NFL Week 9 FTN Staff Bets
FTN Staff
Week 14 marks the end of the fantasy football regular season for many leagues, which means it is time to gear up for the playoffs. Fantasy managers got to see some excellent performances in Week 14, but were forced to watch as key players like Justin Herbert, Nico Collins and Justin Jefferson were knocked out of their respective games.
Winning a fantasy championship isn’t even and often forces fantasy managers to adjust on the fly to hit ceiling performances, especially once the fantasy playoffs roll around. Check out Week 14’s risers and fallers below to see who to target or bench/drop on your fantasy teams.
Week 14 Fantasy Football Risers
Jake Browning, QB, Cincinnati Bengals
Jake Browning might just have what it takes to be fantasy-relevant in the playoffs. Over the last two weeks, Browning is completing 80.7% of his passes for 629 yards and three touchdowns and one interception. Yes, the inexperienced quarterback has been aided by his weapons making plays after the catch, but he deserves credit for being able to consistently get the ball into their hands.
Browning has also provided solid value as a runner by scoring a rushing touchdown in each of the last two games. He’s scored at least 10.0 fantasy points in all four games he has played this year and surpassed 25.0 fantasy points in each of the last two weeks.
Chase Brown, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
Running back Chase Brown is another Bengal who deserves acknowledgment. The rookie saw his role expand in Week 14 with the rookie handling a similar workload as a runner while seeing more work as the team’s third-down back.
Brown played 18 snaps against the Colts, handling eight carries and seeing three targets. Brown logged his first game with 100 all-purpose yards thanks to an excellent day as a receiver (three receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown). The rookie is still the clear backup to Joe Mixon, but he’s shown the ability to bust big plays and would have league-winning upside if Mixon is injured.
Drake London, WR, Atlanta Falcons
It has been an inconsistent year for Drake London thanks to Atlanta’s struggles at the quarterback position. However, Week 14 was a good Desmond Ridder week, which meant that Drake London was able to provide a massive fantasy performance.
The second-year receiver corralled 10 of 11 targets for 172 yards against Tampa Bay’s pass funnel defense. Since Week 5, London is averaging 7.5 targets, 5.5 receptions and 77.2 receiving yards per game despite being in a run-heavy offense with inconsistent quarterback play.
It isn’t easy to trust Desmond Ridder at quarterback, but London may have the ability to be a top fantasy receiver during the fantasy playoffs due to an uptick in volume. He hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 4, which means he is due for positive regression in the touchdown department.
David Njoku, TE, Cleveland Browns
One of the biggest beneficiaries from the Browns transitioning to Joe Flacco under center has been David Njoku. The veteran tight end had a quiet performance in Week 13 (two receptions on six targets for 17 yards) but erupted in Week 14 against the Jaguars.
Njoku reeled in six of his eight targets for 91 yards and two touchdowns. The Browns have had at least 44 pass attempts in each of Flacco’s starts and the quarterback isn’t afraid to get the ball to his tight ends. The combination of David Njoku and Harrison Bryant has averaged a 21% target share in both of Flacco’s starts.
The Browns utilize multiple tight ends sets enough for Flacco to spread the wealth, but Njoku has seen the most consistent target share through his two starts and should be an easy start for fantasy managers now that Flacco has been named the starter for the remainder of the season.
Brevin Jordan, TE, Houston Texans
The absence of Dalton Schultz has allowed Brevin Jordan to emerge as a solid receiving tight end and another young playmaker in the Houston offense.
Jordan ran the third-most routes for the Texans in Week 14 (26) and led the team in receptions (three) and receiving yards (35). Jordan could continue to see a role in the offense going forward with Houston desperate for playmakers after losing Tank Dell for the season in Week 13 and Nico Collins trying to navigate a persistent calf injury.
It doesn’t take much for a fantasy tight end to be relevant, so Jordan being tethered to C.J. Stroud in an offense trying to find explosive plays could end up being very good down the stretch.
Week 14 Fantasy Football Fallers
Justin Herbert, QB, Los Angeles Chargers
There were massive expectations for the Chargers offense in fantasy football during the summer. Los Angeles was coming into the season with new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore finding ways to maximize Justin Herbert’s talent. The team seemed strong across the offensive line and loaded with playmakers like Austin Ekeler, Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and first-round rookie Quenton Johnston.
However, the season hasn’t gone nearly as planned, and now all of that potential will seemingly be wasted. Justin Herbert was knocked out of the game against the Broncos in Week 14 after completing 9-of-17 passes for 96 yards and an interception. After the game, head coach Brandon Staley confirmed that Herbert had broken a finger on his throwing hand. That puts the rest of his season in doubt.
Herbert was already trying to make the best of a bad situation, but now fantasy managers hoping for big performances could be searching elsewhere for fantasy production in the fantasy playoffs.
C.J. Stroud, QB, Houston Texans
C.J. Stroud had his worst professional showing in Week 14 thanks to a combination of weather, injuries, and the Jets’ stout defense. The rookie quarterback completed just 43.5% of his passes for 91 yards before being knocked out of the game thanks to the concussion protocol.
Even if Stroud gets clearance ahead of Week 15’s game, he will be coming back into arguably the most challenging offensive situation of the season. Tank Dell has been lost for the season. Dalton Schultz has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury. The team lost Nico Collins due to a calf injury in Week 14. Stroud has shown the ability to elevate his weapons this season, but having a big fantasy performance relying on Noah Brown, Robert Woods and Xavier Hutchinson might be too much to ask.
Dameon Pierce, RB, Houston Texans
It looked like things were trending up for Dameon Pierce after he carried the ball 15 times for 41 yards and a touchdown against the Denver Broncos in Week 13. However, the success didn’t equate to more playing time in Week 14 against the Jets, leaving fantasy managers who gambled for upside hanging.
The second-year running back totaled just nine yards on four carries against the Jets while adding one reception for -2 yards. Even worse, the lone touchdown for Houston came on a goal line carry, a situation that Pierce converted on just last week.
Not only did Pierce get outsnapped by Devin Singletary 32 to 8, but he also had a smaller role than Dare Ogunbowale (16 snaps) thanks to a negative gamescript. Houston is deploying a full-on three-man backfield with Pierce playing the smallest role, making him difficult to trust in fantasy without an injury to Singletary.
Khalil Herbert, RB, Chicago Bears
We got a glimpse of Chicago’s backfield utilization with all pieces healthy, and the results were not good for Khalil Herbert.
Chicago leaned on D’Onta Foreman on their early downs and utilized rookie Roschon Johnson on passing downs against the Detroit Lions in Week 14. Herbert finished the game with just 12 snaps on offense, well behind Foreman (39) and Johnson (20). Herbert finished second in touches thanks to three carries but totaled just eight yards. Add in Justin Fields’ production as a runner and it is hard to find a way for Herbert to be relevant going forward.
Fantasy managers hoping that Herbert would emerge in the backfield are probably safe to cut bait now that we know that Foreman is the lead rusher in the offense. That, combined with the fact that the team leaned more on Roschon Johnson with Foreman injured in Week 12, makes it hard to roster Herbert down the stretch of the season.
Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings
Fantasy managers who managed to stay afloat throughout Justin Jefferson’s hamstring injury were ecstatic to get their alpha receiver back in Week 14. Jefferson came out of the gates hot, catching two passes for 27 yards before taking a brutal shot across the middle that knocked him out of the game with a chest injury. Jefferson ended up going to the hospital for tests after the hit.
It has been a cursed season for Justin Jefferson and now fantasy managers hoping for a boost from the receiver heading into the fantasy playoffs will be left scrambling once again. The injuries combined with the lack of consistency at the quarterback position, make it unlikely that Jefferson will risk his health without a new contact in hand with just four games left in the season.
