Trashman’s Fantasy Fallout Going Into Week 14 of the NFL Season

It’s playoff time, so let’s trim the fat! Here’s the fallout going into Week 1 of the Fantasy Playoffs!

Browns – 41 @ Titans – 35

 

• Rashard Higgins and Donovan Peoples-Jones both had 90+ yard 1 TD games against the Titans. Higgins had 9 targets to DPJ’s 3 though, one less than Jarvis Landry. Higgins has had only one other game this season with more than 4 targets, and this game seemed like an anomaly altogether with the Browns scoring 45 points – including 4 passing TDs. Higgins can be added in most formats, but I’d be wary of using him this week against the Ravens.

 

• Corey Davis has now gone over 100 yards in 3 of his last 6 games, including his 182 yard monster on Sunday. AJ Brown injured his ankle in the 1st quarter, and though he played through it, Davis became the preferred target(12 – 7). With JAC, DET and GB up during the playoffs, I have no problem rolling out Davis as a WR2 with upside. 

 

• Anthony Firkser took over the lead TE role with Jonnu Smith sitting with a knee issue, and though he didn’t score, Firkser did end up 2nd in targets(7) with AJ Brown and racked up 51 yards on 5 catches. Smith may miss more time, so Firkser could serve some use in the playoffs.

 

Raiders – 31 @ Jets – 28

 

• Devontae Booker had 17 touches but could only manage 51 yards against the Jets, with Josh Jacobs sidelined. Jacobs will likely return this week, so it probably doesn’t matter.

 

• Henry Ruggs had his 2nd best game of the season(4 rec, 84 yards, 1 TD) against the Jets, but he still hasn’t eclipsed 5 targets this season. He’s got upside every week, but he’s not someone you can rely on in the playoffs. 

 

• Nelson Agholor only had 38 yards, but he did have 11 targets, so he’s still in play. 

 

• Frank Gore exited after 1 carry with a concussion, after which Ty Johnson led the Jets backfield with 24 touches, 117 yards and a TD. If Gore can’t get out of protocol in time for Week 14, Johnson would have a decent floor this week against Seattle based on his touches. 

 

• Both Denzel Mims and Brashad Perriman were averaging about 8 targets a game over their last few before Sunday’s game where they had 3 and 4 targets a piece. As much as I like their upsides, I can’t advocate using either of them in the playoffs. If you’re a real Trashman though, you could flex either this week in what could be a shootout with Seattle. 

 

Jaguars – 24 @ Vikings – 27

 

• Laviska Shenault was the only Jaguar WR to do any damage on Sunday, and that was due to a score, but Mike Glennon threw more deep balls than any QB in the league on Sunday. DJ Chark probably hurt a lot of people in this one, but the upside is real against the Titans’ terrible secondary this week.

 

• Even with Irv Smith out, Kyle Rudolph goose egged on Sunday against the Jags. He’s not worth the risk this week, even if Smith misses again.

 

Bengals – 7 @ Dolphins – 19

 

• The Bengals are doomed offensively it seems, even with Dallas on the horizon. Ryan Finley may start this week after having to relieve Brandon Allen on Sunday, when the latter went down with a chest injury. Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins are boom or bust deep league flexes at best this week. 

 

• Gio Bernard has been pretty useless over the last month, topping out at 7.5 fantasy points a few weeks ago. He’s unusable in the playoffs. 

 

• Myles Gaskin was no worse for the wear after getting 23 touches and 141 yards against the Bengals. Salvon Ahmed might make things interesting when he returns, but Gaskin looks like a solid play against the Chiefs this week.

 

• Mike Gesicki and DeVante Parker had 11 and 8 targets on Sunday, and both will be in play against the Chiefs this week, though KC has a good secondary. I’m a little hesitant about Jakeem Grant‘s chances, even with him getting 6 targets on Sunday. He has little TD upside, so he’s probably not worth risking. 

 

Colts- 26 @ Texans – 20

 

• Jonathan Taylor reasserted himself as the Colts’ lead back after missing Week 12 to the Covid List, touching the ball 16 times for 131 yards and a TD. Nyheim Hines did score on 9 touches, so he still offers some value in PPR formats against the Raiders this week.

 

• Ty Hilton has gone over 80 yards and scored in his last 2 games. It doesn’t make up for the subpar season he’s had up to that point, but if you’ve held onto him this long, he could boost you through the playoffs, as he has LV and HOU up next. 

 

• Michael Pittman took a backseat to Hilton again this week, after going gangbusters in Weeks 10 and 11, but he’s still getting enough targets to maintain a decent floor in PPR formats. The soft schedule will help.

 

• David Johnson only had 10 touches on the day, but he salvaged a decent fantasy day with a score. With CHI and IND again in the next couple of weeks, DJ is a low upside flex.

 

• Keke Coutee led the Texans in receiving on Sunday with 8 rec for 141 yards. He’s a must start moving forward. The biggest surprise came from Chad Hansen though, who hadn’t made an NFL appearance since his rookie year in 2017. Hansen ended up with 101 yards on 7 targets, right behind Coutee. As the tallest starting WR in Houston at this point(6’2″), he’s worth adding in most formats, as Houston is going to have to throw to stay in games. 

 

Lions – 34 @ Bears – 30

 

• Marvin Jones and TJ Hockenson were the usual suspects in this one, though Quintez Cephus and Danny Amendola both went over 60 yards and Cephus added a score. With Kenny Golladay having a shot to play this week, I don’t know that either player is worth adding in fantasy, though the Lions have said that they want to get Cephus more action. D’Andre Swift will likely return this week as well, so he’ll take targets too. 

 

• Adrian Peterson has been a scoring machine the last 2 weeks, but with D’Andre Swift slated to return this week, he’s a risky play. Without the scores, AP is only averaging 56 yards the last 2 weeks as lead back. 

 

• Cordarrelle Patterson has now had double-digit touches in 2 of his last 3 games, scoring in Week 13. With Houston on deck, he actually makes for an intriguing deep league flex. 

 

• Cole Kmet seems to have usurped Jimmy Graham as the go-to TE in Chicago, with 5 rec, 37 yards and a TD on Sunday. 

 

Saints – 21 @ Falcons – 16

 

• Seems like the only certain thing in the Saints offense right now is Taysom Hill, and Michael Thomas to a lesser extent. Alvin Kamara had his best game in 3 weeks, but he’s still paling in comparison to what he was doing with Brees under center. Brees may return this week, but temper expectations for Kamara and really any player not named Hill this week, if he doesn’t. 

 

• Todd Gurley returned this week, but he split touches evenly with Ito Smith, who actually out-gained him 34 to 20 yards. Brian Hill got 5 touches as well for 18 yards. As long as all three are involved, none of them are startable in the playoffs. 

 

• It’s either Hayden Hurst or Russell Gage as the 3rd option in Atlanta on a weekly basis. Pick your poison, or don’t. It is the playoffs..

 

Giants – 17 @ Seahawks – 12

 

• Colt McCoy was functional, I guess, against the Seahawks this week, but all Giants pass-catchers suffered with him under center. The running backs did not. Wayne Gallman had a career high 135 yards and Alfred Morris scored the 1st receiving TD of his career. It’s anything but certain that Daniel Jones returns in Week 14, so expect something similar against the Cardinals this week if he can’t play. Evan Engram did have 8 targets, so you could still run him out there. 

 

• The Seahawks have moved away from the freewheeling ways that made their WRs such fantasy studs earlier in the season. They’re running the ball more, which is good for Chris Carson owners, but we have to temper expectations for Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf during the playoffs. Metcalf is still a beast, but Lockett is more of a WR2, as he hasn’t scored since Week 7 or put up more than 67 yards in that time. 

 

Rams – 38 @ Cardinals – 28

 

• Cam Akers handled the ball 22 times on Sunday, 17 more times than the next closest back. To say it’s safe to say Akers is now the bellcow in LA isn’t safe at all, but he’s still the safest play. Unowned in about half of leagues, he needs to be added in all formats for the playoff run. 

 

• Darrell Henderson still managed 74 yards and a score, but he did most of it on one play. He’s too unreliable to take into the playoffs. 

 

• Kyler Murray is keeping his head above water fantasy wise, but as the Cardinals continue to struggle, few of their skill-players are continuing to thrive. Kenyan Drake, because of his goal-line usage, and DeAndre Hopkins, due to his target share, are the only Cardinals worth rolling with in the playoffs. TE Dan Arnold has scored 3 times in the past 3 weeks, but he’s averaging only 3 targets a game. 

 

Patriots – 45 @ Chargers – 0 

 

• Strange to think that in a game where the Pats scored 45 points, Cam Newton only threw the ball 19 times. But that’s the 2020 Patriots for you. Newton and Damien Harris are the only Pats you can take into the playoffs. 

 

• Belichick is the best coach in history against rookie QBs, so I guess it’s not that big a surprise that the Chargers got blanked on Sunday. Justin Herbert will bounce back, as will the rest of the offense. 

 

• Kalen Ballage had 7 carries to Austin Ekeler‘s 8, and though Ekeler distances himself in the passing game, Ballage is going to stay pretty involved as potentially the 1B to Ekeler’s 1A. Joshua Kelley touched the ball twice for 3 yards and is droppable now that Ballage is back. 

 

Eagles – 16 @ Packers – 30

 

• They finally made the move. The Eagles benched Carson Wentz in favor of Jalen Hurts, and seemed better for it as Hurts improved the offense in the 4 series he played in. Wentz is having a career meltdown, and I’m curious to see if he can recover. In the meantime, it looks like Hurts is the man in Philly. He’s worth adding in most formats, as he’s a QB who can run and that’s worth its weight in gold in fantasy.

 

• Allen Lazard seems to be preferred over Marquez Valdes-Scantling by Aaron Rodgers, but neither WR is getting consistent enough looks to be relied upon in the fantasy playoffs. 

 

 

• Robert Tonyan has scored in 3 straight games and has had 5 targets in all of them. He’s a better play than most at the TE position right now, so he can be taken into the playoffs. 

 

 

Broncos – 16 @ Chiefs – 22

 

• Phillip Lindsay had 14 carries to Melvin Gordon‘s 15, but Lindsay couldn’t get anything going. Lindsay seems to be fading as of late, while Gordon is getting stronger. Still, it’s hard to avoid Lindsay altogether as he’s getting considerable touches. 

 

• Tim Patrick was the only Denver WR to show up in fantasy on Sunday, as the Chiefs have a formidable secondary. Patrick, the afterthought of the WR corps after the impressive draft class that brought in Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler, is the only one holding consistent fantasy value right now. Jeudy’s ankle still seems to be bothering him, so Patrick needs to be held onto going into the playoffs. He can be flexed weekly with his safe floor. 

 

• Le’Veon Bell started in Clyde Edwards-Helaire‘s stead, putting up 55 yards on 13 touches. Bell didn’t do enough to keep CEH off the field when he returns from his stomach virus.