Inactive NFL Week 14 and Fantasy Picks: Ladd McConkey is out for “Sunday Night Football.”

Welcome to the Week 14 NFL Fantasy and Betting Cheat Sheet, a one-stop shop for The athleteMatch previews, injury and weather updates, and expert analysis. Bookmark this page and check back often as we offer regular updates to help you with fantasy lineups and betting decisions.

The player rankings mentioned in this article are current as of December 8th. For updated rankings, see the Fantasy Football Player Rankings section.

The latest NFL news and headlines

Last updated: December 8, 6:55 p.m. ET

Injury News | Weather report
Selected games | Market share report
Flex flyer | Fantasy football player rankings

---

Injury news

Last updated: December 8, 6:55 p.m. ET

Football on Sunday evenings

Ladd McConkey, WR, Los Angeles Chargers (knee) – Out
McConkey is inactive in Week 14. Quentin Johnston is likely to benefit the most, and Joshua Palmer could also see further targets. This season, McConkey hit 24.9 percent of the team’s goals; TE Will Dissly’s had 16.3 percent, Johnston’s absorbed 14.2 percent and Palmer received just 12.6 percent. McConkey’s absence leaves a lot and Johnston’s ceiling is around the 22 PPR points he scored in Week 9 while averaging 9.72 points this year.

Spencer Shrader, K, Kansas City Chiefs (Thigh) – Injured reserve
After Harrison Butker was placed on IR, the Kansas City Chiefs signed Shrader from the Jets’ practice squad. Shrader was 3 of 3 on his field goal attempts (including a game-winner in Week 12) and hit all six of his extra point attempts. But a hamstring injury sent Shrader to IR and the Chiefs signed Matthew Wright to their active roster. In Week 13, Wright made 4 of 5 field goal attempts (missing only a 59-yarder) and made his only extra point attempt.

Monday Night Football

Evan McPherson, K, Cincinnati Bengals (Groin) – Injured Reserve
McPherson was placed on injured reserve. In his absence, the Bengals signed Cade York to the practice squad, and he will likely be the next kicker for Cincinnati. York kicked for the Commanders in Week 1 and was 0-for-2 on field goals, but scored on both extra point attempts.

CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys (Shoulder) – Expected to play
Jake Ferguson, TE, Dallas Cowboys (Concussion) – Expected to play
Lamb is the Cowboys’ only reliable receiver and Dallas owner Jerry Jones said he will benefit from rest and should be ready for Week 14, according to Jon Machota of The athlete. Despite all of the Cowboys’ struggles and Cooper Rush taking over the QB duties, Lamb is still averaging 16.49 PPR points on the season. Ferguson hasn’t played since Week 11 and is averaging just 8.66 PPR points per game, but he’s averaging 6.44 goals and 4.78 receptions per game and should make it back in Week 14.

---

Weather report

Outdoor games only

According to Rotowire’s aggregated NFL predictions, none of the scheduled games will be affected by weather. No one expected temperatures below 35 degrees, which would impact the passing game, according to Jake Ciely’s fantasy football strategy guide to weather and as shown in the table below.

---

Selected games

Match-specific previews and live updates will be available on match day.

Sunday evening

Los Angeles Chargers (8-4) vs. Kansas City Chiefs (11-1)

• Venue: GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium – Kansas City, Missouri
• Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
• TV: NBC
• Streaming: peacock

The Kansas City Chiefs are the home favorites in their second game against the Los Angeles Chargers. In the first meeting between the two teams, the Chiefs won 17-10, typical of a season full of nerves in which they have won by three points or fewer in three of their last four games – the fourth game being their only loss to Buffalo . Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce have renewed their chemistry since Week 4 and Kelce has posted three 20+ PPR performances since then. Over the last three weeks, DeAndre Hopkins has run the most routes (87) and has been the targeted receiver (19) (excluding Kelce). Xavier Worthy is right behind him with 19 targets and 83 routes. Isiah Pacheco averaged 6.3 yards per carry in his first game last week and will likely see even more touches in the future.

The Chargers’ 8-4 record at this point in the season is their best since 2018, but much of their success has come against weaker opponents. They lost to the Steelers, Cardinals, Ravens (and Chiefs). Head coach Jim Harbaugh has made massive improvements on defense, and Justin Herbert and the offense are making progress. But JK Dobbins is out for the season, Gus Edwards is an inadequate backup and Ladd McConkey is battling a knee injury. Losing McConkey is a big loss for the team and fantasy players as he is emerging as a weekly fantasy starter with 17.8 PPR points per game over the last three weeks, Fantasy’s WR13 in that time.

Read the full preview.

Monday evening

Cincinnati Bengals (4-8) vs. Dallas Cowboys (5-7)

• Venue: AT&T Stadium – Arlington, Texas
• Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN, ABC
• Streaming: ESPN+

The 4-8 Cincinnati Bengals are favorites on the road against the 5-7 Dallas Cowboys. While the Cowboys beat the Giants on Thanksgiving, they face a tougher QB in Joe Burrow, who is having a career year with a 108.4 passer rating and leads the league with 3,337 pass yards and 30 passing TDs. Chase Brown is averaging 14.78 PPR points per game and Ja’Marr Chase leads the league in receiving yards (1,142). Tee Higgins ranks fourth overall in PPR points per game (18.4) for receivers who have played in five or more games and is the team’s second-leading receiver with WR1 numbers.

The Cowboys may have a hard time stopping Burrow, but even with Cooper Rush under center, they may be able to score against the Bengals, who allow the second-most points and are 27th in yards allowed per game. CeeDee Lamb, who ranks fourth in total receiving yards, tweaked his shoulder on Thanksgiving but should be ready for MNF, according to Jon Machota of The athlete. Rico Dowdle is a boom-or-bust RB3/Flex (in 12-team leagues) with under 10 PPR points in five games this season and over 19 in three, but should find opportunities against Cincinnati’s defense.

Read the full preview (next Monday).

The statistics in this section come from TruMedia.

---

Market share report

Michael Salfino examines the utilization to help you build your Week 14 lineup.

Target and touch totals are important, but not as important as market share. Targets is largely a receiver statistic (although there are some notable early exceptions). Touches are the running back’s currency.

What we do is really simple. For pass catchers, the market share is equal to the targets divided by the team’s pass attempts. For running backs, it’s touches divided by team plays from scrimmage (not team touches, to be clear).

Rico Dowdle should start for you. He’s been in the top 10 for two weeks now. Ditto Bucky Irvingwhich is electric (but which may be broken – check out the practical reports). Don’t ask me any questions about these guys competing in Week 16.

– Salfino

Read all of Salfino’s insights.

---

Flex flyer

Scott Engel discusses last-minute free agency options to fill roster holes.

Kimani Vidal, RB, LAC (32 percent): Gus Edwards could start losing touch with the rookie as early as this week. Vidal averaged five yards per carry last week and can enliven a Los Angeles Chargers offense that needs a spark plug in an important matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Noah Gray, TE, KC (22 percent): After going two outs with two touchdowns, Gray caught four of six targets for 58 yards last week, and that’s what I would expect from a streaming fantasy TE any time. Gray is too common. Patrick Mahomes trusts him on important pass downs and TD situations.

View all Flexflyers of week 14.

---

Jake Ciely’s Week 14 Fantasy Football Player Rankings

Find out Jake’s top QB, RB, WR and TE for the week!

• Unfortunately, there is still no perfect widget. I know many see this on your phone, but 1) use the rankings widget on a PC/laptop etc if possible, or 2) open it in your phone’s browser, especially for Android users, to stop scrolling works (or Android users can try two-finger scrolling).
• ECR = “Expert” consensus ranking (which not everyone updates regularly, so use with caution).
• Will be updated regularly. Please find out about the blocking of the lineups.

Get Ciely’s full Week 14 analysis. Plus thresholds and ledges.

(Photo by Ladd McConkey: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)