The best lineups in GPPs are not won with the most popular players on the slate. It takes some high-level roster construction to separate yourself from the rest of the pack.
The goal of this article isn’t to name the best players on Sunday. It’s to find high-upside talent to add to your GPP rosters. Some top-tier players will be included, but lineups needs to be balanced out with some hidden gems, too.
Remember, in most cases, the person who finishes in 10,000th place and the person who finishes in 1,269th place receive the same amount of money in many of these larger field contests, so there is no reason to simply follow the crowd to feel comfortable.
Let’s dive into Week 14 of the 2025 NFL season.
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: NFL $2.5M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st].
Top DFS Contrarian Stack
Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons
Sam Darnold ($5,500) – Jaxon Smith-Njigba ($9,000) – Rashid Shaheed ($4,400) – Kyle Pitts ($4,200)
Darnold and Seattle busted for us last week in this spot, but I’m prone to giving them another shot against an even weaker defense. The Falcons’ defense has regressed vs. the pass as the year has gone on, and in their last home game, allowed Bryce Young and Tetairoa McMillan to go absolutely nuts. In that outing, Young threw for 400+ yards and three TDs as McMillan went for 130 yards and caught two of the scores.
Darnold is obviously a touch boom or bust as a Kirk Cousins meltdown game could also lead to low passing volume, but if he and Smith-Njigba get on track early and the game stays close, there is a good chance they end up as one of the top QB-WR duos in Week 14. While Smith-Njigba is still $9,000 this week even after busting vs. Minnesota, he should benefit from being indoors against a softer secondary that has allowed the eighth-most TDs to his position this season and tends to play soft zones that allow for plenty of room after the catch.
While I wouldn’t fault anyone for subbing off this next play, the time for Rashid Shaheed has to be coming soon for Seattle. Atlanta’s natural scheme would be to keep a player like Shaheed from hurting them deep, but the matchup this week also has them up against one of the league’s true zone busters in Smith-Njigba, which could lead them to alter their plans. Overall, if we’re stacking Darnold this week to get us 25+ points, Shaheed is the sub-$5k, non-JSN WR most likely to pay off given the ability to hit for us on one play.
On the other side of this game, Kyle Pitts’ $4,200 price tag just looks too low for this specific matchup. Seattle’s defense features aggressive linebackers who play downhill against the run, often leaving the seam wide open for athletic tight ends. The Seahawks are currently allowing the fifth-most red-zone conversions to the TE position and fourth-most FP to opposing TEs this year. While Pitts’ floor can be scary, the Falcons will likely be forced to throw to keep up with Seattle’s offense. With Drake London still out, Pitts’ chances for five-plus catches and a TD seem elevated and should give him a great shot at crushing his salary once again.
Quarterback
Tyler Shough ($4,700)
Tyler Shough represents the ideal “skeleton key” quarterback for Week 14 GPP tournaments, primarily as his rushing upside, matchup, and low price create a fantasy floor that others in the sub-$5k range simply cannot match. While he’s not a prolific rusher, he’s now averaged 6.5 rushes over his last two games, and with the Saints devoid of a true rushing attack, I expect we’ll continue to see Shough use his legs and elevate his FP total in this game – potentially even with a score.
The matchup this week also elevates his ceiling as he faces a defense that runs a high rate of Man-2-Deep coverage and typically funnels teams towards the pass. Overall, the Buccaneers have now allowed the fifth-most fantasy points per game to opposing QBs, and the Saints’ own defensive issues should ensure he’s in plenty of late-game hurry-up situations. Pair him with one of his cheaper pass-catches like Devaughn Vele to truly unlock the value of the Saints’ passing game in this spot.
Running Back
James Cook ($7,800)
Cook should be one of the safest options on the board this week. The Bills rarely let him rest and will run the ball even when trailing, making him essentially immune to game script changes. Although the Bengals have slightly improved against the rush recently, their defense still allows the second-most receiving yards to running backs in the league. Since Cook excels in space, there’s a good chance he breaks off a few big plays on screens or catches several passes, boosting his potential in PPR formats.
While Cook can be slightly more boom or bust than the other elite RBs for fantasy, his upside is as good as anyone’s at RB. With the top-two options at his position in much tougher matchups, I like pivoting down this week and building around the Bills’ lead runner.
RJ Harvey ($5,700)
The rookie out of UCF has taken over the lead-back role over the last two weeks. At $5,700, he is still priced somewhat like a backup but is seeing starter volume, and this week has one of the best matchups possible with the Raiders. Vegas’ defensive front has regressed hard vs. the run of late and is coming off a game where they allowed 180 yards to the Chargers RBs and a long TD run to Kimani Vidal. Harvey leads all rookie RBs in breakaway run percentage, so the chances that we get a big play or two in this spot seem incredibly juicy.
I doubt we’ll see the Broncos give him true workhorse touches, but even at 15+ per game, he’s a player who can excel and return 5x value at this range given that he only needs a small crease to break a 40-yard touchdown. Harvey remains an excellent mid-range value play for Week 14.
Wide Receiver
Emeka Egbuka ($6,300)
Egbuka has been a PPR machine in his rookie season and gets a prime matchup this week against a secondary that plays soft coverage, allowing high completion percentages underneath, especially in the red zone. Overall, QBs have had great success this season targeting players from the slot and over the middle vs. the Saints (eighth-most TDs allowed to WRs) and Egbuka, despite being overshadowed last week by Chris Godwin, has already shown multiple times this season that he’s more than capable of paying off against defenses with weaker coverage like New Orleans.
From a game theory standpoint, it makes sense to hop back on the Egbuka train this week as well. His price is no longer among the top five prices at his position, and the element of a possible Godwin takeover will likely keep his ownership suppressed. Overall, a great spot to jump back on board and try to play for the ceiling game in Week 14.
Devaughn Vele ($3,700)
Vele finally had a breakout in Week 13 by catching all eight targets for 93 yards and a touchdown. While chasing big games from role players can be risky, Vele should have a great shot at repeating last week’s performance given that the Saints’ primary receiver, Chris Olave, is dealing with an injury and questionable to even play. Additionally, the Buccaneers’ pass funnel defense, which ranks eighth in receptions allowed to opposing WRs, sets the stage for another strong outing.
As a larger receiver, Tyler Shough should continue to target him frequently in Week 14 and his recent red-zone targets in consecutive weeks increase his chances of scoring another touchdown. Priced under $4,000, he offers enough upside that his Week 13 performance shouldn’t be dismissed as a fluke.
Tight End
Brenton Strange ($3,900)
Strange offers a cheap way to get exposure to a solid volume floor with better than advertised upside given the matchup with Indianapolis. As Trevor Lawrence’s safety valve, he is averaging five targets per game, which is solid enough for a sub-$4k player who has become more of the focal point of this offense since his return. While that’s not great for the overall explosiveness of the Jaguars offense as a whole, the PPR points for Strange aren’t likely to stop flowing in this spot vs. the Colts, who have a strong pass rush that forces quarterbacks to get rid of the ball quickly —usually to the tight end.
Overall, the Colts have allowed the fifth-most receptions and FP to opposing TEs on the year and now face a QB who likes to latch onto his first read, which should really boost Strange’s upside this week. At under $4k, he projects as a player who could pop for six or seven catches and certainly has a shot to be a top-three producer at his position given the matchup.
Defense/Special Teams
Titans ($2,900)
The Titans are a leverage play on defense this week and are priced under $3k. Their defensive front has been generating pressure consistently all season and plays a QB in Shedeur Sanders who is prone to taking big sacks. Overall, the Titans have three-plus sacks in four of their last five games, so the floor with this group is better than people likely realize. While you worry about the secondary most weeks with Tennessee, the combination of poor weather and a weak QB will likely shield them in this matchup. Additionally, there’s potential for a “bonus TD” from the special teams game, which is led by the league’s top returner, Chimere Dike.
In a game projected to be low-scoring and gritty, they offer a high floor of six to eight fantasy points strictly through sacks. If they can force a fumble in the pocket against a volatile QB, they have slate-winning upside.
