With many divisional matchups on the slate, Week 14 was pivotal for the playoff picture. The same can be said of the fantasy football playoffs, with many teams facing a win-or-go-home scenario. Some other teams played for a first-round bye, while others were left with nothing to play for except draft position.
Whichever category your team falls under, there are always some risers and fallers in the dynasty ranks. Keep reading to see who’s up and who’s down after a big Sunday of football.
Risers
After an uninspiring four week stretch early in the season, J.K. Dobbins landed on IR with reports that his knee wasn’t quite right. Everything looked right on Sunday, as Dobbins ripped off 120 yards and a score on 15 carries for 18 fantasy points. He started the game and saw the most snaps with 28, but did cede work to Gus Edwards, Kenyan Drake and Justice Hill. However, Edwards was the only other back to receive significant work, and it could quickly become a two-man backfield with Dobbins’ showing. He’s an interesting hold for next season as he regains form and gets an offseason of full health, but don’t sleep on him as a playoff piece. He gets the Browns, Falcons and Steelers in the next three weeks, each of which are in the bottom half of the league in points allowed to running backs.
Jerry Jeudy, who has experienced his share of ups and downs in his career, posted a personal best 33.3 fantasy points on Sunday. He caught a season-high eight passes on nine targets, turning them into 73 yards and three touchdowns. Jeudy hasn’t cleared 100 yards since Week 1, so I’m not getting carried away, but he has been quietly effective and better than most realize this season. Excluding the three games in which he left early or played at far less than 100%, he’s averaging over 16 points per game which would put him on the WR1/2 borderline. His big day today featured a heavy dose of touchdowns which we know are not sticky. It also came with Courtland Sutton sidelined, but he’s developed strong chemistry with Russell Wilson and looks like an improved player.
Keeping with the trend, Trevor Lawrence posted his best fantasy outing after experiencing plenty of his own ups and downs. He lit the Titans up for 368 passing yards and three touchdowns, adding in seven rushing yards and another score for 33.42 fantasy points. Lawrence has scored at least 20 points in each of the last four games, throwing for nine touchdowns in that time span. He’s had a favorable set of opponents during that stretch, so keep an eye on his performance against the Cowboys next week and the Jets in week 16 before an inviting matchup with the Texans in week 17. Either way, it’s exciting to see some consistency for the young quarterback.
Fallers
With a dream landing spot in Kansas City, the Skyy was the limit for this rookie, but he’s left us wanting Moore. Even with Mecole Hardman and Kadarius Toney banged up, Skyy Moore has been unable to get involved in the offense. The Chiefs tallied 34 points on Sunday, 27 on offense, and Moore garnered just one catch for seven yards on two targets. He played 27 snaps and ran 11 routes; both were fourth among the team’s wide receivers. He also isn’t getting schemed any touches like Hardman and Toney were. Things may look different in 2023, but there’s no evidence to show he’s an impact player at the NFL level.
Leonard Fournette makes another appearance on the fallers list after a disappointing week 14. The primary reason is because Rachaad White is the better running back right now, but another factor is the lowly Buccaneers offense. White carried the ball 14 times on 40 snaps and saw five targets, while Fournette received seven targets but only carried four times on 36 snaps. The offense and offensive line are not good enough for Fournette to post respectable weekly numbers on four carries unless the target share is more fruitful. The offense is trending down in a hurry, and there’s a good chance Tom Brady hangs it up after this season. Fournette, who will be 28 soon, is in the first year of a three-year contract with the Bucs who are handing the keys to White and may be staring at a rebuild.
Many had high hopes for Kenneth Gainwell coming into the season, and I still like his skill set at the NFL level. Unfortunately, it hasn’t translated into much success on the field. Quiet optimism spread around the fantasy football community the Gainwell could carve out a role on offense, or even take the Eagles RB1 job, but Miles Sanders quickly slammed the door on that idea. Not only that, but Gainwell hasn’t found any consistency in a reserve role this season. He has flashed at certain points this season and was entering Sunday with strong showings in Weeks 12 and 13. Despite that, he saw just one target and zero carries this week on 12 snaps, while Boston Scott saw six carries and a target on his 12 snaps, including a goal line carry resulting in a touchdown. Even with Sanders’ success, I expected Gainwell to succeed in a consistent, complementary role. But that hasn’t been the case.
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Chad Workman is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from him, check out his Twitter at @tweetsbychad.