RADIO
Nicklaus Gaut looks at the most added and dropped players of the week on Fleaflicker's waiver wire transactions list to help fantasy football owners evaluate player values and who to stream in Week 14.
Week 13 just served to remind us all that anything can happen in the National Football League and that you can't ever look past the New York Jets when you're trying to lose. The Cincinnati Bengals learned that lesson on Sunday, beating the Jets handily in a game that wasn't even as close as the 22-6 score implied. Having recently reinstalled Andy "The Worst Nickname Ever" Dalton as their quarterback, the Bengals were likely overconfident in the certainty of picking up another loss, thus bringing them one step closer to the number-one pick in the 2020 draft. With a one-game lead over the rest of the field, Dalton was in peak form, putting on a vintage Red Rifle performance by throwing for 245 yards and one touchdown. Yes, that is what qualifies as "peak form" for Andy Dalton. Just remember everyone; when trying to tank for the top pick in the draft, never put your bad quarterback in a position where he can screw up your plan to replace him by winning, and never, ever assume a loss to the New York Jets.
Does it matter, though? The Bengals still only have one win and the Dolphins keep inexplicably winning, after all. Well, actually, it does. While Cincinnati still only has one win and will face their stiffest competition for the biggest loser in Week 16, when they travel to Miami, they also play Cleveland twice in their four remaining games. If you don't want to ever assume a loss to the Jets, you definitely can't assume two losses to the Browns. Besides their own house business, the Bengals also now have to worry about a new contender to the loser's crown, with the New York Giants sneaking in a side door and putting up one of the quietest 2-10 records we've ever seen. With the Giants having two of their four remaining games against Washington and Miami, it looks like the race to the bottom is going to come down to the wire.
Since I'm obviously not Robert Harper, why don't we stop with all the biggest loser talk and instead take a look back at last week's action before taking a glance at some of the biggest risers and fallers in Fleaflicker leagues entering Week 14.
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Last Week's Recap
Sooo, that was kind of a weird week? How weird, you ask? The top four scorers in standard fantasy leagues were Davante Parker, James White, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and Jared Goff, with the top-20 including such luminaries as Derrius Guice, Mitchell Trubisky, and Rashaad Penny. Many teams likely made it to the playoffs on the back of these random performances, while many others missed their fantasy postseason due to their studs being duds. With many of our seasons now ended, let us take a moment to recognize all of the mean men who had a bad week and needlessly hurt so many stranger's fake football teams.
Let Jameis Winston's 10 points in Week 13 - versus a Jacksonville defense that most recently allowed 32 points to Ryan Tannehill - serve as a harbinger of doom for all of of those fantasy owners currently looking at Winston's upcoming schedule and convincing themselves that playing him in the fantasy playoffs is a good idea. It's not. You've been warned.
Farewell, Nick Foles; I hope the guaranteed $50 million that Jacksonville built into a pyramid and lit on fire just like the Joker decided to give you this past offseason fills the hole in your soul from the part you played in ending so many fantasy seasons. Of course Foles was a solid option in Week 13, facing a Tampa Bay defense that's allowing the fifth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season and has handed out 20-point games to them like Willy Wonka handing out candy at the Chocolate Factory. Instead of grabbing an everlasting gobstopper, Foles scored minus-two points before being replaced by the mustachioed Gardner Minshew at halftime.
There were many offenders at wide receiver, as Cole Beasley's 19 points were three more points than Tyreek Hill, Michael Thomas, Chris Godwin, and Odell Beckham Jr. combined to score. George Kittle and Hunter Henry made sure that the tight end position screwed people over one last time, each putting up just one point in their respective games. Even Greg Olsen's two points were more than that and he had to leave his game after being knocked out on the field. One point, Kittle? Just one?
I'm not sure many players sunk more fantasy teams this season than Aaron Jones but I hereby name him the unofficial fantasy torpedo of the year after scoring just two points in a 31-13 blowout win over the New York Giants. Jones has now scored three points or less in three of his last four games and five of his last seven. Heading into the first week of the playoffs, I like to imagine my Aaron Jones looking through a periscope at all of the rosters depending on him and calmly declaring, "We have a shooting solution. Fire tube one", before going out and dropping another triple-spot against the woeful Redskins in Week 14. It might even be a deuce.
Now, let's take a look at three of this week's biggest risers and fallers on Fleaflicker.com. A full list of the most added and dropped players on Fleaflicker can be found here.
Most Added in Fleaflicker - Week 13
Benny Snell Jr. (RB, PIT vs. ARI), 789 Adds – 42% Owned
After leapfrogging Jaylen Samuels for lead back in starter James Conner's absence and putting up back-to-back strong performances, it's surprising that Snell's ownership remains less than 50%. Especially with the news that Conner will once again be missing from the action when the Steeler take on the Arizona Cardinals in Week 14. The Cardinals are allowing the ninth-most points to running backs this season, most recently allowing 17 standard league points to Todd Gurley. After rushing for 98 yards in his return from injury two weeks ago, Snell rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries in a 20-13 victory over Cleveland last week. Snell should see competition for touches from Jaylen Samuels, however, whose touches increased from five to nine the last two weeks, as Snell's have dropped from 22 to 17. Facing a defense that somehow allowed Todd Gurley to almost reach 100 yards, Snell is a solid option in Week 14 but beware that we're still not sure exactly what kind of timeshare is going on in Pittsburgh's backfield.
Jack Doyle (TE, IND @ CIN), 735 Adds – 35% Owned
Taking it one week at a time, Colts tight end Jack Doyle is finally healing from the loss of his quarterback and best friend, Andrew Luck, and is coming off of his best game of the year, when he put up 13 standard league points in a 31-17 loss to the Tennesse Titans. With Eric Ebron out for the season to injury, Doyle caught six of his team-leading 11 targets, finishing with 73 yards and a touchdown. This is markedly more attention than he's been receiving previously this season, with Doyle only eclipsing five targets one other time this year. Doyle will have a favorable matchup on paper in Week 14 when facing a Tampa Bay defense that's allowing the second-most points to tight ends this season, but one that has been better as of late, only allowing a total of 15 points to the position in their last four games. Even with the recent success, the Tampa Bay pass defense still gives up a ton of yards and it looks like Doyle should continue to see high volume, making him a viable option this week.
Tyler Higbee (TE, LAR vs. SEA), 630 Adds – 22% Owned
In a positional desert, Higbee was the latest tight end to abuse the Arizona secondary in a 31-7 victory over the Cardinals last week, catching seven of his eight targets for 107 yards and a touchdown. Higbee has 12 receptions on 14 targets in his last two games, with his eight in Week 13 trailing only the 18 of Robert Woods. In Week 14, Higbee and the Rams will take on a Seattle Seahawks Defense that's allowing the fourth-most points to the position this season. The tight end position has been a game of three-card monte all year, with owners having to pounce on even the slightest signs of life. In this all-important time of the fantasy calendar, those taking a chance on Higbee can only hope that he isn't just another mirage.
Most Dropped in Fleaflicker - Week 13
Greg Olsen (TE, CAR @ ATL), 463 Drops – 80% Owned
The dumpster fire at tight end is burning a little brighter with Greg Olsen remaining in concussion protocol after taking a brutal helmet-to-helmet from Washington linebacker Ryan Anderson in a 29-21 loss to the Redskins in Week 13. While 552 yards and two touchdowns on 48 receptions may not seem impressive, this year it was good enough to make Olsen's 67 points in standard leagues the eleventh-highest scoring tight end. After missing large chunks of the past two seasons with foot injuries, Olsen has reportedly considered retirement as he looked towards a life in the booth after football, working as an analyst during the Panther's bye week and in this previous offseason at the scouting combine. If Olsen was already considering retirement, in part because of the wear and tear on his body, getting stone-cold knocked out probably doesn't bode well for the continuation of his playing career.
Tyrell Williams (WR, OAK vs. TEN), 265 Drops – 76% Owned
It's playoff time and that means that owners don't have any more time to wait and will start cutting bait if need be. If you trust Williams enough to start him in the first week of the playoffs, then you are probably the type of person who stays up late on Saturday night to chase the day's losses with some hot Hawaii WAC action. You need a lot of gamble in you to take Williams as he's only scored 15 points total in the five games since he scored 15 points against Houston in Week 8, including a goose-egg in last week's loss to Kansas City. The Raiders face the Tennesse Titans in Week 14, who are allowing the 15th-most points to wide receivers but haven't allowed a touchdown to them since Week 10.
Jonathan Williams (RB, IND @ TB), 1,013 Drops – 42% Owned
Williams is being dropped at a precipitous rate after putting up a dud against Tennessee in Week 13, rushing for just 14 yards on eight carries and adding one reception for 11 yards. More than this performance, its the return of incumbent starter Marlon Mack that's really driving the decline of Williams' ownership. With head coach Frank Reich claiming that Mack wouldn't be restricted in his workload and the Colts facing a Tampa Bay defense that's allowing the fewest points to running backs this season, it's almost impossible to count on Williams as the fantasy playoffs begin.
