Hungry for More: The Fantasy Footballers’ Predictions for Week 14

We are right at the end of the fantasy regular season and having the right pieces to each roster puzzle is more important than ever! If you’re needing a last-week push into the playoff picture or you’re trying to secure that top spot in the playoffs, getting more from a player who takes a step forward could be all the difference! The Ballers are looking for players whom they want to see take that leap in this week’s Hungry for More presented by Uber Eats!

Each week the Ballers will pick a player who super-sized their game in the past week and decide if they’ll continue to eat at the big guy’s table or go back to the kid’s table. Of course, I’ll give you an extra side dish or two to go along with Andy, Mike, and Jason’s main course! Let me know if you think we’re cooking up a high-end meal or if it’s more like gas station sushi!

Dontayvion Wicks, Green Bay Packers – WR

An unexpected late-season option could be emerging in Green Bay with rookie WR Dontayvion Wicks. The 2023 fifth-round pick hasn’t had consistent usage for the Packers thus far, but what we have seen on the field has Mike wanting more of the Virginia product. While Wicks’ snaps are still low, there are some metrics that suggest he could be ready to hit for fantasy. Wicks has seen at least four targets in his last four games. While four targets usually aren’t anything to get excited about, with the limited number of plays he’s on the field for, he’s seeing a target on at least 20% of snaps in each of those games. The value of those targets is pretty high as well. Among WRs with at least 30 targets on the season, Wicks ranks 10th in yards per reception in the entire league at 16.3

There could be increased opportunity for Wicks in the coming weeks with Christian Watson again nursing a hamstring injury that forced him out of Sunday’s game against the Chiefs. Green Bay has great matchups for WRs in the coming weeks against the NY Giants and Tampa Bay. If Wicks continues to see an increase of snaps in the Packers’ offense he could turn into a flex-type play for an offense that feels like it’s catching steam at the right time.

Miami Dolphins – DST

As good as the Dolphins’ offense has been in fantasy, the Miami defense is the unit that Jason is interested in taking a step forward late this fantasy season. Since Week 9, Miami’s defense has finished inside the top-12 DSTs each week, including three straight as the DST4 or higher. The Dolphins’ defense isn’t just putting the clamps on opposing offenses and keeping them out of the end zone, but they’re scoring on their own with TDs in back-to-back games.

For fantasy managers looking for a little extra kick at DST, the Dolphins have great matchups that could turn them into week-winners with Tennessee and the New York Jets ahead over the next two weeks. Both matchups for the Dolphins should be fruitful since the Titans and Jets have combined to score 20+ points just once in their last five games. The easiest way to rack up stats for fantasy comes with sacking the QB, and both New York and Tennessee sit in the top five for sacks allowed on the season while Miami’s defense ranks fouth in the league in sacks.

Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars – TE

After missing the top-12 TEs for six-straight games, Evan Engram has found himself back inside the top two TEs in back-to-back weeks and has Andy wanting to see it continue. Week 13 was Engram’s best game of the season and marks the first time that he’s gotten into the end zone since Week 14 of 2022. Andy is hoping that Engram stringing two strong weeks together may be what’s needed to jump-start him back to the fantasy hero he was last season, especially with Christian Kirk set up to miss some time due to injury. Even if Trevor Lawrence can’t get back for the Jags immediately, Engram should still see the ball plenty, with four of his receptions Monday night coming after backup CJ Beathard took over.

The upcoming stretch for Engram is tough for TEs with Cleveland, Baltimore, and Carolina on the deck in three of Jacksonville’s next four games. All three of those matchups rank sixth or higher against TEs on the season, but with any increase in opportunity coming Engram’s direction, he could prove useful down the stretch for fantasy managers.

Kenneth Gainwell, Philadelphia Eagles – RB

The starting RB to begin the year in Philadelphia, Kenneth Gainwell may find himself getting more valuable snaps down the stretch for the Eagles. Gainwell saw his highest snap percentage of the season since Week 1 last week after D’Andre Swift was injured. While Gainwell only saw two carries due to the Eagles being behind by multiple scores, he was active in the passing game where he saw a season-high six targets. If for some reason Swift misses time over the next week or two, Gainwell would assume the lead RB role in a very valuable offense.

While the Eagles’ offense has been one of the best for fantasy managers to invest in this season, that’s due in part to them getting into high-scoring games regularly, and that trend should continue over the next few weeks with matchups against Dallas and Seattle over the next two games. Philadelphia’s battle with Dallas next Sunday night has the highest over/under for the week with 52 points expected between the two teams. It’s worth monitoring Swift’s injury, but Gainwell could be a late-season difference-maker at the RB position.