Fantasy Football Recap and Overreactions from Week 14

Week 14 Fantasy Reactions

Well, the fantasy football regular season is finally wrapped up (for most), and playoffs are beginning. Some of you may have made it to this point, and some of you may be watching from the stands. Either way, I hope you had a fun season (loosely using the word “fun” here) because it was one heck of a fantasy season! Despite some of the weirdness that occurred, I had fun. This was my first season writing for FantasyData and I had a blast! Especially with these write-ups.

I wanted to recap some of fantasy football’s top performers for the regular season. So, below this is the top 10 in fantasy points per position.

As you can see, there are the usual performers like Mahomes, Allen, Ekeler, McCaffrey, Jefferson, Adams, Kelce, and Andrews. However, I like to look at the unusual suspects who made a huge impact on their managers’ season. Those guys would be Hurts, Fields, Geno Smith, Daniel Jones, Josh Jacobs, Tony Pollard, Rhamondre Stevenson, Amon-Ra, Christian Kirk, Evan Engram, and David Njoku. These are all names to remember for next season!

The season isn’t over yet. We still have playoffs and then real-life playoffs! With that being said, let’s look at how week 14 went.

Rams vs Raiders

Shocker. The Raiders blew another lead. And this time, it was to a QB who was signed and shipped across the country in less than 48 hours. Yes, that’s right. Baker Mayfield was picked up by the Rams and he played 2 days later for them. AND GOT A COMEBACK WIN. Raiders, what are you doing? It was an ugly game, to say the least. Josh Jacobs was the bright spot as well as Ben Skowronek (who?) who scored 16 points. He is only rostered in 2.6% of leagues on ESPN so I’m guessing he didn’t help many lineups. Shoot me a message on Twitter if you played him! @ItsJustFantasy_. 

The high scorers for the Rams included Ben Skowronek with 15.9, Baker Mayfield scored 14, Van Jefferson and his game-winning TD at the end of the game got him to 12.4 points and if you were forced to play Cam Akers, at least he fell into the end zone giving you 9.3 points. Could be worse, I suppose. The Raiders had a bad outing. You know when Davante Adams only scores 10 points, something went wrong because he was averaging 25+ the past month. Josh Jacobs did his thing, scoring 19, but after that, it’s a baron wasteland. Mack Hollins was the third-highest score with 8.2. Better luck next week (or I guess next year now), Raiders.   

Jets vs Bills

This game started out how Jets-Bills games used to be with punt after a punt and no offense. I’m not kidding. There were 10 total punts before the first points of the game. This did not happen until 26 seconds left in the first half when Josh Allen threw a TD pass to Dawson Knox who literally flipped over a defender to score. It was wild. Josh Allen led the Bills with 20 fantasy points. He finished with 147 passing yards and 1 passing TD, so thankfully he ran one in as well to help out his fantasy managers. Knox was the second-high score with 14 and Diggs and Singletary let you down in a big way this week.

The Jets had a couple of solid-scoring players. Zonovan “Bam” Knight had another impressive outing. 71 yards and a score against a solid Buffalo defense. The Jets found a needle in a haystack. 15.7 points for the rookie. Garrett Wilson didn’t exactly “go off,” but his 13.7 points surely helped your roster this week. Last, if you happen to be in a spot where you were starting Elijah Moore (I pray for you), then you got a solid 12 from him this week. The Bills move further into 1st place after this win and the Dolphins’ loss. 

Bengals vs Browns

This was another game that started like the old Bengals/Browns games where it was punt after punt and a field goal fest. We finally saw the Bengals reach the end zone around 10 minutes in the second half when Joe Burrow threw a BULLET between two defenders to Ja’Marr Chase. Chase would end up being the leading scorer for the Bengals, reaching 28.5 this week (WR3 overall pending MNF). Joe Burrow had a decent 16-point week. Not great, but not bad whatsoever. The third-highest scorer was Trenton Irwin with 13.8 points. Most of which came on his 45-yard TD pass in the 3rd quarter. Joe Mixon had 12.5 in his return, another not great but not bad score. Most probably needed a good week from him. Tyler Boyd hurt his hand/finger so he is going to be out for a couple of games and Tee Higgins was a ghost inactive on Sunday. A lot of fantasy managers are pissed about that one…

Deshaun Watson is 2 games in and it still doesn’t seem like the rust is off. I’m not counting him out. Missing 2 years of live football has to put you behind. It may not happen this season, but next season he could come out swinging for the fences. Donovan Peoples-Jones was your fantasy-scoring leader with 19 points. David Njoku had a big week returning from injury. He scored 18.7 thanks to7 catches for 59 yards and a score. Love to see him thriving. Amari Cooper continued his unsuccessful road games tour. I think it’s something like he averages less than 7 points on road games but 18+ at home. Something wild like that. Nick Chubb got shut down, as did Kareem Hunt. Combined 11.6 points for those two. That one hurts. Kareem Hunt was my “start ‘em” RB this week. Oh well.

Texans vs Cowboys

 Vegas had this line set at 17.5 points in favor of Dallas. I dunno about you, but that is a massive spread to be betting on. Of course, I took Dallas thinking they would curb-stomp the Texans. Lesson learned. Dallas really looked like they were going to mess around and lose this game. They were trailing for what seemed like the entire second half. Finally, with 40 seconds left, Zeke punched it in for a 27-23 lead. Zeke and Tony Pollard led the Cowboys to a victory, that’s all I’ll say. Combined for 104 rushing yards and 3 TDs, they carried the team this week. Pollard scored 22 points and Zeke had 17. Dalton Schultz was also a catalyst for the Cowboys’ final scoring drive. He caught multiple passes on that drive and ultimately ended up with 14.7 points. 

I can’t believe I’m evening saying this but Chris Moore (Houston’s leading receiver this week) got me a victory in one league I needed it bad. 22 points?! Largely in part to Brandin Cooks and Nico Collins’ absence, but nevertheless it happened! Amari Rodgers (former Packers WR), was able to score 16 points from 4 catches for 57 yards and a score. Dameon Pierce has been quite the second half of the season let down. Only 12 points from the rookie this week. Would love to see him bounce back in the fantasy playoffs. I pray no one reading this had to start Davis Mills. ESPECIALLY, since they started doing a 2QB rotation?? What’re we doin’, Texans???

Lions vs Vikings

Justin Jefferson racked up 223 receiving yards and all because the Vikings lost, no one is talking about it. Do you know how hard it is to rack up over 200 receiving yards? Only the elite accomplish it and it is no easy task against professional football players. I digress…Dalvin Cook had a bad week. He scored 8.6 points. Not ideal for some who probably needed him in a big way. T.J. Hockenso managed to score 11.7, but a TD would have been great. K.J. Osborne stole the TD I thought Hockenson was gonna get, K.J. scored 14.8 thanks to that. Adam Thielen put up another impressive week, scoring 19.5. Kirk Cousins and his 400+ yard game got him to 25 points. And finally, Justin Jefferson and his 223 yards got him 33.3 points. Really wish he was able to find the end zone and reach that 40–point territory. 

The Lions man, they’re on the playoff hunt! Maybe it’s something about their predator instinct ;). Jared Goff was my start QB of the week. I called for 3 TDs from the veteran, and we got just that. You love to see it. 330 yards, 3 TDs, and 26 fantasy points later, the Lions and Jared Goff have their eyes on a playoff spot. I thought Amon-Ra would be the reason Goff went crazy, but really it was a team effort. D.J. Chark, Josh Reynolds, and even rookie Jameson Williams each caught a TD pass. Amon-Ra scored 13.4 off catches and yards alone. Can’t hate that. What you can hate is Jamaal Williams and D’Andre Swift having very quiet weeks. Don’t love that.

Dolphins vs Chargers

The Dolphins are in a very neutral spot right now. They started off hot, cooled down slightly, and then took a hit the past two weeks. Now is when we figure out if Mike McDaniel and the team can face the adversity and flip things around. Prove it or lose it essentially. As a fan, I’m rooting for the prove-it route, obviously. Tyreek had himself a hell of a game despite the teams’ troubles. Tyreek had 24 points from 4 catches, 81 yards, and a TD. He also scored another touchdown after grabbing a fumble from a pile after it squirted out. Thanks to Terron Armstead’s quick thinking. Tyreek ran it to the end zone for 57 yards. One of the wildest plays in a while for the Dolphins. Tua scored 12 points but that’s quite a letdown considering his ceiling this season. Tough outing for the Phins.

I’ll tell you what, they aren’t kidding when they say the Chargers’ offense is solid when everyone is healthy. Keenan looked great, Mike W made big plays and Ekeler was doin’ his thing. Ekeler scored 24 points. 45 rush yards, a TD, 8 catches, and 59 yards to go with all of that. He was all over the field. Mike W and Keenan each had solid nights. Mike W had 6 for 116 and a score (23.6 pts). Keenan caught 12 passes for 92 yards (21.2 pts). As I said, both put in work. Herbert followed those guys up with nearly 20 points himself. All-around solid production from the Chargers players this week.

Jaguars vs Titans

The Titans started hot. Got out to a 14-7 lead and then *poof* their offense disappeared for nearly 3 quarters. Jacksonville took over from here. Derrick Henry did return to form, logging 121 yards and a TD. Can’t forget about the 3 catches for 34 yards. Big 20.5-point day from the King. He did have 2 fumbles, which really held them back. Tannehill also had a fumble. As well as an interception. 254 yards, 2 TDs, and the pick. 17.76 points for the vet. It was cool seeing Chigoziem Okonkwo have a nice lil breakout game. 6 catches for 45 yards and a TD (18.5 points) for the rookie. Tough day for the Titans as a whole.

The story of the day was Evan Engram’s big day. 11 catches, 162 yards, and 2 TDs. Massive 39.2-point week. Trevor Lawrence is wheeling and dealing right now! 368 yards and 3 TDs. Love to see his game polishing. Even got a rushing TD at the goal line. Love to see him scoring 30+ points (33 this week). His game is going to be so good. Zay Jones was a huge beneficiary of Lawrence’s big day. Jones had 21.5 points off his 8 catches for 77 yards and TD. Chrisitan Kirk had a quieter day with 9.5 points. The Jaguars get a big win here. 

Giants vs Eagles

The Eagles came out of the gate QUICK. Midway through the 2nd quarter, they were up 21-0. Each of their playmakers scored. In this span, Miles Sanders (28.5 points) ran one in near the goal line, DeVonta Smith (17.4 points) caught a 41-yard TD pass and A.J. Brown (17 points) reeled in a 33-yarder from Jalen Hurts. Speaking of Jalen…he finished the week with 30.38 points. 217 in the air and 77 on the ground. 3 touchdowns total. Hell of a day for QB1 and the Eagles. The cherry on top was Miles Sanders running one in from 40 yards out in the 4th quarter making it 48-14.

Following that, Richie James scored on a 19-yard pass from Daniel Jones Making it 48-22. Richie James ended with 19 points from 7 catches for 61 yards and the score in garbage time. Daniel Jones was the high scorer for the Giants. He had 19.36 points. Threw for 169 and ran for 24. Not a good day. The passing and rushing TD saved his score. I’m still looking for Saqon, in case you find him, let me know. His 6.8 points did nothing for me. The Giants have now lost 4 of their last 6 and have also tied in that span. Interesting that both Brian Daboll and Mike McDaniel are having mid-season struggles. Curious to see how their teams respond.

Ravens vs Steelers

This game was ugly from the beginning. Kenny Pickett was off and the Steelers’ offense wasn’t getting much done. Then Kenny Pickett got knocked out. Leaving Mitchell Trubisky to lead the offense. The only thing he led the Steelers to was turnovers and a loss. Trubisky did have 273 yards, but only 1 TD to Pat Freiermuth (12.3 pts) and 3 interceptions. A rough 9-point day for Trubisky. Luckily, no one was starting him, so teams playing Pickett were the ones who struggled. Diontae Johnson leading them in fantasy points was not on my bingo card. I basically had given up on the Diontae Johnson dream. Granted, it was only 14 points but it still counts!

The Ravens won this game with their 3rd string QB, who was signed off the practice squad earlier last week. Had this game stayed with Pickett & Huntley, we probably would have seen more action. The only action we got from the Ravens was J.K. Dobbins and his return from IR. Dobbins had a huge run in this game, also ran in a touchdown, and scored 18 points. 120 rushing yards and a score from J.K. That was the highlight of this game. Tough one. Can’t imagine going to watch this one in person 😉 (this is a jab at my best friends who went to this game).

Chiefs vs Broncos

This was a much better game than expected. You know when Russell Wilson is tossing the rock and scoring 3 TDs, things are going well (25.5 points for Russ). Not only Russ was feeling himself, but so was Jerry Jeudy! The man caught 3 TDs this week! 33.3 points for the WR1 in week 14. 8 catches, 73 yards, and the touchdowns. Love to see that out of him. Marlon Mack, yes THE Marlon Mack, made a huge play. He caught a pass and ran it for a TD. After Greg Dulcich’s season-high last week, I thought we’d see another big week, but Jerry Jeudy took over. 7 points for Dulcich.

The Chiefs had to have been shell-shocked by Russ coming out and putting up the week he did. Mahomes ended up throwing for 352 yards and 3 TDs because of Russ. Mahomes also threw 3 interceptions which brought him back to 20 points. Could have been 25+, Patrick! Isaiah Pacheco continues to produce on the ground for the Chiefs. 70 rush yards this week and 12 fantasy points thanks to a couple of catches. Love to see him being used in both the ground game and the passing attack. Jerrick McKinnon was the highlight of the Chiefs’ offense this week. He scored 32 fantasy points. He had 7 catches, for 112 yards, and caught 2 TD passes from Mahomes. JuJu had a solid day himself. 22 points off 9 for 74 yards and a score. Not the best week from Kelce, but he will be back. Can’t have them all!

Bucs vs 49ers

Well, I’m just glad this game is over with because the number of times I heard the whole “Tom Brady homecoming” story was annoying. Yeah, we know he didn’t play in San Francisco much, he was in the AFC for the majority of his career. Anyways, not a good day for the GOAT. Very close to a shutout. Luckily, Russell Gage was able to reel one in. The best fantasy score for the Bucs was Rachaad White with 10 points. I’m not going to get much further into detail here because the Bucs got stomped.

And who did they get stomped by? That’s right, Brock Purdy himself. Mr. Relevant now! Love to see it. Purdy had 185 passing yards, 2 TDs, and even ran one in himself, giving him 3 TDs on the day. A solid 21 points from the rookie. Christian McCaffrey put in work himself. He had 119 rush yards and a score, 2 catches for 34 yards, and a score. A massive 29-point week for the vet. Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk both had decent days, but Samuel got injured, unfortunately. He had 14 before the injury Brandon Aiyuk caught one of Brock’s TD passes, putting him at 13 points himself. The final score for this was 35-7. Nobody saw that coming. Wow.  

Panthers vs Seahawks

The Panthers can’t decide what quarterback to roll with and traded their best asset (McCaffrey) away and are still finding ways to win. Even against a solid opponent like Seattle. Might’ve been a different ball game if the Seahawks had Kenneth Walker, but hey, that’s the way the cookie crumbles. Geno led the team with 20 fantasy points. 260 yards and 3 TDs from the vet. The two interceptions hurt. Marquise Goodwin led skill players with 20 points, D.K. Metcalf followed him with 18 and Tyler Lockett was right behind him with 17. Solid day from the receiver trio. Despite all of the hype, Travis Homer scored 5 points. Yay.

The Panthers decided they were just going to expose the Seahawks’ run defense. They reached 223 rushing yards total between Foreman, Hubbard, and Blackshear. The rookie even found the end zone! Chubba Hubbard led the Panthers in fantasy points with 18.9, and the rookie Blackshear had 11.9 points. The receivers didn’t need to do much, apparently. Shi Smith led the group with 9.7 points. Looking at the box score, I really don’t understand how the Panthers won this game…

Patriots vs Cardinals

Monday night football got off to a somber start. A LOT of injuries piled up. Kyler Murray suffered what is seeming to be a season-ending knee injury. I don’t know if there is an official report on what it is, but he was carted off. Not usually a good sign. The Cardinals were a much different team after this. James Conner had to carry the load, quite literally. 15 carries for 85 yards and a score. Also had 6 catches for 29 yards on top of that. Love the extra 8, almost 9, points! DeAndre Hopkins was on his way to a big night, but had a costly fumble and was not able to find the end zone last night. 12.9 for him after the fumble. Marquise Brown isn’t quite what he was pre-Hopkins and pre-injury. I hope it is just because Hopkins is now in the offense/Murray was out. I would hate to see that injury affect him long-term. 

The Patriots escaped with another win! No thanks to Mac Jones (7 points) and his 235-yard night with no touchdowns. Very much due to the rookie tandem in the backfield who took over in Rhamondre’s absence after he got hurt. Pierre strong had 19 points from 70 yards, a TD, and 2 catches. Kevin Harris mainly had his goal-line touchdown but it still counts! The defense was the real MVP last night. The defense scored 19 points largely due to the fumble recovery for a touchdown. Good win for the Patriots, but pissed that Kyler got hurt…