Every Monday of the NFL regular season, we will showcase exceptional player performances from the weekend and analyze their potential for sustained success in fantasy football. We will rank these performances from ? to ????? based on whether we believe they are momentary or long-term options for your fantasy teams.
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Fantasy Football Heat Index
Quarterback
Stats: 19/33, 223 yards, 1 TD, 12 rush att, 58 rushing yards, 1 rush TD
Position Rank (pre-MNF): QB3 (24.72 points)
Analysis: It’s been a rocky season for Justin Fields fantasy managers, but things might be turning around for the stretch run. Since returning from injury, Fields has finished as the QB8, QB22 and is currently the QB3 on the week.
The middle result there shows the downside of any player attached to this Chicago offense, but two top-eight finishes over the past three weeks is the type of upside we look for. Unfortunately, Fields does have a difficult matchup at Cleveland in Week 15, but he ends the season with juicy matchups against Arizona and Atlanta.
Heat Index: ????
Running Back
Stats: 8 rush att, 25 yards, 3 receptions, 80 receiving yards, 1 TD, 3 targets
Position Rank (pre-MNF): RB7 (18 points)
Analysis: For the second consecutive week, Bengals backup running back Chase Brown played a significant role in Cincinnati’s offense. One week after racking up 61 rushing yards and finishing as the RB28, Brown was even better in Sunday’s 34-14 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.
Brown was held to 25 rushing yards in Week 14, but he racked up 80 yards through the air, including a 54-yard touchdown reception to open the scoring in Cincinnati. Joe Mixon is still the 1A in this offense, but Brown is carving out a secondary role in this backfield.
Heat Index: ??
Wide Receiver
Stats: 8 receptions, 115 yards, 1 TD, 10 targets
Position Rank (pre-MNF): WR4 (21.5 points)
Analysis: Injuries and target volume have led to disappointing fantasy results for much of this season, but Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp is showing up at the most important time of the year. As leagues transition into the playoffs, Kupp is coming off his best two performances in over a month.
After missing the first four games of the season, Kupp looked unstoppable earlier this season with 266 receiving yards in Weeks 5-6. The good times stopped there and Kupp hit a rough stretch where he failed to produce. He had 12 total receptions and a measly 127 receiving yards over the next five games.
However, the tide started to shift last weekend. Kupp only managed 39 receiving yards, but he hauled in six receptions and scored for the first time since Week 6. This week, Kupp showed the upside we’ve grown accustomed to, hauling in 115 yards and another touchdown on a season-high eight receptions.
Heat Index: ????
Tight End
Stats: 11 receptions, 95 yards, 2 TD, 12 targets
Position Rank (pre-MNF): TE1 (27 points)
Analysis: After failing to reach the end zone in his first eleven games, the touchdowns are now coming in bunches for Jaguars tight end Evan Engram. With wide receiver Christian Kirk reportedly sidelined for up to six-to-eight weeks, so are the targets, receptions and receiving yards.
In Kirk’s absence, Engram is dominating those middle-of-the-field targets and it’s showing up in the stat sheet. On Sunday, Engram caught 11/12 targets, had 95 receiving yards, and scored two touchdowns against Cleveland’s usually stingy pass defense. He’s the TE1 one week after finishing as the TE3.
With that type of usage and quarterback Trevor Lawrence playing through a high-ankle sprain, Engram is locked in as a high-end TE1 heading into the fantasy playoffs. Engram does face a tough Baltimore defense next week but finishes the fantasy season against Tampa Bay and lowly Carolina.
Heat Index: ?????
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