10 Things We Learned in Week 14 (#Fantasy Football)

14 is my favorite number. Although after the unpredictable nature of the week 14 games, I can understand if people never want to hear of the number 14 again. Nonetheless, we must at least look back to what was for most people the first week of the fantasy football playoffs. Here are 10 things that we learned in week 14.

Henry the 3rd (Season)

When Derrick Henry was drafted back in 2016, many observers noted that his combination of size, speed and balance made him a difficult opponent for defenses. His skill set was on full display in week 14. Henry received over half of the Titans rushing attempts (17 of 32) which he used to produce 238 yards and 4 TDs. This all came against the Jaguars defense, one of the best units in the league. It was only Henry’s 3rd multi-touchdown game of his career. He has been finding the end zone quite frequently recently with 9 TDs in the last 7 games. The 238 yards also blew past his previous career high in a single game (153 yards in last season’s playoffs). What does this mean for the rest of the fantasy playoffs? Well, Tennessee takes on the Giants and Washington in the next 2 weeks. Those are both teams with under average run-defenses that Henry should be able to take advantage of. After this monster performance, he has most likely surpassed Dion Lewis, at least for the rest of 2018. You should feel confident in playing Henry.

Aaron on the Side of Caution

In the aftermath of Mike McCarthy‘s firing, one pressing question was how interim head coach Joe Philbin would use his RBs. When Jamaal Williams got the start, fantasy managers with Aaron Jones were certainly panicking (I know I was). What was even more worrisome was the fact that Jones only received 3 total touches in the entire 1st half. Two-quarters of football was all it took for Philbin to decide that Jones was the Packers’ best option as Jones got 14 carries and 3 targets in the 2nd half. Williams, by comparison, only touched the football once in the final two quarters. I would expect Jones to get the majority of the carries in the upcoming game against the Bears. That will make for a workload vs matchup dilemma as Chicago just shut down Todd Gurley.

Seeing Ian

The Panthers receiving corps has certainly been hit by injuries in 2018. Greg Olsen is out for the year with a foot injury and Devin Funchess has missed time as well. Even in week 14, D.J. Moore left with an injury. With Curtis Samuel as the team’s top WR, the door was opened for TE Ian Thomas to produce. He led Carolina with 11 targets, which he turned into 9 receptions for 77 yards. Considering the opponent, this result is not overly surprising. The Browns have given up the 13th most fantasy points to TEs in 2018. Unfortunately, the Panthers have divisional games upcoming and both the Saints and Falcons are not as generous to TEs. Thomas is probably best left on the bench for the remainder of 2018.

Stills Got That Thing

With Ryan Tannehill returning from an injury, there was some uncertainty as to who would be his go-to target in the passing game. Well, in the 3 games since his month and a half long absence, Kenny Stills has led the way with 19 targets. Second on that list is  DeVante Parker with 14, followed by RB Kenyan Drake with 11. Stills certainly deserved it in week 14 as he caught 8 of his 9 targets for 135 yards and 1 TD. Unfortunately, the Vikings and the Jaguars present very difficult matchups as his upcoming opponents. All Dolphins receivers may be best left on the bench for the remainder of the fantasy playoffs.

Ravens Playing Dixon Us

Returning from an injury that he suffered in week 1, there were questions as to what Kenneth Dixon‘s role would resemble. What we do know is that his workload is ascending. While Gus Edwards still doubled up on Dixon’s rushing attempts, the snap count was much closer then it had been in week 13. Edwards played in 43.7% of offensive snaps in this most recent games, as compared to 32.4% by Dixon. Javorius Allen‘s role has completely disappeared since the arrival of Ty Montgomery, who only had a 26.8% snap share himeself in week 14. And while Montgomery was on the field, he only received 3 touches. Clearly, Edwards is here to stay as part of the offense, and Dixon will see an increased role at the expensive of the other RBs. Perhaps if Joe Flacco is named the starter, Dixon may even surpass Edwards’s output.

Wilson’s Way

Jeff Wilson came out of nowhere in week 13 to lead the 49ers backfield in the wake of (yet another) Matt Breida injury. Surprisingly, Brieda missed only his first game of 2018 in week 14. That left the door open for Wilson to get the starting RB nod. Wilson received 15 rushing attempts and 9 targets in week 13 followed by 23 carries and 2 targets in week 14. He demonstrated that he could handle a full workload, which will be useful for fantasy players if Breida misses another game. What may be even more telling is the fact Wilson got such a large workload even though George Kittle had a career-day with 210 yards on 7 catches. San Francisco’s week 15 opponent are the Seahawks, against whom Wilson ran for 4.1 yards per carry and caught 8 passes for 73 yards two weeks ago.

Not Just James Another Guy

The Steelers have had a lot of success running the football over the last few years. LeVeon Bell is obviously supremely talented, but Pittsburgh’s excellent offensive line is just as responsible for the rushing production. Case in point, DeAngelo Williams took over as the Steelers starter for most of the 2015 season. In that time, he amassed 200 carries for which he produced 907 yards and 11 TD. That was only the 2nd time in his career that he managed to score double-digit TDs on the ground. With Bell holding out this season, it was this time James Conner who established himself as a productive RB for the team. In 12 games, he ran 201 times for 909 yards and 12 TDs. However, with Conner’s recent injury, the Steelers employed a committee in week 13. Unfortunately, for them, neither Stevan Ridley Jaylen Samuels produced as expected. They combined to run for 2 yards per carry, which is not great considering the offensive line and the opponent (the Raiders have one of the worst run defenses in the NFL). What we learned is that Conner is very talented and not just a product of the offense.

Below O

Sunday Night might have shown us the Super Rams’ kryptonite. For the first time in the Sean McVay era, the Rams failed to score a TD in a game. Yes, the Bears defense, which has been one of the best units in the NFL, was arguably the biggest factor. However, there could be a debate as the whether or not the weather was the most important reason. Playing their home games in Los Angeles, the Rams are not used to playing in the type of environment that is present in Chicago during the month of December. The key here is not to overreact to the Rams’ performance. In weeks 15 and 16, the Rams play the Eagles in Los Angeles and then visit Arizona. Neither of those defenses are on the same pedestal as the Bears and cold weather should not come into effect during those contests. If you survived the first week of the playoffs, I would play the Rams players with confidence in your upcoming matchups.

Grounded ‘Hawks

Both the Vikings and Seahawks had trouble on offense during Monday Night Football. Neither team could get anything going in the passing game, but at least Seattle found success running the football. This of course came at the expense of Russell Wilson‘s passing production. After only throwing 17 pass attempts in week 13, Wilson barley surpassed that with 20 in week 14. However, unlike the previous game where he threw for 185 and 4 TD passes, Wilson could only muster 72 yards and 1 INT. Suddenly riding a 5-game win streak, there is probably little incentive for the Seahawks to change their ways. That would make Wilson a risky start for the remainder of the fantasy playoffs. With upcoming matchups against the 49ers and the Chiefs, Seattle may prefer a run-heavy approach.

 Cook The Recipe for Success

To a certain extent, perhaps the Vikings will also begin running more after the firing of offensive coordinator John DeFilippo. Dalvin Cook had 55 yards on 13 carries in week 14, which is certainly a respectable 4.2 YPC. Where he made the difference on the scoreboard was with a receiving TD, the only Minnesota score of the game. With the struggles of the Vikings offensive line, the best recipe for success may be Cook’s usefulness as a receiver. He actually tied Adam Thielen for the team lead in targets with 7. Needing to win games down the stretch in order to make the playoffs, the Vikings will probably feature Cook more, now that he is healthy. Against both the Dolphins and Lions in weeks 15 and 16 respectfully, Cook is a must-start.

Thank you for reading. For any question or comments about this article, or fantasy football in general, I can be found on Twitter @nyama_ks. Be sure to check out all of the great content available on Going for 2.

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