Fantasy Football Week 14: Biggest Takeaways from Sunday

Week 14 of the fantasy football season is wrapping up, and hopefully you advanced to the second round of the fantasy playoffs. Let’s take a look at some of the key takeaways from Sunday’s action to prepare you for the next round.

If you didn’t win this weekend, there’s a good chance it was because of injury. If you did win, there’s still a chance you’ll need to keep tabs on health statuses throughout the week. Week 14 was simply brutal from an injury standpoint.

Two Cincinnati Bengals stars—quarterback Andy Dalton and tight end Tyler Eifert—were knocked out of their game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. Find out what impact these injuries have on Bengals wideout A.J. Green and the team's running back combination inside.

We also have more on the fantasy fallout from Seattle, where Seahawks running back Thomas Rawls went down with an injury, forcing the little-known DuJuan Harris into a large role. What can you expect from Harris moving forward?

Speaking of Seattle, the team’s quarterback—Russell Wilson—is poised to carry some fantasy teams to championships in the coming weeks.

We’ll go over all of these takeaways and more, starting with the injury-riddled Bengals and what it means for the rest of the team.

Injuries to Dalton, Eifert Caps Cincinnati’s Fantasy Value

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According to ESPN.com’s Coley Harvey, citing ESPN’s Bob Holtzman, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton suffered a fractured thumb on Sunday, which forced him out of the game. “The best-case scenario, sources told Holtzman, is that Dalton will return for the playoffs,” wrote Harvey.

In other words, Dalton is no longer of help to fantasy players.

Tyler Eifert, Cincinnati’s star tight end, was also knocked out of the game and was checked for a concussion, per Harvey. Check his status throughout the week.

Wide receiver A.J. Green was able to haul in six catches for 132 yards and a touchdown with Dalton out and A.J. McCarron in, and he now has a touchdown in three straight games.

The injury to Dalton obviously hurts Green’s fantasy value, but in a way, the injury to Eifert helps his value. That’s because Green will remain the team’s top red-zone target if Eifert misses time. He also displayed big-play ability with McCarron, going 60-plus yards for a score on Sunday.

That's a long way of saying that Green is still a WR1 for the fantasy playoffs but more of a tail-end one now.

The team’s running backs, Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard, may be asked to do a little bit more with Dalton out for the rest of the regular season, but the offense figures to be less efficient, which means any gains in volume may be offset by lost scoring opportunities.

In short, the fantasy values of Hill and Bernard don't change much because of these injuries. If anything, Hill gets knocked down a few rungs, as he’s more reliant on touchdowns, while Bernard slides up a spot or two because he could see more short receptions.

DuJuan Harris Worth a Look in Seattle but Far from an RB1

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DuJuan Harris

According to NFL.com, Seattle Seahawks rookie running back Thomas Rawls—who had emerged as a strong RB1 in recent weeks—fractured his ankle on Sunday and will miss the rest of the season.

DuJuan Harris stepped in to fill the void, carrying the ball an impressive 18 times. But he gained only 42 yards, giving him an average YPC of just 2.3.

If 15 to 20 carries is something Harris will see moving forward, then he’s worth a look from a fantasy perspective based on volume alone. But with that type of efficiency, Harris would simply be a flex option.

Additionally, Fred Jackson is still in the mix in Seattle, and it’s entirely possible the team scoops up a running back this week.

Take a look at Harris, but don’t expect him to be the late-season waiver-wire pickup that carries you to a championship—especially because the Seahawks' passing game is on fire right now.

Russell Wilson Is Going to Win Some People Fantasy Championships

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Russell Wilson

Sticking with the Seattle Seahawks, it’s time to give quarterback Russell Wilson his due. He was expected to be an exceptional fantasy quarterback this season, but he failed to deliver in Weeks 1-10.

Weeks 11-14 have been an entirely different story.

Over the past four games, Wilson has tossed 16 touchdowns and no interceptions. He also hasn’t fumbled in that span. The dual-threat quarterback has scored 25-plus fantasy points in all four games and has scored over 30 in his past three.

With games against the Cleveland Browns and St. Louis Rams on tap, there’s no reason to put Wilson on the fantasy bench. The hesitation was understandable after Wilson had one or two great games in a row—he had, after all, thrown for just one touchdown in eight of his first nine games—but his current four-game tear has silenced all doubters.

Ryan Mathews Is a Must-Own Fantasy Player

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Ryan Mathews

We mentioned Seattle Seahawks running back DuJuan Harris earlier, noting that he’s worth a look but that you shouldn’t expect to ride him to a fantasy championship.

It’s a different story with Philadelphia Eagles running back Ryan Mathews; he legitimately could carry you through the fantasy playoffs. That's not to say he will, but he should be a priority add right now.

It appears the Eagles coaching staff was serious about reducing DeMarco Murray’s touches—although he wasn’t benched, like some had speculated prior to the game. Mathews got the start against the Buffalo Bills in Week 14 and out-carried Murray 13-to-11.

Mathews has been the best running back on Philadelphia’s roster all season long; it’s not all that surprising to see the team look his way. The only real question is: “What took it so long?”

And you can take advantage of this situation. Mathews is only owned in about 60 percent of ESPN.com leagues, which means there’s a good chance he’s sitting on your waiver wire right now. He should be your No. 1 priority this week.

It’s unlikely Mathews puts up top-10 numbers from here on out—Murray will stay in the mix, as will Darren Sproles—but he presents a likely RB2, which is all but impossible for fantasy players to find this late in the season. Jump at the opportunity.

Blake Bortles Could Also Help You Win a Championship

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Blake Bortles

Like Wilson, Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles is a must-start in fantasy leagues over the final two weeks of the postseason. He was the second-highest-scoring quarterback of Week 14 (behind Wilson) and now has three straight games with at least 20 fantasy points.

Bortles now ranks third among all quarterbacks this season with 30 passing touchdowns. In truth, he has been a top-10 fantasy quarterback all season long. His surge shouldn't be a surprise.

Bortles’ remaining schedule is a mixed bag. He’ll play the Atlanta Falcons in Week 15, who are among the best at stopping fantasy quarterbacks, before facing the New Orleans Saints in Week 16, who are the absolute worst at defending quarterbacks this season, per ESPN.com.

Bortles is most certainly a must-start in Week 16, but you shouldn’t be scared of the Week 15 matchup either. If you have an alternative who has a juicy Week 15 matchup, you could roll that way, but Bortles has been extremely consistent all season long regardless of opponent. He has tossed two-plus touchdowns in all but three games.

It’s Officially Time to Worry About Dez Bryant

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Dez Bryant

Dallas Cowboys star wideout Dez Bryant caught just one pass for nine yards in Week 14. A bunch of fantasy teams likely went down with the ship.

Bryant now has just 187 yards over the past five weeks combined. He also has just one touchdown in that timespan. Bryant used to be able to put up those numbers in a single game.

Drops plagued Bryant throughout the day in Week 14, and while some of that could be attributed to the poor weather, it was odd to see Bryant struggle to haul in passes. Even if he did catch every catchable ball thrown his way, however, he still would have had an un-Bryant-like day.

It’s difficult to bench a star player such as Bryant—there’s truth in the saying, “Play your studs!”—but it’s fair to call him a flex option at this point.

With no quarterback to speak of in Dallas, and drop struggles of his own, Bryant has a lot working against him right now.