Sometimes great players do great things. Other times, completely off-the-radar players do great things. In a critically important win-or-go-home week for many of you, off-the-radar players might have impacted whether you won or lost.
The leading receiver in Arizona wasn't Trey McBride or Michael Wilson or even the hobbled Marvin Harrison Jr. It was Elijah Higgins, who more than doubled his previous career-high receiving yards.
Late in the fourth quarter in Detroit, the Lions' three top receivers (in terms of receiving yards) were Kalif Raymond, Isaac TeSlaa, and Anthony Firkser. Only a frenzied comeback in the final minutes made Jameson Williams and Jahmyr Gibbs relevant.
Parker Washington had more receiving yards than every other Jags player combined.
Let's try to make sense of these and other major storylines from Sunday's games:
Panthers -- Wednesday's FF4W post: "In their last three games, high-priced rookie Tetairoa McMillan has a 5-103-2 receiving line, while 2024 UDFA Jalen Coker has a 10-166-2 receiving line. In the big picture, McMillan's alpha status is pretty secure. But in the fantasy playoffs, there's too much uncertainty." Sunday: McMillan doubled Coker's targets and was far more productive. But I clearly underestimated Coker, who solidified his standing as Carolina's #2 WR.
Buccaneers -- Wednesday: "Bucky Irving remains seemingly safe. But a sharp downturn in targets and consistent sub-4.0 YPC rushing lines are, at minimum, concerning." Sunday: 71 scoreless rushing yards and zero targets. With Tampa Bay now on the periphery of the playoff bubble, I would expect this team to retool/rethink their approach for Week 17.
Giants -- Wednesday: "Darius Slayton has 9+ fantasy points in four of his last five contests." Sunday: Slayton was #2 in receiving . . . with eight yards. The entire passing attack was shut down. Managers have to hope it's a blip.
Vikings -- Wednesday: "Once again, should anyone be starting Justin Jefferson?" Sunday: He was on pace for his first 100-yard game since Week 5. JJ McCarthy's injury was costly, and it could be even costlier for Jefferson and the rest of the offense if he misses Week 17.
Saints -- Chris Olave is having a career year and is a top 10 fantasy scorer. He was the preseason WR35.
Jets -- Wednesday: "Will fifth-round rookie RB Isaiah Davis get more run?" Sunday: Not on the ground, but he led all teammates with 52 receiving yards.
Dolphins -- Wednesday: "As poorly as Tua Tagovailoa is playing, replacing him with Zach Wilson or seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers wouldn't exactly 'help' the struggling Jaylen Waddle." Sunday: Ewers exceeded low expectations, and Waddle had his highest yardage output in five games. If you needed 12.2 points, he got the job done.
Bengals -- Wednesday: "I whiffed badly on Joe Burrow last week, as he produced the second-worst QB rating of his career. It was the first time he'd been shut out since November 2018 versus Alabama. Who was on that Alabama team? Tua and Waddle." Sunday: A revenge game seven years in the making. Or maybe just a long-awaited dominant performance for an offense loaded with high-end talent.
Titans -- Wednesday: "Tony Pollard was one of the last players I expected to step up in December. He absolutely obliterated Cleveland's and San Francisco's defenses -- both times on the road. Can he make it three in a row?" Sunday: His third straight 100-yard effort, and against a defense that had been yielding the fourth-fewest RB fantasy points.
Chiefs -- Wednesday: "The Gardner Minshew era has been reborn, at least for a few weeks." Sunday: Well, that era didn't last long. The Chris Oladokun era has begun. This team-wide fantasy disaster gets more disastrous.
Cowboys -- Wednesday: "Can George Pickens turn things around?" Sunday: Although their season is over, Pickens is still pushing for a lucrative contract. His 81-1,212-8 receiving line speaks volumes, and he's now the overall WR4.
Chargers -- Wednesday: "Omarion Hampton vs Kimani Vidal." Sunday: Vidal was already struggling when he was knocked out of the game. If he missed next week, Hampton could be an elite RB against a solid Houston run defense that nevertheless was just gashed by fellow rookie Ashton Jeanty.
Browns -- Wednesday: "Maybe rookie Quinshon Judkins has hit a wall. Or maybe this is the natural outcome of a still-acclimating RB in one of the league's worst offenses." Sunday: Judkins is now out for the season. In this final game, he once again ran poorly, but his five catches on six targets are a somewhat promising sign ahead of 2026.
Bills -- Josh Allen's 28.3 throws per game is his lowest mark since his 2018 rookie campaign. For context, he averaged 38 pass attempts four years ago and 34 as recently as two years ago.
Cardinals -- Jacoby Brissett's worst start of the season, setting up a high-stakes sit/start dilemma in week 17 against Cincinnati.
Falcons -- Kirk Cousins netted his second consecutive three-TD performance, both times on the road. If he plays well next week against the Rams, it could be enough to nab a 2026 starting job. That would be quite a turnaround.
Broncos -- A frightening injury to Pat Bryant. Reportedly he's doing much better. If he's back next week, deep-league managers will need to weigh his 25 targets in his last four games versus Troy Franklin's 18.
Jaguars -- Wednesday: "It took one historically brilliant performance for Trevor Lawrence to catapult to QB7 in fantasy points. Has he finally -- *finally* -- arrived as a yearly top-12 quarterback?" Sunday: He tacked on another four scores, giving him 10 in two games and elevating him to the QB4 in fantasy scoring. He has an outside shot at finishing as the overall QB2. Incredible.
Texans -- Wednesday: "Could 2024 sixth-round RB Jawhar Jordan carve out a 1B role?" Sunday: With Woody Marks sidelined, Jordan took over with 20 touches, almost tripling Nick Chubb's usage. Jordan will be a popular waiver add for RB-needy title contenders.
Raiders -- Wednesday: "[Ashton Jeanty] is averaging 4.3 YPC in the first half and only 2.6 YPC in the second half. Touchdowns are keeping him relevant in second halves." Sunday: An exceptional outing, and one managers have been waiting for. He had more than 75 rushing yards for the first time since Week 4, more than one TD for the first time since Week 4, and set a season-high with 60 receiving yards (on one play). And unlike most other games, he had plenty of juice in the second half, when he racked up 73% of his yards and netted both scores on only 10 touches.
Lions -- A worst-case scenario for managers in leagues that run through Week 18, as Detroit could be eliminated from postseason contention before their final game. The good news (if there is any) is that they still have something to play for on Thursday.
Steelers -- Wednesday: "Kenneth Gainwell vs Jaylen Warren." Sunday: Advantage Gainwell thru three quarters, and then Warren upended fantasy matchups with 21 points on two touches. Incredibly, both guys are now top-20 fantasy RBs. Also, if DK Metcalf is suspended for punching a spectator, 35-year-old Adam Thielen could become an unlikely championship-week fantasy starter.
Ravens -- Wednesday: "Once again, is there any good reason for managers to trust Lamar Jackson?" Sunday: He departed right before halftime after injuring his back. If this is the end of his season, he will have averaged only 9.8 fantasy points in his final six games.
Patriots -- Wednesday: "Mack Hollins 4-41 receiving line last weekend was New England's best WR line in their last four games." Sunday: Drake Maye hadn't attempted more than 37 passes since Week 1 and hadn't hit 300 passing yards this season. Last night he did both, enabling him to feed three WRs for (I believe) the first time all year. If it's even somewhat sustainable, it would be a big deal for fantasy managers seeking WR streamers. Also, TreVeyon Henderson's concussion will be one of the biggest injuries to monitor ahead of Week 17.
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