Fantasy Football Week 14 Reaction: Cam Newton Loses; Derrick Henry Bounces Back
Let's hope none of these players lost you the jackpot
How was your Week 14, fantasy football owners?
If you’re one of the lucky ones, it’s playoff time, and that means one player’s standout performance could be the difference in whether you advance while one star’s dud of a day could end your season.
We saw a little bit of everything during Week 14 with Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor proving his worth and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers putting together another draw-dropping performance. Fantasy owners who had New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton or Minnesota Vikings kicker Dan Bailey, however, weren’t as lucky.
Here’s our winners, losers and surprises from the NFL’s Week 14 slate:
Winners:
Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans
The league’s leading rusher bounced back from a pedestrian Week 13 performance to lead the Titans over the Jaguars. Henry rushed for 215 yards on 26 attempt ions with two rushing touchdowns. He added a pair of receptions for seven yards, as well.
Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers
Rodgers is putting together an MVP campaign, and Sunday’s win over the Lions was the latest component. The veteran signal-caller totaled four touchdowns (three passing) as he threw for 290 yards on 26 completions and added 13 rushing yards on six carries. In a season that Rodgers has put up some ridiculous fantasy numbers, Week 14 was among his best.
Los Angeles Rams Defense/Special Teams
After a somewhat slow start to the fantasy season, the Rams have came up big recently. Nothing was bigger than Week 14, though, as the Rams welcomed the Patriots to SoFi Stadium. Los Angeles allowed just three points with six sacks, seven tackles for loss and an interception return for a touchdown as New England mustered just 220 yards of offense.
Losers:
Cam Newton, QB, New England Patriots
Newton had put up some clunkers this season, and his performance on “Thursday Night Football” against the Rams was on par. Newton compiled just 135 yards of offense completing 9-of-16 passes with one interception while gaining just 16 yards on seven carries. If you were able to squeak into the next round with Newton, it’s probably best to look elsewhere Week 15.
Dan Bailey, K, Minnesota Vikings
The veteran kicker was absolutely brutal in Minnesota’s Week 14 loss to the Buccaneers. Bailey missed his first and only extra point, and followed it up with three missed field goals of 36, 54 and 46 yards, respectively.
Giovanni Bernard, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
Bernard entered Week 14 with what should have been a quality matchup against a Cowboys defense which has allowed the most points per game this season. Instead, the veteran who remains the starting back due to Joe Mixon’s injury, posted merely 23 yards (eight rushing) on six touches with a fumble lost on the second snap of the game.
Surprises:
Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts
Fantasy owners have been waiting for the rookie to go off, and Taylor did that and more Sunday in a win over the Raiders. The Wisconsin product covered 150 yards rushing on 20 attempts with two receptions of 15 yards. Taylor also recorded his first two-touchdown performance since Week 9, and tallied the most points of his fantasy campaign.
Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings rookie receiver entered Week 14 widely regarded as a top-10 play, going up against a Buccaneers defense outside the top-20 this season. Jefferson, though, was limited to just four catches on eight targets for 39 yards.
