Yesterday's contests began with a series of bad-to-strange omens, with Tank Dell going down with a reportedly season-ending injury, the Steelers-Cardinals enduring repeated weather delays, and more turnovers than I can remember for a 1pm Sunday slate. And as always, there's a lot to take away as we look ahead to Week 14 -- for many of us, the final week of the fantasy regular season. Let's walk through the biggest fantasy impact for each team:
Patriots -- Rhamondre Stevenson was ruled out with an injury shortly after losing a fumble. Zeke Elliott ran poorly on the ground, but was fantasy-friendly through the air. If Stevenson sits next week, clearly Zeke would be an immediate must-start RB in PPR, thanks to an historically anemic passing "attack" that leans heavily on dump-offs.
Chargers -- I sound like a broken record, but it's a record that needs to be played. Whether still dealing with a nagging injury or merely well past his prime, Austin Ekeler is no longer a clear-cut weekly fantasy starter. He's seen only three targets in two of his last three contests. He must be heavily involved through the air to keep his floor inside the top 40.
Saints -- Picked New Orleans in an upset, and they didn't quite have enough juice to topple the defensively vulnerable Lions. I don't care about their QB situation in fantasy. I care about Taysom Hill out-carrying Alvin Kamara. Sure, Kamara is a must-start regardless. But Hill keeps reminding managers that he's still a core part of this offense.
Lions -- So much could be said. I'll focus on Sam LaPorta's huge day, where he reeled in all nine targets for 140 yards and a score. Only two WRs had more than one than one target. No one except Amon-Ra St. Brown is challenging LaPorta for dominance through the air.
Jets -- Another awful offensive performance marring another terrific defensive performance. As with New Orleans, who cares about their QB situation. Xavier Gipson started easing into the offense in November, and yesterday marked career highs in targets, catches, and yards. Surprisingly, he could lead this team in offensive yards the rest of the way, especially if the Jets opt to put Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall on ice by late December.
Falcons -- Kyle Pitts led his team in targets, and it wasn't very close. Clearly, Desmond Ridder was trying to get that connection going. It worked, barely. For mangers who invested in Pitts, hopefully he'll remain a 7+ target TE the rest of the season.
Titans -- Tennessee falls to 4-8, and with Derrick Henry exiting with a head injury (as of Sunday night, still no confirmation whether it's a concussion), Tyjae Spears might finally take the spotlight next week against Miami. The Titans are in an interesting spot, incentivized to showcase a healthy Henry if they plan to trade him before next year's midseason deadline, and incentivized to sit him if they plan to feature him next year in what *could* be a more competitive season.
Colts -- With 16 more looks, Michael Pittman is now tied for #2 in the league with 127 targets and is on pace for 180. Earlier this year, Josh Downs pushed for a co-#1 WR role. But while the rookie's usage fluctuates wildly, Pittman has joined Tyreek Hill, Mike Evans, Keenan Allen, and a few others as one of the highest-floor WRs out there.
Steelers -- Hard to establish the run when your starting QB goes down early in bad weather, and facing a negative game script. That said, Mitch Trubisky won't be much of a downgrade with Kenny Pickett expected to sit next week -- and obviously that has more to do with Pickett's poor play than anything Trubisky can do these days. And among RBs with 60+ carries, Jaylen Warren leads the NFL with 5.9 yards per carry. But his ceiling remains capped by a sustained offensive commitment to Najee Harris.
Cardinals -- Last week I wrote about Trey McBride for the umpteenth time, and James Conner made good on heavy volume, as he often does. More importantly for deep leaguers and those stashing handcuffs, Michael Carter ran ahead of Emari Demercado, while the latter exited with an injury. With a 3-10 record, Arizona presumably won't start Conner every game going forward. Carter is still an intriguing stash.
Commanders -- Brian Robinson suffered a hamstring injury, and he'll get two weeks to heal. Washington is 4-9, which matters, because there's no reason to rush back their bell cow. Antonio Gibson and rookie Chris Rodriguez should be rostered in deeper leagues with big benches, where Gibson has the edge because of his versatility as a receiver.
Dolphins -- I once again whiffed on De'Von Achane, wrongly assuming Miami would "play it safe" with their often-injured running back. Instead, the rookie collected 20 touches, making risk-welcoming managers very happy. I don't get it. Jeff Wilson could have mopped up in the second half. But it seems apparent that the 'Fins would rather give Achane plenty of work ahead of the postseason than to cover him in bubble-wrap.
Texans -- Tank Dell. Fractured fibula. Ugh. Even if Houston somehow makes it to the Super Bowl, Dell would be merely a spectator. He and Nico Collins are an incredible one-two punch for C.J. Stroud, with Collins now moving into near-elite territory, with Noah Brown and yes, even perhaps the underappreciated and talented John Metchie, pushing for fantasy relevance.
Broncos -- At 6-6, Denver is now in must-win mode, probably needing to go 4-1 the rest of the way to reach the playoffs. Noticed Russell Wilson had 10 carries. He had 11 last week. Looked up the last time he's had back-to-back games with 10+ carries in each. The answer? Weeks 5 and 6 of the 2013 season. he's now #5 in the league in QB rushing attempts. Why is he slightly more fantasy relevant than he was last year? More carries is one key reason.
Buccaneers -- Mike Evans jumped past Rod Smith and Keenan McCardell into 35th place on the all-time receiving-yards list. Smith played for 12 years, McCardell for 16. Evans is only two-thirds the way through his 10th, and is now one yard behind Muhsin Muhammad for #34. If you're a dynasty manager who drafted him in 2014, please share below. Only a few WRs in the last 25 years have been as consistently great for so long. And to think is preseason ADP was WR32 . . .
Panthers -- I wrote about Jonathan Mingo possibly leapfrogging Adam Thielen the rest of the way, and the rookie strengthened his recently attained grip on the #1 WR job with 10 targets. Again, there is almost no reason for this offense to feature Thielen going forward. Mingo is a key part of their future, and he and Bryce Young need to develop a rapport that can bring this franchise legitimacy (or at least, partial legitimacy) in 2024.
Rams -- It took a while, but Cooper Kupp finally earned enough points to give managers a sigh of relief. Still, it was his first startable performance since mid-October, and it remains to be seen if he can be reliably "great" or even "very good" down the stretch.
Browns -- Joe Flacco threw it 44+ times for the fourth time in his last five career starts. That's why he was able to feed two receivers, neither of whom was Amari Cooper, who got hurt. If Amari can't play next week, Elijah Moore could be a must-start option against the Jags, with Cedric Tillman (six targets) serving as a worthwhile dart throw in deep leagues.
Eagles -- An embarrassing home loss, plus a brief scare when Jalen Hurts missed several plays with a head injury. Notably, A.J. Brown had double-digit targets for the first time since October 22, and it wasn't only because of a negative game script. Brown had four looks in the first quarter, with Philly leading 6-0. But the Niners' D clamping down, Brown's fifth target came down 21-6 in the third. He should be a locked-in top-10 fantasy WR the rest of the way as the Eagles cling to the NFC's #1 seed.
49ers -- Remember when San Francisco lost three straight? Then they had their bye, and now they've enjoyed four straight victories, including three blowouts. Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel continue to benefit by playing in one of the league's most top-heavy offenses. Deebo is finally making good on his preseason WR17 ADP, while Aiyuk continues to crush his WR28 ADP.
Packers -- This morning, social media is buzzing about "terrible calls." Since this is a fantasy page, I'll stick to fantasy. K.C. entered the night as one of the league's better teams versus QBs, yielding the 10th-fewest fantasy points per game. But Green Bay's offense has been on fire, and it all starts with Jordan Love, who was facing plenty of heat barely a month ago for erratic play. Two dominant performances (and wins) against the Lions and Chiefs should put doubters to rest. If you snagged him in dynasty, congrats on landing a *likely* perennial top-10 QB.
Chiefs -- Rashee Rice easily led his team in targets, further cementing his role atop the depth chart. Through Week 11, he was a dart throw with only a small handful of weekly looks. Since then, he's caught 16 of 19 targets. That's how you endear yourself to your all-world quarterback, and that's how you become a weekly must-start WR.