Week 14 Fantasy Avengers

 Hey everyone, I am back again after a two week hiatus. I am excited to be writing again, not only for my small fan base, but also to help you in a week 14 playoff match-up. If you read my week 11 article you probably remember that it was my worst week of the season, as I missed pretty badly on all of my selections. I apologize to anyone who may have lost their match-up due to my advice. I will look to get back in your good graces this week with a brand new line up of players who can play a big role in your playoff success. If you missed playoffs in your league, be sure to still pay attention to all the games until the season is over. While other players in your league check out, the information you gather toward the end of the season can pay dividends come draft day next year. Good luck to everyone this week, and I hope all of you are back again next week ready to win your round 2 playoff game. 

For those who are new to this article, I choose players who are ranked outside of the top 15 at their postion who I believe can finish inside of the top 15. Hulk is the only exception where I choose a player outside of the 30 who can finish inside of the top 20. As always there is a too long didn't read at the bottom if you want to skip the reading and get right to the selections. 

Kirk Cousins (FantasyPros Rank #16) 

Captain Kirk aka Kirk Cousins has been playing some excellent football as of late. Over the past four weeks Cousins has finished as a QB1 in all of his match-ups, including two top 5 finishes. His recent success can likely be attributed to the emergence of first round rookie wide out, Justin Jefferson. With two elite wide receivers and Dalvin Cook coming out of the backfield, it is no surprise that Kirk has been doing so well. This week, the Vikings are traveling to Tampa Bay, in hopes of keeping their playoff bid alive. The Bucs are in the bottom third of the league when it comes to fantasy points given up to quarterback and wide receiver. This is no surprise, because on the season they are fourth against the run. This means, that in order to have success against the Bucs you need to pass, not throw. The Bucs have been struggling as of late, suffering huge losses to the Rams and Chiefs. These two teams found success via the pass utilizing their elite receivers in all areas of the field. If the Vikings want to have the same result as the Rams and Chiefs, they will need to employ their own receivers, which will only lead to fantasy points for Cousins. Look to Kirk to be your week 14 Captain America. 

Corey Davis (FantasyPros Rank #19)

At the start of the year, Corey Davis seemed liked the least likely to become a Fantasy Avenger. He has been in the league for four years, and while he had shown flashes of greatness, it seemed more often than not he would "forget about the icing problem" and come crashing back down to earth. While Davis is far from being considered in the "elite" category of wide receiver, much like his younger teammate A.J. Brown, he has put a nice season together. As it stands, Davis is sitting at the wide receiver 25 in half-ppr scoring formats, which includes the two games he missed due to contracting Covid-19. Davis finished as the number one receiver in fantasy last week, and while I am not predicting the same finish, I believe he can out produce his current rank of 19 on FantasyPros. With a 23.4% target share in Tennessee and the added benefit of facing an opponent who ranks 28th against wide receivers, we could see another great game from Davis. Keep in mind, Davis found a lot of success last week with A.J. brown being banged up with an ankle injury. If Brown is still limited on Sunday, Davis could see a similar target volume as in his number one wide out performance (12 targets). Look to Corey Davis to be your week 14 Iron Man. 

Mike Davis (FantasyPros Rank #20)

Mike Davis has been doing his best CMC impression all season long. He has had some impressive games as the back up to arguably the best running back in the league, but lately he has been letting his fantasy owners down. Davis has finished as an RB3 or worse in 5 out of the past 6 weeks, and while he has been a disappointment for fantasy owners I believe this is the week he can turn it around. This week the Panthers will be hosting the Denver Broncos who look like a shell of their former selves. Drew Lock is throwing interceptions at an alarming rate, and when he isn't handing the other team the ball he is usually taking a sack. This lack of production has started to affect their defense. The defense is constantly put into a bad position and by the second half is usually tired from being on the field for so long. I am predicting a similar scenario this Sunday. If the Panthers defense can create chaos on the field, we could see Davis finding the endzone once or twice. Look to Davis to be your week 14 Thor. 

Cole Beasley (FantasyPros Rank #32)

The Steelers will be traveling to Buffalo this week, in what could be an AFC championship preview. Josh Allen and the Bills have been on a tear as of late, and Cole Beasley has been a huge part of that success. In games with John Brown out of the line up Cole Beasley has finished as the WR22 or better, including two Hulk-esque performances where he finished inside the top 3. Beasley is averaging just under 11 targets a game, and with a target volume that high it is not a surprise to see how successful he has been. The Steelers are middle of the pack when it comes to points given up to the receiver position and their defense has taken a huge hit with injuries. With the combo of match-up and target volume on Sunday we could see another strong performance from the veteran slot receiver. Look to Beasley to be your week 14 Hulk. 

TL;DR

Captain America: Kirk Cousins (Rank #16)

Iron Man: Corey Davis (Rank #19)

Thor: Mike Davis (Rank #20)

Hulk: Cole Beasley (Rank #32)

Sources:

Fantasypros.com

Thefantasyfootballers.com

profootballreference.com