Buckle up. Week 14 is about to be a bumpy and wild ride. For many of us, this week’s matchups are “win and in” scenarios for the fantasy football playoffs. For others, a win could mean the difference of earning a first-round bye or not. With so much at stake, of course, there are six NFL teams on bye to make managing that much more difficult! That’s where these Week 14 bold predictions come in. You may be considering a player or two for your matchup you thought you’d never start. That’s okay. It’s that kind of week. Let’s focus on going 1-0 and I think these players at their position can help you do so. See you in the playoffs.
Week 14 Bold Predictions for the 2024 Fantasy Football Season
Will Levis, QB, Tennessee Titans
Bold Prediction: 350 passing yards, 3 touchdowns
26.0 fantasy points
I’m going back to the “Whoever is Playing the Jaguars” well for this quarterback Week 14 bold prediction. Last week, I suggested starting C.J. Stroud in his matchup at Jacksonville against the Jaguars. He did fine, but 242 passing yards, one touchdown, and next to nothing from rushing isn’t what we’re looking for. I thought he would have more success through the air. Stroud has taken a step back from where he began his career last season.
Meanwhile, Will Levis has taken a step forward from where he began this season. A lot of his recent success has to do with the difference in matchups. Levis and the Titans began their season at the Bears, followed up by back-to-back home games against the Jets and Packers, then a trip to the Dolphins before a Week 5 bye. As it stands now, three of these four teams still rank as bottom-10 fantasy matchups for quarterbacks. The Bears and Dolphins are currently bottom-four matchups. A home bout with the Jaguars will be the easiest matchup for Levis this season. They’ve allowed the second-most touchdowns, passing yards, and third-most rushing yards to the position this season.
Over his last four games, Levis is averaging 17.25 fantasy points per game. He’s tossed two touchdowns in three of these four games. He’s also averaging 5.5 rush attempts per game as well. Aside from Levis himself, there is also a “revenge game” narrative at play for wide receiver Calvin Ridley. He played in Jacksonville last season. The Jaguars chose not to re-sign him. Had they done so, they would have owned the Atlanta Falcons a second-round pick, as opposed to a third, from when they agreed to trade for Ridley. As Levis’ top receiver, Ridley should be a major factor in padding both of their stat lines. Fantasy managers desperate for a high-upside quarterback performance should strongly consider this Week 14 bold prediction.
Braelon Allen, RB, New York Jets
Bold Prediction: 17 carries, 80 rushing yards, 1 touchdown; 3 receptions, 30 yards
20.0 fantasy points
After the news that Breece Hall (knee) will miss Week 14, those who have stashed Braelon Allen, for however long, have been gifted the opportunity to start him. Hall joins Christian McCaffrey, Kenneth Walker, Derrick Henry, Chase Brown, Brian Robinson Jr., and others that won’t play in Week 14 due to injury or their team’s bye week. Braelon Allen now leads my list of plug-and-play running backs to replace your typical stud starters. My Week 14 bold prediction suggests starting him will pay off in a big way.
I can’t ignore a few factors going up against Braelon Allen. To start, when it comes to production, Allen has just 67 career rush attempts and is averaging 3.6 yards per carry. Since the Jets changed head coaches, however, Allen is averaging seven attempts per game for a 4.81 yards per carry average. It’s yet to be seen how in command of the Jets’ backfield Allen will be in Hall’s absence, too. Fellow rookie running back, Isaiah Davis, should see his fair share of playing time in Week 14. Last week, a game in which Breece Hall entered already banged up, Davis played 12 snaps to Allen’s 19. He logged four opportunities on his 12 snaps, rushing the ball just once, but catching all three of his targets for 28 yards and a touchdown. Prior to Week 13, Davis had played just six total snaps this season.
In Week 14, I’m confident Allen will log the majority of the running back rush attempts for the Jets. He has far more experience running with the first-team offense this season. Allen will look to take advantage of a matchup with the Dolphins in Miami. They’re allowing the 11th-most fantasy points to running backs this season. It’s worth noting their defense has given up the 12th-most receiving yards (413) to the position on just the 22nd-most receptions (48). Allen has logged a target in 10 of 12 games this season with an average of 2.25 per game over his last four. There is potential here for the Jets to feature Allen, who is just 20 years old, in a three-down role for future evaluation. There are not many other running backs with as much upside in Week 14.
Elijah Moore, WR, Cleveland Browns
Bold Prediction: 6 receptions, 85 receiving yards, 1 touchdown
20.5 fantasy points
It’s easy to celebrate the resurgence of Jerry Jeudy this season in Cleveland, especially with Jameis Winston as his quarterback. Since Winston has taken over, Jeudy has logged at least 73 receiving yards in all five games. Despite having a bye week mixed in, Jerry Jeudy leads all wide receivers in receiving yards (614) since Week 8, when Jameis Winston took over. Jeudy is an obvious every week starter in fantasy football for this reason. In Week 14, Elijah Moore is just as worthy of starting.
Though Jeudy ranks 10th in total targets since Winston’s takeover, Moore is right behind him ranking 14th amongst wide receivers in targets in this span. However, Moore ranks 30th in yards while Jeudy leads all receiver, as previously mentioned. Moore, though, has logged three games with 66, 85, and, most recently, 111 receiving yards, with 28 or less in the other two. I’m willing to invest in the volume for a Week 14 bold prediction rather than shy away from the hot and cold production, which has been mostly hot!
Moore logged just 21 yards against the Steelers in Week 12. Mind you, that game was played in a snow storm. He gets a rematch in Pittsburgh this week, a game that should be just as competitive. Plugging a wide receiver into your fantasy football lineup whose quarterback is averaging 43.6 pass attempts in five starts this season is a good idea at baseline. Moore has a solid floor, but my Week 14 bold prediction provides an insight to a realistic ceiling.
Grant Calcaterra, TE, Philadelphia Eagles
Bold Prediction: 3 receptions, 50 receiving yards, 1 touchdown
14.0 fantasy points
Suggesting the backup tight end for the Eagles is a Week 14 bold prediction for much deeper leagues, especially those that are tight end premium. What we know heading into Week 14 is that starting tight end, Dallas Goedert, is now on injured reserve due to a knee injury. That puts Calcaterra in line for more work for at least the next four games. In the four games in which Goedert left early or did not play at all earlier this season, Calcaterra logged 92% or more of the offensive snaps in three of them. He caught nine of 10 targets for 93 scoreless yards. Consider, too, that Jalen Hurts averaged just 19.5 pass attempts in these four games. In fact, Hurts hasn’t attempted more than 28 passes since the Eagles’ Week 5 bye.
Again, this Week 14 bold prediction is for deeper leagues. No one should be starting Grant Calcaterra in a 10-team league. The matchup is the best possible for a tight end in fantasy football, though. The Eagles are hosting the Carolina Panthers. They’ve allowed the eighth-most yards on the 11th-most receptions to the position, but nine total receiving touchdowns, which ranks first in the league. If Calcaterra is going to provide a return on this Week 14 bold prediction investment, he likely has to cash in early. The Eagles could run away (quite literally via Saquon Barkley) with this game. There is definitely a risk of a goose egg here, but for some managers, it’s a risk worth taking in a do-or-die scenario.
Make sure to check out all of our Week 14 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!