also had an impressive 27-yard catch and run. Alex Collins will return this week and may share carries with Penny, but the latter certainly has more upside. Penny is actually healthy now and capable of showing off his playmaking abilities in a very good matchup. He does want to finish the season well as he will likely be headed to free agency. Pete Carroll wants to establish a quality running game, which has not been possible for most of the season while Chris Carson and Penny have been out for extended periods. Penny is an appealing flex play for Week 14.

Betting Tip: Take the Texans to cover the spread at +8.5. Under Carroll, the Seahawks do not customarily blow out their opponents in victories. Even when they won 12 games last season, Seattle had an average victory margin of 4.6 points, and that number was 0.6 in 2019.

-Dontrell Hilliard rushed for a career-high 131 yards and his first TD of the season in Tennessee’s last game in Week 12. He is aiming for his third game in a row with 80+ scrimmage yards. D'Onta Foreman also rushed for a career-high 109 yards in Week 12. He has 75+ scrimmage yards in two of his last three games. Foreman and Hilliard are the only pair of teammates to each rush for 100+ yards in the same game this season. The Jaguars are 18^th in FFPG allowed to RBs and Tennessee should have its way on offense. But, Jeremy McNichols will also be back in Tennessee’s RB mix, so we may be looking at a full-blown committee situation. Teresa Walker, who covers the Titans for the Associated Press, told us on RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio on Saturday that even though she expects all three RBs to get touches, it is still very possible in this matchup for Hilliard and Foreman to both produce well. Consider Hilliard and Foreman as flex plays, with Hilliard having more upside and Foreman likely to get short-yardage touches.

Betting Tip: Take Nick Westbrook-Ikhine at +190 to score a TD. Julio Jones will draw a lot of defensive attention in his return and Westbrook-Ikhine will benefit as Ryan Tannehill should target him with continued confidence. Westbrook-Ikhine has been emerging recently as a playmaking option in the Tennessee passing game.

-Sony Michel had a season-high 121 rushing yards and his second rushing TD of the season last week. The Rams acquired Michel for important depth in August because they had reported concerns about Darrell Henderson’s durability. Now Henderson is out again and Michel will be counted on in a very important NFC West matchup with the Cardinals on Monday night. Arizona is 16^th in FFPG allowed to RBs, so this is not a highly daunting matchup for Michel. The Rams need to establish an effective ground game to take pressure off Matthew Stafford, who has been very erratic recently. Los Angeles also wants to try and control the clock as much as possible. Michel will be a key performer for the Rams on Monday, so lock him in as a starter.

Betting Tip: Take the Over of 51 in a very fun Rams-Cardinals game that should feature many offensive highlights.

Wide Receivers

-Jerry Jeudy led the Broncos with a season-high 77 receiving yards last week. It has been a disappointing season for Jeudy, but the Lions are 23^rd in passing yards allowed to WRs and this is a matchup where Jeudy can flash more of his promise. Start him as a WR3 as Denver bounces back from a deflating loss to the Chiefs.

Betting Tip: The Lions are certainly dealing with a lot of health issues. Take the Broncos to score over 3.5 TDs at +140.

-Ja'Marr Chase had five catches for 52 yards last week. He has five or more catches in five of six home games this season. Chase leads all rookies with 958 receiving yards and eight receiving TDs. He has not reached 55 receiving yards in his last five games, but Chase can get back on track this week. The 49ers are 28^th in FFPG allowed to WRs over the last four weeks and the Bengals will make a strong effort to get Chase back into the offensive flow again.

Betting Tip: Take the Bengals on the money line at +100. They will come out strong after being embarrassed by the Chargers.

-Russell Gage set career highs with 11 receptions and 130 yards last week. He has five or more catches in four of his past five games. As defenses focus heavily on Kyle Pitts and Cordarrelle Patterson, Gage has been emerging as a top target for Matt Ryan. Gage only has two TD receptions this season, but he is becoming a very safe WR3 play. Matt Ryan has passed for 275+ plus yards in four of his last five games at Carolina, so Gage should be part of another quality yardage outing from the Falcons' QB.

Betting Tip: Go contrarian to overall TD results and dare to take Gage to catch a TD pass at +190. If you are feeling super aggressive, take Gage to finish with 125 or more yards and a TD at +1600.

-Jarvis Landry set season highs in catches (six) and yards (111) in the Week 12 meeting with Baltimore. The Ravens will certainly try to handle Landry better this time. That approach will leave the Baltimore pass defense vulnerable to Donovan Peoples-Jones, who will burn the Ravens deep. Baltimore has allowed the most receiving yards to WRs among AFC teams over the last four weeks.

Betting Tip: Go with Peoples-Jones to catch a TD pass at +275.

Quarterback and Tight End

-Taysom Hill totaled 365 total yards (264 passing, 101 rushing) and had two TD passes in Week 13. But he was also intercepted four times and now has a condition known as mallet finger as he heads into what is obviously a very friendly matchup with the Jets. Russell Wilson had a mallet finger recently too, although Hill’s condition is obviously not severe enough to keep him out of action vs. the Jets. Still, it’s a legitimate issue to the point where I am not locking in Hill as a QB1 this week. The condition concerns me regardless of opponent, especially for an erratic passer.

Betting Tip: Take the Under of 42.5 in Saints-Jets.

-Dallas is 24^th in receiving yards allowed to TEs this season and 27^th over the past four weeks. Ricky Seals-Jones should be considered as a TE streamer in Week 14.

Betting Tip: Go for Terry McLaurin and CeeDee Lamb to each surpass 100 receiving yards at +1000.

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