Week 14 Fantasy Football FantasySP Expert Picks: Saquon Barkley, Grant Calcaterra, Will Levis and More

Most fantasy leagues are in their final regular season week. Owners have one last chance to make the perfect move to secure a playoff spot, allowing you to fight for a championship rather than a consolation prize.

To help you prepare, Ted Chymz, Morgan Rode, Brant Tedeschi, Mark Morales-Smith, and Daniel Hepner answered five questions in advance of Week 14 of the fantasy football season.

Quarterback is hammered by guys on bye this week: Lamar Jackson, Jayden Daniels, Anthony Richardson, C.J. Stroud, Drake Maye, and Bo Nix. Who is your favorite streaming QB with a good matchup who can fill in?

Ted: I’m scared to even type this, but I like Will Levis this week. It’s hard to overstate how bad the Jaguars’ pass defense is: They give up 0.312 EPA per play, while the next worst team allows just 0.175. Levis has been playing slightly better of late and hopefully will be able to take advantage of this super-soft matchup.

Morgan: Aidan O'Connell. He faces the Buccaneers, who are tied for the most fantasy points allowed to fantasy quarterbacks. AOC looked good against the Chiefs last week, and I think he’s in line for another good fantasy showing this week.

Daniel: Levis has the best matchup of the week; he’s a stream-worthy player. Russell Wilson also has a chance to continue his run of success against the vulnerable Browns.

Mark: If we are looking at matchup, I’ll take Derek Carr against a sinking Giants team who look like they know their season is over. However, I’m faced with a dilemma this week on a team that I have both Lamar and Daniels and opted for the fun option in Jameis Winston over all these guys.

Isaac Guerendo became the hottest name on the waiver wire when the two backs ahead of him in San Francisco hit IR. Is there another running back who might see increased usage over the last month-plus of the season?

Ted: My sneaky pick for the top handcuff to stash is Kenneth Gainwell. He’s not Saquon Barkley, but the Eagles’ O-line is opening holes you or I could run through right now. Gainwell is the Eagles’ clear RB2 and is currently rostered in only 3.6% of leagues. He could be a legit league winner if (fantasy gods forbid) anything were to happen to Saquon.

Brant: Jonathon Brooks has seen his ownership decrease, from 83% to 58%, as he is getting involved in the offense, and the Panthers are putting up some decent offensive numbers in general. In Week 13, he had 9 touches. They have the seventh-easiest schedule moving forward for running backs. Don’t be surprised if the backfield plays the “hot hand” scenario and he ends up with a solid month.

Morgan: I’ll go with Braelon Allen. I think the Jets are eventually going to shut Breece Hall down for the season, and then Allen will be the team’s clear No. 1 back. If you have a roster spot to play with, you could beat the crowd by adding Allen now.

Daniel: Brooks is the guy I’ve been watching. Carolina has no reason to hold him back if he’s healthy, and he could have his best weeks during the fantasy playoffs. I’ve liked Gainwell as a bench player all season, but Barkley’s continued health has made the former mostly redundant.

Mark: It’s Allen for me. For as long as Hall is out, I’d be opting for him over Guerendo because Allen is the superior play.

Give us a receiver you are benching this week because of his matchup.

Ted: Does Jaylen Waddle count? I wouldn’t be surprised if most managers were already benching him due to his overall lack of production this season, but this is definitely a week where Waddle is best left out of starting lineups.

Morgan: I’ll stick with the Jets and say Garrett Wilson. He’s been underwhelming in three straight games and appears to be the No. 2 guy behind Davante Adams now - plus, Allen Lazard is likely back to take away some more looks. In a tough matchup with the Dolphins, Wilson might be better served on your bench this week.

Daniel: Xavier Legette, Adam Thielen, and the rest of the Carolina pass catchers have a brutal matchup against Philadelphia. The Eagles have allowed the least yards per pass attempt and seventh-least fantasy points per game to wide receivers. These guys are low-level fantasy players anyway, and this tanks their value.

Mark: Because of bye weeks, it’s tough to bench anyone this week, and the answer would have been Tyreek Hill before we got the news on Sauce Gardner. I swapped him in for Jauan Jennings, so I guess that has to be my answer.

How about a tight end who might get into the end zone?

Ted: I like Grant Calcaterra, who will be filling in for the injured Dallas Goedert in the Eagles’ offense. Calcaterra has seen decent usage so far this season whenever Goedert is out, and the Panthers lead the league with 0.75 touchdowns given up to tight ends per game. 

Morgan: Give me the Dallas tight end, whether that be Jake Ferguson or Luke Schoonmaker. Cincinnati allows the second-most touchdowns to opposing tight ends, and Dallas doesn’t have a ton of pass catchers in the first place. Honestly, both guys could have big fantasy days.

Daniel: Cade Otton matches up with the Raiders this week, the team that has allowed the third-most fantasy points per game to tight ends. It’s a great chance to rack up some yards and receptions, and he might score a touchdown while he’s at it.

Mark: I’m with Ted. I love Calcaterra this week as a streaming option against the Panthers with Goedert out. 

And finally, who will be the fantasy MVP of Week 14?

Ted: It has to be Saquon Barkley. The Panthers have looked slightly improved of late, but they stand absolutely no chance against the Eagles’ rushing attack. Barkley is -250 (71% implied odds) to score a touchdown and has a rushing yards line of over 100. If you’re playing against him this week, good luck. 

Morgan: I’m going to go out on a limb and say a receiver, Ja'Marr Chase. The Bengals’ offense hasn’t been an issue all season. Dallas doesn’t necessarily struggle against wide receivers, but this just feels like another shootout, and I think Chase goes off in it. Yes, that probably means Joe Burrow outscores him, but I wanted to switch things up a bit!

Daniel: Barkley is a good pick, and his quarterback, Jalen Hurts, might be the next most likely guy to earn the nod. The Panthers have one of the worst defenses in the league and might be at risk of giving up 50 points to the Eagles.

Mark: I’d love to give a different answer but it’s so clearly Saquon. Sometimes the obvious choice is the correct one.