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Fantasy Football Week 14 Reaction & Week 15 Semifinals Lookahead

Time to dissect the biggest NFL Week 14 fantasy storylines. Including beasts and busts, plus a lookahead to the second week of the fantasy football playoffs.

Roy Larking

Aaron Rodgers – Leads Green Bay Packers to NFC North Title

Torching the injury-ravaged Detroit defense, Rodgers completed 26-of-33 pass attempts for 290 yards and three touchdowns. He added another score on a 6-yard run and racked up 33.80 fantasy points. Rodgers now has 39 TD passes. He will look to exceed his career-high 45 TD passes with favorable matchups against Carolina and Tennessee during the final two weeks of the fantasy playoffs.

Tua Tagovailoa – Shines in Miami Loss to Kansas City

Posting the best fantasy numbers of his rookie season, Tagovailoa completed 28-of-48 pass attempts for 316 yards and two touchdowns. He added 24 rushing yards and one score to finish with 31.20 points. Fantasy players need to monitor the health of WR Davante Parker and TE Mike Gesicki who were injured during Week 14. Miami has a tough Week 15 matchup against New England.

Drew Lock – Tosses Career-High Four Touchdown Passes

Fantasy players who were brave enough to start Lock were rewarded as he tossed a four TD passes against Carolina. Lock completed 21-of-27 pass attempts for 280 yards and posted 30.40 fantasy points. A challenging Week 15 matchup against Buffalo is next up. The Bills defense held Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger to 187 passing yards and intercepted him twice during Week 14 action.

Jalen Hurts – Sparks Philadelphia Upset of New Orleans

Making his first career NFL start, Hurts led Philadelphia to a 24-21 upset win over New Orleans. The Saints defense entered Week 14 allowing quarterbacks just 75 total rushing yards. Hurts more than doubled that with 106 yards on 18 attempts. He added 167 passing yards and one TD to finish with 22.95 fantasy points. Hurts should be viewed as QB2 option during Week 15 on the road against Arizona.

Alex Smith – Dismal Week 14 Cut Short by Injury

While not considered serious, Smith suffered a calf injury and sat out the second half of Washington’s 23-15 win against San Francisco. He finished 9-of-18 for just 57 yards and one interception. Dwayne Haskins stepped in and didn’t fair any better as he completed 7-of-12 passes for 51 yards. Despite a favorable matchup in Week 15, at home against Seattle, Smith and Haskins are risky starters.

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Derrick Henry – Posts Season-High Rushing Yards

After disappointing fantasy players in Week 13, with just 7.90 fantasy points, Henry had a huge rebound in Week 14 against Jacksonville. Ripping through the Jaguars defense - Henry racked up 215 rushing yards and two touchdowns. His 36.20 fantasy points were the highest total amongst all players so far this week. The sky’s the limit for King Henry when the Titans host Detroit in Week 15.

Jonathan Taylor – Rookie Rolls Over Las Vegas

Setting rookie season high numbers – Taylor piled up 150 rushing yards and two touchdowns during the Colts’ 44-27 blowout win over the Raiders. After missing one game, due to COVID-19 issues, Taylor has posted 22.50 and 30.50 fantasy points during his last two starts. He gets a very favorable matchup against Houston in Week 15 as the Texans have allowed 152.3 rushing yards per game.

Miles Sanders – Snaps Saints Record Setting Run

Along with Jalen Hurts, Sanders snapped the New Orleans Saints NFL record run of 55 games without allowing a 100-yard rusher. Most of the damage was done on an 82-yard TD run as Sanders finished with 115 rushing yards and two scores. His 29.60 fantasy points are a season-high and it’s the most points the Saints have allowed since Week 3 when Green Bay RB Aaron Jones posted 16.60 points.

Ezekiel Elliott – No Longer Deserves Must Start Status

Facing a favorable matchup against the Bengals, who have allowed 5.0 yards per carry this season, Elliott managed 48 rushing yards. He has posted 8.90 or fewer fantasy points during five of his last seven games and has not scored a rushing TD since Week 5. Backup Tony Pollard (12.80) outscored Elliott who finished with 7.90 points. A tough Week 15 matchup against San Francisco is next up.

James Conner – Shut Down in Disappointing Return

After missing two weeks, due to COVID-19, Conner posted disappointing results in his return against Buffalo. Expected to jumpstart the struggling Pittsburgh rushing attack - Conner managed just 18 rushing yards on 10 carries. After posting 6.80 fantasy points, at home against the Bengals in Week 10, a rebound isn’t guaranteed when the Steelers visit Cincinnati in the Week 15 rematch.

Stefon Diggs – First Player With 100 Receptions This Season

Hauling in 10 receptions, for the third time in four games, Diggs leads all Week 14 receivers with 29.10 fantasy points. Locked in as the primary target for QB Josh Allen - Diggs caught 10-of-14 pass targets for 131 yards and one touchdown. The Bills visit Denver in Week 15. While with the Vikings, Diggs posted 121 yards and one touchdown against the Broncos during Week 11 action last season.

Allen Robinson – Dominates Shorthanded Houston Secondary

Entering a favorable matchup against the Texans, who were missing two starting corners, Robinson continued his last season surge. Second behind Diggs, he scored 27.30 fantasy points as he caught 9-of-13 targets for 123 yards and one TD. That’s just off the season high 27.40 points he posted two weeks ago. He is a low-end WR1 option in Week 15 against the Vikings who have allowed 26 TD passes.

Calvin Ridley – Big Day Includes TD Catch From Russell Gage

With Julio Jones inactive, Ridley led Atlanta with eight catches for 124 yards and one TD. He finished third amongst wide receivers, behind Diggs and Robinson, with 26.40 fantasy points. The score was a 39-yard pass from Gage who took a direct snap and hit Ridley with a perfect throw. Expect his production to continue in Week 15 when Atlanta hosts Tampa Bay in what should be a shootout.

T.Y. Hilton – Late Season Fantasy Surge Continues

Largely written off, in most fantasy formats, Hilton hauled in five receptions for 86 yards and two scores against the Las Vegas Raiders. After recording just 62.70 total points, during his first nine games, Hilton has racked up 67.70 points during the last three games. Indianapolis hosts Houston in Week 15. Hilton caught eight passes for 110 yards and one score against the Texans back in Week 13.

K.J. Hamler – Turns Two Receptions Into Two Touchdowns

Making the most of his targets, Hamler caught 2-of-3 passes for 86 yards and two touchdowns on Sunday. Flashing great speed, that made him the 46th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Hamler scored on 37-yard pass in the third quarter. That was followed by a game winning 49-yard TD catch late in the fourth quarter. Despite the big day – Hamler is a risky play when Denver hosts Buffalo in Week 15.

Chase Claypool – Fading Late During Rookie Season

Coinciding with two straight Pittsburgh losses, Claypool caught 3-of-6 targets for just 15 yards during the Steelers loss to Buffalo. Following a solid five-game run, with 78.90 total points, Claypool posted 5.80 points in Week 13 and 4.50 points this week. After racking up 21.30 points versus the Bengals in Week 10 - Claypool will look to get back on track in Week 15 when Pittsburgh visits Cincinnati.

Travis Kelce – Takes Over as NFL Receiving Leader

Landing in our recap, on a near weekly basis, Kelce was unstoppable in Week 14 as he caught eight passes for 136 yards and one TD. Blowing past DK Metcalf, who has 1,180 receiving yards, Kelce now leads the NFL with 1,250 yards. A tight end has never finished a season with the most receiving yards. Kelce is just 127 yards behind George Kittle for the single season receiving yard record by a tight end.

Mike Gesicki – Second Straight 20 Plus Point Game

After posting 23.80 points, in Week 13 against Cincinnati, Gesicki had 23.50 points this week. He caught 5-of-6 passes for 65 yards and two touchdowns during the Dolphins loss at home to Kansas City. Gesicki was injured early the fourth quarter and did not return. If he is able to play, Gesicki faces a tough Week 15 matchup against the Patriots who have allowed just one tight end touchdown this season.

Robert Tonyan – Ties Kelce for TE Touchdown Lead

Continuing a breakout year, Tonyan and Kelce are tied for most TE touchdowns with nine. Tonyan hauled in all five of his targets for 36 yards and one score against Detroit. Highly trusted by Packers QB Aaron Rodgers - Tonyan has caught a touchdown in four straight games. A favorable matchup against Carolina is next up. The Panthers have allowed the fifth most receiving yards to tight ends.

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Roy Larking
ROY LARKING

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