Week 14 fantasy football leading scorers, trends and surprises
If your chilled glasses of egg nog have yet to cloud your memory, think back to August and fantasy football draft season. Remember when you looked at Le’Veon Bell’s three-game suspension and hesitated when considering if he was worthy of a top-three draft pick? The short-term blemish on your fantasy football roster blinding you to the long-term production potential of one the NFL’s most dynamic players and Week 14 fantasy football leading scorer? If yes, chug another glass of nog.
Bell set career highs with 38 carries, 236 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns. Add the four receptions for 62 yards and PPR-fantasy owners enjoyed 51.8 fantasy points Sunday.
As remarkable as those stats are, Bell’s consistency over the course of 10 games may trump the one-week performance. He’s averaging 28 touches, 162 total yards and 27.1 fantasy points per game this season. Arizona’s David Johnson was averaging 26.9 heading into Week 14 but was held to 17.1 by the Miami Dolphins.
Week 14 Optimal Waiver Wire Lineup (PPR)
| Position | Player | Fantasy Points | Own% |
| QB | Trevor Siemian | 22.7 | 9.8 |
| RB | Bilal Powell | 34.9 | 42.5 |
| WR | J.J. Nelson | 19.4 | 3.0 |
| TE | Trey Burton | 13.5 | 0.0 |
Over his past four starts, Trevor Siemian is averaging 26.2 fantasy points per game. He attempted a season-high 51 passes against the Titans in Week 14 as the Broncos completely abandoned the run. Devontae Booker and Justin Forsett combined for nine carries and 18 yards. Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas combined for 21 receptions, 226 yards and a touchdown. So, at the very least, Siemian is targeting and connecting with the fantasy relevant options in the passing game. However, it’s also worth noting that during this four-game stretch, he’s faced the Saints, Raiders, Chiefs, and Titans. Not one of those pass defenses ranks inside the top 20 in terms of fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. Siemian faces New England in Week 15.
Matt Forte left the Jets’ game due to a knee injury suffered on the very first series. The PPR-friendly Bilal Powell helped himself to some league-worst rush defense and dropped 34.9 fantasy points on the 49ers. He’s available in 58 percent of leagues on FOXSports.com should Forte miss Week 15, which is likely.
In the three games after Bruce Arians named him the Cardinals’ Wide Receiver-2, J.J. Nelson caught five passes for 59 yards. Yuck. However, with the limelight completely on David Johnson, Nelson has posted back-to-back solid performances albeit on very few targets. He scored on a 56-yard end around and caught an eight-yard touchdown pass from Carson Palmer. Nelson isn’t worth the roster add in PPR-leagues, but the Cardinals are desperate for production outside of DJ and the receiver could be worthy in standard scoring leagues.
For as well as Zach Ertz has played over the past six weeks – 15.9 FPPG (PPR) – take a look at what Trey Burton has accomplished the last two weeks. He has caught 12 passes on 19 targets for 118 yards and 11.9 fantasy points per game (PPR). If too risky for your playoff blood, Burton could be a sneaky DFS bargain option.
The Jets Rush Defense - Last Five Games
Heading into Week 14, the Jets ranked fourth in the NFL in rush defense as they allowed just over 90 yards per game. However, over the past four games, the rush defense had tanked. That trend continued as Carlos Hyde and Shaun Draughn combined for 24 carries, 225 yards and a touchdown (28.5 fantasy points in standard leagues). Opposing running backs are now averaging 26 carries, 134 rush yards with three touchdowns over the past five games against the Jets. In standard scoring leagues, running back committees are averaging 19.4 fantasy points per game. This is great news for owners of Jay Ajayi and LeGarrette Blount as the Jets face the Dolphins and Patriots in the final two weeks of most fantasy football playoffs.
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The Chargers' Kenneth Farrow. Melvin Gordon was carted off from Week 14's game against the Panthers due to a hip injury. Reports indicate it's not as serious as first thought, but Farrow should be added as an insurance policy regardless with the Raiders and Browns rush defenses pending the final two weeks. Farrow rushed 16 times for 55 yards with six receptions for 23 yards for 13.8 fantasy points. Also remember, the Chargers signed free-agent veteran running back Ronnie Hillman a few weeks ago. He was a healthy scratch in Week 14.
Can You Believe ...
DeAndre Hopkins was held to just 5.3 fantasy points against the Colts after posting double-digit totals in three straight games.
Allen Robinson posted a season-low 2.7 fantasy points against the Vikings. It's the second time this season Robinson has scored fewer than 3 fantasy points in PPR-leagues.
Since the Jaguars' Week 5 bye, Marqise Lee is averaging 11.9 fantasy points per game in PPR-leagues. He's available in 97 percent of leagues on FOXSports.com.
The Jets' Robby Anderson has seen 23 targets and averaged 16.5 fantasy football points per game over the past two games.
Carson Palmer, Cam Newton, Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, Jameis Winston, Russell Wilson, Marcus Mariota, Derek Carr, and Ben Roethlisberger ALL scored fewer than 16 fantasy football points in Week 14.
Ty Montgomery led the Green Bay Packers with 41 rushing yards on nine carries. The 17.6 fantasy football points were his most since Week 7 against the Bears.
Latavius Murray is averaging 20-plus rush attempts per game over the past six Raiders games.
Demaryius Thomas' 126 receiving yards against the Titans were a season-high. His 22.6 fantasy football point scored was only 0.1 less than his season-high of 22.7.
Adam Thielen eclipsed 100 receiving yards for the second time this season in Week 14 against the Jaguars. He's scored double-digit fantasy points (PPR) in six straight games.
Mike Evans has been held under nine fantasy football points in back-to-back games after double-digit efforts in the previous 11.
