Week 14 Fantasy Football Risers and Fallers

If you survived a six-team bye week in Week 14, then you are likely getting ready for the fantasy playoffs. Now is the time for fantasy managers to shoot for upside and make high-risk, high-reward plays to secure the fantasy championship.

As the season goes on, players (especially young players) see their roles increase as teams try to assess their future roster. Week 14 saw a lot of young players making big plays for their team. There were also players who saw some concerning signs in their usage that bear monitoring going forward.

Check out Week 14’s risers and fallers below to start preparing for your fantasy playoffs.

Risers

Isaac Guerendo, RB, San Francisco 49ers

Isaac Guerendo, the rookie out of Louisville, was thrust into the starting lineup after Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason landed on the injured reserve after Week 13. The rookie had an excellent first showing as the lead back for the San Francisco 49ers. 

Guerendo handled 15 carries for 78 yards and two rushing touchdowns while adding two receptions for 50 yards in the receiving game. The only blemish on his day is the fact that he was knocked out of the game with a foot injury. 

The rookie dominated touches in the backfield before his injury, but now we need to wait and see how significant his foot issue is. It is entirely possible that he was held out due to a dominant performance by the 49ers against Chicago.

If he’s healthy, then Guerendo is a top-24 option at running back given his explosive ability and his rushing offense. 

Kendre Miller, RB, New Orleans Saints

Kendre Miller got off the injured reserve this week and got to see the field in his first game without Dennis Allen as head coach. It also helped that the Saints were looking for somebody to provide some offense with Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed and Taysom Hill missing from the offense.

Miller played just 18 of 68 plays (26% snap share) but made the most of his opportunities with 10 carries for 32 yards and a rushing touchdown. 

The Saints offense will continue to run through Alvin Kamara as long as he’s healthy, but Miller has an opportunity to carve out a role in this offense down the stretch. New Orleans is already lacking many playmakers and possibly lost Derek Carr to a hand injury during Week 14. A run-heavy approach with Kamara and Miller could yield a lot of value in the fantasy playoffs. 

Sincere McCormick, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

Injuries to Zamir White and Alexander Mattison have allowed former UDFA Sincere McCormick to show that he belongs in the NFL. 

In Week 13, McCormick played 14 snaps and handled 12 carries for 64 yards (5.3 yards per carry). That game led to a much bigger role in Week 14. 

McCormick played 41 of 67 snaps against the Buccaneers, mostly ceding pass-game work to Ameer Abdullah (26 snaps). He also paced the backfield in carries (15) and rushing yards (78). It was the second straight game he averaged over 5.0 yards per carry. 

There is a chance that Zamir White and/or Alexander Mattison return this season, which could quickly turn this backfield into a mess. However, it wouldn’t be shocking to see McCormick’s role in the offense continue to grow as Las Vegas looks for a long-term option in the backfield.

Jordan Addison, WR, Minnesota Vikings

Jordan Addison struggled to get traction early in the season despite playing without T.J. Hockenson in the starting lineup at tight end. Because of that, many fantasy managers were afraid that his already inconsistent role would shrink even further when the veteran tight end returned from his knee injury.

Instead, the opposite has happened. Addison is carving out a consistent role in Minnesota’s offense.

Over the last four weeks, Addison is averaging 8.7 targets, 5.7 receptions and 102.5 receiving yards per game. He’s also added five receiving touchdowns (mostly due to a three-touchdown game against the Falcons in Week 14). 

Banking on a touchdown per game out of Addison isn’t the best idea, but the Vikings have determined that he is their second-best weapon besides Justin Jefferson. While his target volume has certainly been helped by close games, Addison can generate big plays on any given touch.

Jalen McMillan, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay continues to make a push for a playoff spot in a wide-open NFC South. However, the team has been searching for a secondary weapon since losing Chris Godwin to a knee injury earlier in the year. 

It seems that Jalen McMillan has emerged as the second receiver in the Buccaneers’ passing attack.

McMillan had the best game of his career against the Raiders, catching four of seven targets for 59 yards and two touchdowns. It was the third time this season that the rookie had seven targets and his first time surpassing 50 receiving yards.

The rookie was operating as Tampa Bay’s second wide receiver in this game, playing the second-most wide receiver snaps (49) and tying Mike Evans in routes run (29). 

It is impossible to truly trust McMillan in fantasy given his inconsistencies this season. However, Week 14 shows that the rookie is earning a bigger role in a passing attack looking for a proper complement to Evans. 

Fallers

Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals

The explosive fantasy performances haven’t been there for Kyler Murray Since Arizona’s Week 11 bye, the quarterback has failed to surpass 20 fantasy points. He’s also thrown just three touchdowns and five interceptions during that three-game stretch. 

Murray has always been inconsistent in fantasy, but there was hope that this year would be different with the addition of Marvin Harrison Jr. to the offense. Murray was able to score over 20 fantasy points five times in Arizona’s first 10 games thanks to a 12 to 3 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

The Cardinals’ offensive struggles since their break start with Murray, who has become more loose with the football. He still can produce ceiling performances, but fantasy managers who used him to get into the playoffs are certainly sweating his last three weeks. 

Jaylen Wright, RB, Miami Dolphins

During the offseason, the reason to draft Jaylen Wright was hoping that a role could emerge if De’Von Achane or Raheem Mostert missed a game. 

Mostert was inactive in Week 14’s game against the Jets. Unfortunately, that didn’t lead to anything meaningful for Wright.

The rookie played just 14 snaps, earning just two carries and three targets. Achane, on the other hand, became a legitimate bellcow running back (14 carries and seven targets). 

Miami is content to let Achane dominate touches in the backfield since he’s been its best player this year (no disrespect to Jonnu Smith). That makes it extremely unlikely we see anything of note from Wright unless he gets injured. 

Jonathon Brooks, RB, Carolina Panthers

There was a ton of optimism for 2024 second-round pick Jonathon Brooks in fantasy this season during the stretch run. Brooks didn’t return until Week 12 but had slowly seen his role behind Chuba Hubbard grow each week. 

Brooks seemingly earned a bigger role in Week 13, handling six carries for 18 yards and catching all three of his targets for 23 yards. It also helped that Hubbard lost a decisive fumble that cost Carolina the game.

Unfortunately, Brooks’s gradual rise came to a screeching halt in Week 14 after he suffered a non-contact knee injury on his first carry of the game. Brooks was carted to the locker room and didn’t return.

Now, all we can do is wait on the injury report. Even if it is good news, it is hard to imagine Carolina will feel pressured to rush him back onto the field where he could suffer another injury. Hubbard has been playing well all season, and the rookie could essentially “redshirt” his first season to come back fresh in his sophomore season.

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, WR, Tennessee Titans

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine has been getting a ton of attention as a touchdown merchant due to his eight receiving touchdowns this season (four in the last three games). However, it was also impressive to see the consistent workload the receiver was getting in the passing attack.

The veteran receiver had seen at least four targets in six of Tennessee’s last eight games. The touchdowns were huge for his fantasy production, but a steady target share also made him an appealing flex play.

That all came crashing down in a plus matchup against the Jaguars in Week 14. Westbrook-Ikhine caught just one of two targets for 19 yards. He was one of seven players to earn two or fewer targets for the Titans, well behind Calvin Ridley (11 targets).

The Titans will have a bunch of fantasy-friendly matchups on defense in the coming weeks, which means there is a chance that Westbrook-Ikhine remains on the fantasy radar. However, it is impossible to rely on him given the volatility in this offense with Will Levis under center. 

Dallas Goedert, TE, Philadelphia Eagles

Dallas Goedert was providing consistent value at the tight end position, ranking as the TE8 in fantasy points per game (10.5). Unfortunately, he was placed on the injured reserve ahead of Week 14, effectively ending his fantasy season. 

For fantasy managers, it is another hit at a tight end position that has 12 players averaging 10 points per game. That leaves fantasy managers scrambling to find fantasy production at a position that is once again very top-heavy.