With six teams on bye and several big stars off the Week 14 NFL DFS main slate because of prime-time games, the daily fantasy football player pool is shallower than usual. We did our best to navigate through the inevitable difficulties with our DraftKings lineup, opting for a high-ceiling-but-potentially-under-the-radar QB-WR stack while securing a few chalky RB and WR picks to balance our value sleepers at flex and TE.
Before we break down all of our picks, here are the most notable scoring rules for DraftKings contests: Full-point PPR, four-point passing TDs, three-point bonuses for 100 rushing yards, 100 receiving yards, and 300 passing yards.
DraftKings Picks Week 14: NFL DFS lineup for GPP tournaments
Sunday main slate, $50,000 budget
QB Joe Burrow, Bengals vs. Browns ($7,000). There are higher-ceiling QBs (Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts) and better values with more favorable matchups (Kirk Cousins, Trevor Cousins), but we're going with Burrow as somewhat of a contrarian play. It's easy to overlook him given his price and below-average matchup, but he has a higher floor than you might realize given his newfound rushing ability. Over the past two games, Burrow has chipped in 78 yards and a TD on the ground. Even if that drops, he's always a candidate for a 300-yard, three-TD outing given his stable of weapons.
RB Tony Pollard, Cowboys vs. Texans ($6,700). Over the past five games, Pollard has averaged 19 touches and 126.2 total yards per game while scoring eight total touchdowns. Using him against the NFL's last-ranked run defense almost seems too easy. Yes, this is chalky -- and he might not hit the 100-yard bonus simply because his carries are limited in a potential blowout -- but we can't ignore the sky-high ceiling here. Savvy DFS players might opt for the cheaper and likely lesser-owned Ezekiel Elliott ($6,100), who also has a high floor and ceiling, but Pollard remains a home-run play even at higher ownership.
RB D'Onta Foreman, Panthers @ Seahawks ($5,400). Foreman is always risky because he can be phased out of the Panthers' game plan if they fall behind early. However, as long as the game is close, he figures to see around 20 carries, as he has in three of the past five games. Against the Seahawks, who allow the second-most DraftKings points per game to RBs, even 15 carries could get Foreman to the 100-yard bonus (which he's hit in four of the past six games) and give him a good shot at a TD. At just $5,400, Foreman is an obvious value who shouldn't be overlooked.
WR Ja'Marr Chase, Bengals vs. Browns ($7,900). Chase didn't miss a beat in his return from a hip injury, catching seven-of-eight targets for 97 yards last week. Even though this is a less favorable matchup, we'll gladly pay up for Cincinnati's All-World receiver, who's averaging 6.8 catches, 10.3 targets, and 87.8 receiving yards per game this year. He'll rack up PPR points and has a good chance of hitting DraftKings' 100-yard bonus against Cleveland's middle-of-the-pack WR defense.
WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions vs. Vikings ($7,800). St. Brown has seen at least eight targets in each of the past six games, catching at least seven balls in five of those contests. There aren't many better options in full-point PPR formats, and St. Brown should go off for his fourth 100-yard outing in the past five weeks against the Vikings' last-ranked pass defense. Yes, he'll be a chalky play, but if he goes off, you'll probably need him for a high finish.
WEEK 14 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
WR Zay Jones, Jaguars vs. Titans ($4,700). We're hoping Jones' dud in Week 13 (two catches, 16 yards) has DFS players fading him this week. The targets were still there (7), giving Jones 31 looks over the past three games. Tennessee allows the eighth-most DraftKings points per game to WRs and eighth-fewest to RBs, so expect the Jaguars to throw a lot this week. Jones will get plenty of opportunities and should bounce back in a big way.
TE Austin Hooper, Titans @ Jaguars ($2,900). Because we paid up for two of our WRs and one of our RBs, we had to go cheap somewhere. Hooper is basically a TD-or-bust play, but it's encouraging that he's seen more targets over the past four games (at least four in each game, 20 total). He won't get many yards, but four or five catches and a TD are possible. At just $2,900, that's a big return on value. With Treylon Burks (concussion) possibly out in a favorable matchup against Jacksonville's 29th-ranked pass defense, Hooper has a solid floor and ceiling.
WEEK 14 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
FLEX Demarcus Robinson, Ravens @ Steelers ($4,000). We originally had Nico Collins (calf) here, but now that he's out, we're pivoting to Robinson. The Steelers have been among the league leaders in DK points allowed to WRs all year, and Robinson should be in line for a healthy number of targets from Tyler Huntley.
DEF Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ 49ers ($2,900). We wish had just $100 more to spend on the Ravens going against the Steelers, but we'll gladly take the Bucs against Brock Purdy and the 49ers. We are a little worried about Tampa making a cross-country trip on a short week -- and Purdy didn't look too bad in relief of an injured Jimmy Garoppolo last week -- but we still think the Bucs should be able to harass him into a few big mistakes.