Quarterbacks
Johnny Manziel, CLE (vs Cincinnati) - Manziel was able to notch a rushing touchdown in less than a quarter on the field against Buffalo in Week 13. His running ability means he can have a great fantasy game even if he struggles greatly as a passer. Those struggles might not be so likely against a Bengals defense that just got shredded by the Steelers because Manziel will have Josh Gordon and Jordan Cameron at the end of his passes, among others, and a solid running game. Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan won’t be shy about using Manziel as a runner by design, as he did with Robert Griffin III in Washington. Manziel’s upside this week is top 3 QB.
Jake Locker, TEN (vs New York Jets) - Locker will take back over with Zach Mettenberger sidelined by a shoulder injury, and he couldn’t pick a better defense to face (unless he could face his own). The Jets have given up multiple pass touchdowns to ten of the twelve quarterbacks they’ve faced this year. Locker also has running ability to raise his floor and ceiling, and the Jets stiff run defense probably means he’ll be throwing a lot.
Joe Flacco, BAL (vs Jacksonville) - Flacco has actually run in touchdowns himself each of the last two weeks, and he’s facing a Jaguars defense that has been one of the most generous through the air of any in the league. Coming off back to back games where Flacco accounted for three scores against San Diego and Miami, he should be primed for another good one against a lesser Jaguars unit.
Running backs
LeGarrette Blount, NE (vs Miami) - Blount has emerged as the Patriots lead back. Look for Bill Belichick to mercilessly bludgeon the Dolphins porous run defense with Blount force trauma this weekend. The Dolphins have been creased by the Ravens and Jets the last two weeks, and Belichick has always been one to force a defense to play from its weakness. Blount could easily get 25+ carries in the type of December script he has flourished with as a member of the Patriots.
Marcel Reece, OAK (at Kansas City) - Reece has something special brewing with rookie QB Derek Carr. He has caught 13 passes in the last two games, with no fewer than six in either game, and a score last week. Reece was part of a Raiders passing attack that exploited the 49ers trouble in coverage in their linebacker and safety groups, and the Chiefs are playing backups at both positions. Consider him a sneaky PPR flex play in deep leagues.
Latavius Murray, OAK (at Kansas City) - Oakland head coach Tony Sparano lied about not using Murray as a workhorse, instead feeding him 23 carries last week in the win over San Francisco. Murray ripped off the only two rushing scores the Chiefs have allowed all year in their first meeting, and the Raiders should be competitive enough for him to have plenty of opportunities to notch a third or more in this game.
Chris Johnson/Chris Ivory, NYJ (at Tennessee) - Rex Ryan is splitting this backfield right down the middle, and Johnson is actually playing well, so both are viable flex plays or desperation RB2 plays. The Titans have been gashed by the run in the second half of the season, giving up at least 15 nonPPR fantasy points an opposing running back for each of the last six games.
Isaiah Crowell, CLE (vs Cincinnati) - Cleveland offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan knows how to make a running game with a running quarterback click. Just ask Alfred Morris, who had a record-breaking rookie year with Shanahan and Robert Griffin III. The Bengals defense is going to be majorly concerned with containing Johnny Manziel as a runner first, which should open up lanes on read option runs and give Crowell a chance to break off long gains, including in the red zone where he has been a finisher for the Browns this year.
Wide receivers
Marquess Wilson, CHI (vs New Orleans) - Wilson will get the chance to see a lot of one-on-one coverage against a secondary that has been allowing big games to wide receivers all season. The Saints just benched safety Kenny Vaccaro, and they’ll be more concerned with Alshon Jeffery and Martellus Bennett than Wilson, who received multiple deep targets after Brandon Marshall left the game in Week 14. Wilson could be a snake eyes roll, but Jay Cutler should give him a chance to be a seven or eleven for those that roll the dice on this underrated talent.
Marqise Lee, JAX (at Baltimore) - Things are so bad in the Baltimore secondary that they just signed Antoine Cason, who wasn’t good enough to hang in Carolina’s secondary, which is one of the worst in the NFC. Lee has been playing like a #1 receiver the last two weeks, and without Denard Robinson, the Jaguars are that much more likely to air it out against the soft underbelly of the Ravens defense. Lee should have a high floor and a high ceiling against the struggling Ravens pass defense.
Preston Parker/Rueben Randle, NYG (vs Washington) - Odell Beckham Jr could surely hog all of the production against this beleaguered defense, but if Eli Manning looks elsewhere, he’ll probably see Parker and Randle running free against the Washington stationary secondary. Washington gives up big plays on lapses in the secondary routinely, so Parker and Randle only need a few targets to come through.
Cole Beasley, DAL (at Philadelphia) - Beasley has three scores in the last three games, and he almost had a third score in last week’s game at Chicago alone. Terrance Williams appears to be an afterthought in this passing game now, and there will lots to exploit against the Eagles. Tony Romo will be rested and ready this time around, and Beasley seems to be his man in the red zone. He could easily account for multiple scores if Romo is on for this potentially high-scoring matchup.
Kamar Aiken, BAL (vs Jacksonville) - Torrey Smith is looking likely to miss this one, and Aiken will be more than happy to face the Jaguars secondary in his stead. Aiken has caught 9 of 11 targets the last two weeks, for almost 13 yards a reception and a score. He should have a high floor with Joe Flacco playing well and good chemistry already established with the starting QB.
Donte Moncrief, IND (vs Houston) - The Colts look like they are going to stick with Reggie Wayne even though he is held together with duct tape and bailing wire at this point. Moncrief can still make it worthwhile for those that start him with a ton of snaps as the #3 receiver. TY Hilton has destroyed the Texans in his short career, and Houston is likely to give him the most attention, giving Moncrief a good shot to get free deep against them. Andrew Luck has made Moncrief a surprise stud two weeks ago, and a big performance could be in store for Moncrief again this week.
Tight Ends
Zach Ertz, PHI (at Dallas) - Ertz was a dud in the first matchup with the Cowboys, but mostly because the Eagles didn’t need to keep the pass offense opened up in the second half. He came alive with the only good downfield passing play against the Seahawks last week, and Dallas has allowed ten scores to tight ends already this year. Martellus Bennett caught 12 balls against them last week, and the likes of Larry Donnell, Delanie Walker, Jared Cook, and Vernon Davis have had big games against them this year.
Larry Donnell, NYG (vs Washington) - Washington is one of the most generous defenses in the league to tight ends. They have allowed the #1 TE to score twice in each of the last two games, while allowing seven touchdowns to tight ends in the other 11 games. Did we mention that Donnell had three scores the first time these two teams met?
Delanie Walker, TEN (vs New York Jets) - The Jets have allowed 12 touchdowns to tight ends this year, and injuries have left Walker as probably the most viable receiver on the field for the Titans. In three games with Jake Locker as the starter to begin the season, Walker had 17 catches for 243 yards and two scores, so Locker knows where he is and how to find him.
Mychal Rivera, OAK (at Kansas City) - Rivera looked like an emerging TE earlier this year, only to stall out from Week 11-13. He broke out of his slump with a huge game last week against San Francisco, and he’ll be prominent early in rookie QB Derek Carr’s reads against the Chiefs pass rush. Rivera has at least seven targets in five of the last seven games, so he has a relatively high opportunity floor at a tough position.
