Top-ranked DFS PRO Jason Mezrahi, founder and CEO of WinDailySports.com, breaks down his favorite Daily Fantasy Football plays at various salary ranges for Week 14 of the NFL. Find out who Jason will be locking in his lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel.
Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports
Top-ranked DFS PRO Jason Mezrahi, founder and CEO of WinDailySports.com, breaks down his favorite Daily Fantasy Football plays at various salary ranges for Week 14 of the NFL. Find out who Jason will be locking in his lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel.
QUARTERBACKS
KYLE ALLEN- $5700 DRAFTKINGS, $7100 FANDUEL
I believe this is the week to pay down at the quarterback position and save cash because you’re going to need it. Kyle Allen can get you there, at near minimum salary for the quarterback position on both sites. He is coming off consecutive 20+ point games and I think it continues in Week 14. The Falcons rank 22nd against opposing quarterbacks and are allowing 259 yards passing per game. The rookie will have something to prove after Ron Rivera was fired and his future is going to become even more of a question moving forward. I think Allen steps up and exceeds value with another 20 point performance this week.
RYAN FITZPATRICK- $6000 DRAFTKINGS, $7400 FANDUEL
The value train continues and who better to highlight that than a man who has gotten a ton of value out of his career. Ryan Fitzpatrick or “Fitzmagic” as they call him, keeps getting it done and puts up points each week no matter what team he plays for. He is coming off two back to back monster games. Fitzpatrick had a 25 point outing versus the Browns and backed it up with a 30 point performance versus the Eagles. He now faces off against the New York Jets and their suspect secondary. Fitzpatrick will be finding his way into my tournament lineups and I will stay away from him in cash games.
RUNNING BACKS
CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY- $10300 DRAFTKINGS, $11000 FANDUEL
Christian McCaffrey is having one of the best seasons I have seen while playing fantasy football. The man is a lock and is averaging a whopping 31 points per game and hopefully carrying me to my season-long championship. He gets points in good and bad matchups, he scores when his team is winning or trailing in games. As long as he is healthy he is on the field accumulating fantasy points. McCaffrey will gash the Atlanta Falcons on the ground and the air. If you have followed this column all season I have written him up in almost every week and I don’t plan to stop anytime soon. I don’t mind pairing him with Kyle Allen and hope this game shoots out.
DERRICK HENRY- $8200 DRAFTKINGS, $9100 FANDUEL
If you like to follow game logs you will like to see 24, 36, 32, and 27 as Derrick Henry’s last 4 games. He has 1140 rushing yards on the season, along with 13 touchdowns and has seen a bump in production ever since Ryan Tannehill took over as quarterback. He gets a dream matchup against Oakland who has allowed the 18th most points to opposing running backs and should be in for another big game. I love the combo of McCaffrey and Henry locking up a solid base of 50 points for both your cash games and tournaments in Week 14.
WIDE RECEIVERS
DEANDRE HOPKINS- $7400 DRAFTKINGS, $8300 FANDUEL
DeAndre Hopkins is an elite wide receiver who is coming off a tough matchup versus the Patriots and Stephon Gilmore. I hope that drives down ownership on Hopkins this week. DeAndre has been consistently good all year and I’m expecting a breakout game at home in the dome. If the Broncos can keep this game close we can see fireworks out of Hopkins here at home.
DEVANTE PARKER- $6900 DRAFTKINGS, $7200 FANDUEL
DeVante Parker was one of the main reasons I will be heading to the FanDuel World Fantasy Football Championship in Puerto Rico next weekend, so I will be sure to play him in a nice matchup versus the New York Jets. Parker is coming off 37 point game and gets to face the Jets who rank 22nd against opposing wide receivers. I love the stack with Fitzpatrick in tournaments.
TIGHT ENDS
JACK DOYLE- $4600 DRAFTKINGS, $6300 FANDUEL
Jack Doyle has seen an uptick in targets and receptions with Eric Ebron put on injured reserve. I want to pay down at tight end and Doyle is one of the best value tight ends of the slate. Doyle should be heavily targeted again this week and the Buccaneers struggle to cover the tight end. They rank 31st against opposing tight ends and allow 281 yards passing per game. I see Doyle with at least 5 receptions for 55 yards and I believe he finds his way into the endzone again this week. Lock Doyle in for the best value tight end of the slate.
VANCE MCDONALD- $4300 DRAFTKINGS, $5800 FANDUEL
We can keep this one short. Play the tight end every week against the Arizona Cardinals. It’s a written rule that you can pair with locking Christian McCaffrey in your lineups. The Arizona Cardinals haven’t been able to cover the tight end for years and the trend continues this week. If you need proof go look at the last 20 games of tight end matchups against the Cardinals and you will be shocked by what’s been done. McDonald should be a safe value play for both cash games and tournaments.
DEFENSES
GREEN BAY PACKERS- $4000 DRAFTKINGS, $5000 FANDUEL
Let’s keep it short and sweet with our defenses. We will be targeting two home teams facing off against weak offenses. The Packers get to face off at home in harsh temperatures versus a rookie quarterback and a lackluster offense. This should be a statement game for this Packer team and hopefully the defense steps up and makes some big plays.
HOUSTON TEXANS- $3300 DRAFTKINGS, $4600 FANDUEL
It’s the same strategy here. Let’s lock in the home team versus a rookie quarterback. This Texan defense has looked better and is coming off an impressive win verse Brady and the Patriots. I think the Texans make for a strong play on DraftKings at $3300 and I will sprinkle in shares of this defense in both cash games and tournaments.
Jason Mezrahi has been a professional, top-ranked Daily Fantasy Player on FanDuel and DraftKings for more than seven years. He has won FanDuel’s $155,555 King of the Diamond competition and placed second in DraftKings’ Fantasy Basketball World Championship, earning him $300,000. He owns and operates WinDailySports.com, which supports the DFS and Sports Betting community with resources such as tools, projection models, in-depth written analysis and podcasts, plus much more.
The AFC playoff picture got a little bit more interesting with the Patriots loss. There are races for the AFC East, South, and Wild Cards.
It might be time to talk about the Patriots but we will know more after this week against the Chiefs. It’s definitely time to talk about the Ravens and how they’ve looked like an unstoppable force. Even with the Texans’ impressive victory, there’s a challenger lurking in the South. The AFC West is still the Chiefs to lose.
Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
AFC East
New England Patriots 10-2
New England had to go 2-2 in their stretch of games that started with the Eagles and ended with the Chiefs. That’s exactly what was said last week. It still stands. Of course, winning against Kansas City is probably in their best interest. They still have the inside track at winning the AFC East, but a victory against the Chiefs may also assure them a bye.
The Bills have a legit shot at winning the AFC East. Of course, they will have to beat the Ravens and Steelers first and then beat the Patriots in New England. They could enter Week 17 needing a win to get to the playoffs.
On Sunday, the Houston Texans will face another unknown quarterback in Denver Broncos’ Drew Lock. That isn’t easy, according to Bill O’Brien.
Sunday’s matchup with the Denver Broncos will mark the third time in 2019 that the Houston Texans will face a quarterback with less than three NFL starts to their names.
Broncos rookie Drew Lock will join Jacksonville Jaguars rookie Gardner Minshew and Carolina Panthers sophomore Kyle Allen as relatively “unknown” quarterbacks to face the Texans in one of their first starts.
Lock, a second-round pick out of Missouri, will make game-planning tougher for the Texans. He has just one game of NFL experience to his name; he’s an unknown commodity.
“It’s hard. It’s definitely hard. There’s the unknown. I think we’ve actually played against — now with Drew on Sunday — we played against [Jaguars QB] Gardner Minshew early in the season and [Panthers QB] Kyle Allen,” said Texans coach Bill O’Brien on a Tuesday conference call with the Broncos beat.
Last week, the Los Angeles Chargers got a taste of the unknown. Lock beat them in his NFL debut, passing for 134 yards, two touchdowns and an interception on a 64.3% completion rate, good for an 84.5 passer rating.
O’Brien credits the big-game atmosphere of college football and NFL coaching for creating competent starters out of players with little to no professional experience.
“Those guys, they’re good. They’re trained well in college. They’re obviously coached very well in the pros. They’re good. These guys come into the league now and they’ve played in front of big crowds. They’ve played in big games,” said O’Brien. “They have no fear. They’re just going out and playing. They’re having fun. That’s what Drew’s doing in the game against the Chargers. It’s difficult.”
Lock played in the preseason before sustaining a thumb injury against the San Francisco 49ers that put him on the injured reserve up until Week 13. The Texans will study that along with his Missouri and Chargers tape to get a better understanding of his tendencies and skill set.
“You try to go back and study obviously the Chargers game, preseason, college, whatever you can get your hands on and try to do the best you can to have a good game plan,” said O’Brien.
In 2019, the Texans are split while facing quarterbacks with three or less NFL starts, beating the Minshew-led Jaguars and losing to Allen’s Panthers — the win over Minshew in Week does not apply. On Sunday, they will look to go 2-1 against quarterbacks with little playing time, as they host the 4-8 Broncos at NRG Stadium.
Houston Texans running back Duke Johnson may not get the most snaps, but he’s a lethal weapon for a star-studded offense that’s taking shape.
The Texans’ August acquisition of running back Duke Johnson gave Houston a tool not yet seen before in their toolshed. A 5-9, 210-pound dynamo out of the backfield, Johnson is more than a tool in the Texans’ offense. He’s a weapon.
Johnson, a former Miami Hurricane, averages a league-high (for backs), per Player Profiler, 6.5 yards per touch in the Texans offense. Through Week 14 of 2019 play, he is averaging a career-high in yards per reception (9.8) and carry (5.2).
Acting as a complimentary back to Carlos Hyde, Johnson has four touchdowns on the year (one rushing). The Texans have won every game in which he finds paydirt.
Johnson is particularly lethal as a receiving back, no matter if he does so out of the backfield or out-wide. Against the New England Patriots in Week 13, that showed in a win, as he caught five receptions for 54 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown.
Johnson is a mismatch as a receiver. The Patriots felt it. Linebacker Kyle Van Noy allowed the touchdown. The Texans tailback also gave Houston free yardage via a defensive pass interference he brought out of linebacker Elandon Roberts.
“I understand that Duke Johnson’s a really good player,” said Patriots safety Devin McCourty on Sunday. “Coming out of the back field is kind of tough, you know, KV (LB Kyle Van Noy) on the line.”
Johnson’s ability to cause mismatches stems from his speed, agility and nuanced route-running. It also comes from a Texans scheme that tries to get him in open-space as much as possible.
“I think it’s definitely both,” said Texans coach Bill O’Brien on if Johnson creates with schematics or skill. “I think that’s a good question that you’re asking, but in the NFL there’s definitely a lot of scheme and strategy and then there’s a lot of matchups.”
Since the Cleveland Browns selected Johnson in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft, he is second in the league in running back catches (265), receiving yards (2,464) and receiving touchdowns (11).
Johnson’s stat line of 679 scrimmage yards and four total touchdowns may not scream centerpiece. However, his fifth-highest breakaway run-rate (8.1%), precise route-running, 16th-ranked juke rate (26.9%) and, of course, tape of creating mismatches certainly do.
The Houston Texans made a new addition to their 10-man practice squad, signing rookie linebacker Nate Hall and releasing tight end Jerell Adams.
The Houston Texans are shaking up their practice squad. The Texans signed linebacker Nate Hall to their 10-man practice squad, the team announced. In a corresponding move, they released tight end Jerell Adams from the group.
Hall, 23, played collegiately at Northwestern. After going undrafted in April, he spent time with the Dallas Cowboys practice squad, then the Buffalo Bills’. He will wear jersey No. 48 in Houston.
In four seasons at Northwestern, Hall tallied 261 combined tackles, five sacks, five interceptions and 10 pass deflections. In 2017, he tore his right ACL while practicing for the Music City Bowl.
The Texans also worked out defensive end Eric Lee, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Houston did not sign him immediately.
Hall joins running back Karan Higdon, cornerback Anthony Chesney, wide receiver Chad Hansen, offensive tackle Rick Leonard, quarterback Alex McGough, offensive tackle Kyle Murphy, offensive tackle Elijah Nkahsah and safety Jonathan Owens to round out the practice squad.
The Houston Texans have seen outside linebacker Jacob Martin produce for them as of late. That shouldn’t be surprising considering his work ethic.
On Aug. 31, Jacob Martin became a member of the Houston Texans. He found himself residing in Harris County after the Seattle Seahawks traded him as part of a package for Jadeveon Clowney. At the time, he was a lesser-known commodity.
Months later, Martin, No. 54, shined on “Sunday Night Football” in a 28-22 win over the New England Patriots. Playing in a career-high 45 snaps, the second-year outside linebacker tallied 1.5 sacks and three quarterback hits on Tom Brady.
Martin’s productive performance on prime time should not come as a surprise to those watching him practice. When playing against his own teammates, he’s an active dynamo.
“All I know about Jacob Martin is he plays 100 miles an hour and he’s a great teammate,” said coach Bill O’Brien on Monday. “He’s awesome in the locker room, meetings, you should see the way the guy practices. I mean, he practices, he’s out there every day, he doesn’t complain about it, he just goes to work.”
Martin’s willingness in practice has translated onto the playing field. In back-to-back weeks, the Temple product has sacks, tallying 2.5 in two straight wins. Non-coincidentally, he saw a 21-snap uptick between the two weeks, playing the majority of snaps in place of injured starter Brennan Scarlett in Week 13.
“I think when you have that type of work ethic, you’re to going to get better, and I think that’s what Jacob does,” O’Brien said. “He tries to approach every day and tries to get better.”
The Texans pass rush has struggled mightily without J.J. Watt, who is on the injured reserve with a torn pectoral. Martin isn’t Watt; however, he can offer Houston’s favorite football team with a hard-working attitude, speed, electrifying athleticism and rounding-out game off the edge.
Moving forward, expect Martin to see increased snaps as an edge defender in the Texans defense, particularly as a situational pass-rusher. After all, in only 69 snaps, he is, statistically, their best pass-rusher in an impressive back-to-back win-streak.
Houston Texans outside linebacker Brennan Scarlett (shoulder) is getting close to playing against the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
Brennan Scarlett missed out on the fun of the Houston Texans’ 28-22 win over the New England Patriots on Sunday. Instead, he spent the night inactive with a shoulder injury.
A starting outside linebacker, Scarlett was a limited participant in the practices leading up to Week 13’s win. Ultimately, the Texans sat him out. He should be available to play in Week 14’s tilt with the 4-8 Denver Broncos, according to coach Bill O’Brien.
“I think that Scar’s probably trending in the right direction,” said O’Brien on Monday. “He’s going through a couple of different things, but I think he’s getting there. He’s trending in the right direction.”
Scarlett’s availability in Wednesday’s practice will depict his status for Sunday’s matchup.
Scarlett is enjoying a career-year with a bigger role in the Texans defense. In 11 games, the 26-year-old Stanford product has recorded 3.5 sacks, 33 combined tackles, three tackles for loss and six quarterback hits.
The Houston Texans placed offensive tackle Tytus Howard on the injured reserve on Saturday. Why did they do so, and how much will they miss him?
On Saturday, Tytus Howard’s injury designation for the Houston Texans’ eventual 28-22 win over the New England Patriots went from “doubtful” to “out” as the Texans placed the rookie offensive tackle on injured reserve.
Howard, a first-round selection out of Alabama State, suffered a partially torn MCL in Week 6’s win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Three weeks later, he returned for a Week 9 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.
Howard started two games at right tackle before he landed back on the injury report as doubtful with a knee injury, presumably the same (left) one from earlier in the season.
“I would just say that we thought it was in the best interest — relative to what he was able to do, where he was at with his knee, it was in the best interest of him to move in that direction,” said coach Bill O’Brien on Monday.
Howard played eight games before his placement on the injured reserve, starting all but one at right tackle. He allowed two sacks in 488 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. The Texans were 6-2 with him in the lineup.
“I thought he had some good moments this year. He’s a great guy. We’re certainly glad to have him,” said O’Brien. “He’s tough, he’s got great energy, he’s got a really good personality, good teammate. So, I think there are a lot of things he did well and there’s a lot of things that he’d be the first to tell you that he can improve upon, but there’s a lot to build on.”
Ultimately, the Texans chose to rest him up for the betterment of his future. Instead of starting first-round picks at both tackle positions, the team will play one of Chirs Clark and Roderick Johnson, who split snaps in Sunday night’s win over the Patriots.
The Houston Texans beat the New England Patriots on Sunday night. While it was momentous, they must turn the page for their next matchup.
It took a decade, but the Houston Texans beat the New England Patriots on Sunday, their first time doing so since January of 2010.
No matter if Houston was contending or pretending, the Patriots have always acted as the Texans’ kryptonite. New England had beaten the Texans in eight-straight matchups before Deshaun Watson and Co. willed a 28-22 victory over them on Sunday.
“It was great. It feels great,” said DeAndre Hopkins after the win. “I haven’t beat those guys since I’ve been here.”
Hopkins, against a vaunted secondary, hauled in five receptions for 64 yards on Sunday. He also recorded a six-yard touchdown toss to Watson, who, after the game, stated the win built confidence for the Texans moving forward.
“Of course, against a team like the Patriots who has been doing it for so long and know the talent and the things they’ve been doing for this season, it was big for us,” said Watson. “It builds our confidence. It builds the momentum for us to continue to try to push on.”
With the win, the Texans move to 8-4, placing them comfortably on-top of the AFC South and third in the AFC playoff standings. They can’t rest now. There is still football to be played, starting next Sunday, with the 4-8 Denver Broncos.
“It’s another football game,” said Hopkins. “Can’t look too much into it. Got to turn the page and move on to Denver this coming week.”
The Patriots win was monumental for the Texans. But, there is still work to do, including learning from the mishaps from Sunday night.
“For us, we got to continue to keep rolling, continue to find ways to get better, correct the mistakes, keep pushing forward,” said Watson.
While the 4-8 Broncos may not be a playoff team, they, like the Texans, have momentum. On Sunday, they defeated the Los Angeles Chargers to get rookie quarterback Drew Lock’s first career win in his first NFL playing time.
On Sunday, the Houston Texans got the upset win, besting the vaunted New England Patriots. Cornerback Johnathan Joseph said it means a lot.
Two weeks ago, the Houston Texans were down in the dumps. They lost a 41-7 beatdown to the Baltimore Ravens, ending any momentum they once had. On Sunday, Dec. 1, they regained that momentum.
The Texans, for the first time since Jan. 3, 2010, beat the New England Patriots on Sunday. For veteran cornerback Johnathan Joseph, that win means a lot, especially with the Ravens loss fresh on the minds of many.
“It means a lot. I think for this team to be atop the AFC South and where we want to be late in the year,” said Joseph post-game. “This win means a lot to this team because we have a lot of young guys, veteran guys, a mixture, and I think we got — I wouldn’t say an up and down season, but a couple games early on we bounced back and then that Baltimore game. And then go out and play the way we did and put two games impressive back to back, I think that means something.”
Joseph, 35, led a young, rebuilt Texans secondary to a 28-22 win over New England, with two of the Patriots’ touchdowns coming against a prevent defense.
The secondary was the star of the show for the Texans’ defense, Joseph included. Tom Brady completed just 51.1% of his passes against Houston. Take away his two garbage-time touchdowns, and his 85.9 passer rating dips to 68.3.
In the win, Joseph tallied four combined tackles and two pass deflections. The secondary got an interception early on, with Bradley Roby — who played for the first time since Week 6 (hamstring) — perfectly reading Brady for a pick to give the offense the ball in the red zone.
Moving forward, the Texans, including the secondary, feel good about their chances with increased confidence coming in Sunday’s win. Next week, they will go from GOAT to rookie quarterback when they face the Denver Broncos and Drew Lock in his second career start.
