Week 14 ends with a fantasy-points explosion in one of the best MNF games in history. Yes, 2018's Rams-Chiefs matchup was epic. But given the rivalry, yesterday's contest was as intense and entertaining as it gets. The Ravens are now 22-4 against the Browns since 2008. Two of Cleveland's wins came in overtime. In the other two, Cleveland led by only a touchdown in the fourth quarter. In other words, it's been ages since the Browns were unquestionably the better team on the field, and last night was no exception.
It's fair to wonder how this game would have played out if OBJ were healthy, or if Baltimore hadn't lost key starters on defense. But the point is, nearly every notable fantasy player rose to the occasion. My top QB bargain of the week, Baker Mayfield (an insane expert-consensus QB-26 ranking) finished #3 among quarterbacks, while the heroic Lamar Jackson finished #1. Kareem Hunt (#4 RB) and Nick Chubb (#7) reinforced why they might be the best backfield tandem in years. J.K. Dobbins (#18) and Gus Edwards (#13) fared well despite playing alongside a more-mobile-than-usual Jackson. Rashard Higgins (#15 WR) led all wideouts, and Marquise Brown came through after three drops; Brown, Jarvis Landry, and Donovan Peoples-Jones all hit double-digits. Mark Andrews (#7 TE) was solid in his first game back, while David Njoku managed a respectable 7.5 points--and by "respectable," I mean if you were stuck at TE and rolled the dice on Njoku, you got something out of it.
The good news for those with Jackson, Dobbins, Edwards, Brown, and Andrews is that Baltimore's win almost guarantees they'll be starting everyone weeks 15 and 16. They're squarely in the playoff hunt, with a solid shot at catching Miami for the #7 seed. Had the Ravens lost, they would have been 6-7, and who knows whether guys like Dobbins or Andrews--or even Jackson--might have sat out your championship week. That's why game results matter. CMC is riding the pine, in part, because Carolina isn't playing for anything. But Lamar Jackson now has a shot at shining against the Jags and Giants when it matters most.
As for Baker, he's now the #18 fantasy QB. His passes looked sharp, and he made some smart decisions when it came to tucking the ball and running. It helped that Cleveland's o-line held up (zero sacks). But I've long felt--and stated publicly on this page--that Baker is worse than people thought he was two years ago, and better than people thought he was this summer. He's a capable young quarterback who should end the year in the top 16. And next summer, when he's ranked somewhere around 17th, I'll happily grab him with my last pick on the assumption that a healthy OBJ and more experience will guide him into the top 14, and possibly the top 10. Not a bad streamer to keep in your back pocket, especially when he's not battling Cleveland's brutal winds.