Flex Options for Week 14 (Fantasy Football)

It’s slim pickings this week in the flex department with six teams on bye, so we’re going to get a little nasty with this week’s picks. If you need a win to secure a playoff spot, the idea of throwing some of these names in your lineup might seem terrifying. I’ll make the case for why I think these players, who are currently ranked outside the top 24 in the Fantasy Footballers rankings, can crack the top 24 this week and help you with your playoff push. Here they are:

Ameer Abdullah, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

Many are writing him off as a fantasy asset after Sincere McCormick ate into his workload last week and looked effective while doing it, but Abdullah ain’t about to write back. He still saw 62% of snaps in that game and 12 opportunities, which amounted to only 6.3 fantasy points. The game script lent itself to a more run-heavy approach for the Raiders last week, as they found themselves in a low-scoring, grind-it-out type of game against the Chiefs. This week they face a Tampa Bay defense that’s more beatable through the air than on the ground, which bodes well for Abdullah’s third-down/pass-catching role. The 46.5-point over/under for this game suggests that the Raiders will need to score some points to keep up. You’ll have to follow the practice reports to confirm the status of both Zamir White and Alexander Mattison, but should they miss a third straight game, I like Abdullah’s chances of returning to fantasy relevance this week. 

Darnell Mooney, WR, Atlanta Falcons

Mooney’s surprising breakout has hit a speed bump over the past few weeks. He finished as the WR68 in Week 11, was on bye in Week 12, and then finished as WR78 last week. This stretch likely has fantasy managers feeling awfully shaky about putting him back into their lineup, but I’m here to ease those concerns. Mooney got injured in Week 11 against the Broncos. He missed the majority of the second half of a game that was well out of hand anyway, so we can throw that dud out. Last week’s dud is slightly more concerning due to the inept play of quarterback Kirk Cousins, but the good news is that Mooney returned to his usual 90%+ snap share, which suggests that he’s back to full health. It’s a revenge game for Kirk Cousins this week against his former team, the Minnesota Vikings, so I expect him to bounce back. Narratives aside, the Vikings are currently the best matchup in the league for fantasy wide receivers. They’re allowing a whopping 6.4 points above expected to wide receivers. I expect Mooney to rip off some big chunks of yardage in this game, and hopefully return to the end zone for the first time since Week 9.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling, WR, New Orleans Saints

MVS’s involvement has steadily increased since moving to New Orleans in Week 8, and he comes into this week on a hot streak with four touchdowns in his last three games. The target volume hasn’t been great, but I expect that to increase with Taysom Hill out for the rest of the season. There’s still no timetable for Chris Olave’s return, so I expect Valdes-Scantling to operate as the number one option in this passing attack for the time being, or at least number two behind Alvin Kamara. It’s a decent matchup this week against a New York Giants defense that’s middling against the pass, so I think you can throw MVS into your lineup if you’re desperate for a deep-league start. 

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, WR, Tennessee Titans

We’ve officially reached the point where Nick Westbrook-Ikhine can no longer be regarded as a fluke. His target share has been modest but steady over the past three weeks (six, five, and eight), and he continues to find the end zone, having now scored eight (!!) touchdowns over his last eight weeks. The floor is low for Westbrook-Ikhine, but this is a smash spot against a dreadful Jacksonville defense. Start him if you must, but brace yourself for a letdown.

Adam Thielen, WR, Carolina Panthers

Thielen had a fantastic game last week against Tampa Bay with multiple highlight reel plays. He finished with eight grabs for 99 yards and a touchdown, and it could’ve been an even bigger day. He had another short touchdown on a ridiculous catch in the back of the end zone that didn’t count due to incompetent officiating. It’s not a great matchup for Thielen this week against a Philadelphia defense that’s been stifling opponents as of late, but with the chemistry that he’s shown with resurgent second-year quarterback Bryce Young, I think he can still volume his way to a good showing in this one. If you managed to pick up Thielen off of waivers, you can start him with confidence this week.