Every week, at least one player becomes my fascination of whether he’s worthy of a fantasy football start as a streamer. The decision can be a mental wrestling match, but for the purpose of brevity, only one player can be chosen as the fantasy football gamble of the week.
The best fantasy football gamble for Week 14
Tracking my predictions: 3-9-1
Win: Player produces ≥ 75% of projected fantasy points
Loss: Player produces >75% of projected fantasy points
Tie: Player is ejected, leaves with an injury, or lands on COVID-19 list after publishing
2021 record: 8-9-1
2020 record: 5-10-1
When it rains, it pours … apparently even inside of a dome.
Last week, New York Jets wideout Elijah Moore was featured in this spot, and much of the reason was due to the matchup itself, but the much-needed targets instead went to Corey Davis as he posted his strongest day since Week 4. Moore, on the other hand, and quarterback Mike White weren’t in sync, and the young wideout returned to obscurity.
That’s another scenario where I was on the right track but it didn’t pan out as expected. I’m inching closer to renaming this column “Horseshoes and Hand Grenades” by the day.
Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff vs. Minnesota Vikings
We’re picking on the Vikings again in Week 14 by siding with a divisional foe against a shaky pass defense. Detroit’s offense has been on the upswing of late, and one thing Minnesota does fairly well is stop running backs, so anticipating Goff being asked to sling it more than usual is a reasonable train of thought. Only six defenses have given up fewer rushing yards per to the position on the year, and Detroit may find less room than usual to get the ground game going.
Minnesota has allowed quarterbacks to average 24 fantasy points per game in 2022 as the fourth-weakest defense of the position. Even the likes of Mike White and Mac Jones exceeded that mark vs. the Vikings in the last two games. In the past five games, the Vikings haven’t improved, and just Tennessee has allowed more yards per game through the air. Some of that is due to the Vikings being able to put opponents into holes on the scoreboard, emphasizing a need to heave the ball to keep pace with this prolific offense.
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A good portion of it is due to the Vikings being weak in the defensive backfield. Detroit has the receiving outlets to do the requisite damage to keep Goff fantasy-relevant one more week, featuring Amon-Ra St. Brown, D’Andre Swift, and DJ Chark Jr. Rookie first-rounder Jameson Williams quietly made his debut in Week 13, and no one should discount peripheral outlets in Josh Reynolds and Kalif Raymond if Goff is forced to throw in 40-plus times.
The former Ram has tossed multiple TDs in three of the last five games and has at least 20 fantasy points in consecutive outings. Back in the Week 3 meeting vs. the Vikes, Goff threw for 277 yards, one TD and a pick. This go-around, look for a similar game scrip to develop.
Six teams on bye make Goff a much more palatable play, but gamers willing to take the plunge will be rewarded with a strong QB1 finish.
My projection: 28-of-44, 311 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, 3 rushing yards (22.85 fantasy points)