Trashman’s Fantasy Fallout going into Week 14

 

Who can we take into the playoffs with us, and who do we have to leave behind? We’ll separate the wheat from the chaff in the Fallout going into Week 14…

---

49ers vs Bears: 15 – 14

• Jimmy Garoppolo didn’t exactly break out his first full game as a 49er, but he did move his team downfield consistently against a good defense. Things are looking up for the 49ers offense, though it may not look like it.

 

• Marquise Goodwin is an every week WR2 these days in PPR leagues, and Trent Taylor is turning into a flex consideration in PPRs as well. 

 

• Matt Breida got 13 touches to Carlos Hyde‘s 19 as the COP back. Maybe he stays involved as an extra safety valve for a transitioning Garoppolo, but I don’t see much upside unless Hyde goes down.

 

• You would think this would be one matchup that Jordan Howard could take advantage of, but he failed to do much against the 49ers. The Bears only had 36 offensive plays to San Fran’s 73, so that definitely capped his potential, but his last 2 games are concerning. He has CIN, DET, and CLE to finish the fantasy season, which is actually a tougher schedule than it would seem.

 

• Tarik Cohen had a videogame-like punt-return for a TD and actually led the Bears in receiving, albeit with 39 yards. He’s still only usable in PPR and return yardage leagues.

 

Broncos vs Dolphins: 9 – 35

 

• Trevor Siemian tanked hardcore against the ho-hum Dolphins, sapping the fantasy life from virtually every Bronco’s offensive skill player in the process. Unfortunately the Broncos have no other alternatives at the position. His opposition this week, the Jets, are worth streaming at defense.

 

• One week after getting only 5 touches and 12 yards, C.J. Anderson got 19 touches and 110 total yards against Miami. Devontae Booker took a backseat in this one after leading the team in touches the last several weeks. I’m not sure what’s going on here, and I’m not sure the Broncos do either. Both are risky play next week against the Jets.

 

• What a difference a Damien makes. Without Damien Williams to share snaps with, Kenyan Drake had the best game of his short career, amassing 141 yards on 28 touches. He’s earned a larger role in the Dolphins offense regardless if Williams returns this week to face the Patriots.

 

• Jay Cutler did his best Matt Moore impression by targeting Kenny Stills all day with 13 targets. If the trend continues, Still may be in for a big day against the Pats this week. DeVante Parker has either lost confidence or fallen out of favor in Miami. Either way, he’s not an option this week.

 

Buccaneers vs Packers: 20 – 26

 

• Jameis Winston wasn’t terrible in his first game back from injury, tossing 2 TDs on 270 yards, but his dink and dunk approach killed Mike Evans‘ fantasy value – 2 catches, 33 yards. One thing is for sure, Cameron Brate is back on the weekly TE radar as Winston’s favorite end-zone target.

 

• Peyton Barber made the surprise start on Sunday in lieu of the familiar Jacquizz Rodgers. I guess they wanted to see what they had in the young runner. Barber looked better than Martin has all season with 143 yards on 27 touches and could see at least a timeshare moving forward.

 

• It’s hard to decide what to make of Brett Hundley. He produces against great defenses and putters against the worst. 84 yards and an INT against Tampa Bay is inexcusable. Fortunately, we only have one more week of him to deal with. Make sure Aaron Rodgers is rostered in your league, and Jordy Nelson, and Randall Cobb for that matter.

 

• Jamaal Williams still got the bulk of touches with Aaron Jones back in the mix. In fact, he got all but one, a 20 yard TD scamper by Jones which was his one carry of the game. Jones will get some opportunities, but expect the Pack to keep riding Williams, especially while Hundley is around.

 

Chiefs vs Jets: 31 – 38

 

• Alex Smith went and redeemed himself on a week that not many people were likely relying on him, which might have just spurred on more anger towards him. He gets the Raiders this week, who he already dismantled this season with 300+ yards and 3 TDs, so you can feel pretty good about him in your lineups.

 

• Tyreek Hill had a career day against the Jets, which isn’t saying much considering that he’s a only second year player, but 185 yards and 2 TDs is going to be a career day for most NFL receivers, regardless of how long they’ve been around. He could just best it this week against the Raiders, with Kareem Hunt all but disappearing from the picture these days.

 

• So should you start Kareem Hunt this week? Well, his last 100+ yard game was against the Raiders back in week 7, so if there’s anybody he’s going to produce against, it’s probably them.

 

• Jermaine Kearse went bananas for the second week in a row, with 157 yards on 9 receptions. The big question is do you take a chance on him this week against the Broncos? I feel much safer with Robby Anderson in that one because of his penchant for catching TDs. Yardage has been much more difficult to come by on a regular basis, and that’s what Kearse has been succeeding at. With only 1 TD over his last 5 games, I have a hard time rolling with Kearse in the playoffs.

 

• I hope you have better options than Bilal Powell or Matt Forte in the playoffs, but if you’re thinking about rolling with one of them, they should both be worth a flex against the reeling Broncos, who can be hurt on the ground more easily than through the air.

 

Colts vs Jaguars: 10 – 30

 

• Not much going on with the Colts offense on Sunday. Donte Moncrief did lead the team with 8 targets, with Jalen Ramsey covering T.Y. Hilton, but as usual this season he didn’t do much with them.

 

• Dede Westbrook had 78 yards on 9 targets this week, just one less than Marqise Lee who managed to nab a TD. It will be scary to consider either player against the Seahawks this week, but both of them play out of the slot at times, so there will be opportunities for both.

 

Lions vs Ravens: 20 –  44

 

• Matt Stafford didn’t break his hand and will probably give it a go this week with the Lions still in the hunt. It’s a tricky situation, as the matchup couldn’t get much better with the Bucs on the slate, but one hand on helmet or untimed fall could end your fantasy day. I’d make backup plans while we wait and see how he practices this week.

 

• RB Tion Green got his first action of the season and made use of it with 51 yards on 11 carries with a 4.6 YPC average. The Lions running game has struggled enough this season to make room for Green to get more carries going forward even if Ameer Abdullah returns this week. If Abdullah can’t go, Green makes for an intriguing flex against Tampa Bay.

 

• The game never set up for Danny Woodhead, with the Ravens playing with a big lead for most of it, so it was another pedestrian week for him. He should be of better use against the Steelers this week, but he’s hard to trust.

 

• Mike Wallace is the better Ravens WR to depend on going into the playoffs, as he has big play ability that Jeremy Maclin doesn’t exhibit with any regularity.

 

Patriots vs Bills: 23 – 3

 

• Just when you thought Rob Gronkowski wouldn’t hurt you by missing time with injury, he goes and gets suspended for a dirty hit that left a player concussed. He’ll appeal his one-game suspension, but it’s likely he’ll miss week 14. Brandin Cooks‘ owners are singing the Hallelujah Chorus right now.

 

• You were already going to play Dion Lewis and Rex Burkhead this week, but with Gronk likely out, Danny Amendola makes for a reasonable flex start if Chris Hogan is still out as well. James White might even be worth a deep league flex with Miami up.

 

• Tyrod Taylor has a patellar tendon contusion and could very well miss Week 14, which would leave Nate Peterman to helm the Bills against the Colts. Ugh, the matchup couldn’t be better, but Peterman can’t be trusted in the playoffs. LeSean McCoy is the only Bill I’m taking with me.

 

Texans vs Titans: 13 – 24

 

• Tom Savage found a second favorite target(12) in TE Stephen Anderson on Sunday after C.J. Fiedorowicz went down with a concussion. Should Fiedo miss Week 14, Anderson makes for a reasonable start with both Bruce Ellington and Braxton Miller starting the week off very questionable.

 

• Andre Ellington went in as a receiver when both Ellington and Miller went down. He could see similar usage this week if they sit.

 

• Derrick Henry continues to outplay DeMarco Murray yet still remains in an almost even timeshare with the veteran. I prefer Henry to Marco this week, even if he gets less touches somehow. He’s the more explosive player.

 

• I’m completely off the Corey Davis train going into the playoffs. He’ll probably see a lot of Patrick Peterson this week anyway, and you know how that usually goes for opposing receivers.

 

Vikings vs Falcons: 14 – 9

 

• The Vikings refuse to commit to Case Keenum, and he continues to play with a chip on his shoulder, which is probably the point of them holding that stance. Keenum will continue to start this week against the Panthers.

 

• Jerick McKinnon managed to bring in a TD catch this week, but it’s been few and far between recently. Latavius Murray is finding room behind the Vikings O-line, and they’ll continue to lean on him as long as he’s trodding along.

 

• Devonta Freeman reclaimed his role as lead back in Atlanta, but that doesn’t mean much, as neither back gets more than a dozen carries when they’re both healthy. Both of them are decent plays against the Saints as the assumed answers to Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara.

 

• Julio Jones owners need to hope and pray Saints DB Marshon Lattimore stays gone in Week 14, as Jones was shut down by Xavier Rhodes to a piteous 2 for 24 line. Mohamed Sanu could come in handy this week.

 

Browns vs Chargers

 

• DeShone Kizer dropped Corey Coleman like a bad habit with Josh Gordon sharing the field. Coleman logged nary a catch on 4 targets, while Gordon had 85 yards on 11 targets. The Browns face the Packers this week, which would be a nice matchup for Coleman, but all bets are off right now. It goes without saying that Gordon should be in your lineups.

 

• With 100+ yards in 3 straight games, Keenan Allen has found his groove in the Chargers offense at just the right time. He has a sweet schedule to end the fantasy season, with WAS, KC, and NYJ coming up, so keep him out there.

 

• Hunter Henry has had a similar revival in Los Angeles with back to back 75+ yard games. He’s worth starting for the duration of the playoffs.

 

Giants vs Raiders

 

• The Ben McAdoo experiment is over in New York and so is the Jerry Reese saga. Eli Manning will go back under center for Week 14, and maybe the firings will boost his mood. Either way, I’m hands off against the Cowboys this week.

 

• Orleans Darkwa regained his control of the lead back spot for the Giants this week, but his day was only saved by a TD. Otherwise, he had only 32 yards on 14 carries. I’m not using him in the playoffs.

 

• No one will miss Geno Smith like Evan Engram, who had 7 catches and 99 yards with the QB on Sunday. Eli Manning hasn’t liked him nearly as much, as this was season high in yards and targets. Even so, he’s a legit TE1 going into the playoffs.

 

• Johnny Holton led the Raiders in targets(7), managing 39 yards and a TD in the process. Cordarrelle Patterson was able to gain 97 yards on only 4 looks. Michael Crabtree will return this week, and Amari Cooper has a chance to as well, so neither Holton nor Patterson are likely to be usable this week, even against the sieve-like Chiefs.

 

Panthers vs Saints

 

• Jonathan Stewart has had 100+ yards or a TD in his last 3 games, which warrants him for flex status in my book. The Panthers are likely to have trouble throwing the ball against Minnesota this week, so Stewart should continue to get carries.

 

• Greg Olsen was held out Sunday due to concerns about the artificial surface in New Orleans. He’ll be back this week as perhaps Cam Newton‘s best chance of moving the ball through the air against the Vikings.

 

• Mark Ingram was back to his week winning ways on Sunday after his let-down of a Week 12, with 85 yards on the ground, though 72 of them were on one play. He’s one to watch in practice this week, as he sat on earlier today with a toe injury.

 

Rams vs Cardinals

 

• Josh Reynolds tied with Cooper Kupp for 6 targets on Sunday, second highest total on the team behind Todd Gurley, but could only come down with one of them. Reynolds is a deep threat, liable to close misses, so games like this are just par the course. The Rams face Philly this week, so I’m not using any Rams receiver except for slot-man Kupp.

 

• Kerwynn Williams got the start over D.J. Foster on Sunday with Adrian Peterson sidelined and had a nice 97 yard day. The Cardinals aren’t sure of AP’s status this week, so Williams could very well get another start versus the Titans. He would be a decent flex.

 

• Ricky Seals-Jones finally came down to earth in this one, but he still had the second most yards for Arizona on the day(44). He’s a welcome start in Week 14.

 

Eagles vs Seattle

 

• Russell Wilson is the Seahawks offense. You have to start him throughout the playoffs regardless of the matchup.

 

• Mike Davis played 45 of 62 snaps for the Seahawks and is the only back of theirs I can consider for the playoffs. He’s an RB3 against the Jags this week.

 

• Zach Ertz went down with a concussion in this one, and Trey Burton came in for him and got 42 yards on 7 targets. Burton is always worth streaming this week if Ertz can’t go.

 

• It sucks, them being on such a good team, but I can’t take any Eagles back into the playoffs. It’s a game of musical chairs.