Underdog Battle Royale Week 14 Rankings

Quarterbacks:

1. Josh Allen
2. Lamar Jackson
3. Patrick Mahomes
4. Brock Purdy
5. Justin Fields
6. Justin Herbert

Sleepers: C.J. Stroud, Jared Goff, Jake Browning, Russell Wilson

How you handle QB this week will be interesting. On paper, it looks like we have 3 elite name QBs (Allen, Jackson, Mahomes), and another high-upside one in Fields. The reality is only Allen has shown any consistent upside of 25+ points. I think for the most part you should treat Allen as a tier unto himself.

For me it’s a toss-up between Jackson and Mahomes, and a lot will come down to if Jackson needs to scramble for a TD or not. I do think Mahomes will be forced to throw the ball a bit more, which could be a positive.

Purdy has to be very interesting. Yes, he didn’t do much in this match-up on Thanksgiving, but he’s been playing well of late in general, and it’s not as if Seattle’s pass defense is fantastic. If they need him to, he can put up big numbers here.

Fields did well in this match-up a couple of weeks ago, but not sure if we will see a ceiling here. It’s just tough to bet on this offense producing enough for him to get to 25+ points. I do like Herbert as an option here after back-to-back down weeks. He probably won’t be 100% drafted, and he faces a weak Broncos secondary.

As for the rest I generally don’t recommend going too deep into the weeds here, but Stroud has to be in play. Regardless of match-up he’s playing at an incredible level this season. Goff, Browning and Wilson all have good match-ups so if they get pushed, get a rushing TD etc. maybe they get there.

Running backs:

1. Christian McCaffrey
2. Alvin Kamara
3. Isiah Pacheco
4. Bijan Robinson
5. David Montgomery
6. Joe Mixon
7. Josh Jacobs
8. Kyren Williams
9. Rachaad White
10. Travis Etienne Jr.
11. Zack Moss
12. Austin Ekeler

Sleepers: Jahmyr Gibbs, Javonte Williams, James Cook, Jerome Ford, Gus Edwards, Keaton Mitchell, Breece Hall, Chuba Hubbard

Really strong week of running backs led by CMC and Kamara in absolute elite spots.  McCaffrey dominated this match-up on Thanksgiving on the road, and now gets the Seahawks at home. Seattle has struggled vs backs lately in general, in both the run and through the air.

For as good as CMC’s spot is, Kamara’s is arguably better. The Saints’ offense will still be missing weapons, and he’s the clear top option on the team. He faces a Panthers defense that has been killed against backs all season.

While there is a drop-off from the top 2 in projectable upside, the depth and talent of the group are impressive. Pacheco and Robinson are getting plenty of work on the ground and through the air. Montgomery and Mixon are in great match-ups, and have 2 TD upside.  Any of these 6 can be your lead back no problem.

Going further down the list for Flex plays we continue to see great usage for players like Jacobs, Kyren Williams, White, Etienne, and Moss. Ekeler’s play has struggled of late, but I like the divisional match-up for him. Even in the sleeper group, players like Gibbs, J. Williams, Cook, and Ford stand out as strong plays.

Wide Receivers:

1. Stefon Diggs
2. Justin Jefferson
3. Keenan Allen
4. Amon-Ra St. Brown
5. Deebo Samuel
6. Ja’Marr Chase
7. Mike Evans
8. DJ Moore
9. Michael Pittman Jr.
10. Zay Flowers
11. Brandon Aiyuk
12. Nico Collins
13. Courtland Sutton
14. Davante Adams
15. DK Metcalf
16. Puka Nacua
17. Tyler Lockett
18. Calvin Ridley

Sleepers: Gabe Davis, Cooper Kupp, Odell Beckham Jr., Jordan Addison, Noah Brown, Chris Olave, Rashee Rice, Elijah Moore, Garrett Wilson, Amari Cooper, Drake London

The top of the receiver group is very strong this week with several top names in great match-ups. Diggs is the top WR on my board, but honestly, you can make a case for any of the top 4. What is nice is having Justin Jefferson back as a Fantasy Football option. I expect him to be heavily involved, despite some QB questions.

Even after the top 4 there are some receivers with really good projectable volume and strong match-ups. Samuel, Evans, Chase, Moore, and Pittman are all hard to argue against. Samuel is the only one with a QB we can truly trust, but his role is the least safe, as the 49ers have so many weapons. The others should easily see 8-12 targets, and can dominate if their QB can get them the ball.

After the top 9 I do see a bit of a drop-off as we get some even thinner situations or just some bad match-ups that have to leave you a bit wary. Some are good plays if you essentially guess right with the usage, like Aiyuk and Flowers.

Some of the lower receivers that do stand out are Nico Collins, Courtland Sutton and  Elijah Moore. Collins in any other match-up would probably be ranked top 6, so if he can overcome the Jets defense, you could get a fantastic play.

Sutton has been mister consistent this season getting between 50-70 yards and a TD in number of games, but he’s yet to show a real ceiling performance. That could change in this match-up versus the Chargers. If he gets that 2nd TD, and/or a few more catches to go well over 100 yards, he is a fantastic option.

Moore saw his targets reach 12 this past week vs the Rams, in a game with Amari Cooper leaving due to a concussion. Moore also is playing again with Joe Flacco whom he had his best games with as a rookie in New York. If Cooper is out, Moore could be a focal point this week and barely drafted.

Tight Ends:

1. Travis Kelce
2. Sam LaPorta
3. George Kittle
4. T.J. Hockenson
5. Dalton Kincaid
6. Evan Engram

Sleepers: Cole Kmet, Kyle Pitts, David Njoku, Gerald Everett, Isaiah Likely

This is the deepest TE week we’ve seen in quite some time so you don’t have to necessarily grab any one TE to feel confident about the week. That being said keep in mind last week, LaPorta still separated form almost every other TE on the slate outside of McBride.

Kelce is going to have to be featured in this match-up if the Chiefs have a hope to win the game. LaPorta has had back-to-back big weeks, and is clearly the number 2 option in that Lions offense.

Kittle didn’t do much in this match-up a couple weeks ago, but San Fran didn’t throw much that game. We just saw the Cowboys pass all over the Seahawks, including getting their TE heavily involved. So if the 49ers do have to throw, Kittle absolutely can be a primary beneficiary.