Can you believe it’s already the final week of the fantasy regular season? For a lot of us, the playoffs start this week, as there are many fantasy managers facing win and in situations. For those of us who have already clinched a spot in the dance, maybe you’re vying for a bye or seeding that could lead to a more favorable matchup in wildcard weekend. Then there are us folks at the bottom playing through the whistle, desperate to play spoiler to a fringe playoff team needing to secure a victory to keep their season alive. Don’t forget to read Larry Vannozzi’s weekly weather report to make sure you’re prepared for last minute alerts about mother nature’s plans in NFL cities across the country. Also, check out Brian Shade’s projection model to help you predict and prepare for this week’s slate of fantasy football!

First, a few housekeeping notes..

Q’s Quick Pick Total Record: 39-45, -11.72u

Week 1: 3-12, -8.96u; Week 2: 6-5, +0.3u; Week 3: 7-7, +0.88u; Week 4: 8-5, +1.6u; Week 5: 5-6, -4.65u; Weeks 6-8: N/A; Week 9: 4-4, -1.57u; Week 10: 6-6, +0.68

Picks: Odds are from DraftKings. Picks are for entertainment purposes only. Check out the Wager Pass for legit gambling talk.

Start Sit Decisions: Start your studs. Otherwise, these are yours and yours alone to make. Hopefully my previews help provide context to assist you in making an informed, matchup winning decision.

Scoring and League Format: The main focus is 1QB leagues, but I do make superflex references at times. The assumption is most folks play in 12 team leagues, and I use half point PPR rankings and stats when sifting through the madness. I don’t usually find a huge difference between half and full point PPR, but your volume receivers and tight ends receive a slight bump moving from half to full. Standard leagues could be a bit different, so be sure to hop into our discord or join one of our live shows either on Thursday’s at 5pm or Sunday’s at 10:30am to have your questioned answered in real time.

Week 14 Positional Rankings: QB’s courtesy of Jon Mosales, RB’s courtesy of Brandon Furtado, WR’s courtesy of Robert Szolosi, TE’s courtesy of Max Silveira, and DST’s courtesy of Brandon Furtado

Bye Weeks: Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, Washington Commanders

Matchup: Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans

Location: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN

Date: Sunday, December 8, 2024 at 1:00p

Q’s Quick Pick:

The Quarterbacks: (JAX) Trevor Lawrence (concussion, shoulder) has been placed on IR and will miss the remainder of the fantasy season, and likely the Jaguars season with the team being out of playoff contention. Mac Jones will continue to fill in and try and keep some of these skill position players relevant. As for Jones himself, he has a nice matchup in a division rival who can’t seem to get out of their own way defensively. He’s a deep streaming option in a week we are missing six potentially fantasy relevant QB’s, all who would normally start in my lineup over Jones.. (TEN) After Will Levis returned from injury in week 10, he scored no less than 16.1 fantasy points. His season high prior to that was 11.5. The second year man has been the QB15 over the last four games, which is something to take note of, especially for those of you in leagues that are 14+. The Jaguars have given up the most points per game to QB’s than any other defense in the league, making Levis a fine streamer. I’d play him over the other QB in this matchup if those are your options (I really hope those aren’t your only two options.

The Running Backs: (JAX) Travis Etienne has been disappointing all season long. He hasn’t scored more than ten fantasy points in a game since week three. Coincidentally, he’s only had a maximum of 13 carries in any game this year. It’s been a hell of a fall for a guy who was a smash top ten player last season. Now, he’s someone you’re putting in your flex and hoping to not get goosed. Tank Bigsby was a fun story for a couple weeks, scoring over 23 points in weeks 5 and 7. Since that time, he’s been hurt, uninvolved, or simply unproductive. It’s best to keep him on the bench this time around.. (TEN) Sitting at RB22, it’s been an up and down season for Tony Pollard. The former Cowboy has seen anywhere from six to 28 carries, and has been good for at least two targets in every game this far. Despite the inconsistent nature of his season, there’s been maybe three weeks where he’s totally busted your lineup. He’s a relatively safe low end RB2 with some upside against a defense that can’t stop offenses in any capacity. Tyjae Spears is essentially an afterthought for the Titans and fantasy football managers alike.

The Wide Receivers: (JAX) Brian Thomas has cooled off after his mid-season breakout. A touchdown saved his fantasy managers last week, and it remains encouraging that he saw ten targets, which is a season high. There’s not a lot of reason to stop targeting the rookie sensation, but Mac Jones lowers the ceiling to more of a fringe WR2 type player. Parker Washington had a quiet 6/102/1 game last week. He’s flashed a couple times throughout his two year career, but is hardly someone we’re entrusting to try and get us into the playoffs. He’s worth a stash in deeper leagues if you have a burner spot at the end of your bench.. (TEN) Outside of three top ten performances, it’s been a disappointing year for Calvin Ridley. He hasn’t been able to take advantage of soft matchups in previous weeks. In fact, two of his top ten performances were against the Jets and Chargers, both of whom are pretty good at defending the pass. I’m willing to roll the dice this week as a flex though. While I won’t say he’s been good lately, he hasn’t been killing your lineup like he was earlier in the year. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is quite possibly the most efficient WR of all time. He’s catching a touchdown on 40% of his receptions. After seeing his first target in week six, he’s slowly become more involved, even if it hadn’t equated to huge reception numbers. Westbrook-Ikhine has earned six targets in three of the last four. He’s also seen a huge spike in playing time. Between weeks 1-6, he was only on the field for about a quarter of the plays, max. From week 8 on though, he’s been on the field anywhere from 85% of the time on up, including 100% twice. Consider him a deeper league flex play who’s proven he can sustain this efficiency for weeks at a time.

The Tight Ends: (JAX) Evan Engram has been a shell of what he was last season, a perennial top 12 tight end. This season, he’s gotten there exactly twice. Scoring less then ten points in four straight games, including three with Mac Jones playing all or most of the snaps. As difficult as it may feel this week, Engram is still considered among the most talented players at the position. This will make it hard to bench, but his performances make it hard to start him as well. At least there’s a strong chance he doesn’t totally flop. When it comes to tight ends, that’s really all you can ask for.. (TEN) Chig Okonkwo flops just about every week in terms of fantasy production. Although, he does have two weeks inside the top ten, and the Jaguars defense STINKS. No, no, no. It’s best not to get too cute with the playoffs on the line.

Matchup: New York Jets at Miami Dolphins

Location: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL

Date: Sunday, December 8, 2024 at 1:00p

Q’s Quick Pick:

The Quarterbacks: (NYJ) I’m sure everyone saw the Netflix trailer for that Aaron Rodgers docuseries. It seems we found what he’s been spending his time and energy on in 2024, because it certainly doesn’t feel like it’s been football. The Jets have been an unmitigated disaster for the entirety of the season. He failed to throw for 200 yards in three straight weeks, though he does have two touchdowns in two straight. Rodgers is a low end QB2, but I have a hard time finding the upside because quite frankly, it hasn’t been there all season long.. (MIA) Tua Tagovailoa has been tremendous over the past three weeks, throwing for a minimum of 288 yards and a total of eight touchdowns. To make things even better, he hasn’t had a turnover in that time period. He’s only had two since his return from injury in week eight. Tagovailoa can be trusted as a top 10-12.

The Running Backs: (NYJ) Breece Hall (knee) didn’t practice Wednesday or Thursday. His status needs monitoring, likely up until kickoff. If he plays, it’s decision time. He’s a strudel by name, but his game this season hasn’t really dictated that. Sure, he’s had his spike weeks, hitting 20 points or more three times. However, he’s also had five weeks in single digits, including in three of the last five games. Unless I have two top 15 options, Personally, I just can’t stomach the idea of losing with a Breece Hall blow up on my bench. However, if I have two top 15 options ready to roll, I might change my tune a bit. Braelon Allen needs to be rostered in case Hall doesn’t end up playing. He’d be someone I would strongly consider starting knowing he’d likely get the vast majority of touches out of the backfield.. (MIA) De’Von Achane continues to be a must start player, scoring at least 17 points in five of his last six games. Don’t over think this one. Raheem Mostert may have played his last meaningful football for fantasy football purposes, scoring a total of 9.3 points in his last four games combined. He’s unstartable. The same goes for Jaylen Wright.

The Wide Receivers: (NYJ) Garrett Wilson is a top 12 receiver in terms of total points, but it doesn’t really feel that way if he’s on your team. Looking at his numbers, his season is propped up by a five game stretch that between weeks 5-9. Wilson scored 65% of his points on the season in that time, managing to get over 20 points in three of those games. There was only one other week outside that stretch where he scored double digits as well. He’s gone from a high upside WR1 to a middling WR2. The arrival of Davante Adams was an initial benefit for Wilson, but Adams has slowly taken over as Rodgers go to guy, seeing 32 targets over the last three games compared to Wilson’s 24. They’re both bottom tier WR2’s, and I think I’d favor Adams over Wilson right now.. (MIA) Tyreek Hill (wrist) is a must start week in and week out. He’s not really in danger of missing this week unless he has a setback, but he reported that he’s been playing with the injury for most, if not all, of the season. Tagovailoa’s return to the lineup has helped him balance out his fantasy output, but yet something is missing. He hasn’t had a truly explosive week yet this season outside of week one’s 22.5 point output. Something’s telling me he’ll have another big one before the season’s over, especially with Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner out this weekend. Jaylen Waddle finally came alive two weeks ago putting up 24.4 fantasy points. He followed it up with a more measured 9.3 points, which is still more than he’s scored in all but two weeks. It’s tough to trust him as more than a mid range WR3, but know the upside is there.

The Tight Ends: (NYJ) I’m probably good on starting Tyler Conklin. He’s maxed out at 42 yards over the last seven games player, scoring five or more points just three times in that span.. (MIA) On the other side, Jonnu Smith has worked himself into must start territory after scoring 16 or more in his past three games. He’s seen 30 targets over that span and over 300 receiving yards. That’s great for a wide receiver, let alone a tight end.

Matchup: Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings

Location: U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN

Date: Sunday, December 8, 2024 at 1:00p

Q’s Quick Pick:

The Quarterbacks: (ATL) Kirk Cousins has been largely unusable in 1 QB leagues with only three top ten finishes. His best weeks outside of that has been QB17 and QB19. The Vikings have allowed 260 passing yards or more in each of their last three games. Two of those went above 295 yards. Cousins is set up nicely for a revenge game against his most recent employer with all of his skill position players healthy and ready to bounce back after a poor showing all around in their previous game. I like Cousins this week as a top 15 option based largely on that revenge game factor. (MIN) Sam Darnold has been largely good to borderline really good this season outside of two games. His other ten games have all been inside the top 16, making him such a safe play. The Falcons have allowed the fifth most passing touchdowns (21). Atlanta did just hold Justin Herbert to just 8 fantasy points after five straight over 17, so they can’t be overlooked, but Darnold should continue to be a reliable option for all formats.

The Running Backs: (ATL) Anyone remember the first five weeks of the year when Bijan Robinson was looking more like a flex play than a true RB1? Yeah, that sucked. Good thing it didn’t last. Since week six, he’s finished inside the top 12 all but once. He’s seen at least 16 opportunities in each of those games, with the majority hitting 20+. He’s a stud and we never should have doubted him. Tyler Allgeier needs to be rostered all over the place, preferably by the Robinson manager, as a high end insurance policy. There’s little upside outside of that though.. (MIN) Aaron Jones‘s versatility has been missing as of late with a lack of production as a receiver. Since week nine, he hasn’t had over 23 yards receiving after averaging 32.4 receiving yards per game through the first seven games of the season. It’s been a bit tough to predict his spike weeks, with two of them coming against good run defenses in the Texans and Lions earlier in the year. The Falcons are a tougher defense for running backs to face in their own right, but Jones has proven to still have the juice left to get it done. He’s a relative low floor low ceiling option. There is no inherent value in the backups here, but Cam Akers has been the primary backup since making his Vikings debut.

The Wide Receivers: (ATL) Drake London is currently the WR6 on the season, but it doesn’t quite feel that way with his season being a bit streaky. He has four top fifteen performances, with three of them coming from weeks 5-7. Only showing up inside the top ten twice is a bit concerning, and I’m afraid his name has gotten more hype than he is game has throughout the year. Regardless, he is still a higher end starter who should remain in all lineups. The same can be said for Darnell Mooney, who is enjoying a career year outside of his first NFL home in Chicago. Although he’s WR18, it feels like he’s having a very similar year to London. Mooney is a borderline must start, but to a slightly lesser degree than London. Ray-Ray McCloud had his best game of the year last weekend, and the Vikings are an A+ match up. He has between 3-6 targets every game since week six. It’s by no means great, but it’s not nothing. It just takes one or two plays. Deep leagues, take note.. (MIN) After eight straight games inside the top 22, Justin Jefferson hasn’t finished better than WR23 since. It smells like someone’s due for a big week, and he wears number 18 in purple. His running mate, Jordan Addison, has been less than spectacular, seeming to find a pattern of startable and not. I’m going to list his fantasy finishes in games he’s played this season from week 1: WR61, 4, 56, 29, 81, 20, 62, 22, 1, 47. Do you see what I see? Generally speaking, Jordan Addison could be in for a nice game if the pattern holds true. Okay, some quick analysis though, he’s seen five plus targets in each of the last five games, so the involvement is there compared to earlier in the season. He’s a boom bust flex play we are banking on the algorithm to do right by us in need of a flex play.

The Tight Ends: (ATL) Kyle Pitts is coming off his second goose egg of the season. Outside of a few boom weeks, like most of the passing game here, it’s been disappointing for the former 4th overall selection. I’d hate to have to rely on him this week. If I have a better option, I’d love to bench Pitts. I’d venture to say there’s probably about 10-15 better plays than Pitts this week, so take that as you will.. (MIN) TJ Hockenson is on a similar trajectory as Addison, but opposite. I’ll list Hockenson’s fantasy finishes since his first game of the year in week nine with Addison’s WR finished in parentheses for convenience: TE28 (WR20), 6 (62), 37 (22), 5 (1), 29 (47). Sure, it tapers off slightly at the end, but the Falcon’s are a tough defense against the tight end position, and the opposite of play against receivers. Look, I’m still starting Hockenson in just about any spot because he’s such a talented player, and there’s not a lot of those for fantasy purposes. Just don’t be surprised if he doesn’t exceed, or meet, expectations this week.

Matchup: New Orleans Saints at New York  Giants

Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ

Date: Sunday, December 8, 2024 at 1:00p

Q’s Quick Pick: Marquez Valdez-Scantling Longest Reception OVER

The Quarterbacks: (NO) Derek Carr for fantasy purposes is a pretty tough option to look at. The Giants defense, however, is becoming more and more susceptible to big plays and games from everywhere with multiple injuries and a lousy record likely playing a large role. I can’t imagine feeling good about it, but he’s a shot in the dark option if you’re looking for a high ceiling to sneak into the playoffs as an underdog. He’s hit the top six three times, why not make it four?.. (NYG) Drew Lock is tasked with riding the tank home for the Giants, as head coach Brian Daboll announced Thursday. Well, at least for this week. Tommy Devito (right forearm) will likely serve as the QB2 this week as he continues to recover from a forearm injury. We’ll talk about Malik Nabers below, but I can’t imagine starting if Nabers doesn’t play. Hell, I can’t imagine starting Lock at all.

The Running Backs: (NO) Alvin Kamara has been a great mix of ceiling and floor this year, finishing below RB26 just once while coming in at RB6 or better on four occasions. This Giants defense is missing it’s key contributors Dexter Lawrence (dislocated elbow) on what is already a bad run defense. Kamara might finish as the RB1 overall this week.. (NYG) Tyrone Tracy, Jr. has been the lone bright spot (outside of Nabers) this season on offense, but has slowed down the past two weeks. This is likely because of the state of the team after releasing Daniel Jones and clearly playing for 2025. A fumble three games ago in Germany could have put him in the doghouse a bit, with the team lessening his load to nine carries in back to back weeks following that international game. If the Giants want to move the ball at all on offense, Tracy needs to be a big part of it. The Saints defense should allow him to have a nice day, but Devin Singletary lurks in the background as a reliable NFL veteran who could see enough touches to lower the ceiling. Tracy should be a top 12 play, but may be more of a top 20 play with the way the offense as a whole is looking.

The Wide Receivers: (NO) Who are we even looking at here anymore? Cedrick Wilson is barely playing. Kevin Austin was banished back to the practice squad. Mason Tipton was a healthy scratch last week.Then there’s Marquez Valdez-Scantling, who can’t stop scoring touchdowns lately. He’s been doing it a la out friend Westbrook-Ikhine, finding the end zone on four of his eight receptions over the last four weeks.MVS is the clear play out of the bunch. He’s the field stretcher, and having a back for finding the end zone is a massive bonus for fantasy. The Giants have given up a long reception of at least 32 yards in all but two games. I actually like him as a relatively fine flex play. Keep the fire going, baby.. (NYG) Malik Nabers (hip) didn’t practice Friday after sustaining a hip injury in Thursday’s practice. Maybe he will play, but the late week addition to the injury report never bodes well. The Giants have no reason to rush him seeing as they are in contention for the number one overall pick and in desperate need for a top QB prospect to build around. Wan’Dale Robinson and Darius Slayton would be the top two candidates to take on additional targets, a long with Tracy out of the backfield. Neither option is start worthy outside of deep leagues flex plays. Slayton has put up 1.8 points total the last two weeks, including a big  fat zero, but I would start him over Wan’Dale. With the playoffs on the line, I want the higher ceiling, and Slayton’s down field game provides just that.

The Tight Ends: We’re really scraping the bottom of the barrel on both sides of the ball in the game. Juwan Johnson did just see seven targets. Foster Moreau has scored three touchdowns this year (Johnson has scored two). I mean, I’m probably good here unless you really think one of these dudes finds paydirt.. (NYG) Theo Johnson is a nice developmental player for the Giants, and his progress has shown throughout the fantasy season. Since week nine, he’s finished at TE20 or better in all four games. Prior to that, he’d finished at TE20 as his best performance. He’s a good dynasty stash, but not someone I’m trusting in week 14.

Matchup: Carolina Panthers at Philadelphia Eagles

Location: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA

Date: Sunday, December 8, 2024 at 1:00p

Q’s Quick Pick:

The Quarterbacks: (CAR) Bryce Young is playing better and better, which is a nice development for him and the Panthers alike. He was able to put up his best game of the season last week, finishing as the QB8. The Eagles defense are a different animal than the Buccaneers unit, so I’m not starting Young in 1QB leagues. For those of you playing in superflex leagues: he has finished as QB19 or better in four of five games, so think about it.. (PHI) After finishing inside the top eight for five straight weeks, it’s been a bit of a cold streak for the QB4 on the year. Jalen Hurts finished of QB15, 15, and 16 over the last three games isa  bit disappointing, but the Panthers are on deck. They can get beat any which way you slice it. As long as we don’t see a Saquon takeover, Hurts should return back to the upper end of the pack once again.

The Running Backs: (CAR) In what was a juicy matchup last week, Chuba Hubbard finally crashed out on us, scoring just 2.3 fantasy points. Did we watch his value die right in front of our eyes? The Eagles run defense won’t make it easy for him to have a bounce back game, and neither will the continued integration of second round rookie Jonathon Brooks. I’d like to pivot off Hubbard if I can, but you’d have to roster several solid running backs to do so. Re-adjust expectations rest of season. I’m not starting Brooks yet, and maybe not at all this season, but if something happens to Hubbard before the end of the year, Brooks value would immediately skyrocket.. (PHI) This is an excellent opportunity for a Saquon Barkley takeover. This already loaded Philly offense runs through the veteran running back, and everybody knows it, including the Panthers. The thing is, they are horrid against the run, and have been all season long. They just gave up nearly 150 yards rushing to Bucky Irving, over 120 yards to the Chiefs duo of Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco, and 103 yards to fellow rookie Tyrone Tracy, Jr. Each game saw the Panthers give up at least 160 yards total on the ground considering some other player who saw a few rushing yards. None of those players approach the talent level Barkley brings to the table, and he might get 300 rushing yards if the Eagles want him to.

The Wide Receivers: (CAR) Welcome back, Adam Thielen. The veteran wide out still has something left to offer this team and fantasy managers alike after securing double digit targets, 99 yards, and a touchdown last week. The Eagles secondary has been playing pretty good as of late and aren’t the slouches they may have been earlier in the season and last year. Thielen is in flex consideration. Rookie Xavier Legette continues to try and find his way into he NFL. The Panthers have him involved, seeing at least six targets in four of the last five games, but he hasn’t finished better than WR25 outside of a WR13 finish in week 4. I guess you’d be hoping for a touchdown and a higher target total, but I’m probably looking elsewhere for my flex needs.. (PHI) It’s been tough sledding over the past six weeks for AJ Brown managers. He has spent more time in the fringe WR3+ range than the WR1/2 range. He’s looking more like a WR2 this week, but don’t forget about the upside. It’s all about the upside. Remember kids, it’s still AJ-freaking-Brown. The bigger question mark is Devonta Smith (hamstring). He’s no longer listed in the Eagles injury report after logging consecutive full practices. Prior to missing the past two games, he was a bit disappointing, finishing outside the top 50 in back-to-back weeks. He’s been relatively safe otherwise, only having one other dud week to his name. I like him to bounce back and return Wr2 value this week. Another reminder, everything depends on the Saquon takeover factor. I cannot stress that enough.

The Tight Ends: (CAR) Much like his rookie counterpart in the receiver section, Ja’Tavion Sanders is still looking to get acclimated to life in the big leagues. He has had several top 18 finishes, which isn’t great, but shows he has the propensity to be involved and make something of the opportunities he does receive. Stash in dynasty, but there’s no predictable value in redraft to help you get in the playoffs.. (PHI) Look, I like Dallas Goedert. I think he’s a good football player. He has spike week prowess for fantasy, and has provided a somewhat safe floor this year, coming in at TE15 of better in seven of the eight games he played more than 5% of snaps. I mean, there’s not a lot more you can ask for from your starting tight end. Just keep rolling him out there for a guaranteed handful of points.

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