Fantasy Fallout: Week 14

By: Mike Johnson (Mjohnson86) and Tony Kneepkens (Tonytk44)

Welcome to the Monday edition of the Daily Dose newsletter, our “Fantasy Fallout” day. In this article, you will get a quick rundown of the relevant things we learned from the week’s games from Thursday through Sunday. 

We won’t talk about every single player and we usually won’t spend time on studs who go nuts (no one needs to be told to start Jahmyr Gibbs right now!), but rather, the idea is to update you on usage trends, injuries, and other relevant things to help your decisions with your teams for the coming week and beyond.

COWBOYS @ LIONS

• Jared Goff threw for 300+ in a high-scoring Detroit victory, tossing 25 of his 34 passes to Jameson Williams, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Jahmyr Gibbs. ARSB somewhat surprisingly started in this one but showed no ill effects from his ankle sprain suffered on Thanksgiving, which was great to see.

• CeeDee Lamb left with a concussion after an extremely productive start, putting his Week 15 status in doubt. It was Ryan Flournoy (9-115-1) and not George Pickens (5-37) who was the most productive WR in Lamb’s absence.

DOLPHINS @ JETS

• Miami running back De’Von Achane was off to a hot start before suffering a rib injury and leaving the game late in the first half. Reports after the game said he could have returned, but the team was up 17 points at halftime. Jaylen Wright operated as the top running back with Achane on the bench and had a solid game, but rookie RB Ollie Gordon would also be involved in a committee if Achane were to miss time.

• Jets QB Tyrod Taylor suffered a groin injury and played only six snaps. Justin Fields was inactive with a knee issue, so undrafted rookie QB Brady Cook was under center for most of the game. The Jets travel to Jacksonville next week and they will be dead in the water if Cook has to start, so this is a situation we will need to monitor not just for these QBs but also for the viability of the other Jets skill players.

• Breece Hall has played the two highest snap rates of the season the last two weeks, so despite his poor stat line this week he is a player who likely has better days ahead if the team has reasonable quarterback play.

BENGALS @ BILLS

• Cincinnati tight end Mike Gesicki had a big game in the snow, despite being in a three-man rotation at the position. Gesicki’s six targets were behind only Ja’Marr Chase (eight) and Tee Higgins (11), but he will continue to be volatile on a week-to-week basis.

• Samaje Perine once again took about 1/3 of the running back work in this great matchup, but Chase Brown had two touchdowns and one of the more productive running back scores of the day. 

• The Bengals continue to be destroyed by tight ends as Dawson Knox (6-93-0) and Dalton Kincaid (4-41-1) each had productive days. Cincinnati plays the Ravens in Week 15, so congratulations to those who have Mark Andrews and/or Isaiah Likely.

COMMANDERS @ VIKINGS

• Zach Ertz suffered a knee injury in the second half, needed a cart to get to the locker room, and was ruled out shortly after. At his age and with the state of Washington’s season, it is fair to assume that his season is probably over. John Bates played the most tight-end snaps after Ertz, but second-year TE Ben Sinnott could get an extended look down the stretch.

• Washington QB Jayden Daniels returned from his elbow injury, looked completely overwhelmed by the Vikings defense, and then re-injured the elbow on a hit he took on an interception return which took him out of the game. No word yet on how serious it is, but one has to wonder what good it is doing to have Daniels on the field for a 3-10 team at this point.

• Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy returned to the lineup and had a solid outing playing from ahead and throwing the ball at a limited rate. He threw three touchdowns, all to his tight ends, and attempted only 23 passes which went for 163 yards. Minnesota plays the Cowboys next week, so McCarthy will probably have to be more aggressive at some point.

• Justin Jefferson had only four targets, while Jordan Addison had seven, in what was an elite on-paper matchup. In theory, each should get some chances next week in Dallas but it is hard to trust either.

STEELERS @ RAVENS

• Pittsburgh took control of the AFC North with a convincing win in Baltimore as Aaron Rodgers finally let it fly a little bit, targeting DK Metcalf 12 times and connecting seven times for 148 yards. Rodgers targeted 10 players in total and no other receiver or tight end was targeted more than three times.

• Pittsburgh plays on Monday night in Week 15 against the Dolphins. The Steelers backfield was once again an exactly even split between Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell, a situation we should be used to by now.

• Baltimore’s offense continues to look like a mess, but they found some production in the second half after falling behind 17-3. Derrick Henry handled 26 touches for 102 yards from scrimmage, but the explosive Keaton Mitchell was once again impressive with six carries for 76 yards before exiting with a knee injury of unknown severity. The Ravens have an awesome matchup for running backs against the Bengals next week.

• Zay Flowers finally saw a meaningful target count (11) in the first game this season that Lamar Jackson attempted at least 30 passes (finishing with 35). Flowers is a stud if he gets the volume.

• Mark Andrews played more than Isaiah Likely, but Likely was targeted five times on 22 pass routes while Andrews was targeted only three times on 36 pass routes. The Ravens face the Bengals next week, who are the worst in the league against tight ends.

SAINTS @ BUCS

• Rookie running back Devin Neal handled 20 touches and accumulated 84 yards and a touchdown in a solid outing. Neal is clearly the lead back as long as Alvin Kamara is out and is a strong option next week at home against the Panthers.

• Saints rookie QB Tyler Shough showed off his rushing ability with 55 yards and two touchdowns in this game to lead his team to a road upset. Shough is making his case to be the New Orleans starter next year, as the Saints are 2-2 in his four starts after going 1-8 with Spencer Rattler. Both wins were over the NFC South co-leaders, the Bucs and Panthers.

• Baker Mayfield was awful, with a 47% completion percentage and 4.1 yards per pass attempt against a very mediocre Saints defense. It is fair to wonder how much of an impact his left shoulder injury is having on him right now. Tampa plays on Thursday against the Falcons and is currently tied with Carolina, who they play in Week 16 and 18, for the division lead.

• Bucky Irving was once again the lead back, but Tampa Bay used all three running backs (Irving, Rachaad White, and Sean Tucker) a meaningful amount. The matchup against the Falcons run defense in Week 15 is terrific if we can figure out what the usage will be.

• The poor play of Mayfield left all of Tampa’s receivers with inefficient stat lines. Chris Godwin led the team in receiving again, while Emeka Egbuka was targeted nine times but caught only two. Rumor has it that Mike Evans could return for Week 15, which would further muddy the situation.

COLTS @ JAGUARS

• Sad news for the Colts as one of the feel-good stories of 2025, Daniel Jones, came to a screeching halt. Jones suffered a torn Achilles tendon in his right leg in the first half and his odds of being available for training camp next summer are low. Rookie QB Riley Leonard will start for the foreseeable future, including next week at Seattle.

• Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. scored two touchdowns and has apparently waxed rookie Bhayshul Tuten, who seemed to be primed for a bigger role just a couple of weeks ago. Tuten carried the ball twice and fumbled both times. Etienne is an elite option next week at home against the Jets.

• Jakobi Meyers and Brian Thomas Jr. had solid games and complemented each other well in Jacksonville’s blowout win. Meyers’ role is more short area and intermediate stuff, while Thomas made a couple of explosive plays and looked more like the player we saw in his rookie season. Trevor Lawrence has been playing better of late and this could be a fun passing game down the stretch.

TITANS @ BROWNS

• The Browns entered Week 14 as the second-ranked run defense in the NFL and Tony Pollard has done nothing all year, so naturally Pollard handled 25 carries for 161 yards and two touchdowns in the snow because football is weird sometimes and nothing makes sense.

• Titans rookie QB Cam Ward made a couple of nice plays and threw a couple of touchdown passes, but averaged only 4.2 yards per pass attempt as Tennessee played from ahead all game. 

• Speaking of rookie quarterbacks, Shedeur Sanders was fun to watch with four total touchdowns and 364 passing yards, along with leading the team with 29 rushing yards. Cleveland plays at Chicago next week and Sanders seems likely to be in catch-up mode once again.

• Cleveland may have really found something special in rookie TE Harold Fannin Jr. He was targeted 11 times and has a 25% target share in the three games Sanders has started. In this one, he had a line of 8-114-1 and he has a solid matchup next week against the Bears.

SEAHAWKS @ FALCONS

• Jaxon Smith-Njigba is really, really good at football.

• The Seahawks backfield has been pretty useless most of the season, but they took it to a new level as they combined for 12.4 PPR points in a terrific on-paper matchup that their team won by four touchdowns. Impressive stuff, really. Next week they face a Colts team with offensive issues where we could see elevated play volume and they can find new and exciting ways to disappoint us.

• The Falcons offense was dominated by Seattle’s elite defense, as they were held to 4.4 yards per play and turned the ball over three times. Next week they get a slightly softer matchup with the Bucs on a short week.

• Tight end Kyle Pitts, who led the team with six receptions for 90 yards on 10 targets, is an every-week starter as long as Drake London is out.

RAMS @ CARDINALS

• Blake Corum (12-128-2) and Kyren Williams (13-84-1) destroyed the Cards on the ground and Puka Nacua did so through the air in the Rams’ lopsided divisional win. Matthew Stafford had another strong game, tossing three TDs without a turnover.

• Michael Wilson (11-142-2) maintained his outrageous fantasy production in games that his WR teammate Marvin Harrison Jr. sits out with injury. Wilson has seen 15+ targets and had at least 10-118 receiving in each of the three games MHJ has sat out in the past four weeks.

BEARS @ PACKERS

• GB slot-man Jayden Reed made his return and tied for the team lead with four  targets. He added two rushing attempts and had 53 total yards on his six touches. Matthew Golden was active, too, but didn’t record a catch on just one target. 

• Christian Watson’s late-season surge continued, with another massive 4-89-2 receiving line in a game in which Jordan Love attempted just 25 passes. Watson is on a streak too hot to take out of lineups, as he’s the only Packers’ pass catcher to trust in most season-long formats.

• Luther Burden III operated as the Bears’ top WR in Rome Odunze’s injury absence. Burden had 70 total yards on four catches and a rushing attempt while DJ Moore caught one of his three targets for minus-4 yards. Burden seems to be the only Chicago WR on the upswing, and has some flex appeal down the stretch of the fantasy season.

BRONCOS @ RAIDERS

• RJ Harvey turned his 22 touches into 100 scrimmage yards and a TD. The rookie RB handled 17 of the team’s 25 RB carries and saw six of their eight RB targets, an incredibly valuable role on a solid-to-good NFL offense, Harvey has all the makings of a fantasy league-winner for managers who held him all year, or scooped him up off of their waiver wire.

• Geno Smith left the game with an arm injury, making way for his backup QB Kenny Pickett. Pickett wound up with about the same passing line as Smith, in about half the passing attempts. It was a small sample size but it was enough to see that Pickett should be able to keep the offense moving and keep Ashton Jeanty and Brock Bowers fantasy-relevant if Smith misses additional games.

TEXANS @ CHIEFS

• It was an ugly SNF game in Kansas City that saw 30 total points scored; neither QB was able to complete half of his pass attempts in a game that saw numerous drops and offensive miscues. Nico Collins (4-121) was the only pass catcher for either team to exceed 55 receiving yards.

• Veteran Houston RB Nick Chubb left with an injury to his ribs, making way for rookie Woody Marks to handle a larger workload than usual. Marks saw a whopping 28 touches for 76 yards and a TD in the Texans’ upset win. Third-string RB Dare Ogunbawale scored a TD late in the game on his only touch.

• In the KC backfield, Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco combined for 21 carries, 60 yards, and a TD. Neither back had a carry longer than six yards in a game that Pat Mahomes (7-59) led the Chiefs in rushing yards.