NFL

4 NFL FanDuel Studs to Target in Week 14

There's only four weeks left as Thursday Night Football kicks off this evening. But, there's no time for sadness -- it's time to get those buckies in DFS play.

As is the case when playing any sport on FanDuel, it’s imperative to hit on the high-priced players in your lineup. They require a big chunk of your salary, and when paying up for a player, you shouldn’t have to worry about him letting down your lineup.

Here are four studs who should prove to be worth their high price tag.

Sam Darnold, QB, New York Jets

FanDuel Price: $7,700
Projected Points: 18.6

The New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins aren't exactly two AFC East titans, but that doesn't mean we will see a shortage of offensive fireworks this week.

This Miami defense has been bombed on a weekly basis and has allowed 400 or more total yards four times. They are the league's worst pass defense based on our opponent-adjusted metrics. While Sam Darnold owns a Passing Net Expected Points (NEP) per drop back mark of only 0.03 this season (shy of the NFL average of 0.08), Bookmakers seem to think points will be scored here. The Jets' 25.50 implied team total is fourth-best on the main slate.

We have Darnold pegged for a solid scoring afternoon, and he ranks eighth in value without completely breaking the bank.

Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings

FanDuel Price: $8,700
Projected Points: 20.8

Despite missing some time in Week 13 with a shoulder injury, Dalvin Cook expects to suit up this week in a key divisional matchup. Let's fire this bad boy up.

The Detroit Lions have sunk to becoming one of the league's worst defenses -- we clock them in as the league's fourth-worst unit, so it's no surprise that the Minnesota Vikings sport the highest implied team total this week as heavy home favorites.

And let's not forget Cook's performance against them earlier this year when he gashed this Lions team for 149 total yards and 2 scores.

If you can stomach the risk around Cook and if he suits up, he could be an explosive play.

Devonta Freeman, RB, Atlanta Falcons

FanDuel Price: $6,000
Projected Points: 12.9

While Devonta Freeman may only be the 25th-most expensive running back on FanDuel, there's a decent chance he could the top overall value on this week's main slate with a borderline stud workload.

Freeman's upside stems from the absolutely horrendous Carolina Panthers rushing defense. They rank as the league's worst via our per-play metrics and have been absolutely demolished in recent weeks. In an embarrassing home loss a week ago to the Washington Redskins, Derrius Guice and Adrian Peterson combined for 23 rushing attempts, 228 rushing yards, and 3 scores on the ground.

It's not a one-week fluke, either. The week before that, the New Orleans Saints carried the rock 18 times for 118 yards and a score.

Freeman returned from his injury to play 66.7% of the snaps last week and had 22 total opportunities, in line with his early-season role. Fire up Freeman and expect a big day at a cheaper-than-usual stud salary.

Courtland Sutton, WR, Denver Broncos

FanDuel Price: $7,300
Projected Points: 12.5

Rostering a player like Courtland Sutton may seem odd, as he's paired with rookie quarterback Drew Lock in only his second career NFL start. But, don't be scared off, fam. Sutton is ready to ball.

Regardless of who has been under center, Sutton has been outstanding. He's been a monster part of the offense with a 23.7% target market share on the full season. Lock targeted him five times in his debut, including three deep targets. Sutton also accounted for 53.8% of the team's air yards in that contest.

Overall, his 90 targets rank him 19th in the NFL, and his 906 receiving yards rank him 11th in the NFL, despite playing on a poor passing offense (fourth-worst, per our numbers).

But now he attacks a very bad Houston Texans defense which has been gashed as of late. Dating back to Week 5, they've allowed 350 or more total yards in six of eight contests, and in two of the last three contests, they've allowed 425-plus yards.

The Texans also get zero pressure on the quarterback -- they rank fifth-worst in Adjusted Sack Rate (6.2%), and that's including the services of J.J. Watt, who's out for the season with a pectoral injury.

Similar to quarterback, the top end of the pool has some question marks. Michael Thomas ($8,600), DeAndre Hopkins ($8,300), and Tyreek Hill ($8,300) face tough matchups, and Davante Adams ($8,400) and Stefon Diggs ($8,000) could be blowout risks. Don't be afraid to dial up Sutton in Week 14.


Matt Kupferle is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Matt Kupferle also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username MKupferle. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.