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Fantasy Football Make or Break: Chasing upside in must-win Week 14

tera roberts
Yahoo Fantasy Contributor
·7-min read

We took a little break in Week 13, but I’m back with five “make or break” players for Week 14. Six teams are on a bye this week and top talent is out, leaving fantasy managers with critical choices at all positions.

We’re hitting every single offensive position this week with high-upside, risky options that could pay off in a bye-week pinch.

Will Levis has crept up the rankings to a borderline QB1 and a very streamable option in Week 14. Of all the players on bye this week, the quarterback position is perhaps the hardest hit, with four typical top-12 ranked quarterbacks — Lamar Jackson, Jayden Daniels, Bo Nix and C.J. Stroud — on a bye, plus strong streaming options like Anthony Richardson and Drake Maye. Add in terrible matchups for typically trustworthy options like Matthew Stafford and Geno Smith, and you’ve got the perfect storm that has carried Levis into potential QB1 territory.

There are other interesting streaming options this week. Cooper Rush has an excellent matchup against Cincinnati, and Aidan O’Connell looked fantastic last week and has a great matchup against Tampa Bay. Oddly enough, Levis is the most trustworthy option among the less reliable quarterbacks with excellent matchups.

Yes, I said it: Will Levis is trustworthy. Since returning from injury, and despite facing several strong defensive matchups, Levis has shown a surprisingly solid floor with a minimum of 16 fantasy points and one top-10 finish against the L.A. Chargers.

Levis is chaotic and he will turn the ball over, but he’s thrown two touchdowns in three of the past four games. He has a tendency to throw for volume, and when he doesn’t, he’s oddly accurate. Regardless of whether he throws fewer than 25 attempts or more than 30, he completes nearly exactly 18 passes every game. It’s not a lot, but it is reliable.

In a week where fantasy managers are hunting for streaming quarterbacks with a combination of a solid floor and QB1 upside, Levis offers both, particularly in a matchup against a Jacksonville defense that has given up the most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks.

With J.K. Dobbins out for the season, the Chargers’ backfield remains a puzzle that feels impossible to solve. Last week, Gus Edwards, Kimani Vidal and Hassan Haskins combined for just 52 rushing yards on 11 carries and one reception. To be fair, the Falcons defense has been tougher against the run than the pass recently and the entire game flow was very odd.

Unfortunately, this week’s matchup against Kansas City isn’t any better and likely won’t provide much clarity. Edwards should be the lead back, but he has yet to score double-digit fantasy points in a game this season. The somewhat good news is that Edwards does appear to be the lead back and efficiency wasn’t the issue last week; the Chargers just had limited output offensively as a whole.

Edwards offers no receiving upside and the Chiefs allow the fewest fantasy points to running backs. That said, a lead back is a lead back and with so many options on a bye or dealing with injuries, Edwards is ranked as a high-end RB3 or flex option.

Edwards’ best-case scenario is a goal-line touchdown set up by Justin Herbert exploiting Kansas City’s vulnerable secondary. Without a touchdown, you’re looking at another sub-five-point performance. However, if he manages to capitalize at the goal line, 10-15 fantasy points is a realistic expectation.

Edwards isn’t the only Charger we care about this week. When I initially picked out players for this article, things weren’t looking particularly good for Ladd McConkey, but he is practicing, so he may play this week. We’ll need to monitor injury news because if McConkey is out or potentially limited, the Chargers’ receiving corps becomes desolate with no truly trustworthy option. Rather than forcing 10-15 targets Quentin Johnston’s way, we could see an increased reliance on Will Dissly.

Dissly was dealing with an injury last week and played a normal snap count but had just one target and zero receptions — a shocking output for a tight end many fantasy managers have been leaning on as a streaming option. Dissly operated as the TE1 for most of the season but really came into prominence in Week 7 with eight receptions on 11 targets for 81 yards. From Week 7 through Week 12, Dissly was a borderline TE1, averaging eight fantasy points per game. While that may feel underwhelming, it’s enough to make him a reliable streaming option.

Dissly’s lack of touchdown equity does cap his potential in non-PPR leagues, but his prior volume was reliable before last week. If targets shift back to Dissly, this is the perfect matchup to play him. Kansas City has been incredibly stout against the run and more vulnerable against the pass, particularly to tight ends, to whom it's allowed the fourth-most fantasy points this season. Monitor McConkey’s status and play Dissly accordingly.

Cooper Rush is slightly rising up the rankings as a streaming option this week given the matchup against Cincinnati, but it’s still incredibly difficult to trust him, knowing his floor could be negative points. Rush is more of a desperation-heavy option for Superflex. However, in typical leagues, his pass catchers are the more intriguing options.

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The Cowboys have leaned heavily on Rico Dowdle recently, and that should continue given the matchup. However, if Cincinnati dominates Dallas’ defense, the Cowboys could be forced to pass more. CeeDee Lamb remains the clear top target, but secondary options are potentially viable this week.

Cooks returned to the lineup last week, and while his snap count was limited (likely due to easing him back in), the team was intentional with his targets. We also saw an uptick in usage for Turpin. Turpin has been electric on special teams, and it makes sense to integrate such a dynamic weapon into the offense. It might feel terrifying to turn to Rush’s second and third options, but if you’re struggling to find viable fill-ins, the matchup presents an excellent opportunity for speculative plays.

The Cowboys have been trying to make Jonathan Mingo happen — but we can all see this is a failing effort — and Jalen Tolbert remains present as well, but Cooks and Turpin are the only options with real upside. In most leagues, Cooks is the safer play, as his limited snaps last week were likely due to his return from injury. He should see increased usage this week, and his track record speaks for itself.

In deeper leagues, Turpin is a risky but intriguing option. It’s tough to see a scenario where he has significant touches but four to five of them is enough for a player like Turpin to produce flex-worthy upside.

For fantasy managers looking at deeper options, Washington is a realistic pivot. I promise this is not reactionary. Washington’s Week 13 breakout performance was directly tied to Gabe Davis being out and Houston’s secondary becoming more vulnerable after the ejection of Texans’ linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair. When Davis is out, Washington sees an increase in snap count. The opportunity is there, it’s just a matter of whether Mac Jones can have a solid game and supply enough volume to his receiving corps.

This week’s matchup against Tennessee is intriguing. The Titans have been generous to opposing quarterbacks and receivers in the back half of the season. While quarterback volume hasn’t always been extremely high against Tennessee, it’s been sufficient to produce multiple fantasy-relevant receivers.

Despite the defensive struggles here on both sides, Vegas doesn’t expect this to be a high-scoring matchup with an over/under of just 40.5. However, the expectation is a close matchup and that dynamic should allow the Jags to put together a balanced attack. For Mac Jones’ success, we want him in a close, comfortable game where he can effectively distribute the ball.

It takes a strong stomach to play Washington, given the volatility of the Jags’ offense. However, as the second option behind Brian Thomas Jr., Washington offers potential volume in a week where volume could be king.