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 $2.25M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st].
Top DFS Contrarian Stack
Atlanta Falcons vs. Arizona Cardinals
Kirk Cousins ($5,600) – Bijan Robinson ($8,700) – Michael Carter ($5,400) – Kyle Pitts ($5,000)
At this point, any competent offense going up against the Cardinals has to be considered for DFS. They have now allowed three or more passing TDs in four of their last five games and have been absolutely pummeled on the ground of late, allowing 6.43 yards per carry to opposing RBs over their last two games alone.
It goes without saying this could be a massive upside spot for Bijan Robinson, who looks underpriced at just $8.7k in this sort of spot. We know Robinson is good for 20+ touches every week and got fed by QB Kirk Cousins in his last game with 11 targets. Overall, this is a spot where I’d much rather roster the team’s top RB and their QB to get exposure to all of the team’s TDs than worry about picking the right names. While Cousins doesn’t bring much rushing upside, another 3+ TD day here is very much within reach with him throwing to after-the-catch studs all game
It does get a little trickier to stack Cousins this week with Drake London likely to play, but the matchup suggests staying on the Kyle Pitts bandwagon is the right move. Arizona is fresh off allowing eight receptions for 76 yards and a TD to Dalton Schultz, and on the season has allowed the eighth-most FP and sixth-most TDs to the position. Given Pitts has averaged 26.2 DKFP over his last three starts and is still $2k cheaper than London, he’s the name I’d look to round out the Falcons stack.
In terms of Arizona exposure, I’d be prone to take Michael Wilson ($6,900) if I knew Marvin Harrison was out, but with that situation up in the air, Michael Carter ($5,400) is the name I’d be targeting for now. He’s headed to start with Bam Knight landing on IR and has caught 11 passes over his last three games alone. The opportunity is there for him to act as a primary receiver vs. a defense that brings solid pressure and may cause the Cardinals to dump the ball to their RBs all game.
Quarterback
Baker Mayfield ($5,700)
Mayfield’s price has fallen below $6k this week to his lowest price point of the year. Overall, this just feels far too cheap. The Panthers allowed Tyler Shough to complete 75% of his passes last week and run for an extra 37 yards on the ground. Mayfield has similar rushing upside and now a full complement of receivers for a matchup with a secondary that has struggled against slot receivers at times.
Overall, the Bucs/Panthers game is one of my favorites to target on the slate. Just like the TNF thrillfest, it features two division rivals with some high-end receivers on both sides that should push this into a close back-and-forth affair. Mayfield should be a huge beneficiary in that scenario and is a QB that I could see outperforming and going for 5x return at this price.
Running Back
Rico Dowdle ($6,300)
The Buccaneers’ rush defense isn’t what it used to be and comes into this game having allowed 10 rushing TDs already this season, as well as the 10th-most FP to RBs on the season date. They’ve allowed opponents’ top RBs to accumulate 70+ yards and a TD in back-to-back games and are particularly poor covering out of the backfield. On top of allowing 83 yards receiving to Bijan Robinson last week, they’ve also allowed the most receiving yards to RBs this season and over 10.0 yards per reception.
While Dowdle gave up some work to Chuba Hubbard upon his teammate’s return, he was back in the lead role in Week 15, taking 16 carries, including a crucial red zone tote for a score. With this being a pivotal game, Dowdle seeing 20+ touches in this spot seems realistic. Given the state of the Bucs’ defense, he could be in line for a big day if that happens. At well under $7k, he makes sense as a GPP core target against this week.
Wide Receiver
DK Metcalf (5,400)
Even at $5,400, there is some danger with Metcalf going up against the Lions. Aaron Rodgers could get sacked into oblivion or injured, forcing the Steelers to play the dump-off game all day long. However, the upside with Metcalf is truly massive in this spot. The Lions have had major issues stopping WR1’s from producing of late, and on the season, they are now allowing the second-most FP per game to opposing WRs.
Metcalf’s QB is also very familiar with this particular opponent. While there is some risk, the other side of this argument is that Rodgers’ familiarity with Detroit also works in his favor if the two get together for multiple quick passes that lead to monster plays. Coming off a game in which he saw just three targets but still manhandled the Miami defense at times, I see no reason not to build around Metcalf’s upside in what should be a high-scoring game.
Chimere Dike ($4,200)
If you are looking to pivot away from the popular chalk at wide receiver, Dike looks like a solid upside play to use in player pools. Outside of the fact that Tennessee still has one of the thinnest receiver cores in the league, Dike also brings special teams upside, which has allowed owners to cash in multiple times this season with “surprise” return TDs. Given the Chiefs’ injury woes and the fact that their season is effectively over, a lapse in special teams play this week wouldn’t be shocking.
Further, I expect the Titans will look to get Dike and other after-the-catch ballers out in space more often and quickly vs. the Chiefs defense, which is notorious for its aggressiveness. From a roster construction standpoint, it’s hard to find another player in this range with the sort of upside Dike brings to the table. He’s already hit 16+ points this season on DraftKings and can go for value on just a single play. With him now up against a potentially lame duck opponent, I like targeting him for value in this spot before Christmas.
Tight End
Brenton Strange ($3,900)
Heading into this critical Week 16 showdown, Strange stands out as a potentially important piece for the Jaguars vs. the Broncos. The Jags’ lead TE has been operating as the undisputed TE1 for Jacksonville, and this week, the matchup with Denver should force Trevor Lawrence to look away from his primary outside option. Denver has also really been regressing vs. the TE of late, allowing veteran slowpokes like Travis Kelce and Zach Ertz to accumulate 90+ yards in Week 11 and 13. Any sort of close game this week could lead to Strange hitting his ceiling in targets and going for seven-plus receptions – which would be massive on DraftKings’ PPR format.
Strange has already benefited from similar matchups when he went for five catches and 93 yards vs. the Cardinals in his first game back from injury, and he figures to do so this week as well. With Denver’s defense likely to keep Jaguars player ownership low across the board, I like targeting him at under $4k in what is really shaping up to be a very plus matchup for their third-year TE.
Defense/Special Teams
Vikings ($2,800)
The Vikings’ defense has performed well against the NFC East in its last two outings, and I like their chances of continuing that trend in Week 16 against the Giants. New York still allows a lot of pressure and has ceded the 11th-most sacks against this season. Further, while the Vikings have been gashed a bit on the ground of late, the Giants are hardly a scary rushing offense. They are below average in EPA per rush and success rate on offense, and are without their top RB in rookie Cam Skattebo.
Minnesota has been poor as a DFS target for much of the season, but their heavy blitz scheme does create opportunities for defensive scores, and they are just two weeks removed from a shutout and 18.0 point game vs. Washington. Overall, this is a unit due for a little more positive regression in the turnover department and one I like targeting against a poor Giants offense in larger GPPs.
