Quarterback Matchups to Target in Week 14 - Sam Darnold, Will Levis, Aidan O'Connell, Derek Carr

The quarterback position brings a high degree of variability week-to-week. Picking a good quarterback only to see him drop a dud can easily sink your games in DFS.

There are consistently undervalued QBs each week, though, and diving into stats, trends, and specific matchup data with opposing defenses can give you an edge. Being able to predict how the game might go can be a big help, too.

Let's break down a few quarterbacks who could be set to have big weeks relative to their cash prices on daily fantasy apps in Week 14.

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Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings

$6.1k on DraftKings, $7.6k on FanDuel; vs. Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons have absolutely let opposing passing offenses have their way in their past few contests, other than in Week 13, when they faced a Los Angeles Chargers team with an offense depleted by injuries. That won't be the case in Week 14. Minnesota is an offense loaded with talented pass-catchers.

That's what happens when you hire a bunch of yes guys. The @AtlantaFalcons have a serious problem and it's not the players. Kirk is showing everyone who he is because one game against the Bucs and everyone forgot. That defense is ranked 25th and still last in sacks. pic.twitter.com/FAeXt6bL4g

— Rob (@Slash_wisdom) December 3, 2024

In Week 11, they let rookie QB Bo Nix throw for 307 yards and four touchdowns. In Week 10, they let New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr pass for 267 yards and two scores. They've had serious issues pressuring opposing quarterbacks, and Minnsota's excellent offensive line will make that even harder.

ATL won't match up well with wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison and tight end T.J. Hockenson. They could also struggle to contain running back Aaron Jones in the passing game, which would help Darnold even more. He's also had just one dud game out of seven after the team's bye week.

We like No. 14 a ton this week, even though he's on the more expensive side.

Will Levis, Tennessee Titans

$5.0k on DraftKings, $6.6k on FanDuel; vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Though Levis has made his fair share of boneheaded mistakes, especially early in the season, he's well-priced this week. He gets to face a historically bad Jacksonville Jaguars pass defense. Titans head coach Brian Callahan's vision of establishing the vertical passing element in games has been more successful in recent weeks.

I’m all the way back in on Will Levis*pic.twitter.com/Jlacequ4Ci

— Dylan Holt (@DylanHolt_) December 2, 2024

With wide receiver Calvin Ridley becoming a more steady producer and WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine on a hot streak of catching touchdowns, we could see both these wideouts have big days against the league's worst pass defense. JAX's proficiency at stopping the pass has been horrendous.

The 2020 Lions are the ONLY team in the past 25 years with a worse pass defense than this year’s #Jaguars (circled below) pic.twitter.com/1vKeObc7Wc

— Gus Logue (@gus_logue) November 21, 2024

Levis has a cannon of an arm, and some accuracy issues may be forgiven against a secondary seemingly more porous than SpongeBob.

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Aidan O'Connell, Las Vegas Raiders

$4.8k on DraftKings, $6.7k on FanDuel; at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

This is another matchup primarily driven by the quality of the defense he faces. Not only are the Buccaneers allowing the second-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, but they also allow the third-most passing yards, and they'll have to contend with wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (ankle) and tight end Brock Bowers.

Bucs defense has some injuries, but man this unit is such a shell of themselves from previous years. It would feel weird if they retained their defensive HC and let their emerging OC walk at this point. Tough call to actually make though. pic.twitter.com/r4EcPFfkrC

— Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) December 2, 2024

O'Connell (illness) dealt with an illness but returned for a full practice on Friday, so he should be good to go. It will be important to see if Meyers plays or not, though. If he doesn't, AOC's value takes a hit, as losing his top receiver won't leave him with a ton of options in the passing game.

For now, there haven't been any big indications that Meyers will miss the contest, but you never know. He's been dealing with ankle issues for a while, and given how important he is to the offense, it wouldn't be a surprise if he were being held out simply for rest.

He's appeared on the injury report for ankle problems in previous weeks but has been on a tear since returning from injury. It doesn't seem to be affecting his play. And obviously, Bowers is elite. O'Connell has some nice weapons to work with against one of the league's worst pass defenses, so he's one of our favorite DFS targets this week.

Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints

$5.1k on DraftKings, $7.1k on FanDuel; at New York Giants

Carr has played reasonably well in his past few games, and it looks like the Saints' offense is somewhat back to form despite all the injuries they've suffered. Even without his top-2 wide receivers, Chris Olave (concussion) and Rashid Shaheed (knee), Carr has thrown six touchdowns in his last four games.

TOUCHDOWN MVS! 🙌

His 4th TD in 4 games with the #Saints #LARvsNO | 📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/mZCh8nIMJh

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) December 1, 2024

Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak's scheme has been masterful at attacking defenses downfield on vertical routes and creating space in the intermediate areas of the field for players to gain large amounts of YAC. The 33-year-old signal-caller has exploited this heavily.

He still has an excellent deep ball, and even without the speedster wideouts the team is missing, he's somehow willed WR Marques Valdes-Scantling to four receiving touchdowns. He also has a reliable dump-off option in Alvin Kamara, who he continues to feed. His safety-valve usage helps boost Carr's floor.

And they'll face a Giants defense that is in the bottom half of fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. It's not a nuts matchup, but expect Kubiak to continue to flex his OC prowess against a hapless tanking team that could fire most of their coaching staff in the offseason.

Thanks for reading, and good luck with your DFS contests!

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