FFB WEEK 14 - PLAYOFF EDITION: TWELVE TAKEAWAYS

It's the playoffs, baby. 

 

1. Justin Jefferson's fantasy corpse was reanimated this week for some excellent fantasy production. 

Oops! He got injured again and there were 3 total points scored all game. If ever there was a game that embodied a fart noise, it was this one. It wasn't exactly the explosive return we'd all hoped for as Jefferson may or may not have had internal bleeding after a hit in the first half. It was a mighty gut-punch for fantasy owners that thought they were getting a healthy Jefferson back after 8 weeks on the shelf just for him to leave early again and go to the hospital. The guy can't catch a break and the presumed WR1 heading into the season is now just WR46 thanks to some shit luck with injuries. What a ripoff for the fantasy owners that drafted him, I hope they're doing okay. 

2. Bench Patrick Mahomes. I've seen enough. The Chiefs are a mess and for the first time in his career, Patrick Mahomes seems stressed. I've never seen him throw a shit-fit like he did Sunday night after one of his teammates lined up extremely offsides. Take it up with Kadarius Toney, he who hath shit for brains. What's the issue with the call? He was hella offsides. And why are you getting extra shouty with Josh Allen after the game? He was probably just happy to win and that's a wild thing to rant at him about. Weird behavior! 

He said he regrets that interaction with Josh Allen, and I'm sure he wanted to win the game, but that was a meltdown that's been pent up for WEEKS now because of their offensive struggles and it boiled over. 
It's time to bench him if you've got a better option. You can do it, this is a safe space, you shan't be judged. Nor will anyone blame you - after week 7 when he exploded for 424 passing yards and 4 TDs, he's been QB17, averaging just 15.1 fantasy points per game. These are middling, waiver-wire numbers and it's understandable to be uneasy if you're starting Mahomes for the next three weeks. 

Ultimately, a quarterback is only as good as his supporting cast. There are still valid drop concerns (6.6%) with his receiving corps and Travis Kelce only having one touchdown since week 8 is very out of character. Outside of Kelce, Rashee Rice has been the best option and the Chiefs finally turned him loose for 85% of the snaps, but it just hasn't been there this year for the Chiefs offense. As a result, Mahomes has been a big, fat, stinky fantasy disappointment. Place the blame wherever you may, but most fantasy owners only care that Mahomes is putting up career-worst numbers in passing yards per game (261.4), touchdown rate (4.7%), and interception rate (2.3%). 

3. 
#BanHipDropTackles 

4. The Eagles are out of the woods, but what does that mean for fantasy? Lots of talk about the Eagles getting whacked by the Cowboys on Sunday, but the reality is that they're finished with the hardest part of their schedule and they managed to survive that gauntlet with a 2-2 record. They're tied for first in the NFC East and now they get the Seahawks, the Cardinals, and the Giants twice to finish out their regular season. As far as real life expectations, most Eagles fans would tell you they expect to finish 14-3 and things should be smooth sailing from here on out. Jalen Hurts had his worst game of the year and was held scoreless, but he has a chance to put Sunday's game behind him against lesser opponents in the next 4 weeks. That doesn't negate the fact that they've lost two straight and Eagles fans aren't always reasonable:
While the matchups in real life are favorable, the fantasy implications may look a bit different. For all intents and purposes, the fluffy remaining schedule may actually hinder fantasy performances in your league's playoffs. Not that the offense will struggle, but these games don't exactly scream "shootout" to me and the production might suffer a bit. It's likely that the Eagles take care of business but I'm not sure that I'm putting all my eggs in the Philly offense basket with my fantasy life on the line. 

5. I'm so in on Justin Fields it's not even funny. We got to see, again, what he's capable of doing if they'd just UTILIZE HIS SKILLSET consistently. Granted, it was a nauseating performance against the Vikings last Monday night, but since he's come back from injury he's given fantasy owners a small taste of what he can do on a weekly basis. It's almost effortless for him to put up 20 if the Bears are even remotely doing what they should be. 

In round one against the Lions back in week 11, he put up 21.16 fantasy points, thanks to 104 rushing yards. This Sunday, he was 19/33 for 223 yards and a touchdown to go with 58 yards rushing and a TD on the ground. This is the Justin Fields formula. The Bears offense is at their best when they maximize his mobility and integrate creative plays where he has the ball in his hands. DJ Moore has been stellar and they have promising offensive pieces, so I predict the Bears put together a strong finish. 

It'll be very interesting to see which direction they take this #1 overall pick in next year's draft and if it's me, I'm trading that pick to build out around Justin Fields who I believe to be the realness. Just have a look at this absolute piss-dart of a throw.  6. The jury is out on the Dolphins. What a disastrous loss. Especially when you consider they were GIFTED 6 points on one of the most horrendous pick-sixes I’ve ever seen from Will Levis, they still somehow found a way to lose this game. 
Tua was without Tyreek for most of the game and struggled to just 240 passing yards and no touchdowns. It wasn't all a loss for fantasy owners, they got two more rushing touchdowns from Raheem Mostert but that's about it. Ultimately they let Will Levis march down the field and snatch a win from them and it was a feeble performance on many levels. Beyond embarrassing to blow a 14 point lead with under 3 minutes left in the game. The bigger overarching concern for Dolphins fans is that they haven't really proven they're built for a deep postseason run and haven't beat any contenders.   
 
7. Derrick Henry is still doing numbers. That's 6 touchdowns in the last 3 games, for those of you keeping count. Historically, he tends to finish strong and despite a just 2.0 yards per carry last night, the 2 touchdowns rewarded fantasy owners that continue to trust in Tractorcito. Shoutout @edsbs for the elite edit. 
8. Tommy DeVito is just… 🤌 I don't know what else to say. I love the guy! I love his family's tailgate! Chicken cutlets and pasta for all! 

He had another perfectly ordinary night but orchestrated a beautiful two minute drill to set the Giants up for a game-winning field goal. I know Dimebag Daniel is still in shit-neck protocol and they paid him a lot of money this offseason so he's coming back at some point. For now, the Giants might just have their guy and three straight wins as an undrafted free agent is a great story. Between his entrance to the stadium...
 and the fact that his agent is THIS guy...
... I might just be sold on the kid. His agent is an overnight celebrity now because he looks like a one-off character from Seinfeld that Elaine goes on a date with and has to convince Jerry, George, and Kramer not to be afraid fo him because he's definitely not affiliated with the Italian mob. 

Regardless, after leading the Giants to three straight he's breathed some life into a team that was pretty much dead meat before. It's not like they’re gonna win their division or do anything really meaningful, but Tommy DeVito might be making himself some money, and he's thrown 5 TDs/0 INTs in this magical little stretch. DeVito has leaned heavily on Saquon (4 TDs in the last 4 games, fantasy owners rejoice) and managed games efficiently. He may not be a viable starter for your playoff run but he's certainly been fun. Counterpoint: He outscored Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts this week, so who knows?

9. Mike Evans got two feet down... but his hand was out of bounds. Such a bummer because it was a fabulous effort and it took a 20 yard touchdown away. 
Hall-of-Famer Mike Evans is doing ill shit again this year. Sure, he was held to just one catch Sunday since this touchdown was taken off the board, but it was his first slow game since week 6. Give the guy a break, he's getting up there. But don't you worry about Mike Evans, he's not too old to shoulder the load as Chris Godwin has been a colossal whiff for fantasy players this year that expected ~WR20 output. Evans has picked up the slack with 10 touchdowns (so far) and in year ten of his career, he's once again over 1,000 yards. Go ahead and start carving his bust, I hope it looks as good as this one.

10. Jalen Ramsey with the form tackle of the week against Will Levis in the open field. This is how ya do it, kids:

11. Justin Herbert broke another finger and is likely out for the year following surgery. I hope you have some waiver funds left over!  
12. Puka for President.

Week 14 Win The Waiver Wire sponsored by Applebees:

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      (These are in no particular order, pick who you like/need/is available and go WIN THE WAIVER WIRE!)

      • Jerick McKinnon - I'm not a huge Clyde Edwards-Helaire guy and McKinnon offers the pass-catching ability that a struggling offense can benefit from. It's a coin-flip in the Chiefs backfield, but the CEH upside isn't as high as McKinnon for me. 
      • Zamir White - Josh Jacobs went down with a knee injury, so the next option is Zamir White. It can't get worse than it was on Sunday for the Raiders offense, and if Jacobs can't go he should be in line for more touches, alongside Ameer Abdullah. 
      • Keaton Mitchell - Is he still available in your league? Change that. Pick him up. Gus Edwards had just 6 carries for 15 yards on Sunday and Justice Hill has been phased out. Lamar Jackson was the focal point and took matters into his own hands, but Keaton Mitchell has seemingly overtaken the starting role with Edwards relegated to goal line work.
      • Kareem Hunt - Keep an eye on Jerome Ford's hand injury. X-rays were negative, but if he can't go then Kareem Hunt is elevated. Plus, he handles a lot of the Browns' goal line carries. 
      • D'Onta Foreman - It's still a timeshare with Roschon Johnson, but Foreman is the lead guy if he's still out there in your league. 
      • Antonio Gibson - Another injury-dependent play, if Brian Robinson can't go then Gibson will step up. He's another one that can catch passes and give you that added 30-40 yards through the air.
      • Noah Brown - Tank Dell is out for the year and Nico Collins is banged up. This should be a priority add, especially if CJ Stroud is cleared from concussion protocol. 
      • Joshua Palmer/Quentin Johnston - I can't quit Quentin Johnston. He had a nice catch this week on a deep ball which is only fueling my fire. However, if Joshua Palmer comes back from injury, he's the better, safer option. Both of their stock takes a small hit with Herbert out, but they'll likely be playing from behind and passes should be plentiful. 
      • Elijah Moore - Joe Flacco is the Browns' QB for the rest of the year and Elijah Moore has seen no fewer than 6 targets in the last five weeks. 
      • Odell Beckham Jr. - He's quietly been on a mini-tear, averaging 10.1 points over the last five weeks. His volume in the absence of Mark Andrews has been consistent enough to roster him comfortably in case of emergency.
      • Wan'Dale Robinson - I'm drinking the DeVito-Robinson kool aid. He converted 6 of 7 targets into 79 yards and he also ripped off a 32 yard run for 14.50 fantasy points. Take the plunge if you're needy.
      Don't be afraid to make that waiver claim this week. It's the playoffs and you never know when a waiver claim might just push you over the finish line. By now, most lineups are set so these are flex options and/or backup plans, but it never hurts if you can catch lightning in a bottle for three weeks. Good luck out there to all that are navigating the postseason, win the waiver wire, and find me on Twitter/X at @Clax_TN. Cheers!

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