Fantasy Football Week 14 Wrap: Deebo does it again
Seattle Seahawks @ San Francisco 49ers
Brock Purdy threw for a career-high 368 passing yards, and Deebo Samuel exploded again during the 49ers’ win Sunday. Samuel caught a long touchdown and ran in another TD while finishing as a top-two fantasy WR for the second straight week. He’s totaled five touchdowns over that span, becoming just the second player in NFL history with 100+ receiving yards, a receiving TD and a rushing TD in back-to-back games. Samuel also now has the most rushing touchdowns (19) ever by a wide receiver.
Purdy is averaging the most yards per attempt (9.9) since the merger and 325+ passing yards at home this season. He’s just the fourth QB ever to complete at least 70% of his passes in seven consecutive games. Purdy lost a TD pass when Samuel was stopped at the one-foot line Sunday (Samuel would run in a score the next play), but he leads the league in most passing stats on a team with the No. 1 seed right now.
The competition between Purdy and Dak Prescott for the league MVP will be heated.
Christian McCaffrey had a 72-yard run on the game’s first play but watched Jordan Mason punch in the ensuing short score. CMC was limited to just six opportunities at halftime and 10 through three quarters, finishing with a season-low one target. McCaffrey also didn’t score for just the second game all season, but he led the league with 145 rushing yards and still finished as a top-10 fantasy back this week.
George Kittle has 17 touchdowns since last season with Purdy. The People’s Tight End totaled 20 touchdowns over the first five seasons of his career. Brandon Aiyuk lost a fumble and failed to score for the first time in five games, but he’s on pace to finish the season with 1,492 receiving yards.
Drew Lock was solid enough in relief of Geno Smith, getting 8.7 YPA against a tough San Francisco defense. Lock found DK Metcalf (who was ejected late in the game) for a long score right after Charvarius Ward left injured. Lock later hit Colby Parkinson for a TD after a fake double screen, but Smith has until next Monday night to get healthy for a matchup versus the Eagles.
Zach Charbonnet and Kenneth Walker split work during their return. Walker broke multiple tackles during a terrific 27-yard catch-and-run, but Seattle gets a couple of stout run defenses over the next two weeks (Phi, @Ten).
San Francisco got 9.9 yards per play, as CMC, Samuel, Aiyuk and Kittle combined for more than 500 yards.
San Francisco punter Mitch Wishnowsky had a 30-yard run during a fake that wasn’t called by Kyle Shanahan, but it was erased thanks to a penalty that didn’t affect the play.
Los Angeles Rams @ Baltimore Ravens
Lamar Jackson threw three touchdowns and ran for 70 yards while finishing as this week’s top fantasy QB during a thrilling Ravens overtime victory. Jackson overcame heavy rain during the second half and improved to 19-1 versus the NFC in his career.
Keaton Mitchell led Baltimore’s backfield and got 6.0 YPC but was given a modest 10 touches. Fantasy managers would love to see what the rookie back could do with 15-18, but John Harbaugh appears to disagree.
Isaiah Likely caught a long touchdown on a blown coverage right after Mitchell nearly housed a long TD run. Likely is a top-12 TE moving forward with Mark Andrews out.
Zay Flowers committed a drop in the second quarter but totally redeemed himself with a huge touchdown catch on third-and-17 late in the game (followed by a two-point conversion grab).
Odell Beckham Jr. caught a long score and tied for the team lead with 10 targets. All Ravens pass-catchers benefited from Jackson attempting a season-high 43 passes Sunday.
Kyren Williams is a beast and a top-five RB regardless of matchup. The Rams opened the game with nine straight runs (Williams had seven) but then settled for a field goal after three straight incompletions inside the 10-yard line.
Matthew Stafford has a 10:1 TD:INT ratio over the last three games despite facing Cleveland and Baltimore in two of them. Stafford, who has the most game-winning drives among active QBs (and top-10 all time), made multiple impressive throws throughout the game.
Cooper Kupp caught a TD on a nice Stafford pass and added a huge catch to put the game into overtime. Kupp looked great during his second-best fantasy game of the season.
Puka Nacua made a terrific diving catch on another awesome Stafford throw late in the fourth quarter, while Davis Allen emerged as Tyler Higbee’s clear replacement at tight end.
Baltimore has an NFL-worst -27 in point-differential during the final two minutes of games before Sunday’s punt return touchdown in overtime. Remarkably, the Ravens have held a lead in the final two minutes during all 13 games this season.
Buffalo Bills @ Kansas City Chiefs
Josh Allen managed just 5.5 YPA but made enough plays and had an impressive touchdown run to help Buffalo record a big win in Kansas City. James Cook led the Bills in receiving and finished as Sunday’s No. 2 fantasy back despite seeing just 10 carries. Cook had 83 receiving yards and a TD catch before halftime. Although he loses snaps (and some carries) to Ty Johnson and Latavius Murray (and his quarterback), Cook has averaged 19.7 opportunities over his last three games and appears to be emerging at the perfect time for the fantasy playoffs.
Stefon Diggs was held to 24 scoreless yards on 11 targets thanks to being shadowed by L’Jarius Sneed, while Dalton Kincaid saw the team’s second-most targets (eight) despite the return of Dawson Knox. Diggs hasn’t reached 90 receiving yards since Week 6 and has averaged just 53.3 yards over that seven-game span. Gabe Davis continued his boom-or-bust season with a goose egg. He’s posted five weeks as a top-15 fantasy WR and six outside the top-65.
Patrick Mahomes failed to finish as a top-10 fantasy QB for the fifth time over his last six games. He hasn’t been a top-five QB since Week 7 and ended his 10-game winning streak following a loss. Mahomes continued to deal with mistakes by his receivers throughout the game, and a costly offsides penalty by Kadarius Toney cost Kansas City the game and arguably the play of the 2023 NFL season. A visibly frustrated Mahomes slammed his helmet at the end of the game, and he now looks likely to play on the road during the playoffs for the first time in his career.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire led the Chiefs’ backfield in touches, but Jerick McKinnon scored the team’s RB touchdown. Rashee Rice ran a bad route early, missed a later opportunity to score a touchdown thanks to a bad angle and lost a fumble. But the rookie also caught a touchdown and finished as a top-10 fantasy WR this week. Rice will continue to make mistakes, but he’s averaged 9.7 targets over the last three games and should be considered a top-25 WR down the stretch.
Travis Kelce continues to produce more with Taylor Swift in attendance, while Toney committed an egregious drop in the second quarter before his infamous penalty.
Kansas City has its worst turnover ratio ever under Andy Reid, while Buffalo improved to 7-0 when allowing 20 points or fewer this season.
Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys
Dak Prescott threw two more touchdowns during Dallas’ blowout win Sunday night, giving him 22 TD passes over the last seven games (tying the franchise record). Prescott wasn’t a top-12 fantasy QB after finishing top-three in six of his past seven weeks, as he posted -9.8 CPOE against an Eagles defense allowing the most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season. It didn’t matter, though, with the Cowboys’ defense yielding just two field goals.
CeeDee Lamb scored for the fifth straight game, while Jake Ferguson led Dallas in receiving. Ferguson looked like a beast at times and is emerging as a borderline top-five fantasy tight end.
Tony Pollard saw just four more carries than Rico Dowdle but also a season-high in targets (eight) and catches (seven). His fantasy game could’ve been much bigger.
Jalen Hurts failed to produce a touchdown for the first game this year during his lowest-scoring fantasy performance of the season.
Hurts, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith all lost fumbles, but at least the latter saw 10 targets despite Dallas Goedert’s return.
D’Andre Swift hasn’t surpassed 80 rushing yards in a game since running for 305 over Weeks 2-3.
Brandon Aubrey made all four field goal attempts, with three of them at least 50 yards out. He became the first kicker in NFL history to make a 60 and 59-yard FG in the same game, helping Dallas overtake the lead in the NFC East.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Atlanta Falcons
Baker Mayfield threw two touchdowns (including a late game-winner to Cade Otton) and ran in another score. The Buccaneers are now leading the NFC South.
Rachaad White ran for 100+ yards for the second time in three weeks after failing to do so all season. The Falcons have a tough run defense, and White added a TD catch. His fantasy day could’ve been even bigger, but he was stopped at the one-yard line in the first quarter, only to see Mayfield punch in the short score.
Mike Evans took a backseat to Chris Godwin for the first time all season, with a near fourth-quarter TD catch ruled just out of bounds in the end zone.
Desmond Ridder continued to play far better at home, throwing for a career-high 347 yards (8.7 YPA) while finishing as fantasy’s No. 2 QB this week.
Drake London led all pass-catchers with a career-high 172 receiving yards. He made an incredible fourth-quarter grab, and the game ended on a London catch at the two-yard line. Fantasy managers would Love the Drake if he were on a different team.
Bijan Robinson didn’t find much success rushing against a reeling Tampa Bay run defense missing Vita Vea, but the rookie back was active as a receiver and punched in a goal-line score. Robinson encouragingly saw multiple opportunities inside the 10-yard line throughout the game.
Kyle Pitts now has as many career touchdown catches as second-year Dallas corner DaRon Bland.
Younghoe Koo had made 24 straight field goals at home before missing two in the first half.
Indianapolis Colts @ Cincinnati Bengals
Jake Browning impressed for the second straight week while getting 11.5 YPA and totaling three touchdowns. The quarterback who threw a mere 91 TD passes as a senior in high school now has more top-five fantasy QB finishes this season than Joe Burrow. Quarterback controversy in Cincinnati?
In all seriousness, Browning has looked really good (aside from Sunday's pick-six) and his emergence is huge news for the fantasy values of Joe Mixon, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Mixon’s two best fantasy games of the season have come in the last two weeks.
Chase Brown led Cincinnati in receiving thanks to a 54-yard screen that Mixon would have had no chance of taking to the house like the rookie did. Brown’s speed is apparent, and he’d become a must-start in fantasy leagues if Mixon were to miss time.
Zack Moss flopped for the second straight game, only this time in a favorable matchup. He’s averaged a minuscule 2.4 YPC over two games since Jonathan Taylor went down, even losing some carries to Trey Sermon this week. Moss had a fourth-quarter touchdown called back by penalty, as even garbage time couldn’t help.
Michael Pittman Jr. has averaged 13 targets over his last four games, while Josh Downs can’t be trusted in lineups during the fantasy playoffs.
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Cleveland Browns
Joe Flacco threw his fifth TD pass since coming off his couch two games ago, leading Cleveland to a big win. He’s clearly the team’s starter over the rest of the season.
Jerome Ford and Kareem Hunt continued to split work, with the latter getting the goal-line score as usual.
Amari Cooper tied for the league lead with 14 targets, but it didn’t result in a top-20 WR fantasy finish. Still, he’s Cleveland’s clear WR1, with Elijah Moore now out-targeted 19-7 by Flacco when Cooper has been on the field.
David Njoku caught a touchdown during the opening drive and added a second score later during a game that featured fantasy’s top two tight ends this week.
Trevor Lawrence continued his streak of never missing a game throughout high school, college or the pros by somehow playing one week after suffering a high-ankle sprain. He managed just 5.1 YPA with three picks but played admirably in a tough situation. Lawrence also had three touchdown passes while playing with his third-string left tackle against a Browns defense that entered allowing an NFL-low 3.4 yards per play at home this season. The next lowest was 4.2.
Calvin Ridley didn’t do much on 13 targets and was tackled at the one-yard line, allowing Travis Etienne Jr. to save his fantasy day with a nice Wild Cat TD run.
Evan Engram erupted for two touchdowns against a Cleveland defense allowing by far the fewest fantasy points to tight ends this season. Engram set season highs at the position versus the Browns in targets (12), catches (11) and receiving yards (95).
Jacksonville was planning to go for two (smart!) down eight points in the fourth quarter before a delay of game penalty.
Detroit Lions @ Chicago Bears
Justin Fields had 47 rushing yards over the first 10 minutes and later added his first TD run since Week 2. He led Chicago in rush attempts and is averaging a whopping 14 carries over his last three games — fantasy gold.
DJ Moore had zero targets in the first half but recorded his first career rushing touchdown. He was more active in the second half, including a touchdown catch on fourth-and-13. Moore has been second only to Tyreek Hill in fantasy scoring among WRs this season when Fields plays.
D’Onta Foreman started and led the Bears’ backfield, making Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson fantasy-irrelevant for now.
Jared Goff managed just 4.6 YPA and threw his fifth interception over his last two games against Chicago. Goff struggled against Cover 2 (and a much-improved Bears’ defense) in 30-degree weather, posting a completion percentage over expectation (-10.4) in the 13th percentile.
Amon Ra-St. Brown finished with a season-low 21 receiving yards, as Detroit was shut out in the second half.
Houston Texans @ New York Jets
Zach Wilson played the best game of his career and is an obvious upgrade over Tim Boyle. Wilson targeted Garrett Wilson or Breece Hall during 23 of his 36 pass attempts, which was a smart strategy.
C.J. Stroud, on the other hand, had the worst game of his young career before leaving with a head injury. The rookie has entered concussion protocol after hitting the turf hard in the fourth quarter. Stroud struggled before departing against a tough Jets secondary and without Tank Dell and Nico Collins (who left in the first quarter with a calf injury). Stroud had a dropped interception and also missed a wide-open Noah Brown downfield in the second quarter, but the only concern regarding the highly impressive rookie QB moving forward is his health.
If Collins misses time and Stroud doesn’t, Brown could be worth starting during the fantasy playoffs.
Detective Davis Mills immediately proceeded to miss a wide-open John Metchie downfield after coming into the game, finishing with a CPOE in the zero-th percentile.
Houston punted on all of its first-half drives and entered halftime with -4 passing yards.
Denver Broncos @ Los Angeles Chargers
Denver’s offense wasn’t needed much during the easy win, but Russell Wilson found Courtland Sutton deep for a sick one-handed touchdown catch.
Justin Herbert left injured late in the second quarter, and Easton Wick got 1.9 YPA more after replacing him. The Broncos have been playing much better pass defense lately, but this Chargers offense has become full-blown dysfunctional. Los Angeles went 1-for-18 during third and fourth downs Sunday, and had gone 118 game minutes before finally scoring its first touchdown since Week 12.
Javonte Williams hasn’t reached 4.0 YPC in a game since Week 7, but scored his first rushing touchdown of the season Sunday.
Austin Ekeler saw 10 carries compared to nine by Isaiah Spiller and Joshua Kelley, but his five catches tied for his second most in a game this year. Ekeler got 5.1 YPC and punched in a goal-line score, but he’s limited by an ankle injury and a sinking LA offense. The Kellen Moore/Mike McCarthy situation sure looks different now.
Carolina Panthers @ New Orleans Saints
Derek Carr somehow played and got just 4.6 YPA against a Carolina defense quietly allowing the third-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks this season. At least he found Chris Olave for a TD.
New Orleans somehow didn’t score in the first quarter despite running 17 of its 18 plays in Carolina’s territory, although Alvin Kamara punched in a touchdown during the first play of the second quarter.
Kamara saw just one more carry (12) than Jamaal Williams and finished with -11 receiving yards on five targets. It was a major letdown in a prime situation.
Bryce Young was 3-for-15 for 29 yards (1.9 YPA) in the first half, and it didn’t get much better from there. The rookie QB had some nice runs but missed a wide-open Jonathan Mingo from a clean pocket for a long touchdown during a day filled with errant throws. To say Young was inaccurate (-21.2 CPOE!) would be a massive understatement in a highly discouraging performance.
Chuba Hubbard led the way with 25 more opportunities, while Miles Sanders had a nice 48-yard run in the third quarter but was tackled at the one (Young then took an awful sack on second-and-goal, leading to a field goal).
The Saints blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown.
Minnesota Vikings @ Las Vegas Raiders
This barnburner was 0-0 until Minnesota kicked a field goal with 2:00 remaining in the fourth quarter during the lowest-scoring indoor game in NFL history.
Nick Mullens replaced a highly ineffective Joshua Dobbs (2.7 YPA) and produced more passing yards (and the game’s only points) over two drives. Mullens should be considered the heavy favorite to start for the Vikings in Week 15.
Justin Jefferson left in the second quarter in an increasingly frustrating season for the star wideout.
Aidan O’Connell struggled with Minnesota’s blitzing, while Davante Adams’ output would’ve been even quieter if not for a 24-yard catch on the last play of the game.
Josh Jacobs was stuffed against a tough run defense and suffered an apparent knee injury late.
The Vikings are 17-0 since last season when not losing the turnover battle (the only undefeated team in the league).
