Week 14 of the 2025 NFL season drops another massive 11-game Draftstars slate, delivering the familiar 8-game early window followed by a tight, three-game late window packed with divisional matchups. From a fantasy and DFS perspective, this slate is shaped heavily by two explosive shootout environments — Bills vs Bengals and Rams vs Cardinals — both boasting totals in the mid-50s and featuring multiple top-tier fantasy plays. Ownership will naturally flood toward Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Jacoby Brissett, Puka Nacua, Trey McBride, and the usual high-octane pieces from those contests.
But with $20,000 guaranteed and $2,000 to first, simply stacking the popular games won’t be enough. Week 14 is all about differentiation, leverage, and exploiting matchups that fall below the field’s attention. That means identifying mispriced studs, reliable mid-range volume plays, and low-owned game environments capable of outperforming expectations. With four divisional games early and three more late, desperation across the league is climbing — and desperate teams often produce unexpected fantasy opportunities.
Below, we break down every position, highlighting your pre-selected plays and expanding them with matchup data, usage trends, and slate-specific DFS angles. Then we deliver complete positional strategies, an overall slate construction roadmap, and final thoughts to help you climb the leaderboards.
NFL 2025-26 Daily Fantasy Tips: Week 14 Monday
Quarterbacks
Lamar Jackson — $16,980
Lamar’s recent fantasy slide has been jarring, producing one of the coldest stretches of his career. Across his last four games, he’s averaging just 14.1 Draftstars points, down from the 26.3 per game he averaged in September. A knee issue has clearly limited his explosiveness as a runner, dropping his designed rush attempts from 6.1 per game early in the season to just 2.8 over the last month.
However — and this is why he remains one of the best leverage plays on the slate — Lamar still carries the highest ceiling of any QB not named Josh Allen this week. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, is listing players on IR seemingly every week and enters Week 14 allowing:
- 5th-most yards per play over the last three weeks
- 7.3 yards per pass attempt allowed since Week 10
- 8th-most rushing yards to QBs this season
The Steelers, on the verge of punting the season, are playing on fumes defensively. This is a “last chance Lamar” spot, in a divisional game where Baltimore can effectively lock up the AFC North with a win. If Jackson flashes even 80% of his early-season form, his price becomes a steal.
Tyler Shough — $11,930
The ultimate “hold your nose” salary-saver. But to Shough’s credit, he has been shockingly stable for DFS:
- Week 7: 10.2
- Week 8: 19.0
- Week 9: 8.9
- Week 10: 18.4
That’s a floor of ~10 and a ceiling approaching 20, which is rare in this price range.
Tampa Bay is scary from a sacks-and-turnovers standpoint — they rank top-5 in pressure rate and have one of the highest D/ST ceilings on the slate — but their pass defence remains extremely beatable:
- 4th-most Draftstars points allowed to QBs
- 2nd-highest explosive pass rate allowed
- 7th-most passing TDs conceded
Shough isn’t going to break the slate, but he opens the door to premium stacks (Achane, JSN, Taylor), and with ownership pushing heavily toward the BUF/CIN and LAR/ARI games, he becomes a legitimate differentiation piece capable of keeping your roster afloat while saving nearly $6k.
QB Strategy
This slate has three viable QB roster-construction paths:
1. Pay up for ceiling (Lamar, Allen, Burrow, Stafford)
This is the chalk path for a reason: elite quarterbacks are in elite scoring environments. But if you pay up, you must find value at RB or WR, and those chalky QBs will need 30+ to justify their price.
2. Mid-range leverage (Brissett, Love, Mayfield, Williams- type range depending on slate)
The mid-tier offers game-stacks that won’t be widely rostered. Nice for large-field GPPs.
3. Punt QB to afford elite skill players
This is where Shough comes in. On an 11-game slate, raw points at QB matter less than normal. If the elite QBs underperform, a cheap 18-point QB becomes a winning construction.
In Week 14, Shough + premium skill players may be the sharpest leverage build.
Running Backs
Derrick Henry — $15,140
Henry in December is a DFS cheat code. The Bills just put up 250+ rushing yards on Pittsburgh last week, and Mike Tomlin’s defence has cratered since midseason, ranking:
- 30th in EPA per rush allowed since Week 8
- 29th in defensive success rate vs RBs
- 28th in missed tackles per game
Henry has been elite for eight straight weeks, failing to hit 16 Draftstars points only once in that span. Game script is key — but if Baltimore gets out to a lead (very possible), Henry’s volume spikes dramatically.
He has 30+ point upside, and the only risk is Pittsburgh selling out to stop him. Even then, Henry breaks through loaded boxes every year at this time.
D’Andre Swift — $11,080
Swift’s usage remains volatile, but the matchup and game environment line up beautifully. Chicago hammered Philadelphia on the ground last week, and the Packers present similar vulnerabilities:
Since Week 9, Green Bay has allowed:
- 11th-most rushing yards
- 14th-highest yards before contact allowed
- 15th-ranked explosive rush defence
With rookie Kyle Monangai questionable, Swift may see an increase in touches. The Bears have quietly been shifting toward more balanced, run-centric scripts, and Swift’s elusiveness (top-10 in missed tackles forced per carry) gives him RB1 upside at an RB2 salary.
Aaron Jones Sr. — $8,000
This play is strictly about attacking Washington’s atrocious run defence. They rank:
- 31st in yards per carry allowed
- 32nd in RB receiving points allowed
- 31st in rush EPA allowed
Kevin O’Connell wants to protect his quarterback(s), and Jones has quietly handled 16+ touches in three of his last four full games. If usage remains stable, he is the best sub-$9k RB value on the slate.
RB Strategy
Week 14 presents two clear RB approaches:
1. Pay for elite ceiling
Henry is the only high-priced RB who projects as a true slate-breaker that isn’t $18k+. Achane and Taylor will pull ownership, but Henry offers the best leverage.
2. Mid-range & value volume plays
Swift and Jones allow you to balance your roster around premium WRs or elite TEs. This is particularly viable if paying up at QB.
Optimal builds:
- Henry + Jones (balanced, high floor)
- Swift + Jones (value + flexibility)
- Fade chalk RB entirely and lean into WR strength — a viable GPP strategy on an 11-game slate
Wide Receivers
Jakobi Meyers — $11,790
Meyers has fully taken over as Jacksonville’s WR1, and his underlying metrics are elite. Against single-high coverage, which Indy runs at the 6th-highest rate since Week 10, Meyers owns:
- 23.1% target share
- 29.6% first-read share
- 2.04 yards per route run
The Colts struggle vs perimeter receivers and have allowed the 5th-most passing yards over the last month. A cheap Meyers + Strange mini-stack is one of the best salary-savers available and should come at low ownership.
Emeka Egbuka — $10,480
The rookie has hit a wall, but this matchup is exactly what he needs. New Orleans plays single-high at a top-5 rate, and against these looks Egbuka posts:
- 33.9% target share
- 41.5% first-read share
- 2.23 YPRR
Additionally, since Week 9 the Saints have allowed:
- 2nd-most fantasy points per target to WRs
- 3rd-highest explosive pass rate allowed
This is an ideal bounce-back spot with a clear statistical edge.
Christian Watson — $9,870
Watson is now firmly Green Bay’s WR1, and his usage supports it:
- 27% target share since Week 10
- 38% air-yard share
- 3rd in the NFL in aDOT during that span
Chicago’s defence has taken a step back recently, allowing:
- 10th-most fantasy points per target to WRs since Week 9
- 2nd-most receiving yards per game to perimeter WRs
The only concern is weather — Lambeau is expected to be frigid — but that actually benefits big-bodied receivers who win on deep crossers and contested catches. Watson is a sneaky, high-upside tournament play.
WR Strategy
This slate is loaded with receiver value:
1. Lean on mid-tier WRs
Meyers, Egbuka, Watson, Shakir, Pierce, Jefferson — the 9–12k range is extremely strong.
2. Pay up only if stacking high-total games
JSN, Puka, Chase, Higgins — all elite plays but heavily owned.
3. WR is the best position to differentiate this week
A unique WR combination is more likely to separate you than a unique RB combination.
Tight Ends
Kyle Pitts Sr. — $9,630
With Drake London out, Pitts becomes Cousins’ primary intermediate target. Over the last two weeks, he has:
- 7.5 targets per game
- 27% target share
- 35% air-yard share
Seattle is a problem matchup, ranking top-5 in pressure rate, which may force Cousins to the quick game — a positive for Pitts, who runs the 2nd-highest number of short/intermediate routes among TEs this season. The game script should also be pass-heavy, adding volume security.
Brenton Strange — $9,500
One of the best TE plays on the slate. Strange’s recent usage surge has been massive:
Last 2 games:
- 15.8% target share
- 15.4% first-read share
- 2.94 YPRR
- 4 deep targets + 1 red-zone target
Indianapolis has been shredded by tight ends all year:
- 2nd-most yards allowed to TEs
- 2nd-most fantasy points per game allowed to the position
Strange is massively underpriced relative to matchup and role.
TE Strategy
Two clear paths:
1. Mid-range volume (Pitts, Strange) — safest, highest upside.
2. Punt TE — viable given the depth at WR and RB.
But in Week 14, spending around $9–10k at TE is the optimal construction.
Defence / Special Teams
Denver Broncos — $6,590
Elite matchup. The Raiders remain a turnover factory, and Geno Smith has taken:
- 4th-most sacks in the NFL
- Top-5 highest turnover-worthy play rate
Denver ranks top 8 in pressure rate and top 5 in defensive EPA since Week 9.
A 10+ point outing feels like the floor.
Seattle Seahawks — $6,400
We smashed Seattle last week (30 points), and while that won’t repeat, they remain elite:
- No. 2 in the NFL in sacks
- Top 3 in pressure rate
- Top 5 in takeaways
Kirk Cousins behind a leaking Atlanta offensive line sets up another huge ceiling spot. Bijan is the only real threat to steal defensive scoring.
D/ST Strategy
This is a rare week where paying up at defence is optimal. Broncos, Browns, Bucs, Seahawks all carry 20-point ceilings.
The field will chase cheap defences — don’t make that mistake.
Slate Strategy & Roster Construction
1. Fade the highest-owned games (BUF/CIN, LAR/ARI) — or get unique inside them
You’re not winning GPPs with a chalk Allen–Cook–Kincaid or Stafford-Williams–Puka build unless you differentiate elsewhere.
2. Prioritise mid-range WRs
The 9–12k range is stacked and allows for balanced, high-ceiling builds.
3. Save salary at QB or TE
Shough + Pitts or Shough + Strange opens the door for:
- Henry
- A premium WR like JSN
- A premium D/ST
4. Play at least one premium defence
Week 14 has multiple 20+ point D/STs available.
5. Build for leverage
Examples:
- Lamar instead of Allen
- Strange instead of McBride
- Watson instead of Nacua
- Henry as the RB pivot off Achane and Taylor
Final Thoughts
Week 14 offers one of the most dynamic DFS slates of the season. With two obvious shootout games attracting heavy ownership, the winning lineups will be those that intelligently leverage the mid-range player pool, avoid unnecessary chalk, and exploit the soft pricing at TE and WR.
Prioritise ceiling, embrace variance, and build lineups that tell a story: if you fade the big games, commit to it. If you play them, differentiate inside them. And above all, trust the mid-tier values — they’re where this slate is won.
Suggested NFL Draftstars Lineup
