Maybe you are here because your fantasy playoffs start this weekend. Or, you are about to play the final week of your regular season and want some extra insight. Perhaps you just need some relief from the Peloton commercial controversy. Regardless, we welcome you as our normal edition of Sizzle/Fizzle returns. We delve into who is swell, who is slime, and how all of that will impact fantasy box scores. Enjoy the journey around the NFL and our Week 14 fantasy trends!
Sizzle
Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB/DeVante Parker, WR Miami Dolphins – Every year, fantasy football produces unlikely success stories. You would be hard-pressed to think of a more improbable superstar tag team in 2019. By now, Fitzpatrick was supposed to be mentoring Josh Rosen. And with his track record, the few DeVante Parker truthers out there were probably in witness relocation.
Instead, Fitzmagic and dynamic DeVante lead the supposedly tanking Dolphins to an upset win over Philadelphia. Parker pulls in seven passes for 159 yards and seven passes. Fitzpatrick throws for 365 yards and three touchdowns. Over the next three weeks, Miami squares off with the Jets, the Giants, and Cincinnati. Giddy up!
Carson Wentz, QB/Alshon Jeffery, WR, Philadelphia Eagles – In my special Thanksgiving edition, I listed Wentz as a turkey. Plenty of crow ahead for me, although Wentz had been a disappointment most of the season. The return of Jeffery sparked a sensational Sunday for Wentz despite a stunning Philadelphia loss. Wentz threw for 310 yards and three touchdowns. Jeffery caught nine passes for 137 yards and a touchdown after missing a pair of games. The Eagles face the Giants, Washington, and Dallas in their next three games. If you kept the faith with Wentz and Jeffery, you should be in a Philly mood going forward.
Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers – Last week, Aaron Rodgers also earns a spot on my turkey list. For most of the season, he had not produced like the Aaron Rodgers of old. Fortunately, the Giants bring out the best in opposing offenses. Rodgers dismantles the G-Man for four touchdowns and 243 yards. Expectations will be dialled back for Rodgers in 2020, but expectations should be high this weekend against Washington.
Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans – In Week 13, Henry hammers through the Indianapolis defense for 166 total yards and a touchdown. In Weeks 10 and 12, (Tennessee was on a bye in Week 11) Henry produced 366 total yards and four touchdowns. He’s buying, not renting, on Sizzle Drive. Obstacles are hard to find in Oakland, so Henry ought to produce another high-level RB1 day out in California.
Derrius Guice, RB, Washington Redskins – The world waits to see Derrius Guice galloping through opposing defenses. The wait comes to an end last Sunday in Charlotte.Taking full advantage of Carolina’s giving run defense, Guice rushes for 129 yards and two touchdowns. Notably, he received the goal line work over Adrian Peterson. Peterson still gathered up 99 yards and a touchdown of his own. Green Bay’s run defense is far from the best, but hard to see Washington finding the same flow they did against the Panthers. Nevertheless, Guice at least gives you a compelling flex option. And after he has missed so much time with injuries, we welcome his presence.
Rashaad Penny, RB, Seattle Seahawks – Since Seattle’s Week 11 bye, Penny’s producing at a phenomenal pace. The second-year back has compiled 236 total yards and three touchdowns. While Chris Carson continues to be Seattle’s lead back, Penny moves from mere handcuff to stand-alone starter. The Rams could present an obstacle to Seattle’s ground game Sunday night, but the Seahawks have Carolina and Arizona after that. In those matchups, the ceiling represents championship-level production.
Courtland Sutton, WR, Denver Broncos – Disappointment rules in Denver in 2019, but Sutton continues to shine. Playing his first game with rookie quarterback Drew Lock, Sutton caught four passes for 74 yards and two scores. Sutton’s totals for the season are 54 receptions for 906 yards and six touchdowns. It has not mattered who has played quarterback for Denver, which makes his season even more impressive. Lock possesses way more upside than Joe Flacco and Brandon Allen, although he does not represent a sure thing. Still, if he turns out to be the real deal, Sutton’s already good numbers will get even better in the years to come.
James Washington, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers – Right now, Washington leads the Pittsburgh pass-catching hierarchy. In his last two games, Washington has seven receptions for 209 yards and two touchdowns. The conservative Steelers will not be giving Washington heavy volume. It can be risky relying on big plays. Starting Washington is not without risks because long-distance plays come and go. Nonetheless, against an Arizona defense that just resuscitated the Rams, go ahead and grant James a spot in your lineup.
Kyle Rudolph, TE, Minnesota Vikings – As long as Adam Thielen’s ailing hamstring keeps him out of action, Rudolph belongs in your lineup. Serving as Minnesota’s number two target behind Stefon Diggs, Rudolph has touchdowns in his last four games. With Detroit’s dismal defense ahead, Rudolph’s streak could easily move to five. He scored against the Lions earlier this year.
Jack Doyle, TE, Indianapolis Colts – With Eric Ebron out for the season and T.Y. Hilton’s status up in the air, Doyle becomes a very important target for Jacoby Brissett. He tore through the Titans, catching six passes for 73 yards and a touchdown. Doyle now heads to Florida for a showdown with Tampa Bay, a defense that struggles to stop tight ends. Expect Jack to compile TE1 numbers this week and the rest of the way.
Fizzle
Nick Foles, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars – Foles hits the bench after being responsible for three turnovers in a loss to Tampa Bay. Those streaming him against Tampa’s terrible pass defense are still having nightmares. With Foles sitting, rookie Gardner Minshew and his mustache return to the lineup. The Los Angeles Chargers are not an easy matchup this weekend. But looking ahead, Minshew gets to play Oakland and Atlanta in Weeks 15 and 16. The mustache could be a mighty important contributor during the final stages of the championship chase.
Sam Darnold, QB, New York Jets – In an uncertain world, the Jets are still the Jets. They ventured to Cincinnati after three straight wins and promptly lost to the winless Bengals. Darnold fails to throw a touchdown pass despite the great matchup. Yes, he was not helped by his supporting cast outside of Robby Anderson. But anyone playing the Bengals should deliver something! Sam can potentially right the ship this Sunday against Miami. However, he closes with Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and New England. If you feel compelled to use Sam this weekend, send him packing if you advance further.
Derek Carr, QB, Oakland Raiders – Carr’s future with the Raiders comes into question in the midst of a major slump. Over his last four games, Derek has thrown just three touchdown passes while tossing four interceptions. During that stretch, he averages a mere 215 passing yards per game. And the Raiders have lost to Kansas City twice by a combined score of 68 to 19. Even in 2QB leagues, Carr looks to be a shaky start this weekend against a Tennessee team with tons of momentum.
Tevin Coleman, RB, San Francisco 49ers – We hope no one counts of Coleman too heavily. After all, the situation in the San Francisco backfield changes frequently. But if you had to utilize Coleman during a bad matchup in Baltimore, hopefully, the rest of your team was able to compensate. Coleman accounts for 15 total yards while Raheem Mostert rushes for 146 yards and a touchdown. With Mostert playing well and Matt Breida poised to return, fading Coleman needs to be your strategy.
Ronald Jones, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Memories are a mixed bag. We love some memories and hate others. The memories we hate are the ones we want to forget. Most fantasy owners had started to forget that Ronald Jones was dismal as a rookie. The fact he averaged 1.9 yards per carry faded as Ronald delivered flex value, at least some of the time.
But last Sunday in Jacksonville, Jones triggers bad thoughts of the past. He rushes for eight yards on six carries. He gets benched for a pass protection mistake. Peyton Barber steals the show, rushing for two touchdowns. Tampa Bay head coach Bruce Arians claims Jones remains the starter despite what happened in Jacksonville. Whether that is true or not, Ronald does not need to be starting for your team with everything on the line.
Jonathan Williams, RB, Indianapolis Colts – The Jonathan Williams era appears to have a very short shelf life. After leading Indianapolis in rushing during Week 12, Williams took a backseat to Nyheim Hines and Jordan Wilkins last Sunday. And Williams will also be dealing with the return of the (Marlon) Mack. Keeping Williams on your roster no longer makes sense.
Tyler Lockett, WR, Seattle Seahawks – Lockett leaves owners with profound pain after Monday night. So consistent over a good portion of the season, Lockett fails to catch a pass. How does that happen? Yes, he may have had the flu and deserves some slack, but it’s still shocking given his long tenure with Russell Wilson. We realize some of you may want to cut him or at a minimum, bench him. But Lockett will not stay in a slump forever. In fact, this may be a situation where the Seahawks make a concerted effort to involve him more. Unless you are absolutely loaded at receiver, give him a mulligan.
Odell Beckham, WR, Cleveland Browns – Beckham was one of the turkeys last week and now there has been speculation he wants to gobble his way out of Cleveland. The entire Cleveland offense struggled against the Steelers last Sunday. Beckham catches just three passes for 29 yards. The connection between Baker Mayfield and Beckham still seems out of sorts. For now, if you have Beckham, try to block out the drama and focus on the fact his next two games are against Cincinnati and Arizona. Booming might be out of the question, but despite all the issues, hard to see him busting in those prime spots.
Jonnu Smith, TE, Tennessee Titans – Excitement about Smith reaches a crescendo after Week 8. Smith caught six passes for 78 yards and a touchdown that week as Tennessee topped Tampa Bay. Since then, Smith has nine receptions for 48 yards. The talented Smith can do better. However, even with Ryan Tannehill playing well, the target tree in Tennessee possesses limitations with Derrick Henry carrying the Titan attack. It would not be a shock if Smith delivers another big performance before the season ends. But no one needs to be starting him in crunch time.
Hunter Henry, TE, Los Angeles Chargers – Both Henry and George Kittle delivered the fantasy football equivalent of cold pizzas with wrong toppings last Sunday. Henry earns the nod on this list because Kittle dealt with bad weather in Baltimore. Henry’s teammates tripped him up, with Austin Ekeler, Keenan Allen, and Mike Williams all having better days in Denver. Chalk it up as an off day and have Hunter in your lineup again on Sunday.
Come on back next week for more Sizzle/Fizzle!
