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Hayden's unexpected fantasy football performances, waiver wire sleepers, and trade targets for Week 15 (2024). Can these NFL players sustain Week 14's success?
Week 14 was marked by elite fantasy performances, of which the most stunning was Josh Allen's. Buffalo's star quarterback passed for 342 yards and three touchdowns and also ran for 82 yards and three more scores. His 51.88 fantasy points exceeded even the highest expectations and single-handedly saved countless fantasy managers in their matchups.
Allen was far from the only standout, though. Seattle running back Zach Charbonnet picked up 193 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns, Rams wideout Puka Nacua gained 178 total yards and two scores, and Vikings receiver Jordan Addison earned 133 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Many other players posted noteworthy performances, too, with some being less recognized than the aforementioned names. Let's delve into five of Week 14's unexpected booms, beginning with a veteran wideout in Detroit.
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Tim Patrick, Detroit Lions
Former Broncos receiver Tim Patrick had experienced a rough stretch ahead of this season. In 2022, he tore his ACL during training camp, ending his season. In 2023, Patrick again suffered a catastrophic injury in training camp, this time rupturing his Achilles tendon. He was then released by Denver in August of this year.
Fortunately, Patrick found a new home in Detroit soon after. While the 31-year-old wideout had largely been quiet through the first 13 weeks of the season, he had his moments. Patrick gained 52 yards in Week 4, 68 in Week 6, and 55 in Week 12. However, before this past week, he had not yet seen five looks in a game with the Lions.
That changed on Thursday, as Patrick caught six of seven targets for 43 yards in Detroit's crucial victory over Green Bay. Importantly, Patrick also scored two touchdowns, his first since Week 15 of 2021. He scored 19.3 half-PPR points, making him Week 14's WR8 ahead of Monday Night Football.
4th down ➡️ @Lions TD#GBvsDET on Prime Video
Also streaming on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/FJdRVly9l9— NFL (@NFL) December 6, 2024
Now with three straight games with at least 40 receiving yards, Patrick is worth a look on waivers for fantasy managers hurting at receiver. Although his seven targets may have been an outlier, he has been a reliable weapon for quarterback Jared Goff this season. Giving Patrick a chance on your roster is not the worst idea.
Jalen McMillan, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
When star receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin both got injured in Week 7, rookie receiver Jalen McMillan was forced into a larger role. Over that week and the next, McMillan saw 15 targets from quarterback Baker Mayfield. Of those, he caught just seven for 50 yards, though he added 28 rushing yards during that two-game stretch as well.
McMillan did not play in Tampa Bay's next two games, and his target volume was low with Evans back after the team's Week 11 bye. In Weeks 12 and 13 combined, McMillan made merely three receptions on five targets for 36 yards. Expectations for him against Las Vegas in Week 14 were accordingly low.
Surprisingly, McMillan had the best game of his young career on Sunday. He caught four of seven looks for a new career high of 59 yards in the Buccaneers' 28-13 victory. McMillan also found the end zone twice, bringing his season TD total to three. He scored 19.9 half-PPR points, tentatively making him Week 14's WR7.
MAKE THAT ✌️ for J MAC
📺: #LVvsTB on CBS pic.twitter.com/wZBnyBA8kL
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) December 8, 2024
McMillan should not be expected to replicate this performance in Week 15 due to his lackluster fantasy production in previous weeks. However, he earned himself consideration on the waiver wire this week with his showing. Fantasy managers in deeper leagues should be looking to McMillan to join their teams.
Michael Mayer, Las Vegas Raiders
On the other side of Tampa Bay's matchup, second-year tight end Michael Mayer had a strong outing for the Raiders. He caught seven of nine targets for 68 yards, including a 29-yard reception. Mayer finished as Las Vegas's leading receiver in yards and tied with Jakobi Meyers for the team lead in receptions.
The stat line came as a shock to many, and for good reason. Mayer had caught just eight passes for 42 yards across six games this season entering Week 14. Additionally, teammate and fellow TE Brock Bowers had been dominating, coming into the contest averaging eight receptions per game over his past eight appearances.
At the end of the game, Bowers had just three catches, tied for his second-fewest in a game this season, for 49 yards. Mayer outscored him in half-PPR formats 10.3 to 6.7 and earned the week's TE8 ranking through Sunday's games in the process. The situation baffled fantasy managers throughout the game.
Raiders Tight Ends Today:
Michael Mayer:
3 rec, 41 yards, 7.1 fantasy pointsBrock Bowers:
1 rec, 15 total yards, 2.5 fantasy points pic.twitter.com/wfhOjQ7S53— NFL Fantasy Football (@NFLFantasy) December 8, 2024
Mayer is best left on waivers in fantasy leagues. Despite his quality numbers on Sunday, he cannot be expected to perform in such a fashion with any consistency behind Bowers. Fantasy managers in need of TE help ought to look elsewhere, especially with the Raiders getting thin at quarterback due to injuries.
Mack Hollins, Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen's historic production on Sunday naturally had a ripple effect, and one of the beneficiaries was receiver Mack Hollins. The veteran pass-catcher made four grabs on six targets for 57 yards. Hollins also scored an important fourth-quarter touchdown to cut Buffalo's deficit to just three points.
Josh Allen drops a DIME to Mack Hollins and we have a 3-point game in LA 😳
📺: #BUFvsLAR on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/0PJkHHql0o— NFL (@NFL) December 8, 2024
Hollins was third on the team in receptions, targets, and receiving yards behind Amari Cooper and Khalil Shakir. He did score 13.7 half-PPR points, though, making him the week's WR18 before Monday. The performance came with teammate Keon Coleman unavailable due to a wrist issue.
Hollins has had 30 or fewer receiving yards in 11 of his 13 appearances this season, and he has had at least four grabs just three times. While Hollins has now reached the end zone five times this year, including twice in the past two weeks, his fantasy production as a whole has not been particularly impressive.
Coleman's return is imminent, and starting tight end Dalton Kincaid will also be suiting up again soon. Moreover, Hollins has not been a consistent fantasy option this season at all. Therefore, Hollins is not a strong waiver candidate for Week 15, and fantasy managers would be prudent to explore other options.
Ty Johnson, Buffalo Bills
Running back Ty Johnson was another of Buffalo's weapons who surprisingly found the spotlight in Week 14. Johnson had 55 receiving yards in the losing effort, and 41 of those yards came on a long touchdown on a screen pass in the second quarter. He finished the contest with 12.5 half-PPR points, placing him as the week's RB18 after Sunday's slate.
Ty Johnson takes the screen pass all the way for a TD!
📺: #BUFvsLAR on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/0GcHn4LADV— NFL (@NFL) December 8, 2024
Importantly, Johnson's numbers came on just a total of three opportunities, all through the air. He caught two of these targets. Buffalo never led in the game versus the Rams, so the running game was largely abandoned. Thus, Johnson was not able to match the five rushing attempts he had gotten in each of his previous two appearances.
Johnson has been Buffalo's clear RB3 this season behind James Cook and Ray Davis. Johnson has just 27 carries on the season, but he has been efficient (5.4 yards per attempt). He also has a mere 16 targets now in 2024, though three of those have gone for touchdowns. Needless to say, touches for Johnson have been sparse.
As with Mayer and Hollins, it is fine to ignore Johnson on waivers this week. Many more enticing running backs are likely to be available. Unless there are injuries to those ahead of him on the depth chart, Johnson simply will not be receiving enough opportunities to be a viable fantasy option moving forward.
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