RADIO
Michael Florio's fantasy football sneaky starts, pivot plays, and post-waiver waiver pickups for Week 14 of the NFL season. Start 'em as under-the-radar fantasy sleepers this upcoming week.
It’s the final week of the fantasy football regular season. I cannot believe I am typing those words already. The weeks have flown by, but that means it's been a very fun season. Thank you for reading my work and supporting RotoBaller all season long!
If you are still reading this, it means you are very likely in the hunt or already have secured a playoff spot. If you have secured a spot, you should already be planning to next week. If you have been streaming at a position like QB, TE, or defense, get out in front and grab one that has a favorable matchup next week.
But if you are fighting for a playoff spot (I know plenty of you out there are), you will need plug-and-play options. Luckily, there are plenty of injury and bye-week replacements to be had this week!
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Quarterback Pivot Options for Fantasy Football
Joshua Dobbs remains the starter for the Vikings and that very much so has him in play as a streamer. I know he had a huge letdown before their bye, but he has scored 16 or more in his previous five games -- topping 22 in three of them. He has five rushing touchdowns in his last six games and routinely rushes for over 40 yards. Oh, and he will be throwing passes to Justin Jefferson, T.J. Hockenson, and Jordan Addison. I guess there is some risk he could get pulled if he struggles, but he brings the most upside of any streaming option this week.
Gardner Minshew is coming off one of his best games of the season. He threw 312 yards and two scores against the Titans, giving you nearly 19 fantasy points in the process. That is about as much upside as you can expect out of the Colts signal-caller, but he brings a safe floor this week against the Bengals, who have allowed the most passing yards since Week 9.
Baker Mayfield has disappointed as of late, but he has still managed to throw multiple touchdowns in four of his last six games. He is never going to have a throw-the-team-on-his-back type of performance, but if you are looking for a safe 16 to 18 fantasy points, he is good for that most weeks. He gets the Falcons this week, who he scored 16.2 against in Week 7. While I prefer the two options listed above, Mayfield is a good fallback option this week.
Running Back Pivot Options for Fantasy Football
Ezekiel Elliott scored 13 fantasy points last week after Rhamondre Stevenson exited early due to an ankle injury that will hold him out this week and likely more. Zeke saw 17 carries and five targets on 71 percent of the snaps while going for 92 yards. Volume alone has him in play as an RB2 or flex option against the Steelers, who are in the top 10 in rushing yards allowed to backs and just allowed a huge day to James Conner.
Keaton Mitchell led the Ravens' backfield in snaps, carries, and targets before the bye. Now a potential post-bye week bump could be coming for the Ravens' young back. He is very explosive, so the more touches he gets, the more chances he has to break out a long run or two. For fantasy purposes, we are always interested in the Ravens backfield and Mitchell brings by far the most juice of their trio. He is a strong upside pivot option this week.
Tyjae Spears is a great streaming option if Derrick Henry is out this week. Spears played 64 percent of the snaps with 16 carries and six targets last week. He saw every RB opportunity the rest of the way after Henry exited. Volume alone would have him in play as an RB2, but there is certainly more upside than that. He should be viewed as a more explosive Zeke if Henry is out this week.
Roschon Johnson played 75 percent of the snaps for the Bears before their Week 13 bye. He led their backs with 10 carries and five targets in that game. There also could be a potential post-bye bump for the rookie. The Bears backfield is murky, but if you are diving deeper, he brings upside.
DeeJay Dallas is purely an option if both Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet sit out this week. Walker has been out the last two weeks as he deals with an oblique injury. Charbonnet has filled in nicely but he is now dealing with swelling in his knee that has his status very up in the air. If both are out, the volume has Dallas in play.
Wide Receiver Pivot Options for Fantasy Football
Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs are both in play this week with Christian Watson dealing with a hamstring injury. Doubs had the bigger game last week and is often used downfield and in the red zone, but Reed has been a reliable source of production with 15 or more fantasy points in his three prior games. He also gets used as a runner at times. They are both in play as pivot options against the Giants, who have allowed the fourth-most fantasy PPG to receivers.
Noah Brown may have given you a zero last week. And there is a chance he could do so again as the Jets are a very tough matchup and extremely good at limiting deep ball production. Still, his QB leads the NFL in passing yards, and much of the Jets' focus will be slowing Nico Collins down. Brown is boom-or-bust, but he certainly brings upside and is someone you want on your roster moving forward. John Metchie played over Robert Woods last week and is a dart throw in deeper leagues.
Elijah Moore saw elite volume with Joe Flacco last week. He finished with 12 targets, a ton of air yards, four catches, and 83 yards. It wasn’t the biggest fantasy game, but the volume is simply too good to ignore. Especially with Amari Cooper so banged up. Add in that Flacco has been talking Moore up since he got to Cleveland as the two had great chemistry with the Jets. Moore is a safe volume WR3, with the upside to be even better this week.
Khalil Shakir has been operating as the Bills' WR3 and it’s led to fantasy success. He brings a low floor but three times has topped nine fantasy points and twice has gone over 15, including one 20-point game. In a game where a lot of points could be scored, Shakir is an upside shot worth taking if you need a pivot option.
Jonathan Mingo is starting to come to life in Carolina. Two weeks ago, he caught four of six targets for 60 yards -- good for 10 PPR points. Last week, he saw 10 targets, catching six for 69 yards -- all season-highs. While there is not much upside so far, the increased usage is promising.
Jalin Hyatt is certainly boom-or-bust, there’s no denying that. But he brings big-play ability, which means he always has upside in fantasy football. Before the bye, he had his best game of the season, catching five of six targets for 109 yards. A post-bye bump could be in store as well. If you need an upside play this week, go with Hyatt.
Tight End Pivot Options for Fantasy Football
Isaiah Likely has played one game without Mark Andrews and he saw six targets and scored eight fantasy points. That feels like a floor game for Likely. Clearly, he is never going to duplicate the production that Andrews has given us, but he can be highly productive and certainly bring TE1 upside. Due to the bye, he was still available in some leagues this week, but won’t be for long. He is a great plug-and-play option this week.
Gerald Everett caught four of his five targets for 44 yards, going for 8.4 fantasy points. He has reached that number in four of his last five games and three times in that span has reached double digits. He also gets an amazing matchup this week against Denver, who has allowed the most catches, the second-most yards, most fantasy points, and the third-most touchdowns to tight ends this season.
Cade Otton did not score a fantasy point last week. But before that, he had shown to be a reliable source of eight fantasy points. He has scored eight or more in five of his last seven games. He only topped double figures in one of those, but a safe floor is more than most tight ends.
Brevin Jordan would be in play if Dalton Schultz is out again this week. With Schultz out last week, Jordan ran 22 routes, was targeted four times, and caught three of them for 64 yards. That was good for nearly double-digit fantasy points. I would not expect much more than that, but if you are diving deeper at tight end, that is very useful.
Make sure to follow Michael on X, @MichaelFFlorio.
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