A quick-hit recap of what really mattered from Thursday through Sunday. We skip the obvious studs and instead focus on usage trends, injuries, and key shifts that actually impact your lineup decisions.

Welcome to the Monday edition of the Daily Dose newsletter, our “Fantasy Fallout” day. In this article, you will get a quick rundown of the relevant things we learned from the week’s games from Thursday through Sunday. 

We won’t talk about every single player and we usually won’t spend time on studs who go nuts (no one needs to be told to start Jonathan Taylor right now!), but rather, the idea is to update you on usage trends, injuries, and other relevant things to help your decisions with your teams for the coming week and beyond.

PACKERS @ LIONS

• Jordan Love threw 70% of his pass attempts, and all four of his TD passes, to his top WR trio of Dontayvion Wicks (6-94-2), Christian Watson (4-80-1), and Romeo Doubs (4-20-1) to kick off the Thanksgiving slate. WRs Matthew Golden, Jayden Reed, and Savion Williams all missed this one with injuries and will complicate matters if/when everyone is active.
• The major Lions news was that Amon-Ra St. Brown left with an ankle injury he suffered after being rolled up on from behind by multiple players on a running play. Early reports are a “low” ankle sprain, which would seem like a best-case, but managers should still prepare for the worst and assume he won’t be available to play this week on Thursday night at home against the Cowboys.
• With ARSB missing nearly the entire game, Jameson Williams saw 10 targets and amassed a huge 7-144-1 fantasy line. He would be a must-start in a great matchup against a generous Dallas pass defense on TNF even with ARSB playing, and would be in store for added volume if St. Brown couldn’t suit up.

CHIEFS @ COWBOYS

• The Dallas offense continues to hum along; start their key players with confidence in any matchup down the stretch of the fantasy season.
• Isiah Pacheco returned to the KC backfield after a lengthy absence to handle five touches for 33 yards. Kareem Hunt saw 15 touches for 80 yards. A backfield to monitor but ideally as bench stashes, for now.

BENGALS @ RAVENS

• Joe Burrow returned to and rejuvenated the Bengals lineup on Thursday night. The stats weren’t his best (261-2) but he peppered Ja’Marr Chase with targets and easily outdueled Lamar Jackson and the division-rival Ravens.
• Samaje Perine made a less-heralded return to the Cincy lineup, but he saw a season-best 14 carries and added a couple of catches, racking up 54 total yards. Chase Brown saw plenty of work himself (22 touches, 113 yards) but Perine continues to play a significant role, when healthy.
• Lamar’s real-life and fantasy struggles continued on Thanksgiving night in what seemed like a juicy matchup. Jackson has now failed to complete 60% of his passes in four straight games and has an awful 768-1-3 passing line over that stretch. To make matters worse, he hasn’t topped 50 rushing yards or scored on the ground since Week 1. I’m probably still holding and starting Lamar if I’ve got him, but I’d consider looking at adding another option from waivers, too, which seems like a crazy thing to say about one of fantasy’s usually reliable stars.
• Keaton Mitchell saw five RB opportunities and had 31 total yards and a rushing TD. He’s a strong bench stash behind fantasy legend Derrick Henry down the stretch of the fantasy season.

BEARS @ EAGLES

• The Bears rode their talented RB duo to a whopping 40 carries for 255 yards and a pair of TDs against the Eagles on black Friday in a game in which Caleb Williams completed less than half of his passes for an underwhelming 154-1-1 passing line. 
• Six Bears players saw between three and six targets, and none had more than four catches or more than 36 receiving yards.
• A.J. Brown (10-132-2) was the only real fantasy difference-maker for the Eagles in this one, but all key Eagles remain strong weekly starting options as they head to play the Chargers on Monday Night Football next.

SAINTS @ DOLPHINS

Your weekly roadmap to the wire. Each Tuesday, Tony Kneepkens highlights the top adds across positions — complete with FAAB recommendations and context to help you prioritize based on your league size and format.

These are the top players to consider adding from waivers this week. Unless otherwise noted, all players below are available in greater than 50% of Yahoo leagues (as of Sunday evening). Priorities and FAAB recommendations are meant to differentiate between some of the options available and are assuming 12-team, single-QB, fantasy formats.

Week 14 teams on bye: 49ers, Giants, Panthers, Patriots

Week 14 is the final week of the fantasy regular season in most formats. While there are a few notable teams and players on bye, this week can/should be as much about setting your team up for playoff success in Weeks 15-17 as finding a one-week spot starter. Start to look ahead at some of your key players’ playoff schedules and begin to map out where you might be looking for a streaming QB or D/ST unit, etc. in the fantasy playoffs; look to add them now if you have the room on your bench and save yourself from a future waiver or FAAB battle with a leaguemate.

This week specifically, I don’t have any true high-priority waiver recommendations and felt there were pretty flat tiers to consider at RB, WR, and TE. I’ve ranked the players in order of my own personal preference, and provided some context as to why. Good luck this week wrapping up the fantasy regular season everyone!

QB Streamer of the Week

J.J. McCarthy, MIN, Week 14 vs WAS

• The Vikings have already said they will be going back to JJM after UDFA Max Brosmer struggled mightily in last week’s spot start, assuming McCarthy clears concussion protocol. The four teams on bye this week shouldn’t leave fantasy managers scrambling too much for a QB streamer, but if you’re in need, the VIkings’ upcoming schedule of home vs. WAS, at DAL, at NYG looks pretty appealing.
• Low-priority add. JJM is my favorite widely-available streaming option to cover the last week of byes, and if he looks good at home against the Commanders, he should have some opportunities to build on it the following two weeks, as well.
• 3% or less of FAAB.

RB Pickups

Blake Corum, LAR, Week 14 at AZ

• Corum had his best rushing production of the season (7-81-1) and scored his first TD since Week 2 in the Rams’ surprising loss to the Panthers last week. Rams starter Kyren Williams (13-72-1) had a solid game of his own but also left with an ankle injury before returning in the second half.
• Medium-to-high priority add. Corum’s standalone value is nearly irrelevant as we head down the home stretch of the fantasy season. He’s this week’s top waiver priority, for me, for his immense contingent value as a primary backup on a productive Rams offense.
• 15 – 30% of FAAB.

Bhayshul Tuten, JAX, Week 14

• Tuten handled 40% of the Jags’ RB carries last week, including a short-yardage score. He wasn’t especially productive with an 8-17 rushing line, but starter Travis Etienne (12-28) didn’t fare any better. Both backs added a catch on a single target last week.
• Medium-priority add. Without any obvious, high-priority waiver targets, this week is all about setting up benches for a deep playoff run. Tuten makes for another strong bench stash in any format as a player with some standalone value and incredible contingent upside.
• 10 – 20% of FAAB.

Chris Rodriguez, WAS, Week 14 at MIN

• Rodriguez leads the Commanders in carries over their last four games, rushing 44 times for a 201-3 line over that stretch. He’s been the team’s clear first-choice rusher over their last two games, which have been their contests going into and coming out of their Week 12 bye.
• Medium-priority add. C-Rod, like teammates Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Jeremy McNichols, has seen his role bounce around all year, but he seems to be the team’s current top rushing option. Rodriguez is a safer short-term option for a spot start than the RBs I have listed ahead of him, but he remains in a three-way RB committee and has one catch on two targets all year.
• 5 – 15% of FAAB.

Some additional lower-priority RB options to stash on fantasy benches ::

• Emanuel Wilson (GB) – Wilson has dipped back below 50% rostered after Josh Jacobs’ return to the GB lineup, but he showed he’s a legitimate fantasy starter in a scenario where Jacobs misses a game. My type of bench stash.
• Brian Robinson Jr. (SF) – Capable backup to CMC, B-Rob would be another no-brainer RB starter if CMC happened to miss a game down the stretch.
• Tyler Allgeier (ATL) – A similar asset to B-Rob who actually has a stronger standalone role, but I prefer Robinson on what I think is the superior offense overall.
• Keaton Mitchell (BAL) – The explosive runner turned his four Turkey Day touches into 31 scrimmage yards and a TD. 

WR Pickups

Each week, Juan Carlos Blanco spotlights 4–5 under-the-radar plays who combine DFS tournament upside with season-long streaming value. These matchup-driven picks are usually available in most leagues.

Blake Corum, LAR at ARI – 3% start rate

Kyren Williams exited the Week 13 loss to the Panthers for a spell due to an ankle injury, and although the latter returned to the game and doesn’t appear any worse for wear, Corum still put together an impressive 7-81-1 rushing line. The second-year back has logged between seven and 13 carries in the last six games, a stretch that includes three contests with at least 12 rush attempts.

The Cardinals have been a much more vulnerable run defense on the road, but they’re surrendering a fairly elevated 112.6 rushing yards per game overall and 4.4 RB yards per carry. Arizona also ranks 20th in open-field yards per carry allowed, while Corum boasts an impressive 20.2% broken-tackle rate. Then, it’s also worth noting the Cardinals are tied for the second-most red-zone rushing touchdowns allowed (12), while Corum has 18 red-zone touches through 12 games.

Evan Engram, DEN at LVR – 14% start rate

Engram’s involvement in the Broncos’ offense has fluctuated throughout his first season with the team, but the veteran tight end is coming off a season-best six-catch, 79-yard effort against the Commanders in Week 13. Engram has flashed a reasonable floor with at least four receptions in seven of 11 games, and he’s eclipsed 40 receiving yards on three occasions.

Engram is averaging 5.4 targets per game, and in Week 14, he’s facing a Raiders defense that’s surrendered 10.2 yards per completion, including 12.0 in the last three contests. Las Vegas has generally done a good job against tight ends, but the Raiders are still yielding a 68.3% catch rate to tight ends and 10.7 yards per reception to the position. Engram has the ability to build on his showing against Washington, making him a viable option at a tricky position.

Chris Godwin, TB vs. NO – 20% start rate 

Xandamere breaks down the Thursday Night Football matchup with leverage angles and roster construction tips — the perfect way for fantasy players to start learning DFS through Showdown.

XANDAMERE’S SHOWDOWN SLANT

Week 14 kicks off with the Cowboys visiting the Lions for a huge 54.5 total game with Detroit favored by 3. The huge news, of course, is whether or not Amon-Ra St. Brown will play. He’s questionable, I’d guess more on the doubtful side, but the Lions did rule out Kalif Raymond yesterday without ruling out ARSB, which implies they’re thinking there’s at least a chance he can play. Especially with Raymond out, if ARSB misses, it spreads a lot of additional opportunity around. I’m going to write this as if he misses, but I’ll touch on below how to think through the Lions if he plays as well. The Lions are also a team expected to contend for the Super Bowl, and at 7-5, they’re in danger of missing the playoffs entirely, so they’re going to be going all-out here. 

DETROIT

On the Lions side, they’ve really been turning the backfield over to Jahmyr Gibbs, who has played his three highest snap counts of the season in the last three games, playing between 70-74% of the snaps and handling 20, 27, and 24 opportunities. The knock on Gibbs has always been about volume. As in the past, he’s rarely reached the magic 20 touch mark we prefer to see from our running backs in fantasy, but he’s gotten there five times this season overall and in each of the last three games, which is a good sign. With Detroit desperately needing this win, I’d expect them to lean heavily on Gibbs, and that’s doubly true if ARSB misses. Dallas’ run D is significantly better with the trade addition of Quinten Williams, but it’s still not great, and Gibbs is talented enough to smash in any matchup, plus he gets a lot of receiving work. I’m not sweating the matchup, and Gibbs deserves to be the most expensive skill position player in this game. With Gibbs surging, poor David Montgomery is getting left behind a bit with opportunity counts of 7, 8, and 10 in those three games that Gibbs has seen his snap count spike. Given that Monty has 10+ touches in all other games except one this year, that’s a material decrease in his workload. Combined with his price being at 7,000, one of the highest points in the season, it’s hard to get excited about Monty here. You’re playing him for what I’d expect to be modest ownership and the hope that perhaps with no ARSB the Lions line up Gibbs more as a receiver while having both backs on the field, though in real life that happens quite rarely (and we didn’t see it last week once ARSB got hurt, either). 

Showdown Ownership Projections!

Ownership updates automatically

In the passing game, we can expect Jameson Williams and Isaac TeSlaa to be full-time players with Tom Kennedy filling in a part-time role. Jamo just set career highs in catches and yards last week with no ARSB and would again be a smash play here, priced up only to $8,400 and in one of the best possible matchups. His profile makes him volatile, but he’s just way too cheap for his role sans ARSB – expect massive ownership, but he’s a strong play regardless. TeSlaa and Kennedy are both a bit shakier. Last week, TeSlaa saw just 2 targets and Kennedy saw 4, and it’s a good reminder that sometimes when a primary guy gets hurt, most of the missing volume just gets spread around the remaining primary guys instead of backups taking on big roles. That’s certainly possible, and I view both of these guys as volatile. They’ll be on the field a lot, but that isn’t a guarantee that they’ll be earning targets. They’re still both cheap with TeSlaa at $4k and Kennedy at $2k, so at least they haven’t been priced up too much, and of course, the matchup is just about perfect. Between the two, I’d prefer TeSlaa, though Kennedy does have some floor to his game – he was the direct fill-in for ARSB, so he ran short, high catch rate routes with an 8-yard aDOT, while TeSlaa has more per-target upside with a 15.8 yard aDOT, albeit far fewer targets. My expectation, though, is that with a week to prepare for life without ARSB and Raymond that TeSlaa has more involvement – he’s a very talented rookie who Detroit should see as a key part of their future, while Kennedy is an undrafted free agent who’s been in a bench or practice squad role on the team for years but is really “just a guy.” Consider TeSlaa a legitimate, all-around ceiling play, while Kennedy is more of a solid floor but perhaps questionable ceiling value option.

At tight end without Brock Wright and with Sam LaPorta still hurt, Ross Dwelley stepped into a large role, playing 75% of the offensive snaps while Anthony Firkser played 24%. Wright was reported as likely dealing with a long-term injury, so even though he’s listed as questionable, I’d guess he’s much more like doubtful, and I’d be surprised if he plays. When LaPorta went out, Wright saw significant passing game involvement, with 7 and 4 targets. But last week, we only saw Dwelley get 3 targets while Firkser had 1. Still, though, I’d actually guess Dwelley’s likeliest outcome is pretty close to Kennedy’s, but I’d also guess that limited output last week may result in projections significantly favoring Kennedy and thus ownership being much on him as well. If Kennedy projects for high ownership and Dwelley for low, I’d flip those two in my personal exposures. 

DALLAS

Each Friday, Mike Johnson tackles lineup and trade dilemmas pulled from the OWS X and our Fantasy Football Discord channel. Real questions, real context, and actionable advice to guide you through the toughest calls of the week.

Some things in fantasy football are easy. We know we should start Puka Nacua and Bijan Robinson. We know we should bench the backup running back who is only on our roster in case of injury and the guy who was ruled out early in the week. A lot of the decisions are made for us. However, there are a lot of things that are not so simple. All of the “in between” situations are what can make the difference between a few wins and losses, and therefore it can be the difference between a successful season or a failed season. Every Friday, we are here to help!!

I’ll take questions each week in our #fantasy-football channel in our Discord from people looking for Start/Sit advice and give my thoughts. This article will feature a few of those questions and responses each Friday, so join our Discord to be a part of the conversation or ask questions of your own!!

Question 1 :: Christian Watson or Courtland Sutton? (PPR) (Chiefsboom40)

Answer :: Many will want to follow the recent production of Watson and the strong on-paper matchup against the Bears defense, who just gave up a massive game to A.J. Brown. However, the Packers receiving corps has been dealing with injuries recently and the team may be getting Matthew Golden and Jayden Reed back this week, which is likely to muddy the waters for their receivers once again. Also, the Bears recently got multiple key members of the secondary back from injury and are stronger in that area than their season-long numbers reflect. Finally, the Packers are a run-based team and have a great matchup on the ground against Chicago. The reality here is that Watson’s situation is a lot less certain than recent production would indicate, so I would give the nod to Sutton.

Question 2 :: Colston Loveland or Darren Waller at TE? Devin Neal, Woody Marks, or Kyle Monangai for my RB2? Thanks!? (PPR) (dwr-unc)

Answer :: Waller has had a nice season whenever he has been on the field, but it should be noted his reluctance to play in cold weather and run-block. This game is in New York, where the temps will be frigid and we know Tua Tagovailoa has struggled in cold weather throughout his career. Meanwhile, Bears WR Rome Odunze missed practice Wednesday and Thursday while Loveland’s role has been growing and Chicago has a huge divisional matchup with Green Bay. I say go with the youth. As for your RB situation, Devin Neal is my choice (assuming Alvin Kamara is out once again). The matchup isn’t great at Tampa, but he has a massive role and should catch some passes. Marks is also in a tough matchup with the Chiefs, has been inefficient on his workloads recently, and is battling an ankle injury. Monangai is coming off a huge game, but he has a tough matchup and is a game-script-reliant back.

Question 3 :: Emeka Egbuka or Devaughn Vele at WR?   (rickysabogal)

Every Saturday, MJohnson86 posts full positional rankings (QB, RB, WR, TE, DEF) to get you ready for Sunday’s slate. Built for 12-team, full-PPR formats — with insights that translate across most league settings.

The weekend is here and it’s time to get our lineups set before Sunday’s full slate of games. Each week, the Saturday edition of the Daily Dose will feature my rankings for all players who have yet to play a game this week. Obviously this will not include the Thursday games, but always feel free to hit me up in Discord or on X/Twitter if you have some tough decisions around guys who play on Thursday. 

Most of the leagues I play in are full-PPR, 12-team leagues and these rankings are designed for those settings – you may need to make some slight adjustments based on your own league settings.

QB :: 

1. Josh Allen
2. Jalen Hurts
3. Lamar Jackson
4. Matthew Stafford
5. Joe Burrow
6. Patrick Mahomes
7. Jayden Daniels
8. Bo Nix
9. Jordan Love
10. Jacoby Brissett
11. Baker Mayfield
12. Trevor Lawrence
13. Daniel Jones
14. Caleb Williams
15. Sam Darnold
16. Justin Herbert
17. Tyrod Taylor
18. C.J. Stroud
19. Tyler Shough
20. J.J. McCarthy

RB ::

1. Jonathan Taylor
2. Bijan Robinson
3. James Cook
4. De’Von Achane
5. Josh Jacobs
6. Bucky Irving
7. Saquon Barkley
8. Derrick Henry
9. Breece Hall
10. Chase Brown
11. Quinshon Judkins
12. Kenneth Walker III
13. RJ Harvey
14. Kyren Williams
15. Ashton Jeanty
16. Travis Etienne Jr.
17. Jaylen Warren
18. D’Andre Swift
19. Woody Marks
20. Devin Neal
21. Zonovan Knight
22. Jordan Mason
23. Kyle Monangai
24. Kimani Vidal
25. Zach Charbonnet
26. Kenneth Gainwell
27. Kareem Hunt
28. Samaje Perine
29. Chris Rodriguez Jr.
30. Tony Pollard
31. Omarion Hampton
32. Blake Corum
33. Bhayshul Tuten
34. Ty Johnson
35. Emanuel Wilson
36. Tyjae Spears
37. Michael Carter
38. Isiah Pacheco
39. Keaton Mitchell
40. Tyler Allgeier

WR :: 

Mike Johnson (MJohnson86) has racked up over $500,000 in DFS profit as an NFL tournament player with success in all styles of contests.

Welcome back to my (Mjohnson86) Player Grid. The format will vary slightly from JM’s Player Grid, as we each see things slightly differently and play in slightly different contests, but should complement his thoughts and content very well for those looking to build their lineups for the week. The format of this article will vary slightly from my Fanduel Player Grid, which will be more direct in terms of which players I like. Enjoy!!

The Core ::

This is a list of players that stand out to me at each position from using my “Checking the Boxes” criteria outlined in my course you can find in our Marketplace. This list is a starting point, from which I build out lineups using game theory and roster construction concepts (which we will also touch on) with the mindset being to find the best plays with big ceilings. Low ownership is a bonus, but not a must. This section will focus primarily on three positions – running back, tight end, and defense – as the other two positions (quarterback and wide receiver) tend to have more dependent tendencies which I try to attack from other angles (which we will get into in the other sections). I like all of these plays on all sites unless otherwise noted:

Running Back ::

• James Cook – Cook is coming off a 35-touch performance against a solid Steelers defense and now has one of the best possible matchups for a running back in a critical matchup. Elite talent, volume, matchup, and game environment.
• Josh Jacobs – Jacobs had a full practice on Friday and handled 18 touches last week against Detroit. The engine of Green Bay’s offense should be busy in an elite matchup and high leverage game. Salary down $1,000 from its peak.
• Breece Hall – Let’s not forget that Miami was a defense we were targeting not that long ago. A recent improvement in performance doesn’t make them a team to avoid and Hall has elite talent and volume on his side at a reasonable salary.
• Kenneth Walker – A week after being extremely popular, Walker has an even better matchup at lower ownership in a game Seattle’s offense is highly likely to be successful in. 
• RJ Harvey – The Broncos are going to use multiple RBs, but Harvey is the primary guy and this spot is elite for the entire team. He catches some passes and is the goal-line back. Denver might roll in this one and Harvey’s ceiling is enormous with 20-touch potential.
• De’Von Achane – His salary is really starting to get up there, but the Jets just gave up a massive game to Bijan and in this spot I would expect Achane to be targeted often in the passing game. 
• Quinshon Judkins – I don’t expect the Titans offense to have much success, which means elevated play volume for the Browns who are focused on getting Judkins the ball at a high rate. The overall game environment is low, but he has a high probability of being involved in any touchdowns Cleveland scores.