4 NFL FanDuel Studs to Target in Week 14

Spending your available salary in any DFS lineup on a stud can make or break your lineup. These high-salary players will take up the majority of your budget, so it’s critical to carefully consider which ones you’ll want for each slate. Whether it’s trying to capture a safe floor in a cash game or chasing a huge game to help you win a tournament, nailing the expensive players is one of the keys to making winning NFL lineups on FanDuel.

Week 14 is already here after a wild Week 13 schedule. Let's look at one player at each position with a high FanDuel salary that should help our lineups win this week.

Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers

FanDuel Salary ($9,100)
Projected Points: 22.3

Rumors of Aaron Rodgers' demise prior to the season were greatly exaggerated. The concerns that he didn't have enough weapons for him and the Green Bay Packers to have an elite offense were legitimate but have proven to be wrong. Green Bay ranks first in numberFire's schedule-adjusted metric in total offense and second in passing. Rodgers himself has been playing at an MVP level, with 36 touchdown passes compared to just 4 interceptions. This week, he'll face a familiar opponent.

The Packers are on the road to face the division-rival Detroit Lions. The Lions have been one of the best matchups for an offense to see this season. They are dead last in both schedule-adjusted defense and pass defense. This is one of the reasons why Green Bay has the highest implied team total on the slate, according to the daily fantasy matchup heat map. This gives Rodgers the upside to go off in this matchup, provided Detroit can keep the game close. The 7.5-point spread suggests that it won't be too much of a blowout, which would be good news for Rodgers' pass volume.

Rodgers is third in our projections behind Patrick Mahomes and Russell Wilson, but with Russ cooking a lot less in recent weeks and Mahomes facing a tough pass defense, a case could be made for Rodgers to be the top overall quarterback given his matchup. He has accounted for at least three touchdowns in seven straight games, so that consistency is worth spending up on in any lineup build this week.

Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans

FanDuel Salary: $9,600
Projected Points: 22.9

One of the things that can benefit a daily fantasy player is a short memory. We liked the spot for Derrick Henry last week, and it didn't work out as we had hoped. Does that mean we shouldn't play him this week, in an even better spot? Of course not. Henry leads the league in rushing yards and is second in rushing touchdowns. He should be able to pad those stats in this week's game.

The Tennessee Titans are going up against the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars and are 7.5-point favorites. The Titans' team total is just behind the Packers, as they are one of three teams implied to scored 30 or more points. The Jaguars have not been particularly good at any aspect of football this season, and defending the run has been one of the worst. They are 27th in numberFire's schedule-adjusted run defense. They've also allowed the fifth-most FanDuel points per game to running backs, according to Pro Football Reference. If the game script goes better this week for the Titans, Henry should see the ball a lot against a weak defense.

Henry is our highest projected running back this week, and it's not close, as he is projected for nearly three more points than anyone else. If other people are not going to roster him because of last week's performance, we can take advantage of that and get his slate-breaking upside in our tournament lineups.

D.K. Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks

FanDuel Salary: $8,600
Projected Points: 14.9

A breakout star this season has been D.K. Metcalf. There are a lot of talented receivers having good seasons in the NFL, but none of them have more receiving yards than Metcalf. He also has the fifth-most receiving touchdowns with nine. He has barely taken over the team target share lead from Tyler Lockett but has a clear lead in air yards share, with 42%. In his matchup on Sunday, he shouldn't have much of a problem turning that opportunity into production.

The Seattle Seahawks are the biggest favorites on this Week 14 main slate -- 13.5-point favorites against the winless New York Jets. We all saw the Jets make a huge mistake at the end of their last game, leaving Henry Ruggs in single coverage to score the game-winning touchdown. It would be an even bigger mistake this week if they did the same thing against Metcalf, who leads the league in yards against single coverage, according to PFF. No matter what coverage the Jets use, it will be hard for the 31st-ranked schedule-adjusted pass defense to contain the physical specimen that is D.K. Metcalf.

Metcalf is our third-highest projected wide receiver this week. He comes in lower than other players because he often doesn't see the same target volume as the truly elite wide receivers. In each of the four games in which he has seen at least nine targets, Metcalf has scored at least 20.4 FanDuel points. If he gets an elevated amount of targets this week against this bad of a defense, the sky's the limit for Metcalf.

Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

FanDuel Salary: $8,200
Projected Points: 14.0

It's almost unfair to compare other tight ends to Travis Kelce. He is second in the league in receiving yards for any position, trailing Metcalf by only five yards. His 111 targets are the sixth-most in the NFL, and they aren't just any targets. They are targets from one of the best quarterbacks we've seen in recent years in Patrick Mahomes. Kelce has been one of the most reliable players this season, and that shouldn't change this week.

The Kansas City Chiefs are on the road against the Miami Dolphins and are 7.5-point favorites. As impressive as the Miami pass defense has been, the bookmakers don't expect them to slow down the explosive Kansas City offense too much, as they are still implied to score 28.5 points. The Chiefs were able to rip apart other good pass defenses, such as the Baltimore Ravens and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This offense is too good to worry about matchups, as they rank first in schedule-adjusted pass offense. Kelce should be able to overcome any matchup he faces.

Kelce is, as usual, the highest projected tight end of the week. It's best not to think of it as "spending $8,200 for a tight end" and instead thinking of it as spending $8,200 for one of Mahomes' favorite targets, which sets him apart from other players at the position. His upside makes him the best tournament play at tight end this week.

Nicholas Vazquez is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Nicholas Vazquez also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username hbyanksman. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.