Week 14 of the 2022 fantasy football season featured huge performances from Trevor Lawrence, Jared Goff and Jalen Hurts. What other developments of the week are worth reading? Matt Bowen and Tristan H. Cockcroft offer their analysis.
Lawrence becomes QB1?
Has her career breakthrough finally arrived? While the statement comes with some hesitation on my part, given that it also seemed to be trending higher a few weeks into the year before hitting a rough patch, Trevor Lawrence’s recent play has been phenomenal. He’s scored a fantastic 20+ points in five of his last six games, capped by his career-best 33.42 in Week 14, and is now on a 181-game pass streak without an interception. Yes, Lawrence’s hot streak coincides with what has been an outrageously favorable schedule (LV, @KC, BAL, @DET, @TEN), and he now faces a pair of real badass in the Cowboys (week 15) and Jets (Week 16). Throwback to his game in Week 13 against the Ravens, when he made some big late shots, and it’s clear he’s capable of providing useful scoring even in those games if you need him. . Consider Lawrence more of a top QB2 for those, but these are his final two weeks where he could really shine and put your fantasy team on top as he draws the Texans and a rematch with the Titans. — Cockcroft
What to think of Goff’s great game
The Lions quarterback will remain one of the game’s best dependent streamers after dropping a fantastic 26.1 points on the Vikings defense in Week 14. As we’ve said before here, when Goff can throw from own platforms, it will hit the schematic windows and challenge vertically on the ground. Goff finished with 330 passing yards and three touchdowns in this one, working the ball all three levels. And he’s now posted back-to-back games with a fantastic 20 or more points. With the Jets’ next defense in Week 15, Goff will drop in my ranking. However, looking at the schedule, Goff will be back as a fringe QB1 for matchups against the Panthers and Bears in Weeks 16 and 17. – Bowen
Hurts, Eagles system a perfect match
The Eagles have the best quarterback game in the league. It’s multiple in terms of formation and pattern – area, power, wrong direction. And that puts Jalen Hurts in position to play downhill as a ball carrier or attack the perimeter. The Eagles quarterback, who dropped a fantastic 30.38 points on the Giants defense in Week 14, rushed for 77 yards (and a score) on just seven carries. And the double threat traits continued to jump here, as Hurts posted multiple touchdown throws for the third straight game. He’s the first quarterback in history with 10+ rushing touchdowns in consecutive seasons, and he’ll be my QB1 in the standings for the Week 15 game against the Chicago defense. — Bowen
Jefferson joins another all-time list
He continues to dominate the game in ways little known to history. At this point, Justin Jefferson’s fantastic 33.3 PPR points in Week 14 was his fifth game over 30 this season alone – and the ninth of his young career. Among wide receivers, only Lance Alworth has had more such games in the first 46 games of an NFL career with 11. With his huge day, coupled with the pedestrian performances of Davante Adams and Stefon Diggs, Jefferson has now taken a commanding lead at his position, his 296.76 PPR fantasy points 18.16 more than Adams. Jefferson is also on pace with 388.1 points for the season, which would be the fourth-highest in history by a wide receiver. — Cockcroft
Cowboys running backs a bright spot
While it might be frustrating for either running back’s fantastic manager to see them in a partnership in the Dallas backfield, Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott seem to be capitalizing on the arrangement. Each has had at least 14 touches in each of the four games since Elliott’s return from a knee injury, and Pollard has scored at least 22.2 PPR fantasy points in three of those four, while Elliott has scored at least 16.5 in all four. Generally, the Cowboys seem to use Elliott more in scoring position, giving him 17 touches in red-zone situations to Pollard’s 10. Meanwhile, Pollard is urged to do more damage between the 20s (59 hits versus Elliott’s 54), where he can interrupt bigger plays with his dynamic skills. This team has been one of the busiest this season, and especially since the emergence of Pollard and the healthy return of Elliott, rushing on 52.4% of their plays over the past four weeks. That’s plenty of opportunity for the two to be locked in as high-end weekly RB2s. — Cockcroft
Other remarks:
Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers: McCaffrey has played his best football for the 49ers over the past two weeks. Twenty-eight or more PPR points in both games. Acceptance of Use. Run game volume. Production scoring from multiple lineups. CMC posted 153 total yards on 15 touches in Sunday’s win over Tampa Bay, along with two explosive touchdowns. And he gets the Seattle defense next week. Given this game, I’ll take McCaffrey in the top three games of Week 15. – Bowen
Miles Sanders, RB, Philadelphia Eagles: Remember when Sanders was kicked off the touchdown record in 2021? Yes, me neither. He scored his 10th and 11th rushing touchdowns in Week 14, dominating the Giants, especially as his Eagles aimed to control the clock late in the competition. Sanders scored a fantastic 28.5 PPR points, giving him 71.3 over the past three weeks combined, second among running backs behind Josh Jacobs 88.7. Sanders and the Eagles next face the Bears, one more game for the job, giving him RB1 potential. — Cockcroft
Zonovan Knight, RB, New York Jets: Still available in more than 40% of ESPN leagues, the undrafted rookie posted 15.7 PPR points in the Week 14 loss to the Bills, his third straight game with double-digit PPR production. And the rush volume has remained consistent for Knight, even with Michael Carter (ankle) back for this game. Knight finished with 17 carries here, recording 71 rushing yards and one score. Knight is a decisive runner who can handle volume and play in blocking pattern structure, and I expect him to remain the No. 1 in New York. And that puts him in the RB2 discussion for the Week 15 game against the Lions. — Bowen
JK Dobbins, RB, Baltimore Ravens: In his first game since Week 7 (knee), Dobbins carried the ball 15 times for 150 yards with a red zone score on the ground. And the short zone burst was there. That’s really what I wanted to see with Dobbins back on the pitch. The ability to descend and then change gears to find daylight. It also showed on his explosive 44-yard run. With Gus Edwards also seeing run-game hits (13), the Ravens spread the workload in the backfield. However, with another heavy game plan expected in Week 15 against the Browns’ leaky defense, as well as the Ravens’ quarterback injuries, Dobbins will be in the RB2 mix. — Bowen
Jerick McKinnon, RB, Kansas City Chiefs: The unexpected star of the Chiefs’ 34-28 win over the Broncos, McKinnon had two touchdowns and finished his 100th career NFL game with a personal-best 32.4 PPR fantasy points. At one point late in the game, he hadn’t even attempted to rush, as he continues to be a much-used passing option since Clyde Edwards-Helaire was lost to injury. McKinnon has a pair of dream games coming up against the Texans (Week 15) and Seahawks (Week 16), and even with all the teams back in play during those weeks, he should be an attractive flex game due to his expanded role. — Cockcroft
DJ Chark, WR, Detroit Lions: One of my top streaming options heading into Week 14, Chark posted a season-high 21.4 PPR points in Sunday’s win over the Vikings. He caught 6 of 7 targets for 94 yards, including a deep touchdown for 48 yards. And that’s where you see Chark’s advantage in your lineup: Go roads. It is a linear and straight line speed target on vertical throws, in addition to the in-breakers/second tier concepts in this Detroit road tree. And he’s seeing the ball right now, with 13 targets in his last two games. Chark gets a tough game in Week 15 against the Jets’ secondary, but he’ll have value as an upside WR3 in deeper leagues for the Week 16 game against the Panthers. — Bowen
Jerry Jeudy, WR, Denver Broncos: He scored a career-high 33.3 PPR fantasy points on just nine targets, benefiting from the matchup against a weak Chiefs secondary. While it’s been hard to trust quarterback Russell Wilson and his receivers this season, Jeudy’s success against a soft game bodes well for him as a potential fantasy WR2, given that he will face the Cardinals, Rams, Chiefs (again) and Chargers in the final four weeks of the season. However, Courtland Sutton’s health (hamstrings) will have a say in Jeudy’s involvement in those games. — Cockcroft
Evan Engram, TE, Jacksonville Jaguars: The main beneficiary of Lawrence’s career day, Engram himself had a personal best 39.2 PPR fantastic points. Engram saw 15 huge targets, another career high for him, though that shouldn’t be shocking given how often he lines up as a receiver, coupled with the Titans’ extreme struggles to defend wide receivers. . This is an encouraging sign for those looking for tight end options – Engram is available in 55.7% of ESPN leagues and has the skills to be a TE1 on its best days – but not something to expect to repeat, especially over the next two weeks. — Cockcroft
Brock Purdy, QB, San Francisco 49ers: The rookie posted a fantastic 21.7 points (in his first professional start) against the Tampa Bay defense on Sunday. Effective in the passing game, Purdy completed 16 of 21 passes, with two touchdown throws. He added a quick score here too. And in coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense, which is very heavily planned, Purdy can function as a ball distributor, with the mobility to create second-reaction rushing attempts. Next up for the tower is the Seattle defense in Week 15. Keep him on your list as a potential broadcast option. — Bowen