Fantasy Life's Week 14 Fantasy Football Cheatsheet serves as a roundtable between Geoff Ulrich, Jonathan Fuller, and Mark Drumheller to catch you up with everything you need to know for the weekend:

Alright … Geoff Ulrich here. I've got questions (and answers), and I want to rope Jonathan and Drumheller for their takes, too. Let’s start this week with the bye-mageddon.

Tough choices are going to have to be made in a week where some of us have to winor score a ton of points for that last wildcard spot – to get in. In his ROS rankings piece, Rob Waziak suggested Parker Washington as a deeper option for teams in need. And in our start/sit column, John Laghezza’s data pointed him to Khalil Herbert as a very deep play, as the Bengals take the gas off Chase Brown.

So, I ask you all …

Who's Your Deep Sleeper For Week 14, with a rostership below 30%?

Geoff: Tyler Conklin vs Miami

Here are the Dolphins' last three games and what the opposing TEs managed to put up against this defense. 

It is possible that every TE on this list might be better miles better than Tyler Conklin, the Jets starting TE who is limited as an open-field runner.

However, the Dolphins' like to play a lot of Cover Three, and that scheme tends to allow a lot of open field and easy catches over the middle. Conklin regularly plays 45-55 snaps every week as it is, and is also coming off a decent game (5 targets, 4 rec, and 32 yards). He also may not have a ton of competition for targets with Breece Hall banged up. 

Mark: Luke Schoonmaker vs. Cincinnati 

It doesn’t get much more desperate than turning to the Dallas offense, but hear me out. The game looks like it’s finally slowing down for Cowboys TE Luke Schoonmaker. The former second-round pick hauled in five receptions on six targets against the Giants, and now faces a leaky Bengals defense without Logan Wilson roaming the middle of the field. Over the last three weeks, Schoonmaker has surprised with 144 receiving yards while earning the trust of his quarterback. The Bengals allow the third-most fantasy points to tight ends, and only Jacksonville and Houston have surrendered more passing TDs.

Jonathan: Juwan Johnson vs New York Giants

I'll keep the TE theme going by picking a player who should step into a larger role with Taysom Hill done for the year and Chris Olave still sidelined. We've seen Johnson pop up for a couple of top-10 TE finishes so far this year and my prediction is that he does it again in Week 14. Johnson saw a season-high in route participation (79%) and target share (19%) last week and should remain one of the top weapons in the passing game due to the depleted WR group in New Orleans.

On paper, the Giants are a tough matchup for TEs, but I think that is a function of their bad rush defense not forcing teams to throw, rather than actually being good at defending the TE position. The Saints will likely go run-heavy as well, but even in a low passing volume offense Johnson should see 5+ targets and has a reasonable shot to score.

In five words or less, what’s your take on the 49ers backfield?

Geoff: Stash Izzy but start Isaac.

Mark: Take what Kyle feeds you.

Jonathan: The system creates fantasy stars.

Speaking of RBs … In my handcuffs column, I tiered the backups you need to get. Crazy how far Rachaad White has fallen. So, that leads me to ask …

Which backup RBs are you chasing who are still out there?

Geoff: Trey Benson

Benson is a wildcard but a player I’m convinced would be a top 10 option at his position were he to step into a starting role. He’s had limited opportunity this season but when he has, he’s flashed the kind of upside that makes the film geeks giggle like schoolgirls.

Conner may be the heart and soul of the Cardinals but he has taken a lot of carries this season and does have an injury history. There is also the potential for the Cardinals to fall out of the race by Week 17 and give Benson a surprise start in a pivotal week for fantasy. 

His low ownership makes him a player worth gambling on going into the playoffs if you have roster space.

Mark: Kenneth Gainwell

Saquon Barkley went viral earlier this season for opting not to chase his single-game rushing record, preferring to watch his fellow running backs eat late in the game. That same scenario is likely to play out a few times over the next few weeks as the Eagles face a slew of soft defenses starting with Carolina—the league’s worst rushing defense—on Sunday. 

If Barkley is forced out of action, Gainwell’s value skyrockets. He will step into an advantageous situation behind a veteran offensive line that ranks 7th in run block win rate. Prior to Barkley’s arrival, Gainwell’s involvement in the Eagles’ red zone offense had fantasy managers side-eyeing Nick Sirrani. So if the opportunity arises, I’m confident the Eagles trust Gainwell enough to vulture a few touchdowns.

Jonathan: Ray Davis

Ray Davis should be rostered in more leagues. He's flashed serious playmaking ability, plays in one of the NFL's best offenses, and has the ability to handle a large workload if needed. Despite only playing more than 40% of snaps in one game so far this season Davis has recorded four finishes as top-20 fantasy RB. In the one game where Davis did start he turned 23 touches into 152 scrimmage yards. I strongly believe that he is a good football player who would be a high-level RB2 in fantasy if James Cook were to miss time.

What’s the one gift you bought so far this year that you are most proud of?

Psst ... Our holiday gift guide is live, so …

Geoff: Gifts? As in spending money on other people? Ugh.

Just kidding. As the father of twin girls, I can share with you some of the requests from their Christmas List, some of which I have already purchased. 

  • A Kitty Squishamello
  • A Kitty pillowcase
  • A Robot Cat (we have a dog that hates cats btw)
  • A Stanley
  • Dogman books

They did write at the bottom that I (Santa) did not have to get all of these things which is nice, because I’m honestly not sure if everything they included even exists.

I will say, as a video game aficionado I will also likely be getting them that sweet Astro Bot game recommended in our Holiday Gift guide.

Mark:  

The gift that I’m most proud of this holiday season is a crossbody bag for my wife, who juggles more responsibilities on the run than any quarterback at the line of scrimmage. You gotta take care of the team MVP.

However, my favorite gift from the Fantasy Life Holiday Gift Guide is the hand-casting kit. What better way to memorialize the hands that punched in the decisions that led to a Fantasy Football championship!

Jonathan: 

I'm most proud of the fact that I have actually done some of my holiday shopping already and haven't left it all for the last minute. Of the gifts I have bought so far I would say the coolest is probably a Mahjong set that my sister wanted. I've also been eyeing some of the gifts in the Fantasy Life Holiday Gift Guide and am very thankful that my wife started playing golf this summer so the home golf simulator can be a gift to both of us. 

In his rankings column, Dwain identified four QBs with great matchups. Rank them for us:

Geoff: 

  1. Levis: He should pop off in this spot. The Jaguars have a terrible coverage secondary to begin with and could be without starting corner Tyson Campbell (thigh). That’s bad news given the improved play of Calvin Ridley and the ascension of the new secretary of anytime TDs, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. Given Tennessee’s injury issues on defense, I think this game is somewhat competitive and Levis pushes for a top-five finish at QB. 
     
  2. Burrow: I’m being a little cheeky ranking Burrow second. He’s in a golden matchup against a Cowboys defense that is still dealing with some injury issues. This could be a spot for Chase Brown to go off given how weak the Cowboys are against the rush, but other than that I expect Joe Chill to post another big day.
     
  3. O’Connell: I mean, anyone playing the Tampa Bay secondary has some juice. O’Connell has actually been pretty decent in this offense and knows to throw the ball to Brock Bowers 10-plus times per game. That’s good enough to be half-decent for fantasy purposes in this spot.
     
  4. Cooper Rush: Team Trey Lance for life!

Mark: 

Joe Burrow is my numero uno. You can’t pull up to the game in the batmobile and not save the day for the fantasy football managers. Consistency wins this time of year, and the Bengals QB has been automatic of late, firing for 300 yards and 3 TDs over each of the past three games. 

Will Levis checks in at No.2. Levis’ aggression will reap big rewards against a Jaguars team that could easily slide into Cancun mode. The matchup is advantageous enough for Levis to insert himself as a Tier 3 option in Dwain’s weekly rankings.

If you are deciding between Aidan O'Connell and Cooper Rush, I’m guessing you have written several letters to Roger Goodell protesting late-season bye weeks. When in doubt, ride with volume. Las Vegas allowed O’Connell to sling it for 35 attempts against Kansas City and 40 against Pittsburgh in Week 12. The Bucs defense ranks fourth worst in dropback EPA allowed since Week 8.

Jonathan:

  1. Joe Burrow is by far the most talented of this group and has the Bengals offense humming. They should be able to score plenty of points against the Dallas defense and might want to make a statement in a primetime game despite the season not going their way. Burrow could easily go for 300-plus passing yards for the fourth straight game and is one of the best fantasy options at the QB position again this week.
     
  2. Will Levis has quietly been playing solid football recently, averaging 261 passing yards per game over his last three contests. I'm not yet convinced that this is some major turning point for his career, but he should be able to keep the hot streak going against a Jacksonville defense that is allowing the most passing yards per game this season. It's also a revenge game for Calvin Ridley so don't be surprised if they throw a bit more than expected to get him his numbers.
     
  3. Aidan O'Connell was dropping dimes in Week 13 and threw for 340 yards against a good Chiefs defense. He may not be that sharp every week but he looked like a significant upgrade over Gardner Minshew and now gets to face a Tampa Bay defense that is allowing the third most passing yards per game this season. The Bucs offense should put up points and the Raiders don't have much of a run game so they should throw the ball plenty. Hopefully, you don't have to dig this deep to find someone to start but you could do worse than O'Connell in Week 14.
     
  4. Cooper Rush has played reasonably well since taking over for Dak Prescott, helping the Cowboys pull off back-to-back upsets against potential playoff teams in their last two games. The Cowboys are also likely to be chasing points against an explosive Bengals offense, but I still view Rush as having a lower ceiling than the other players on this list which is why he ranks last for me.

Compare To Our Week 14 QB Rankings