Week #14 of NFL action is already underway, and as Sunday approaches, it’s time to start thinking about your daily fantasy football roster again. As we get ready to build our own rosters, we like to look at what the experts in Las Vegas are thinking as they create the odds and the payouts for the games themselves. Piggybacking on this, here is our breakdown of a few of this weekend’s games.
Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers
This game has so much potential, but just looking at Vegas will not tell you that. The Panthers are currently 9 point favorites, which is mainly because they are the only undefeated team left in the NFL right now. Carolina QB Cam Newton is on fire this season, coming from out of nowhere (seemingly) to be the top choice for MVP. This game, though, will be a good litmus test for him. The Falcons have one of the worst defenses in the NFL right now. They only have 13 sacks on the year, putting them in last in this category, although they have not given up as many points as many other teams have. If Newton is MVP material, he should shine this game against the weaker penetration of Atlanta’s defense. It gives him more time with passing, and lets his already superb running game be that much easier for him.
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Look to Carolina TE Greg Olsen to have a better than average game on Sunday. He has 76.4 yards per game right now, and this number should be closer to 90 or 100 yards this weekend. He also has a better than average chance of touchdowns as a result.
Avoid Atlanta QB Matt Ryan for this game. The Carolina Panthers have the fourth highest number of sacks in the NFL, and Ryan has been hot and cold this season. He’s likely to be cold this game, unfortunately. That also means WR Julio Jones will likely not have a standout game for this one. He may have to rely on RB Devonta Freeman—already one of the top RBs in the league—more than normal.
Tennessee Titans at New York Jets
Who would have thought that QB Ryan Fitzpatrick would be a great DFS quarterback this year? When he left Buffalo, nobody really had any high hopes for him. The Jets have made him into a contender, though, and this might be one of his standout games this season. New York is a 7 point favorite over Tennessee, and a lot of this will come from Fitzpatrick. Yes, he’s only averaging 238.8 yards per game, which is not attractive, but he has 22 touchdowns. The best overall QB in the league right now, Andy Dalton, only has 25. There’s a lot of potential here, especially considering that.
Titans’ QB Marcus Mariota has a higher QB Rating than Fitzpatrick, so he could be the better choice here. But with New York’s superior defense, it seems unlikely that he will perform at his typical level for this game. Things look like Mariota will have a worse than normal game while Fitzpatrick will be better than normal. The Jets only allow 20.7 points per game this year, while the Titans are at 24.7. It’s a big difference in a game like this. If you are able to get Mariota for a cheaper price than Fitzpatrick, he could be worthwhile, but that’s probably the only case where this is true.
Look to New York WRs Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker for your lineups if you can. Decker should be cheaper because of fewer yards, but he does have a lot of touchdown potential, already scoring 8 on the year. He is listed as probable for this game. Marshall has more than 200 yards extra this season, but just 10 touchdowns. And because Fitzpatrick isn’t the best yard producer when it comes to his passing, also look to New York RB Chris Ivory. There are also rumors that cornerback Darrelle Revis will be playing this game, but this is an unknown factor at the moment when it comes to fantasy worth.
