First, congratulations to longtime friendly nemesis Aaron Weaver for (barring a huge Tee Higgins performance tonight) eliminating me from playoff contention with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Davante Adams -- three top-10 Week 14 scorers. An incredible outburst, and well-deserved given how well he drafted.
Hope many of you found success. As always, here's the biggest fantasy storyline for each Sunday team:
Titans -- Saturday's column: "Will Levis has battled heavy headwinds this year to prove he deserves the starting job in 2025 and beyond. Admittedly, I'd given up on him. Now I'm starting him in a win-or-go-home week." Sunday: Yikes. A shoulder injury late in the first half might have cost him a few points. That said, it's interesting that in the last few weeks, the Titans, Packers, and Browns averaged the most yards per completion. This week all three tanked. For Levis, a lack of success on the ground has sent his floor plummeting.
Jaguars -- Saturday's column: "Is any Jacksonville RB worth starting in even the deepest leagues -- not just tomorrow, but for the rest of the season?" Sunday: Tank Bigsby dramatically out-touched Travis Etienne and slightly outperformed him. Both were certainly startable in 12+ team leagues. And both are wholly TD-dependent.
Dolphins -- Saturday's column: "In the last three weeks, Jonnu Smith has compiled a 25-301-3 receiving line. Defenses can't easily cheat with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle flying across the field. Miami's journeyman tight end has a legit chance at finishing the season as the overall TE2." Sunday: He needed overtime to get on the board, but he more than made up for the delay. There's no good reason to bench him in Week 15.
Jets -- Saturday's column: "At what point will most/all of the Jets' top playmakers be worthless (i.e. inactive)?" Sunday: An impressive bounce- back, but not enough. As always, if you're leaning on Adams or Garrett Wilson (or Breece Hall or even Aaron Rodgers), the clock is ticking. Also notably, fifth-round rookie Isaiah Davis went toe-to-toe with fourth-round rookie Braelon Allen. Certainly didn't look like a fluke.
Vikings -- Saturday's column: "Sam Darnold has hit 19+ fantasy points in seven of 12 games. Only Lamar Jackson, Jayden Daniels, and Josh Allen have scored 19+ more frequently." Sunday: Make it eight out of 13. My favorite preseason "undraftable" fantasy QB is finally getting his due.
Falcons -- Saturday's column: "Is there a loud clock ticking on Kirk Cousins' starting job?" Sunday: Yes, now more than ever.
Giants -- Saturday's column: "Malik Nabers hasn't scored since Week 3. It's hard to be a no-brainer weekly starter if you're not scoring, even with a high target share." Sunday: The rookie's 79 receiving yards were his most since Week 4, and he hasn't scored since Week 3. Still an amazing floor, and also a troubling low ceiling for a guy we'd expect to be in a lot of fantasy playoff lineups.
Saints -- Derek Carr might be out for the season, and Kendre Miller netted his first NFL touchdown. While the passing game might go from weak to bottom-tier these final few weeks, the backfield could/should be interesting.
Eagles -- Saturday's column: "A.J. Brown has scored only once in his last six games, and he's being targeted at career-low levels. While managers normally wouldn't consider benching him under any circumstances, it's nevertheless concerning that he hasn't stepped up more, especially when teammates DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert have battled injuries." Sunday: Wow. Despite catching 37 of 47 targets (79%) since Week 7, Brown has become more of a hold-your-breath, unbenchable WR.
Panthers -- Saturday's column: "Will Jonathon Brooks continue to push for a timeshare with Chuba Hubbard?" Sunday: A potential season-ending injury to Brooks means managers rostering Hubbard still have a must-start RB for the playoffs.
Steelers -- Saturday's column: "Pat Freiermuth has been hearing up just a bit. After a huge letdown for a season-and-a-half, is he back to being a decent streamer?" Sunday: Yes, though a frequently low target share makes him no better than a streamer.
Browns -- Saturday's column: "At what point will Cleveland give more work to Jerome Ford?" Sunday: Chubb actually ran better this time, though Ford was the trusted option through the air. I'd still rather roster Ford over Chubb during the fantasy playoffs.
Buccaneers -- Saturday's column: "With Bucky Irving questionable at best, Rachaad White is in a great position versus Vegas to win back momentum." Sunday: Bucky played but exited early, and White seized the moment[um].
Raiders -- Saturday's column: "Will Sincere McCormick remain in the backfield rotation regardless of who's active?" Sunday: McCormick crushed it, and there's almost no doubt he'll lead this backfield the rest of the year. Also, Desmond Ridder replacing Aidan O'Connell probably is net neutral.
Cardinals -- Saturday's column: "James Conner has never been healthy enough to start more than 13 games in a season. Tomorrow marks his 13th start." Sunday: Conner has defied my expectations. Congrats to those of you who confidently stuck with him.
Seahawks -- Saturday's column: "Kenneth Walker busted out with 116 total yards and three TDs in Week 4. Since then, he's carried the ball 113 times for 359 yards (3.2 YPC). At what point will Zach Charbonnet's 4-6 touches per game grow into, say, 8-10?" Sunday: I wrote that Saturday blurb before Walker was declared out. Now it seems inevitable that whenever Walker returns, he'll lose more touches to Charbonnet.
Rams -- Saturday's column: "Blake Corum put a scare in fantasy managers last weekend. While Kyren Williams took over beginning in the second quarter, it's a warning sign." Sunday: What a game, and while Williams frequently was bottled up, Corum once again had a healthy eight carries.
Bills -- Saturday's column: "Amari Cooper has been scoreless in all but two contests this year, and he's caught more than four passes only once." Sunday: A 6-95 receiving line on 14 targets. Game flow and Keon Coleman's absence helped. But Josh Allen was looking Cooper's way a lot more than usual.
49ers -- Saturday's column: "The age of Isaac Guerendo has begun, or something like that. He has a few weeks to earn a coveted handcuff role behind the aging CMC next fall." Sunday: Guerendo's injury will be one of the most-watched RB stories these next 2-3 days with the Niners' next game around the corner.
Bears -- Saturday's column: "D'Andre Swift has too much guaranteed money to be cut after this season. In fairness, he hasn't been that bad. But with a questionable tag, and in a questionably capable offense, he's one of those 'I need to start him, but wish I didn't have to' RBs." Sunday: More of the same from Swift, who's clinging to deep-league startability.
Chiefs -- Saturday's column: "Will Isiah Pacheco be turned loose, or is Kansas City content to maintain an RBBC before the playoffs." Sunday: Pacheco did enough to show he's still "the guy," and Kareem Hunt didn't do enough to suggest he'll have stand-alone value during this stretch run.
Chargers -- Saturday's column: "Is there a compelling reason to start any Charger running back at any point these final 4-5 weeks?" Sunday: When a starting RB scores but finishes with single-digit points, that says everything we need to know.
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