While there were several remarkable fantasy performances on Sunday, the story of Week 14 was the same one it's been all season: injuries. Several big-name players suffered injuries of varying severity in their contests, leaving their teams and fantasy owners in a bind. We break down the good and the bad from Week 14 below.
Seattle Seahawks at Baltimore Ravens
Top performers:
» Russell Wilson, QB: 292 yards, 6 rush yards, 24.14 fantasy points
» Thomas Rawls, RB: 44 rush yards, 4.4 fantasy points
» DuJuan Harris, RB: 18 rush, 44 yards, 4.4 fantasy points
» Doug Baldwin, WR: 6 rec, 82 yards, 3 TDs, 26.2 fantasy points
» Tyler Lockett, WR: 6 rec, 104 yards, 2 TDs, 22.4 fantasy points
» Seahawks D/ST: Sack, INT, Fumble rec, 6 PA, 12 fantasy points
» Javorius Allen, RB: 14 rush yards, 5 rec, 44 yards, 5.8 fantasy points
» Kamar Aiken, WR: 5 rec, 90 yards, 9 fantasy points
Russell Wilson's hot streak continued with five touchdowns -- three to Doug Baldwin, two to Tyler Lockett -- in a complete evisceration of the Baltimore secondary. Baldwin has forced his way into the every-week WR2 discussion, while Tyler Lockett is an interesting flex play. His role in the offense has grown since Jimmy Graham went down, and the Seahawks are finding ways to put his speed to use. The team will need the passing game to stay hot, Thomas Rawls suffered a broken ankle and is done for the season. That puts DuJuan Harris near the top of the waiver-wire list for Week 15, as he took on the workhorse role (18 carries) while Fred Jackson remained a complementary piece.
The Baltimore offense has two worthwhile names in fantasy: Javorius Allen and Kamar Aiken. Allen was, not suprisingly, held in check as the Baltimore offense couldn't open holes against Seattle's stout run defense. He led the backfield in touches though, and should rebound in a more favorable matchup next week (though not by much) against the Chiefs. He gets an added boost in PPR formats, too. Aiken played very well against a great secondary, and remains the team's No. 1 wide receiver. He did leave briefly with an injury, but returned. He's in the WR3/flex discussion moving forward.
Buffalo Bills at Philadelphia Eagles
Top performers:
» Tyrod Taylor, QB: 268 yards, TD, INT, 53 rush yards, 18.02 fantasy points
» LeSean McCoy, RB: 74 rush yards, 4 rec, 35 rec yards, 10.9 fantasy points
» Sammy Watkins, WR: 5 rec, 81 yards, TD, 13.1 fantasy points
» Robert Woods, WR: 5 rec, 106 yards, 10.6 fantasy points
» Sam Bradford, QB: 247 yards, TD, INT, 12.18 fantasy points
» Ryan Mathews, RB: 13 attempts, 38 rush yards, 4 rec yards, 4.2 fantasy points
» DeMarco Murray, RB: 11 attempts, 34 rush yards, 3 rec yards, 3.7 fantasy points
» Darren Sproles: 41 rush yards, TD, 4 rec yards, 10.5 fantasy points
LeSean McCoy got his revenge on the Eagles in the stat sheets, with 109 total yards, but he and the Bills walked away with a loss. We had higher hopes for Tyrod Taylor, but a game-ending interception was what took him out of a 20-plus point day. His running ability (53 yards Sunday) always gives him a safe floor when the passing game stalls. Speaking of, Robert Woods posted over 100 yards, but he's too hard to trust as one of the ancillary pieces in the passing attack. Sammy Watkins hooked his owners up with a deep touchdown early, but then as he has done numerous times before he disappeared down the stretch. Nevertheless, he and Taylor have been connecting more frequently of late, and Watkins is an every-week start.
This offense is slowly slipping into fantasy oblivion as the play-calling and touch distribution is almost impossible to predict and rely on. Ryan Mathews (15), DeMarco Murray (13) and Darren Sproles (10) all had double digit touches, with Sproles getting into the end zone on a 1-yard plunge. All will be highly volatile flex plays moving forward. Zach Ertz and Nelson Agholor had big days in the passing attack, but won't be worth trusting to repeat next week. Nine different players caught a pass, and eight of them had two or more as Sam Bradford spread the ball around evenly. This passing attack lacks the star power and consistency to be used in fantasy.
Detroit Lions at St. Louis Rams
Top performers:
» Matthew Stafford, QB: 245 passing yards, 2 TDs, INT, 16.30 fantasy points
» Ameer Abdullah, RB: 9 touches, 44 total yards, 4.40 fantasy points
» Theo Riddick, RB: 10 touches, 62 total yards, 6.20 fantasy points
» Golden Tate, WR: 9 rec, 60 yards, 2 TDs, 19.50 fantasy points
» Case Keenum, QB: 124 passing yards, INT, 3.16 fantasy points
» Todd Gurley, RB: 17 touches, 147 total yards, 2 TDs, 26.70 fantasy points
» Tavon Austin, WR: 7 touches, 59 total yards, 5.90 fantasy points
The Lions offense suffered a setback after several weeks of strong play. The running game, unsurprisingly, never got going with the Rams defense looking revitalized. Matthew Stafford came away with a competent line, and threw two touchdowns to Golden Tate. The true disaster here was Calvin Johnson who had just one catch for 17 yards, and that took him until late in the fourth quarter to accumulate.
The Rams switch at quarterback ended up unsurprisingly not changing much with their passing game. However, the long-suffering Todd Gurley owners got a treat from their talented young rookie. In a mirror image to his dynamic early season play, Gurley put the team on his back, and made eye-popping plays throughout the day. If you held the faith and left him in your starting lineup, you did well. We now know that the correct path is to play Gurley because he is just that good.
Washington at Chicago Bears
Top performers:
» Kirk Cousins, QB: 300 passing yards, 2 total TDs, INT, 21.30 fantasy points
» Matt Jones, RB: 21 touches, 86 total yards, 8.60 fantasy points
» Alfred Morris, RB: 11 carries, 24, TD, 8.40 fantasy points
» Jordan Reed, TE: 9 rec, 120 yards, TD, 18.0 fantasy points
» Jay Cutler, QB: 315 passing yards, 2 TDs, 19.10 fantasy points
» Matt Forte, RB: 11 touches, 43 total yards, TD, 11.30 fantasy points
» Jeremy Langford, RB: 14 touches, 64 total yards, 6.40 fantasy points
» Alshon Jeffery, WR: 6 rec, 107 yards, TD, 16.70 fantasy points
» Zach Miller, TE: 5 rec, 85 yards, TD, 14.50 fantasy points
Washington looks to be stabilizing their season into some level of consistency. Kirk Cousins is a viable streamer against poor defenses, and this was his first true strong game on the road this year. He fed the ball to his top intermediate threat in Jordan Reed, who went for over 100 yards on nine catches. The backfield split continues, it was just a bit more concentrated with Chris Thompson out of the picture. For the second week in a row, Matt Jones lapped the field in terms of total touches. He was effective enough to hold onto the top gig for next week, and only made one crucial error.
Jay Cutler and Alshon Jeffery both bounced back after weaker outings in Week 13. The Bears quarterback ended up with a solid stat line against a poor pass defense, leaving him squarely in the top streamer category. Zach Miller started at tight end, and played really well. Unless you have a top option, he should be an every-week starter for your fantasy team. Cutler feeds targets to that position. Jeremy Langford had a few more touches than Matt Forte, and caught more passes. Both players are about the same in terms of a fantasy proposition. You're hoping for a touchdown, but the floor for both players is pretty low with the split a dead even.
Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers
Top performers:
» Matt Ryan, QB: 224 passing yards, INT, 4.86 fantasy points
» Devonta Freeman, RB: 15 touches, 62 total yards, 4.20 fantasy points
» Julio Jones, WR: 7 rec, 88 yards, 8.80 fantasy points
» Cam Newton, QB: 269 total yard, 3 TDs, 23.00 fantasy points
» Jonathan Stewart, RB: 11 touches, 89 total yards, TD, 14.90 fantasy points
» Ted Ginn, WR: 2 rec, 120 yards, 2 TDs, 24.50 fantasy points
» Greg Olsen, TE: 3 rec, 52 yards, 5.20 fantasy points
The Falcons are a mess, and got blown out by the Panthers. Matt Ryan is bad this year, and you should never play him or even keep him on your roster. Atlanta's offense got thrown of schedule too early to establish the run, and Devonta Freeman's day went south quickly as a result. Julio Jones was able to rack up some yards on a few garbage time catches after Josh Norman went off the field, and before Jones got pulled himself. Prior to that, he had 4-28 against Norman. This will be a matchup in Week 16 that once again makes us nervous.
The Panthers starters went over 200 yards as a team in the first quarter. So, that's how that went. Obviously they were pulled in the second half with the game out of hand, but this was a big fantasy game. Cam Newton added to his MVP resume by throwing three touchdowns, including an absolute beauty to Ed Dickson. Ted Ginn caught two long bombs, his only receptions of the day, and tore through the Falcons defense. He's an upside flex play with a low floor, but he's reached a tangible ceiling several times this year. Greg Olsen suffered what looked like a scary knee injury, and while he did not return in this game, he said there won't be any issues going forward. Jonathan Stewart was also hurt, but the malady is not believed to be serious.
San Francisco 49ers at Cleveland Browns
Top performers:
» Blaine Gabbert, QB: 194 pass yards, TD, 19 rush yards, 13.66 fantasy points
» Jerome Simpson, WR: 20 yards, TD, 8.00 fantasy points
» 49ers D/ST: 2 sacks, INT, fumble recovery, 6.00 fantay points
» Isaiah Crowell, RB: 154 yards, 2 TD, 27.40 fantasy points
» Gary Barnidge, TE: 84 yards, TD, 14.40 fantasy points
» Johnny Manziel, QB: 270 pass yards, TD, INT, 15 rush yards, 14.30 fantasy points
Just when we started to believe that the 49ers offense had turned a corner, the unit reverted to its old, unproductive ways against one of the NFL's worst defenses. Shaun Draughn had his fewest touches and lowest yardage total since joining the club. Blaine Gabbert wasn't much better on Sunday. Were it not for a garbage time touchdown pass to Jerome Simpson, it would have been a far worse fantasy performance. Most probably weren't starting any Niners, but if you were, you (like the team itself) are probably eliminated from playoff contention.
Everyone was keeping an eye on Johnny Manziel, but the real story of the game was Isaiah Crowell. The heretofore underwhelming back posted 154 total yards with a pair of rushing touchdowns, his best performance of the season by far. Brian Hartline had a nice yardage game but didn't seen the end zone. However, it appears that a collarbone injury is going to end his season. As for Manziel, he wasn't spectacular but he was solid and didn't make a ton of big mistakes. Still, just 14.30 fantasy points isn't the kind of thing to excite a whole lot of people.
Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars
Top performers:
» T.Y. Hilton, WR: 132 yards, 13.20 fantasy points
» Matt Hasselbeck, QB: 252 pass yards, 10 rush yards, fumble, 9.08 fantasy points
» Frank Gore, RB: 59 yards, 5.90 fantasy points
» Blake Bortles, QB: 250 pass yards, 3 TD, 17 rush yards, TD, 2 fumbles, 25.70 fantasy points
» Jaguars D/ST: 3 sacks, INT, fumble rec, 2 TD, 23.00 fantay points
» Allen Hurns, WR: 105 yards, TD 16.50 fantay points
The Colts offense isn't good. There's really no other way to say it. Matt Hasselbeck is old and was hit repeatedly. That doesn't help. Were it not for T.Y. Hilton's big first half, there would have been nearly nothing of note from this group. They were comepletely dominated in the second half. This was supposed to be a positive matchup and the Colts could do nothing to exploit it. Maybe things get better when Andrew Luck gets back. But maybe not. This group has been a complete fantasy disappointment this season.
The Colts defense isn't good. There's really no other way to say it. The Jaguars didn't do much in the first half, but after the intermission, this group came to life. Blake Bortles finished the day with four total touchddowns, which helped erase a pair of fumbles. It wasn't a big day for Allen Robinson, but you'll certainly take his touchdown catch. Instead, it was Allen Hurns Day for the Jaguars offense. Oh and if you had the temerity to stream the Jaguars defense, you were rewarded with a 23-point day. What a time to be alive!
San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs
Top performers:
» Chargers D/ST: 2 sacks, INT, fumble rec, 10.00 fantasy points
» Philip Rivers, QB: 263 pass yards, INT, 4 rush yards, 8.92 fantasy points
» Antonio Gates, TE: 76 yards, 7.60 fantasy points
» Albert Wilson, WR: 87 yards, TD, 14.70 fantasy points
» Chiefs D/ST: 5 sacks, INT, 14.00 fantasy points
» Alex Smith, QB: 191 pass yards, TD, INT, 40 rush yards, 13.64 fantasy points
It was no surprise at all that the Chargers were unable to produce any real fantasy totals today against one of the league's toughest defenses. San Diego's depleted offense struggled to move the ball all afternoon with much of the yardage coming on a desperation drive at the end of the contest. Once again the Chargers tried to force feed Melvin Gordon to no avail (14 carries, 35 yards) while the wideout duo of Malcom Floyd and Javontee Herndon failed to make any real impact on the outside. At least Antonio Gates wasn't a total wash on Sunday.
If Charcandrick West and Spencer Ware morphed into one running back, they would have had a pretty good fantasy day with 18 carries and 106 yards. Instead, Andy Reid split the touches between them and both ended up posting fantasy days that were the equivalent of lowfat plain yogurt. We might have seen the breakout game for Albert Wilson today, who had a couple of big plays in an otherwise forgettable offensive game for the Chiefs. At least the Kansas City defense continued to perform well.
Tennesse Titans at New York Jets
Top performers:
» Marcus Mariota, QB: 274 pass yards, pass TD, INT, 3 rush yards, 41 rec yards, rec TD, 21.36 fantasy points
» Antonio Andrews, RB: 8 rush yards, 6 rec yards, 41 pass yards, pass TD, 7.04 fantasy points
» Delanie Walker, TE: 71 rec yards, 7.1 fantasy points
» Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB: 263 pass yards, 3 TDs, 23 rush yards, 24.82 fantasy points
» Chris Ivory, RB: 101 rush yards, 6 rec yards, 10.70 fantasy points
» Bilal Powell, RB: 36 rush yards, 46 rec yards, rec TD, 14.20 fantasy points
» Brandon Marshall, WR: 125 rec yards, TD, 18.50 fantasy points
» Eric Decker, WR: 74 rec yards, TD, 13.40 fantasy points
It was all about the Jets at MetLife Stadium today. All four of New York's fantasy stars had nice days and even Bilal Powell got in on the action for the second straight week. Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker are touchdown-scoring machines as they each added another to their season totals. Chris Ivory saw 22 rush attempts and turned them into 100 yards, which is a good sign after he was out-produced by Powell last week. And as long as Ryan Fitzpatrick has his full arsenal of pass-catchers he remains a solid QB1 and is always a nice stacking option in DFS. There's not really much to say about the Titans. The team gained an ungood total of 24 rush yards in the game. Marcas Mariota followed up his big Week 13 with another big day doing everything on offense, including catching a touchdown pass thrown by running back Antonio Andrews.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals
Top performers:
» Ben Roethlisberger, QB: 282 pass yards, 6 rush yards, INT, 9.88 fantasy points
» DeAngelo Williams, RB: 76 rush yards, 15 rec yards, 2 rush TDs, 21.10 fantasy points
» Antonio Brown, WR: 87 rec yards, 8.70 fantasy points
» Martavis Bryant, WR: 49 rec yards, 1 rush yard, 5.00 fantasy points
» Markus Wheaton, WR: 65 rec yards, 6.50 fantasy points
» AJ McCarron, QB: 280 pass yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs, 8 rush yards, 16.00 fantasy points
» A.J. Green, WR: 132 rec yards, TD, 19.20 fantasy points
» Giovani Bernard, RB: 40 rush yards, 27 rec yards, 6.70 fantasy points
» Rex Burkhead, RB: 5 rec yards, TD, 6.50 fantasy points
Fantasy owners looking for points from the usual suspects in this game, well, didn't have much success ... except for A.J. Green and DeAngelo Williams. Andy Dalton left the game in the first quarter with a thumb injury and rookie AJ McCarron took over under center. Tyler Eifert also left the game early with a concussion. Neither Jeremy Hill nor Giovani Bernard had productive outings either as the Bengals were down from the get-go and were playing catch-up. With Dalton out, it was nice to see McCarron get the ball to Green and the duo connected on a 66-yard touchdown pass which will hopefully continue if Dalton misses time. The Steelers put up a ton of points, but Williams was really the only player who benefitted fantasy-wise. Ben Roethlisberger didn't throw a single touchdown pass so Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant only got points for their yardage totals. It will probably be tough sledding for the Pittsburgh passing attack again next week too, as the Steelers take on the Denver Broncos No. 1 defense.
New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Top performers:
» Drew Brees, QB: 312 pass yards, 2 pass TDs, 20.48 fantasy points
» Tim Hightower, RB: 85 rush yards, 10 rec yards, rush TD, 15.50 fantasy points
» Marques Colston, WR: 36 rec yards, 2 TDs, 15.60 fantasy points
» Benjamin Watson, TE: 70 rec yards, 7.00 fantasy points
» Willie Snead, WR: 122 rec yards, 12.20 fantasy points
» Jameis Winston, QB: 182 pass yards, pass TD, 24 rush yards, 13.68 fantasy points
» Doug Martin, RB: 81 rush yards, TD, 5 rec yards, 14.60 fantasy points
» Mike Evans, WR: 39 rec yards, 3.90 fantasy points
» Charles Sims, RB: 64 rec yards, 10 rush yards, 7.40 fantasy points
» Adam Humphries, WR: 6 rec yards, TD, 6.60 fantasy points.
All the hype for this game was about Tampa Bay's great matchup against the Saints awful defense. Of course nothing in the NFL works out the way we think it will. The Bucs actually struggled on offense as Jameis Winston only posted 182 yards and one touchdown (to Adam Humphries). Doug Martin did work on limited carries with over 80 yards and a score on just 12 touches. Martin keeps on proving that he is on of the season's best draft values in fantasy. Running back Charles Sims finished as the team's leading receiver while Mike Evans, Vincent Jackson and Austin Seferian-Jenkins combined for just 75 yards. For the Saints, Drew Brees had a strong outing, connecting twice with veteran Marques Colston twice for touchdowns. With Mark Ingram out, we were curious to see who would lead this backfield. It's pretty clear after 29 touches that it's Tim Hightower's starting job and not C.J. Spiller's. Hightower was not efficient with his touches but he did manage to score, which is all we can really ask for. Brandin Cooks played second fiddle to Willie Snead Sunday as Cooks had just 29 yards on three catches while Snead turned his seven receptions into 122 yards.
Dallas Cowboys at Green Bay Packers
Top performers:
» Darren Mcfadden, RB: 111 rush yards, 11.1 fantasy points
» Dez Bryant, WR: 9 rec yards, 0.9 fantasy points
» Aaron Rodgers, QB: 218 pass yards, 2 TDs, 27 rush yards, 19.42 fantasy points
» Eddie Lacy, RB: 124 rush yards, TD, 24 rec yards, 20.80 fantasy points
» James Starks, RB: 71 rush yards, 4 rec, 32 rec yards, TD 22.30 fantasy points
» Randall Cobb, WR: 8 rec, 81 yards, 9 rush yards, 9 fantasy points
» Richard Rodgers, TE: 3 rec yards, TD, 6.30 fantasy points.
The only startable player in fantasy from the Cowboys is Darren McFadden. He posted a solid stat line on minimal touches as the Packers dominated this game, but he owns a massive portion of the backfield touches for Dallas and that doesn't figure to change. Dez Bryant has seemed human with Matt Cassel under center. Weapon X was held to just a single catch against the Packers, and will be tough to trust moving forward.
Mike McCarthy reclaimed play-calling duties and put the offense in the hands of his running backs. They responded with the Packers' best rushing performance in years, as Eddie Lacy took his 24 attempts for 124 hard-earned yards and a touchdown, while James Starks made the most of his 11 totes, piling up 71 yards and a touchdown. After being benched last week, Lacy has returned to form and is back on the RB2 radar moving forward. Starks will be a flex play, as he will still have a role in this offense. Aaron Rodgers did his usual thing and put up just shy of 20 fantasy points. Randall Cobb was featured more heavily with McCarthy calling the shots, and he put up a solid stat line of eight catches and 81 yards (with nine rushing as well). He'll be a high-end flex play, and a low-end WR2 next week against the Raiders. Davante Adams had his role severely reduced and is droppable if you're still hanging on to him in fantasy. Richard Rodgers had one catch, but made it count as it was in the painted area. He'll remain a low-end TE1 down the stretch, especially next week against the Raiders.
Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos
Top performers:
» Raiders D/ST: 5 sacks, 2 fumble rec, safety, 15.00 fantasy points
» Derek Carr, QB: 135 pass yards, 2 TD, -4 rush yards, 13.00 fantasy points
» Mychal Rivera, TE: 49 yards, TD, 10.90 fantasy points
» Brock Osweiler, QB: 308 pass yards, 10 rush yards, 13.32 fantasy points
» Demaryius Thomas, WR: 95 yards, fumble, 7.50 fantasy points
» Vernon Davis, TE: 74 yards, 7.40 fantasy points
The Raiders might be celebrating a win on the scoreboard, but it wasn't pretty if you started any of their offensive players on your fantasy team. Derek Carr was the top fantasy producer from that unit with just 13 fantasy points. Amari Cooper? Didn't crack the stat sheet despite being targeted several times. The upside is that if you had the guts to start the Raiders defense, things worked out pretty well for you. Khalil Mack notched all five of Oakland's sacks, one of which led to a safety. It's all part of the growing pains of a young and talented team.
Brock Osweiler deserved a better fate. He was plagued by numerous drops from his pass-catchers, otherwise he could have had a much bigger final total than the 13.32 points he ultimately posted. The same goes for Demaryius Thomas, who was the perpetrator of many of those dropped passes. We'd mention the running game here, but 21 carries for 34 yards isn't anything to get excited about. Even the vaunted Denver defense could only put up seven points this week. All in all, it was pretty meh.
New England Patriots at Houston Texans
Top performers:
» Tom Brady, QB: 225 pass yards, 2 TDs, 18 fantasy points
» James White, RB: 40 total yards, rush TD, 10 fantasy points
» Rob Gronkowski, TE: 86 yards, TD, 14.6 fantasy points
» Patriots D/ST: 6 sack, fmbl rec, 6 PA, 15 fantasy points
» DeAndre Hopkins, WR: 3 rec yards, 52 yards, 5.2 fantasy points.
» Jonathan Grimes, RB: 53 rush yards, 9 rec yards, 6.2 fantasy points
» Chris Polk, WR: 34 rush yards, 14 rec yards, 4.8 fantasy points
There was not a lot of fantasy action in this game, save for Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski doing their usual thing. Gronk clearly wasn't 100 percent, but he was still a matchup nightmare and trucked several DBs. Hopefully you didn't let his injury scare you into not starting him. LeGarrette Blount left the game with a hip injury, which let James White and Brandon Bolden see more work. If Blount misses any time, both White and Bolden will be flex-worthy. Danny Amendola had a quiet PPR day, while Brandon LaFell continued to drop passes and can be dropped in fantasy, too. On the Texans' side of the ball, the Patriots did a nice job of keeping DeAndre Hopkins in check by double covering him, but it would have been nice if the Texans followed the philosophy of #JustThrowItToYourGoodPlayers sooner. Chris Polk and Jonathan Grimes have taken over this backfield from Alfred Blue (thankfully), but will need to find the end zone to be worth a start in fantasy. Right now, the touch split is too down the middle. Brian Hoyer left the game with a potential concussion, so his status will need to be monitored in the next week.
New York Giants at Miami Dolphins
Top performers:
» Eli Manning, QB: 337 pass yards, 4 TDs, -2 rush yards, fumble lost, 27.28 fantasy points
» Rashad Jennings, RB: 81 rush yards, 21 rec yards, 10.20 fantasy points
» Odell Beckham Jr., WR: 166 rec yards, 2 TDs, 28.60 fantasy points
» Rueben Randle, WR: 58 rec yards, TD, 11.80 fantasy points
» Will Tye, TE: 30 rec yards, TD, 9.00 fantasy points
» Ryan Tannehill, QB: 236 pass yards, TD, 24 rush yards, 15.84 fantasy points
» Lamar Miller, RB: 89 rush yards, 2 TDs, 20.90 fantasy points
» Jarvis Landry, WR: 99 rec yards, 9.90 fantasy points
» Kenny Stills, WR: 49 rec yards, TD, 10.90 fantasy points
The New York Giants won a close game in Miami on the heels of a huge performance from both Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. the latter of whom stole the show in a game he was highly spotlighted in. Fantasy owners who needed a big game out of Beckham were happy to see him explode for an 84-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter, a score that sealed the deal and was his second score of the game. Eli Manning spread around his 27 completions (of 31 attempts) to eight different receivers and also threw touchdown passes to Rueben Randle and tight end Will Tye who's been a big part of New York's passing game in recent weeks. In terms of the Giants running back committee, it wasn't much of a committee at all. Rashad Jennings owned 22 of the Giants 32 rush attempts in the game and gained 81 yards on the ground, adding 21 yards on two catches. We wouldn't overreact to his volume though, he's still not startable in fantasy.
Lamar Miller came out of the gate hot with two rushing touchdowns in the first half, including one 38-yard run where he put several Giants defenders on skates on a ridiculous cutback. Miller totaled 89 yards on 12 carries but didn't catch a single pass. Still, his performance was good enough to rank him as the fifth highest scoring fantasy running back of Week 14. Ryan Tannehill's only touchdown pass was a 47-yarder to Kenny Stills. Yes, he still exists. The bigger story here is that the squeaky wheel got the grease as Jarvis Landry was targeted 18 times and hauled in 11 catches for 99 yards just one week after he posted two catches for five yards. Landry remains PPR gold but his standard value is capped by lack of touchdown scoring.
