Week 14 Fantasy Football – Breakout or Fake Out
Week 14 of the NFL season marks numerous beginnings and endings. For many leagues (including the Scott Fish Bowl), Week 13 was the end of the regular season, and Week 14 signifies the beginning of the playoffs. For me personally, Week Thirteen was the high watermark for points scored in a week (225) in SFB11. This high total (ninth amongst 1920 teams) allowed me to clinch the point total bye in the Shania Twain division.
Week 14 is also the last bye week across the league. The four teams on bye this week are 1) Colts; 2) Dolphins; 3) Patriots; 4) Eagles. One advantage of the Scott Fish Bowl is that it averages your yearly point totals and adds it with your week 14 total to get a conglomerate point total. In many leagues, for the first time ever, there will be byes affecting your lineup composition. I will suggest a few “breakout” players to partially offset this void.
Review of Week 13 Results:
Although the Patriots pulled off arguably the biggest win (a 14-10 road win over the Bills) of the Mac Jones’ era to date, he was not asked to do much due to the monsoon conditions. Jones only completed two of three passes for 19 yards, while the defense and rushing game led the team to victory. As mentioned above, the Patriots are on a bye this week. Nonetheless, fantasy managers should look forward to better stat lines from Jones in the near future.
My other suggestions, for both breakout and fake out, had marginal results. Cole Kmet had three catches for 41 yards, while fake-out suggestion Tevin Coleman garnered 14 touches for 77 yards and zero touchdowns.
Breakouts:
The Only Waiver Article You Need for Week 14 (2021)
Russell Gage (WR Falcons): In Week 13 vs the Bucs, Gage had 11 catches (on 12 targets) for 130 yards and zero touchdowns. Over the last three games, including Week Thirteen’s breakout performance, Gage has amassed 22 catches (on 27 targets) for 241 yards and a touchdown.
Having looked for a solid receiving threat since the departure of Julio Jones in the off-season, and Calvin Ridley’s mid-season departure to take care of personal matters, Gage appears to be stepping up. In Week 14 at the Panthers, Gage should be viewed as a top 25 wide receiver, with upside for more.
Tyler Conklin (TE Vikings): In Week 13, Conklin had 7 catches (on nine targets) for 56 yards and zero touchdowns. This performance simply added on to what has become a breakout season for the fourth-year pro. Through 12 games, Conklin has amassed 47 catches for 469 yards and three touchdowns.
On Thursday night, the Vikings host the Steelers. With WR Adam Thielen already ruled out with an ankle injury, look for Conklin and WR K.J.Osborn to have expanded roles. Osborn had 4 catches for 47 yards and a touchdown in Week 13 at the Lions. Fantasy managers should utilize Conklin as a top 7 TE option, while viewing Osborn as a WR3/Flex.
Fake-Outs:
Jared Goff/Amon-Ra St. Brown (QB/WR Lions): In Week 13, Goff and St. Brown connected on the game-winning touchdown to edge the Vikings 29-27. This turned out to be the Lions’ first win of the season. Goff completed 25 of 41 pass attempts for 296 yards and three touchdowns. Meanwhile, St. Brown registered 10 catches (on 12 targets) for 86 yards and a touchdown.
In Week 14, the Lions travel to Denver to take on the Broncos. The Broncos will offer a much stiffer challenge than the Vikings did, as they allow the fourth-fewest fantasy points to QBs and the ninth fewest fantasy points to WRs. Goff is best viewed as a low-end 2QB league option, while St. Brown should be used as a flex only.
Embed from Getty ImagesMike Davis (RB Falcons): In Week 13, Davis had 4 rushes for 32 yards and a touchdown. He also had four catches for 37 yards. The touchdown salvaged what would have been an otherwise fruitless fantasy day. On the season, Davis now has 100 carries for 338 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 34 catches (on 45 carries) for 197 yards and an additional TD.
The Falcons take on a Panthers’ defense that allows the third-fewest fantasy points to RBs through Week 14. With a tough matchup, and Davis only playing on 54 percent of the snaps, he is best viewed as a PPR flex.
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