The Week 14 NFL Dashboard
For the rest of our positional breakdowns and team previews, visit our NFL dashboard.
Bengals at Browns
The last time these teams played each other, the Bengals won 31-17 in Cincinnati. This weekend, the Bengals are 5.5-point favorites as they travel to Cleveland. The over/under is the second-lowest on the week at 43 points. The Bengals have an implied team total of 24.25, while the Browns sit at 18.75.
Cincinnati Bengals
Writer: John Proctor
QB – Andy Dalton
Last week, Dalton had a major bounceback after struggling in Week 12. He was Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded QB in Week 13, as he torched the Eagles for 332 yards and two touchdowns. He completed 74 percent of his passes, committed zero turnovers, and took zero sacks against an Eagles defense ranked fourth against the pass in Football Outsiders’ Defense-Adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA).
This week Dalton gets to match up with the Browns, who are 31st in pass DVOA. The Browns allow the second-most yards per attempt (7.6) and have allowed the most passing touchdowns this year (28). They are also the only team in the NFL with fewer than 20 sacks this season. Dalton is a top-seven DraftKings and FanDuel QB in the Levitan Player Model.
RB – Jeremy Hill
Hill now has 43 touches in the last two games with Giovani Bernard out of the lineup. Unfortunately, he has averaged less than two yards per carry in that span. We should, however, expect to see Hill continue to handle the majority of the workload for the Bengals.
This week he faces off against a Browns defense ranked 29th in rush DVOA. The Browns are allowing 4.5 yards per carry on the season and have allowed 13 rushing TDs. While Hill has struggled the last two weeks, he gets the perfect chance to bounce back against the Browns. Hill is currently the top-rated DK and RB RB in the Levitan Model.
RB – Rex Burkhead
After playing half of the snaps in Week 12, Burkhead played less in Week 13. However, he did see 12 touches to Hill’s 25. While his eight to 12 touches diminish Hill’s workload, Rex isn’t seeing enough work to be a usable option.
WR – A.J. Green
Green (hamstring) has been ruled out for Week 14.
WR – Brandon LaFell
LaFell last week had a bounceback game against the Eagles weak cornerbacks. He caught five passes for 95 yards and a touchdown. It is his first game over 90 yards since Week 1. Since Green has been out of the lineup, LaFell has 12 catches for 165 yards and a touchdown.
Per our Matchups tool, LaFell this week should match up a lot with Joe Haden, who has graded extremely poorly this season. PFF ranks Joe Haden 97th in coverage out of 122 qualifying cornerbacks. Although the targets are there and the matchup is good, LaFell continues to be an inconsistent option.
WR – Tyler Boyd
While LaFell put together the big game in Week 13, Boyd has quietly turned into a consistent part of this offense the last three weeks. He now has three straight games with at least four receptions and 50 receiving yards. However, he’s yet to exhibit substantial upside, as he has zero games with more than 80 yards.
Boyd has a median projection of 13.4 DK points and five DK Pro Trends this Week.
WR – James Wright
Wright continues to operate as the WR3 in this offense, but he doesn’t have a fantasy-relevant role. He saw only two targets last week.
TE – Tyler Eifert
Eifert saw 11 targets in the Bengals’ first game without Green but only two last week. However, the Eagles have allowed the fewest receptions and the second-fewest yards to tight ends this season. With Green out of the lineup, Eifert’s target total this week should be more similar to that of Week 12 than Week 13.
Eifert now gets to face a Browns defense that has allowed the most receiving yards, most receptions, and most touchdowns to the position this season. Tight ends have averaged 6-65-0.75 stat lines against the Browns this year. Eifert has back-to-back games with a touchdown since Green’s injury and has a good chance of scoring a TD this week. Eifert has the highest and second-highest FD and DK ceiling projections this week.
Cleveland Browns
Writer: John Proctor
QB – Robert Griffin III
Griffin is returning to start for the Browns. In his one start earlier this season, he wasn’t particularly good. In that game, the Browns scored 10 points, and Griffin completed 46 percent of his passes. He threw for 190 yards and an interception on the day. However, it is worth noting that this outing came against the Eagles defense, which is fourth in pass DVOA.
This week, he draws a Bengals defense that has played much better as of late. Over the last four weeks, the Bengals have allowed an average of only 17.5 points against them. The Bengals defense now ranks 17th in pass DVOA. While it is a small sample, Griffin’s only start this season does not instill confidence. He has the slate’s lowest and third-lowest DK and FD projected ceilings.
RB – Isaiah Crowell
Crowell has not reached 50 rushing yards in a game since Week 7. Over his last four games, he has only 39 carries. He did see 16 carries in his last game, but he averaged only 2.75 yards per carry. While his performance on the ground has not been good, Crowell does have 17 targets over his last three games. He has turned those targets into 14 catches for 90 yards.
In theory, the return of Griffin should boost Crowell’s rushing output, as RG3 is a running QB. Crowell ran for over five yards per carry in his only game with RG3 this season. Additionally, even though Crowell has a low floor for a starting RB, his recent passing volume makes him a value on DK, where he’s a top-10 RB in the Levitan Model.
RB – Duke Johnson Jr.
Duke has not had more than five carries since Week 7 and five targets since Week 8. With his lack of involvement, Duke has not cleared 10 DK points in four weeks. Johnson is very difficult to trust while Crowell is eating into his pass game work.
WR – Terrelle Pryor
In Griffin’s only start this season, Pryor led the team in target market share with 27 percent. Granted, Griffin threw only 26 passes in that game. Even with a rotating crew of QBs, Pryor still has five or more catches in five straight games.
This week Pryor will face a Bengals defense allowing a -2.2 FD Opponent Plus/Minus to WRs over the last 16 games. With a down matchup and a new quarterback, Pryor will be very difficult to roster.
WR – Corey Coleman
Since eviscerating CB Shareece Wright in Week 2, Coleman has yet to top 50 receiving yards in a game. Since his return in Week 9, Coleman has also caught less than 50 percent of his targets. Until his ability to work with Griffin is exhibited, he’s a risky option.
WR – Andrew Hawkins
Hawkins has four targets and one catch over his last three games.
TE – Gary Barnidge
Unfortunately for Barnidge, Griffin under center is a major downgrade if Week 1 is any indication. He saw only two targets in that game. Plus, Barnidge is dealing with a knee injury that limited his Week 12 snaps. Still, he could be an option in guaranteed prize pools, as the Bengals are allowing a +6.4 DK Opponent Plus/Minus to tight ends over the last 16 games.
News Updates
After this piece is published, FantasyLabs is likely to provide news updates on a number of players herein mentioned. Be sure to stay ahead of your competition with our industry-leading DFS-focused news blurbs:
