I would like to congratulate Jeff Fisher on his two- year contract extension. As a fan, this is great. We get to see Jeff Fisher struggle to find his challenge flag for two more years!
I'm here, as always, to try and help you identify the best survivor pool targets and avoids for Week 14 of the NFL season. If you're still alive in a survivor pool this late in the season, you have probably used more than half the league. I will be picking several games to target and avoid with a brief description on most. Good luck folks, now onto the picks.
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Top Survivor Picks for Week 14
Colts -7 vs. Texans
Take Indy's performance on Monday night with a grain of salt. They were playing the same ole sorry Jets, who quit on their coach weeks ago. The Jets were out of it, and the Colts were in a must-win situation, but they played well and did what they had to do.
I'm surprised Brock Osweiler was somehow able to throw for 200 yards and two touchdowns in the snow on Sunday. Texans owner Bob McNair was thrilled with Osweiler's performance saying, "He played great." Osweiler thinks the offense is "very close to exploding". I really didn't make those quote ups and it is not sarcasm. Osweiler has not led three touchdown scoring drives in one game all season. The most they have scored all season is 27 points. How could you not root for this team to make the playoffs just so you can bet against them?
It also doesn't help that Indy has been a death trap for the Texans. Houston is 1-13 all time playing the Colts on the road with their only win coming last season.
Lions -9 vs. Bears
This is letdown city for the Lions. They are coming off a huge win in New Orleans, and face the Giants, Cowboys, and Packers in the next three weeks. However, this Lions team has a different edge than in recent years. They win in the fourth quarter, throw the ball around, and play good defense behind players that are relatively unknown.
The Lions have already lost to the Bears earlier in the season. If Matt Barkley can go on the road and win, I would be shocked.
Vikings -3.5 @ Jaguars
I don't love the Vikings here, but I do love betting against the Jags, because every single week they find a way to shoot themselves in the foot. This past week it was a pick-six that pretty much ended the game. It also helps when Gus Bradley decides to punt on 4th-and-6 from their own 33 with 2:16 left to play. You really wonder what goes through Bradley's head when his team is 2-9, with no chance to make the playoffs, that he decides to punt the ball and continue to play conservative.
It's not hard stopping the Vikings offense. All you need is a corner to jump each five-yard route Sam Bradford throws, but you could be sure Bradley will have his corners playing off, allowing the Vikings to move the ball downfield five yards at a time.
If you pick the Vikings in survivor, definitely don't watch this game. It'll be nerve-racking watching Bradford try to win you a game, but either the Vikings will find a way to win or the Jaguars will find a way to lose. Probably the latter one.
Redskins -1.5 @ Eagles
It really looks like Carson Wentz has hit his rookie wall. The Eagles have looked dreadful the past three weeks and are 5-7, most likely eliminated from playoff contention.
I can't believe I'm saying this, but watching Washington is fun. Kirk Cousins is second in the league in passing, and the running game is ranked 11th. The Eagles have surrendered 412 yards per game during their three-game losing streak. The Skins should have no problem putting up 30 points, something the Eagles have done once all season. The Eagles gave up 332 passing yards to Andy Dalton who didn't have Giovani Bernard or A.J. Green at his disposal. The 'Skins are full of weapons and will continue the Eagles' losing streak.
Top Survivor Picks to Avoid for Week 14
Bengals -6 @ Browns
This is finally the week the Browns get their first win of the season. The Browns are off their bye, while the Bengals are limping in.
There are no stats to really back this pick up because if the Browns were good in any category, they would have won a game by now. However, the Bengals are average against the pass and in the bottom half against the run. I see a big game coming from Terrelle Pryor, Sr.
The Browns have blown games in the second half all season. They average 5.6 points in the second half, but finally play a team that isn't so much better in the second half as the Bengals only score 9.8 points.
This game is more of a gut feeling.
Falcons -6 @ Rams
This is the time of the season where the Falcons usually choke and the Rams find a way to pull off some big upsets. The Rams can't look any worse than they did this past Sunday against the Patriots. The Los Angeles defense has looked gassed the past couple of weeks, but at home, they allow only 15 points per game.
I'm not sure if I need to include that the Falcons' pass defense is the worst in the league because I doubt Jared Goff will be able to take advantage of that. If the Rams win, it will be with their defense. Six points is a little too much to lay on the road with a bad defense, though.
Patriots -7 vs. Ravens
This line is inflated by a point or two because the Patriots are involved. The Patriots will have their hands full with Baltimore's top-ranked rush defense, and seventh-ranked pass defense. The Pats' pass defense is below average, and Flacco has a propensity to play fearlessly in Foxborough.