DraftKings NFL Picks, Week 14: Best bargains in DFS play
By Drew DeLuca
Tight Ends
Once again, Travis Kelce is the top ticket among tight ends, but he’s hard to recommend at his price, considering his matchup against the league’s best defense. The next three highest priced tight ends (Zach Ertz, Austin Hooper and George Kittle) are all battling injuries, so it’s a tall order to expect them to deliver top-shelf performance to outpace their high prices.
As a result, an already bleak position is even thinner. Which tight ends should NFL DFS enthusiasts dial up in these dark days?
Look no further than Darren Waller (OAK vs. TEN, $5,800), the only Oakland Raiders player we can start with confidence in Week 14, thanks to Josh Jacobs‘ lingering shoulder injury. Waller has received five or more targets in six of his last seven games, and his ceiling is as high as anyone’s at the position.
Mark Andrews (BAL at BUF, $5,600) faces the league’s toughest defense against tight ends, but we’re not doubting him after his respectable showing against a strong San Francisco 49ers defense. Andrews has racked up at least 50 yards and a touchdown in three of his last four games.
Expect Hunter Henry (LAC at JAX, $5,100) to bounce back from a disappointing Week 13 performance. Entering that game, Henry had received at least twice as many targets in six straight games. Treat last week as an anomaly and prepare for a return to elite tight end numbers.
Meanwhile, Jack Doyle (IND at TB, $4,600) is still under-priced as he continues to assume a larger role in the Colts offense, sucking up a ton of extra targets vacated by Eric Ebron‘s trip to Injured Reserve. Doyle has scored a touchdown in three of the Colts’ last five games, and the 11 targets he saw last week are a sign that he’ll continue to be a featured part of the offense.
Kyle Rudolph (MIN vs. DET, $4,400) continues to spoil the Irv Smith, Jr. breakout party after posting his fourth-straight game with double-digit fantasy points. This string of success is a likely precursor for a solid day against a weak Lions defense that has allowed a tight end touchdown in five of its last seven outings.
Vance McDonald (PIT at ARI, $4,300) would actually be overpriced if not for a matchup against an Arizona Cardinals defense that is historically bad at covering tight ends, as Tyler Higbee just proved last week. Expect McDonald to have his best week since Week 2, when he scored twice against the Seattle Seahawks, a team that’s nearly as terrible against tight ends.
Mike Gesicki (MIA at NYJ, $4,000) is now consistently showing the talent he only previously flashed. The Penn State product has carved out a larger role in the offense, as evidenced by the six or more targets he’s seen in five straight games, not to mention the touchdowns scored in his last two.
Other low-budget options at the position include David Njoku (CLE vs. CIN, $3,500), freshly activated from injured reserve. Njoku should play a significant role in the Cleveland Browns offense from this point forward. After torching the Cardinals for seven catches for 107 yards and a touchdown, the aforementioned Tyler Higbee (LAR vs. SEA, $3,400) is well-positioned for a second straight big game.