Fantasy football Week 14 rapid recap: Bruised Buffalo beaten by Tom Brady’s Buccaneers
There are so many twists and turns to an NFL Sunday that it’s hard for fantasy football managers to keep up with everything. This column is designed to help, providing you with all of the storylines you need to know from Sunday’s action in order to kick-start your research for Week 15.
The top story from Sunday is the matchup between Tom Brady‘s Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Josh Allen‘s Buffalo Bills. It was a game reminiscent of a heavyweight boxing match, with the Buccaneers ultimately winning in overtime.
In the battle, Brady became the league’s all-time completions leader (7,143). He also threw his 700th career TD pass and put Tampa Bay on the verge of its first division title in 14 years. With no interceptions, Brady ended up with 363 yards and two touchdowns. For his part, Allen was equally impressive, with 308 yards and two touchdowns. In the process, Allen became just the fourth player in league history to throw for 300-plus yards and rush for 100-plus yards in the same game.
Brady will certainly remain a QB1 against the Saints in Week 15. However, Allen’s situation is uncertain after he was seen leaving Raymond James Stadium in a walking boot. He will have an MRI on Monday. The mere thought of Mitchell Trubisky having to start is enough to induce heart palpitations in fantasy managers. He can, however, be productive with the offensive playmakers that the Bills have on their roster. Keep in mind that from 2018-2020, Trubisky averaged 18.4 fantasy points per game.
All stats are courtesy of ESPN Stats & Information, except where noted.
Here’s a quick look at some of the other standout stats from Sunday’s action:
Emmanuel Sanders of the Bills was injured in the first half against the Buccaneers and did not return. That doesn’t bode well for his availability against the Panthers in Week 15. During the game, Gabriel Davis ran 51 routes and is capable of filling the void for the Bills. In terms of routes run, he wasn’t too far behind Stefon Diggs (56) and Cole Beasley (55).
Due to Deebo Samuel receiving more touches in the backfield, the San Francisco 49ers offense has been able to support multiple receiving weapons. Brandon Aiyuk played on 67 snaps and ran 45 routes, which is eerily similar to George Kittle‘s numbers. Week 15 against the Falcons has him firmly on the WR2 radar.
Sterling Shepard played in his first game for the New York Giants since Week 8. Against the Los Angeles Chargers, he ran 31 routes with four targets on 56 snaps. Shepard is catching passes from backup QB Mike Glennon, which is bad news. With starter Daniel Jones under center, he had averaged 8.8 targets and 14.0 points per game.
Over the last two weeks, Amon-Ra St. Brown of the Detroit Lions has amassed 24 targets. Those targets, along with his snap count (47) and routes run (37) were all game-highs. Despite being part of the Lions’ atrocious offense, which ranks 27th in the league with just 311 total yards per game, St. Brown can be regarded as a WR3.
With D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams both ruled out, many analysts (including myself) thought that Jermar Jefferson and Godwin Igwebuike would dominate the Lions backfield against the Broncos in Week 14. That didn’t happen as Craig Reynolds led the backfield with 29 snaps and 13 opportunities (rushing attempts plus targets). In deeper formats, he would be worth picking up if Swift and Williams continue to miss time.
As a starter in the Seattle Seahawks backfield, Rashaad Penny had a career-high in rushing yards (137). Penny ran 14 routes and played on 35 snaps. He joined Steve Broussard as the only players in Seahawks history to record two rushing touchdowns of 30-plus yards in a single game. Suddenly, he is on the RB2 radar against the Rams in Week 15.
Ameer Abdullah played on 38 snaps — more than Chuba Hubbard (25) — and ran 23 routes compared to Hubbard’s eight. Despite Hubbard’s touchdown, Abdullah is better positioned for fantasy success over the next few weeks as the Carolina Panthers’ receiving back. Up next for the Panthers are the stout run defenses of the Bills, Buccaneers and Saints, all of which rank among the top 12 in terms of fewest opponent rushing yards allowed.
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The passing game of the Atlanta Falcons was relatively quiet as Kyle Pitts and Mike Davis shared the team-lead in receptions with five catches. In addition to having his highest number of receptions since Week 7, the rookie also had his most yards (61) since Week 9. Pitts played on just 53% of the team’s offensive snaps, which is noteworthy since he played on 76% of Atlanta’s offensive snaps prior to this week’s game. Even against a 49ers defense that has not allowed much TE production, Pitts can be used as a TE1 in Week 15.
Nick Vannett led the New Orleans Saints in targets (6) and receiving yards (44) against the New York Jets. Since Adam Trautman’s season-ending injury, Vannett has taken on a larger role for New Orleans. Against a Buccaneers defense that yields the sixth-most TE points per game, Vannett can be viewed as a TE2 with upside in Week 15.
Despite being humiliated by the Kansas City Chiefs, Josh Jacobs played quite a bit for the Las Vegas Raiders. During this game, he played on 74% of the team’s offensive snaps and ran 30 routes. Next week, Jacobs will be on the radar for RB1 consideration against the Browns in what should be a more competitive game.
In just 23 snaps, Clyde Edwards-Helaire had 13 opportunities, which was very encouraging. The Kansas City Chiefs had this game under control by the second quarter, which led to Derrick Gore’s 66 rushing yards. Against the Chargers in Week 15, Edwards-Helaire will face a defense that has allowed the fifth-most RB points per game.
During the Baltimore Ravens game, both Lamar Jackson (sprained right ankle) and Sammy Watkins (undisclosed) were injured. Rashod Bateman played on more snaps after Watkins left, finishing with 39 routes run and eight targets. Jackson’s departure allowed QB Tyler Huntley to remind us why Bateman should be an active part of the Ravens offense. He caught seven passes for 103 yards. Bateman would be a WR3 if Watkins is out next week against the Packers.
Ricky Seals-Jones will be hard to trust in lineups during the fantasy playoffs. Logan Thomas is out for the season and it was presumed that Seals-Jones would take over his every-down role. That didn’t happen. John Bates outsnapped Seals-Jones 48-38 against the Dallas Cowboys. Additionally, Bates ran more routes, by a 27-17 count. This is a situation to avoid.
Equanimeous St. Brown left the game with a concussion, and backup TE Dominique Dafney suffered an ankle injury. The result was that Josiah Deguara played on 37 snaps and ran 25 routes for the Green Bay Packers, finishing with 44 receiving yards on three receptions for a career-high. In Week 15 against the Ravens, he could emerge as a streamer in deeper formats, depending on whether or not St. Brown and Dafney are available.