Each week of the NFL season, NFL DFS gamers must survey the landscape to find potential building blocks, which are the core plays that form the foundation of most lineups. The popular options rise to the top more often than not, but there also are overlooked plays at every position, usually only a couple of names down the rankings list. In this post, we’ll be making our best NFL DFS Week 14 picks on DraftKings and FanDuel.
Stokastic provides a variety of tools for all DFS sports that can help you sort through the large NFL feature slate player pool. These were utilized in coming up with the recommendations in this article and include, and they are far from limited to such offerings as the NFL DFS Top Stacks tool, player projections, the Boom/Bust tool and the Lineup Generator.
All tools are updated for the DraftKings and FanDuel main slates each week. Additionally, multiple tools are also at your disposal for the sub-slates as well as the primetime “island games” which have turned into one of the most popular DFS offerings on DraftKings and FanDuel. If you’re in the market for more DFS tools, Take a look at the Stokastic Discounts and Coupon Code page as well as the Subscription page to see what packages best suit your needs.
Just two teams are on a bye this week with Arizona and Washington attempting to regroup after a tough three-plus months. We do have the third Monday Mayhem doubleheader of the season, with no travel to foreign lands, which settles into an 11-game featured slate.
NFL DFS Week 14 Picks for DraftKings & FanDuel
Best NFL DFS Week 14 Picks and Building Blocks: Quarterbacks
Justin Fields (Bears-Lions): DraftKings ($6,800, 10.1% ownership), FanDuel ($7,900, 10.3% ownership)
There are rumblings that Justin Fields may be moved this offseason, so he is clearly playing to keep his current job or for his next one. Fortunes rise and fall quickly in the NFL — which one former head coach once said stood for Not For Long when arguing with a rookie official about a bad call.
Fields rolled up 104 yards on 18 carries during the Week 11 matchup in Detroit and had 12 carries for 59 yards the following week in Minnesota. Coming out of the bye, he should be well-rested and raring to go. We can consider him on the shortlist for FanDuel and DraftKings cash games (H2Hs, 50/50s, 3-mans, etc.) as well as tournaments. Pairing him with his tight end, Cole Kmet, or his top receiver, DJ Moore, are both viable — but not required — strategies.
Weather could be a factor in Soldier Field, with temperatures in the mid-30s and wind gusts up to 25 mph. It is not sustained wind, so it should not have a huge impact on passing, but Fields doesn’t need any more adversity when it comes to that aspect of his game.
Brock Purdy (49ers-Seattle): DraftKings ($6,500, 14.1% ownership), FanDuel ($8,100, 9.9% ownership)
This week Brock Purdy looks like a tremendous value as the salary algorithm on DraftKings clearly was not impressed with the four touchdowns and 314 yards he posted against the Eagles in Philadelphia last Sunday. He only received a $400 increase, which is wild. He was at least he was already at an appropriate level on FanDuel, particularly considering he is among the NFL MVP frontrunners at the moment.
The main concern is that the 49ers will not need to throw much and the game plays out similarly to the Thanksgiving nightcap that saw the Seahawks get shut down on offense, with San Francisco waltzing to an easy 31-13 victory. Purdy threw for just 209 yards and one touchdown in that game, while the running game racked up 169 yards and a trio of touchdowns. Purdy can be employed as a solo option or paired with one of his four dynamic teammates in Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle or even Christian McCaffrey.Â
Jake Browning (Bengals-Colts): DraftKings ($5,200, 7.3% ownership), FanDuel ($6,300, 7.9% ownership)
This is purely a cost-saving move as Jake Browning is at a rock-bottom salary across the DFS industry. He was magnificent on Monday Night Football with 32 completions on 37 attempts, rolling up 354 yards and a touchdown, with two carries for 22 yards and a second score in the overtime victory against Jacksonville.
The former Washington Husky threw for 43 touchdowns in his sophomore season, but he had just 35 over the next two years, despite being a full-time starter. He went from being the 2017 Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year to being undrafted in just two seasons.
In his limited action this season, which is also the only time he has been in an actual NFL game, he has 10 carries for 70 yards and a score, while also adding 649 air yards and three touchdowns on 78 attempts with a 75.6% completion rate. The skill-position players surrounding him should be able to elevate him to a “game manager” but being a “game breaker” is not a likely outcome.
Best NFL DFS Week 14 Picks and Building Blocks: Running Backs
Rachaad White (Buccaneers-Falcons): DraftKings ($6,800, 28.1%), FanDuel ($7,400, 14.4%)
The salary keeps ticking up, but with another good matchup in Atlanta against the Falcons’ middling defense, Rachaad White is once again popping up in lineups. Over the last four games, Chase Edmonds has averaged three carries and one target per appearance, while every other backfield touch has gone to White. There is still a little profit potential if he can cobble together 100 yards and a touchdown, but the end of the gravy train is nigh.
Nine different running backs have rushed for at least 50 yards this season against Atlanta. White should get 20 touches once again, making him an intriguing core option in all formats.
Zack Moss (Colts-Bengals): DraftKings ($5,900, 37.2%), FanDuel ($6,800, 42.5%)
Once more unto the breach dear friends, once more… Okay, the results were disappointing last week, but this is still a favorable salary, even with the four-figure adjustment on both DraftKings and FanDuel. Moss had 19 carries for 51 yards and three targets, which he turned into two catches and six yards. If he had found the end zone, he would have had a solid day, and 100 combined yards and a score would still net us a profit for his current salary. Even though this is a road game, the Colts are just two-point underdogs, and the Bengals have the third-worst rushing DVOA this season.
Looking at the Stokastic Lineup Generator and running a 20-lineup set using the QB+1 and a bring back — as well as the contrarian setting — we can see that Moss is looking like a core play, appearing in eight of the 20 lineups. That is one-third less than last week, so he isn’t really coming into our contrarian portfolio on FanDuel, where he is on just four of the 20 lineups.
It is important to remember that crafting contrarian lineups does not mean one needs to donk off a position or two with a random sub-1% option, it just means that finding a few less popular plays that still rate out in the top five at their position or salary point is crucial.
Brandon Aiyuk, Javonte Williams and Zach Charbonnet are helping the DraftKings portfolio remain contrarian. Aiyuk is a strong option and the WR1 for the 49ers, but he is going to need a score to be a difference-maker in a game that could be controlled on the ground and with the defense. In that same game, Charbonnet stands out with Kenneth Walker III (oblique) working his way back from injury. It sounds like the second-year back may play, but the rookie is better in the passing game and had been overtaking his senior for total snaps before the injury. It is easy to see why gamers are likely to skip over this duo, but they are far from horrible plays.
FanDuel is a similar story with Charbonnet, but we can see that a pair of Cincinnati pass-catchers are on the board, with four other wide receivers helping create a contrarian look.
This analysis was created with the projections as of 1 p.m. ET on Saturday, so things may change. But you can easily adapt by getting a subscription to the Stokastic Lineup Generator, which covers the main slates as well as all of the prime-time games on Sunday, Monday and Thursday.
Other Running Back Options
Christian McCaffrey is the bucks-deluxe option and a little easier to get to on DraftKings. He needs something north of 120 yards and a score to even come close to breaking even, which raises the question of how much upside is left at this lofty salary. If San Francisco can get a multi-score lead, expect to see more of the reserves, since they will need McCaffrey healthy for a deep postseason run.
Alvin Kamara is another expensive option, but he has a cherry matchup against the Carolina Panthers and the worst rushing DVOA in the league. Kamara could get a boost if Taysom Hill misses this game. The combo player has foot and hand injuries and has yet to practice this week, though he is still listed as questionable.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire is the poor man’s Zack Moss of last week. Isiah Pacheco (shoulder) is out, so the banished back could return from the hinterlands. The main knock against Edwards-Helaire is that he lacks dynamic upside. In his career, he has only five carries of more than 20 yards and his longest reception is just 29 yards. Jerick McKinnon and every pass-catcher is competition for him in the red zone. The price is right, but will a dozen carries and a couple of targets be enough for him to find his way to pay dirt?
Best NFL DFS Week 14 Picks and Building Blocks: Wide Receivers
Keenan Allen (Chargers-Broncos): DraftKings ($8,600, 20.9%), FanDuel ($8,800, 19.7%)
Forget his poor showing last week in the rock fight against the Patriots in Foxborough. That was the first game in his last six with fewer than eight catches and 69 yards. He should be back to double-digit targets and likely receptions against Denver on Sunday. Even though the Broncos are improving on defense, the volume should win out.
Michael Pittman Jr. (Colts-Bengals): DraftKings ($7,100, 13.8%), FanDuel ($8,000, 10.3%)
Michael Pittman Jr. has become a fixture in this section over the last month, and he has not disappointed yet. His “worst” game still saw him tally eight receptions for 40 yards and a score. In the last five outings, he has averaged just over nine catches and tallied 100-plus yards on two occasions. He has a great connection with Gardner Minshew II, and we should continue to go back to the well in the full-PPR format on DraftKings while sprinkling Pittman across some FanDuel tournament lineups.
Ja’Marr Chase (Bengals-Colts): DraftKings ($7,600, 16.9%), FanDuel ($7,900, 14.8%)
This is a steal of a salary for Ja’Marr Chase. It computes to a $1,400 discount when compared to his Week 10 FanDuel cap hit and a $1,000 discount on DraftKings. Because the full Week 14 salaries were released before Monday Night Football, Chase fell $500 on DraftKings and stayed even on the blue site. Browning went to him early and often and Chase turned a dozen targets into 11 receptions, 149 yards and a score. Chase should be a core building block in all formats on Sunday.
Premium Members can check out all the other wide receiver options here.
Best NFL DFS Week 14 Picks and Building Blocks: Tight Ends
David Njoku (Browns-Jaguars): DraftKings ($4,100, 15.4%), FanDuel ($5,500, 12.2%)
Rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson has cleared the concussion protocol, P.J. Walker has been waived and last’s week’s starter, Joe Flacco, has been elevated from the practice squad. However, head coach Kevin Stefanski has not yet named the starting quarterback in some misguided effort toward a competitive advantage.
The hope is that Thompson-Robinson gets the nod, as he had been peppering David Njoku with targets for a total of 24 in the two games before getting knocked out. Njoku did get six looks from Flacco, which tied him with Cedric Tillman for the second-most last week. Fellow tight end Harrison Bryant had five targets but the better stat line, catching all five for 49 yards and a score, while Njoku had two receptions for only 17 yards. That dud kept Njoku’s salary at $4,100 for a third consecutive week on DraftKings and it fell by $100 on FanDuel.
If Njoku is not your jam for “cash games” (H2H, 50/50s, 3-mans, etc.) then Isaiah Likely, Dalton Kincaid and Cole Kmet are pivots at similar salaries. DraftKings has a couple of discount options, with Brevin Jordan ($3,100) looking good without Dalton Schultz and Likely ($3,500) an option as well.
T.J. Hockenson (Vikings-Raiders): DraftKings ($6,000, <5%), FanDuel ($7,400, <5%)
Salary, the return of Justin Jefferson and the awful performance in prime time the last time we saw Joshua Dobbs have led to T.J. Hockenson being a differentiation dream. Currently, he is around 2% popularity in the large-field tournaments. While I expect that to trend up as some value plays are revealed Saturday night and with Sunday’s inactive lists, he is unlikely to get much over 5% in tournaments.
Having Jefferson back will help open up seams in the Las Vegas coverage. Minnesota is just three-point road favorites and with their inconsistent running game, they will likely need to pass to move the ball. Hockenson has three touchdowns in his last five games, including two with Dobbs under center.
Best NFL DFS Week 14 Picks and Building Blocks: Defense/Special Teams
Cleveland Browns vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: DraftKings ($3,000, 11.5%), FanDuel ($3,800, 12.4%)
This week, there are no real standout options at defense. There are few mispriced salaries and half a dozen units with good but not great matchups. That has led to a relatively flattened popularity across both DraftKings and FanDuel, with the Browns the one team getting double-digit traction on both sites.
If Trevor Lawrence (ankle) sits out on Sunday, then the Browns will become “underpriced” and likely double up on their current popularity against backup C.J. Beathard. Beathard did get some spot starts between 2017 and 2020 when he was in San Francisco, but he piloted the team to a 2-10 record while at the helm, with 18 touchdowns against 13 interceptions and an above-average sack rate. Christian Kirk is on injured reserve, which takes a great pair of hands off the field.
Jacksonville is allowing just over two sacks per game, while Cleveland is recording nearly three quarterback takedowns per tilt. The Browns are allowing the fewest total yards (260.5) in the league, while ceding just 20.4 points per contest.
Baltimore Ravens vs. Los Angeles Rams: DraftKings ($3,300, 10.8%), FanDuel ($4,500, 7.3%)
Baltimore is allowing the second-fewest yards per game (273.9) and the least points at 15.6 per matchup. The Ravens lead the league with 47 sacks in 12 games, though the Rams have ceded just 22 sacks, which is the fourth fewest in the league this season. On the turnover front, Los Angeles has been solid with just one per game, while the Ravens are getting 1.5 takeaways per tilt.
As you get your best NFL DFS Week 14 picks and lineups prepped on DraftKings and FanDuel, Stokastic can help. We have more free DFS content on the NFL DFS homepage, premium DFS software including NFL Sims and the Lineup Generator, and the best live shows and videos from your favorite analysts on our YouTube channel.
You can also talk NFL DFS picks and strategy with the team and the rest of our sharp community on the Stokastic Discord!
