2025 Plays & Fades for Week 14

Welcome to our 2025 Plays & Fades for Week 14!

Welcome back to Week 14 of the 2025 Plays & Fades series, or as I like to call it …the Jacoby Brissett Is My Homeboy Power Hour …

Do you remember those t-shirts? “Jesus is my homeboy.”

They’re a time capsule into the mid-2000s. Back when Paris Hilton thought everything was “hawt”. When Von Dutch had a chokehold on the fashion world. Back when Nickelback was dominating the rock charts …

BACK WHEN WE WERE A REAL COUNTRY.

Just like those t-shirts, Paris, Von Dutch, and the dulcet tones of Chad Kroeger, the Brissett thing just isn’t going away.

He hasn’t broken fantasy football. But, he’s been the type of constant that championship squads are built on in the second half of the season.

We’re into playoff season now, and just like steady floors give you a fighting chance to win, upside truly wins championships.

Make the right calls, and you’re in the money.

So, without any other comment, let’s get into it …

* Stats courtesy of the good folks over at PFF, Fantasy Points Data Suite, FantasyData.com, Player Profiler, The Fantasy Footballers, and FTN Fantasy. Fantasy point references will be made from Half-PPR scoring*

Quarterbacks

Play: Tyler Shough @ Tampa Bay

• The ECR QB20 has averaged 40.5 pass attempts the past two weeks.
• It’s a small sample, but it tells you exactly where the Saints’ offense is trending without Kamara.
• It’s not flashy. It’s a bit risky. That said, volume is king, and at that level of volume, it’s a safe play for him to outperform the QB20 threshold.

Play: Jacoby Brissett @ L.A. Rams

• My king. My moon and my stars. My Immortal.
• Since Week 6, when he took over, Brissett has only dipped below the QB10 threshold he’s ranked at this week once.
• That was Week 7 against Green Ba,y where he finished as QB12.
• He’s as steady as they come right now.

Play: Baker Mayfield vs. New Orleans

• There’s been a bit of a Baker dip lately. When a proven commodity underperforms, we buy the dip.
• This is a cushy matchup where I’m anticipating a fair amount of points on both sides, as neither defense has been exceptional this year.
• Baker is still who he is. He’s a plus passer with sneaky rushing upside on any given week.
• New Orleans, being a middle-of-the-road defense, makes this a sneaky hit-or-miss play. But the Saints were rescued into a top-10 defensive finish against Atlanta two weeks ago by a defensive TD. Tampa is well-balanced and should present similar issues.

Fade: Jalen Hurts @ L.A. Chargers

• Jalen has been solid all season. It’s to be expected.
• But him coming in as the ECR QB4 in a matchup that is the third-toughest for quarterbacks in schedule-adjusted fantasy points? That’s aggressive.
• He’s only finished as the QB4 or better in fantasy three times this season, despite his last three matchups being fantasy-friendly.
• He’s solid. You don’t sit him. But he’s ranked aggressively this week, and I don’t think it would shock me if a tough matchup caused him to finish outside of the top 10 quarterbacks this week.

Fade: Justin Herbert vs. Philadelphia

• Herbert had surgery on his hand earlier this week and is day-to-day.
• This is a tough matchup to begin with, and, even if it’s a backup, expectations should be tempered.
• Herbert, as the ECR QB13, with his past three weeks resulting in QB finishes of 17, 31, and 19, doesn’t make me feel great about this week.

Fade: Caleb Williams @ Green Bay

• Caleb’s next four weeks go like this: Packers, Browns, Packers, and then 49ers in Week 17.
• Ben Johnson has cut him loose with 32+ attempts each of the last four weeks.
• In that same time frame, he’s either been a QB20+ or a Top-10 option.
• It’s hit or miss, and tough matchups don’t make me inclined to lean towards “hit” this week.

Running Back

Play: Kyle Monangai @ Green Bay

• Monangai has been a Top-20 RB four of the past five weeks and a Top-30 RB all five weeks.
• He’s done this despite playing over 50% of snaps only twice in that span.
• As the ECR RB20, he’s right on the line of where he should be. Green Bay isn’t an easy matchup, but Monangai has averaged 5.2 YPC since Week 7.

Play: Devin Neal @ Tampa Bay

• Neal gets a nice matchup and a bellcow opportunity.
• His upside comes in his ability to catch the football. He wasn’t heavily involved in the passing game last week, but he has it in his bag.

Play: Travis Etienne Jr. vs. Indianapolis

• If you’ve been an Etienne guy all year, you’ve done well for yourself. He’s been a Top-20 running back in eight of 12 games and a Top-12 option in seven of those eight.
• He’s also the Jaguars’ unquestioned goalline back.
• Don’t let Tuten scare you off. Etienne is a safe play and still undervalued as the ECR RB18.

Fade: Jonathan Taylor @ Jacksonville

• It’s the fourth-toughest RB matchup for a player who, over the past two weeks, has looked exceptionally … normal?
• This is a road game, and Taylor’s home vs. road splits are enlightening. At home, he averages 130 yards and a touchdown per game, while on the road, that drifts down to 75 yards and a score per game.
• Don’t sit … fade and find a little upside elsewhere in your lineups just in case.

Fade: Woody Marks @ Kansas City

• Despite having 17+ opportunities in each game during the past month, Marks had turned it into 3.7 YPC and one reception per game.
• Despite a 67 percent snap share, Marks’ past month would equate to 310 opportunities and 150 fantasy points in half-PPR in a 17-game season.
• That, with a tough K.C. defense, makes this a hard start.

Fade: Saquon Barkley vs. L.A. Chargers

• The signs were there that we’d see a Saquon drop off this season. We had history on our side, most recently Le’Veon Bell following a 500-touch season.
• Barkley is still the ECR RB14 this week, despite not eclipsing Top-20 RB production in the last month.
• If you have another running back to supplement Barkley, do it. We can’t rely on him as our primary guy entering playoff season.

Wide Receiver

Play: Jameson Williams vs. Dallas

• Easy money, baby.
• Amon-Ra St. Brown is out, as is Sam LaPorta.
• AND you get the Dallas defense?
• Opportunity + Bad Defense = WR1 overall upside this week.

Play: Adonai Mitchell vs. Miami

• Let’s revisit the poisoned well.
• The targets finally turned into a big game last week, and he was on the field for 85% of snaps each of the past two weeks.
• In a consolidated receiver room, I need to bet on a guy who’s getting the work.
• Please don’t hurt me again, A.D.

Play: Devaughn Vele @ Tampa Bay

• Vele has had 15 targets the past two weeks as the Saints have gotten more pass-heavy without Alvin Kamara.
• Vele’s ECR WR47 ranking makes him low enough to have upside and used enough to return that upside.
• It’s a solid flex call this week as the Saints try to find who they are without Kamara.

Fade: Rashee Rice vs. Houston

• Derek Stingley is an evil man, and the Texans have a killer pass rush.
• It’s enough of a recipe to have you look for a bit more upside in your lineups this week, as a Rice dip can be expected.
• But, if there’s not a dip and he proves me wrong, that’s only better for your teams.

Fade: Ladd McConkey vs. Philadelphia

• It’s time to call Ladd McConkey’s sophomore season exactly what it is: touchdown-dependent.
• When he scores, he’s a starting option. When he doesn’t, he’s not.
• The Eagles have gotten an interception each of the last three weeks.

Fade: Justin Jefferson vs. Washington

• Disappointment of the year? Maybe.
• Jefferson has only managed two top-10 receiver finishes this season.
• He may not be as QB-proof as we thought he was. Or, maybe the QB play is that bad?

Tight End

Play: Brenton Strange vs. Indianapolis

• Strange has turned in back-to-back Top-5 TE weeks.
• Playing the fifth-friendliest TE team in the Colts will only help our case.
• He’s a guy I’m starting with, and I’m starting with confidence right now.

Play: Kyle Pitts vs. Seattle

• We’re back, baby.
• Pitts is on pace for 110 targets and 80 catches this season.
• The only issue? The end zone.
• That said, he’s been targeted enough to make him a safe start for your teams.

Play: Evan Engram @ Las Vegas

• Engram has had 5+ targets each of the last three weeks.
• He turned it into his best game of the season last week.
• I know Vegas is technically challenging against tight ends, but I like talented guys against bad teams.
• If we ramp up the snaps, we’re in business. Even without the snaps, Engram as the ECR TE18 is a nice spot to shoot for upside.

Fade: Oronde Gadsden vs. Philadelphia

• Gadsden saw his targets fall off last week against Vegas.
• Since that two-week sample, he’s had 71% of snaps but has only averaged three receptions for 37 yards.
• This defense won’t help matters this week. I think it’s a fade for me.

Fade: Dalton Schultz @ Kansas City

• Schultz has been steady but sees the sixth-toughest matchup for tight ends this week.
• Still, the Chiefs have only allowed double-digit fantasy points to the position three times this year.

Fade: Harold Fannin Jr. vs. Tennessee

• Harold Fannin might have Shadeur Sanders’ eye. What I don’t have is trust in Shadeur Sanders.
• Fannin’s day was saved by a 34-yard reception and a touchdown last week.
• We can’t rely on big plays and touchdowns for tight ends. We need stability.

D/ST

Play: Washington vs. Minnesota

• Please note, Washington is NOT good defensively.
• However, Minnesota has been a bottom-tier offense over the past month, which hasn’t covered the spread or the over/under.
• This screams a game where both defenses have good days and rack up fantasy points on sacks and turnovers.

Play: Buffalo vs. Cincinnati

• Maybe this has a chance to be a Chase Brown game.
• But Buffalo is ranked 2nd against QBs, 1st against TEs, and 13th against WRs.
• If you can manage three of four positional categories, you SHOULD be able to key on the last one to a degree.

Play: Tennessee vs. Cleveland

• Another bad unit/good matchup spot.
• Tennessee pretty much only has success against tight ends. But, Cleveland hasn’t been impressive at the other three positions.

Fade: Houston @ Kansas City

• As good as Houston is, K.C. has been a top-5 passing attack all season.
• It’s a spot where Mahomes can probably have his way OR …
• Kareem Hunt snakes his way to a touchdown or two.

Fade: Seattle vs. Atlanta

• Seattle has been solid against Atlanta’s two best positions: running back and wide receiver.
• That said, we’re a Bijan and Kyle Pitts monster game away from Atlanta putting up 30.
• With Kirk Cousins playing quarterback, getting those two heavily involved wouldn’t shock me.

Fade: Jacksonville vs. Indianapolis

• Jacksonville: good against RBs. Bad against everything else.
• Indy has enough all over the field to give this Jacksonville team issues. Jacksonville gave up 35 fantasy points to wide receivers just two weeks ago against Arizona, without the real threat of a run game.
• Taylor will loosen up this Jacksonville secondary, even if he doesn’t have a big game.

Thank you for checking out my 2025 Plays & Fades for Week 14. I hope you found it helpful and enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed putting it together. Best of luck in Week 14, and let’s get those wins!

Rhett Manuel is a FantasyPros ECR ranker, writer, and podcaster for FANTASY IN FRAMES, specializing in Redraft and Dynasty Fantasy Football. Follow him on Twitter/X at @RManuelSports. You can find more of his work here at FANTASY IN FRAMES by clicking here.