RADIO
Week 14 of the NFL is behind us and it's time to look ahead to next week's action. There were some surprising performances in the 14th week of the season, but were those surprising performances a sign of things to come for players?
Every week, I'll be looking at three to five NFL players whose numbers from the week before were better than expected. I'll be analyzing their games and making sense of what their showings mean in the larger scheme of things.
Below, you'll find an analysis of the biggest fantasy football surprises of Week 14. Are those surprising results a fact, i.e. a sign of good things to come, or a fiction, i.e. an anomalous result?
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Should I Start Desmond Ridder for Fantasy Football?
Last Week: QB2
On Sunday against the Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder threw for a season-high 347 yards, but I think we have to take this with a grain of salt since it was against the Bucs, who allow the third-most passing yards per game.
Otherwise, Ridder's first two games back in the lineup after retaking the starting job from Taylor Heinicke were more of the same mediocrity that initially got him benched. Against the Saints, he was 13-for-21 for 168 yards with a touchdown and a pair of interceptions. Then against the Jets, he was 12-for-27 for just 121 yards.
When you watch Ridder play football, you see these occasional pops of talent, but he hasn't really been able to sustain them. He had back-to-back 300-yard games once this year, but he threw three picks in the second one, which kind of takes away from the performance.
Verdict: It's fantasy playoff time and Desmond Ridder is simply too inconsistent to trust down the stretch in fantasy.
Should I Start Bailey Zappe for Fantasy Football?
Last Week: QB7
Bailey Zappe is the all-time leader in single-season yards at the FBS level, so we know he can throw the football, but he just hasn't had a lot of chances to show it at the NFL level since the Patriots have been so invested in starting Mac Jones.
Zappe made just his fourth NFL start on Thursday night against the Steelers, going 19-for-28 for 240 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. He had the Patriots' passing offense looking as good as it has all season.
But like with Ridder, there's the question of consistency here. Zappe didn't throw a touchdown in his first start of the year, or in any of his three relief appearances for Jones. I've long been a big fan of Zappe, dating back to his time at Houston Christian University -- which was then known as Houston Baptist University -- but relying on him down the stretch in fantasy this year...well, I don't know about that.
Verdict: I think Zappe's got a better floor than Ridder if we're comparing the two QBs in this article, so I'd rather play Zappe in a two-QB league right now, but neither is in play for me in one-QB leagues with the fantasy playoffs here.
Should I Start Chase Brown for Fantasy Football?
Last Week: RB9
Two weeks ago, Bengals rookie running back Chase Brown saw his first serious action. After having just two carries and three targets all season, Brown played a fairly big role against the Jaguars, with nine carries for 61 yards.
This week, Brown had eight carries, gaining 25 yards on the ground. He was also targeted three times, catching all three for 80 yards and a score. Now, 54-yard receptions aren't necessarily predictive of much, since that kind of thing just doesn't happen every game, but 11 touches sure can be predictive.
Brown still played just 30% of the team's offensive snaps, so he's not taking Joe Mixon's job or anything like that, but his growing role is still notable, especially with how good he's looked with the football in his hands.
Verdict: While I wouldn't want Brown to be my RB1 or RB2 for the fantasy playoffs, I wouldn't hate it if I had to use him as a flex option.
Should I Start Odell Beckham Jr. for Fantasy Football?
Last Week: WR6
That Odell Beckham Jr. had a strong showing this week isn't a surprise when you look at his recent play, but the fact that he looked like vintage Odell Beckham Jr. was. OBJ looked like Giants-era OBJ in Sunday's win over the Rams, as he caught four passes for 97 yards and a touchdown. He made plays like this:
Look, I just wasn't sure what I thought about OBJ before Week 14. From Week 9 to Week 11, he posted three really strong fantasy stat lines in a row, but then he took a step back in Week 12, catching three passes for 34 yards. Next was the Ravens' bye week.
At this point, it's clear that Baltimore is going to get Beckham involved most weeks, and up next is a juicy matchup against a Jaguars defense that allows the second-most passing yards per game.
Verdict: OBJ is the No. 2 receiver in Baltimore so I wouldn't call him a WR1 play, but he looks to be a high-end WR3 right now.
Should I Start Hunter Henry for Fantasy Football?
Last Week: TE3
Hunter Henry had 50-plus yards in three of New England's first four games and then...nothing. His production just vanished. He averaged 5.8 targets, 4.3 receptions, and 44 yards in those first four games. In the next eight, he averaged 3.3 targets, 1.9 receptions, and 17.1 yards.
Henry had a strong showing against the Steelers on Thursday night though, catching all three of his targets for 40 yards and two touchdowns. It was his most yards since Week 4 and his first multi-touchdown game since Week 15 of the 2021 season.
It should probably go without saying that we can't let this game change our mind on Henry. He still had just three targets, so while two of those did go for scores, it's tough to really trust that it meant anything for his rest-of-season outlook.
Verdict: Hunter Henry was a mid-range TE2 before this week. He's a slightly higher mid-range TE2 after this week.
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