Weekend Wonderings: Week 14 (2024)

1. In Week 13, I wonder why Patrick Surtain II (DB-Denver) did not shadow Jerry Jeudy (WR-Cleveland).  Denver won the game, but that does not make the decision to not shadow the correct one, as Jeudy went for 9 receptions, 235 receiving yards, on 13 targets.  Jeudy, who has long teased us in fantasy, looks like he may be a league winner down the stretch as long as Jameis Winston (QB-Cleveland) continues to do Jameis Winston things.  Considering that Cedric Tillman (WR-Cleveland) has been ruled OUT for Week 14, Jeudy is a top 12 WR for this week, even against a tough Pittsburgh defense. Maybe one of the many crazy parts of that stat was Jeudy was THIRD in targets for Cleveland (David Njoku—17 and Elijah Moore—14).   Elijah Moore (WR-Cleveland) makes for a decent start, particularly in PPR leagues, as he is definitely seeing looks from Winston.  The same holds true for Njoku.  He may not average many yards per reception, but he gets the targets and seems to be a primary option in the Red Zone.

 

2. In my Weekend Wonderings: Week 13 writing, I stated the following: “There is no wide receiver on Green Bay’s team that I trust as a weekly starter except in deeper leagues.”  TNF’s Green Bay-Detroit matchup did not change my mind.  Jayden Reed (WR-GB) had ZERO receptions on (check notes) ONE target? And this was with Romeo Doubs NOT PLAYING!  Yes, Christian Watson (WR-Green Bay) had a nice game, with 114 receiving yards on 4 receptions (7 targets), but in Week 12, he had 0 receptions on 3 targets.  Unless their usage changes substantially, the bottom line is these receivers should not be treated as anything more than low end WR3s from here on out, and that might be too generous.  Meanwhile, Josh Jacobs (RB-GB) continues his impressive season, and Tucker Kraft (TE-GB) has proven to be the most valuable pass catcher on this offense.  On the Detroit side, despite some tough sledding, both David Montgomery (RB), with his 84 total yards and a TD, and Jahmyr Gibbs (RB), with his 73 total yards and a TD, were able to have solid fantasy days.  

 

3. Preliminary reports are that D.J. Humphries (OT-KC) will in fact get the start Sunday night against the Chargers.  I mentioned this last week, but it is worth mentioning again—the Left Tackle position has been the biggest issue as to why Kansas City’s offense has not provided more fantasy points.  If Humphries can stay healthy and just be average or better, the fantasy relevant members of this offense, particularly Patrick Mahomes (QB), DeAndre Hopkins (WR), and Xavier Worthy (WR), could see quite an improvement in fantasy production.  Regarding Isiah Pacheco (RB), he should see the majority of carries from here on out, but given the Chargers solid defense, should be treated more as a RB3 this week.

 

4. In a smash spot for Saquon Barkley (RB-Phi) against Carolina’s defense, the only cause for concern is that Philadelphia jumps out to such a lead that Barkley sees little action in the 2nd half, when he thrives! For clarity, his YPC in the 1st half of games this season is a solid 4.4 with 3 rushing TDs.  In the 2nd half, however, his average jumps to 7.6, along with 8 rushing TDs.  And this is nothing necessarily new, as his career YPC in the first half is 4.3 versus 5.0 in the 2nd half.  The point here is you are hoping Carolina can stay competitive so that Barkley can be a match-up winner.

 

5. I am doubling down on the idea that Kimani Vidal (RB-Los Angeles Chargers) is going to be relevant in fantasy football.  The offense struggled against Atlanta in Week 13 without J.K. Dobbins (RB).  With Ladd McConkey (WR) dealing with a sore shoulder, this team is a bit desperate for playmakers on offense.  Gus Edwards (RB), though a solid running back, is not what I would consider a playmaker.  Vidal could be.  In addition, if you want to swing for the fences at your TE position, I present to you Will Dissly (TE-Los Angeles Chargers).  Kansas City’s defense has given up the 6th most fantasy points to the position, and again, with the Chargers short of playmakers, Dissly should see opportunities.  He is my TE8 for Week 14.

 

6. For those of you in IDP leagues and are in need of a Bye-week fill-in, may I present to you Trevin Wallace (LB-Carolina).  Josey Jewell (LB-Carolina) is questionable to play, and IF that is the case—check inactive list prior to kickoff, Wallace could see many tackling opportunities against Philadelphia’s offense.  In his 3 games in a full-time role earlier in the season with Jewell missing time, Wallace had 31 total tackles (20 solo, 11 assists), a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.  Another option is Akeem Davis-Gaither (LB-Cincinatti), as Logan Wilson (LB-Carolina) is Out for the season.  Filling in for Wilson in Week 13, Davis-Gaither has a solid fantasy day (4 solo tackles and 9 assists).

 

7.  I wonder if I am the only one that finds it interesting that Jordan Mason (RB-SF) has not been placed on I.R., yet.  More than likely, it is probably just a procedural situation, and he will be placed on I.R. sometime Saturday.  But, if he is not, that suggest to me that he will not miss as much time as earlier reported.  Either way, Isaac Guerendo (RB-SF) is going to help fantasy teams for the foreseeable future.  Also, despite the tough match-up against Chicago, Jauan Jennings (WR-SF) is going to see targets. In the games that he has played a full-time role with Brock Purdy (QB-SF), his target share is about 35%.  That is fantasy reliability! He is my WR15 for Week 14, and it is only that low because of the match-up.

 

8. I wonder if teams, and fantasy managers, should just avoid wide receivers Pittsburgh is willing to trade or let go.  We saw this before with Chase Claypool (WR), as he became fairly irrelevant in fantasy football after he left Pittsburgh.  It sure seems like the same is now happening with Diontae Johnson (WR-Baltimore), though to be fair, Johnson fared okay with Carolina for his short  If you are still rostering him, you should really consider letting him go, just like Pittsburgh did.

 

9. Bucky Irving (RB-Tampa Bay) has made me a believer.  The only concern I have is his Questionable tag.  Even if he plays, I have slight reservations about his playing time.  I am still treating him as a RB1 for the week, based on idea that he plays with no restrictions, but I would check for possible reports prior to the game for anything to suggest a “snap count.”  If Tampa Bay rules him OUT, Rachaad White (RB-Tampa Bay) should be treated as a RB2.  In addition, Sean Tucker (RB-Tampa Bay) could be a sneaky play.

 

10. And finally…, in the spirit of the coming holiday season, while visiting Santa Clause, I noticed that he had three separate gardens.  I wondered why.  I guess he just really likes to ho, ho, ho.