Fantasy Football Reaction: Winners, Losers, Surprises In Week 14
Dalvin Cook and Alvin Kamara may have lifted fantasy owners into the postseason
The Week 14 return of first-round running backs Alvin Kamara and Dalvin Cook came at a perfect time for fantasy football owners jockeying for playoff spots in what was the final week of the regular season in many leagues.
After all, a healthy fantasy football roster is just as important as anything.
Here are winners, losers and surprises from Week 14 in fantasy football. Of note, all statistics are compiled by SportRadar and represent full-point PPR leagues.
Winners
Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills
Allen and the Bills didn’t come out on the right side of Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers, but the Buffalo signal-caller finished as the highest-scoring player at the position entering “Sunday Night Football.” Allen compiled a league-best 417 total yards (passing and rushing) with four explosive passes of 16 or more yards. Allen threw for two touchdowns and ran for another while 66.7% of his passes were deemed catchable (caught or dropped).
Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings
Cook returned to form and scored the most points of any running back. The Vikings leading rusher finished with 35.20 points behind 1.26 points per touch on 28 touches. Cook’s points per touch were the most among running backs with 17 or more touches. He also turned in six explosive rushes of 12 or more yards before finishing with a league-best 222 yards from scrimmage. Cook, who missed Week 13 with backup Alexander Mattison going off, was one of four running backs with two rushing touchdowns.
Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints
Kamara, who had missed the last four games, saw a league-high 31 touches and turned in into 0.79 points per touch to finish as the fourth highest-scoring running back. Kamara ranked second behind only Cook in yards from scrimmage (145) with three rushes of 10 or more yards and one score. Kamara finished with 120 yards rushing despite a league-worst five negative attempts.
Losers
James Robinson, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
As a team, the Jaguars ran the ball eight times for 8 yards against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. Robinson, who entered Week 14 as Yahoo’s RB18, turned his six touches into a whooping 4 total yards. The Jaguars running back, given the dumpster fire that Jacksonville currently is, is playing himself out of a starting spot with the playoffs coming. He finished with 0.40 points — which was RB59 on the slate.
Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Football Team
Despite the fact McLaurin put up a zero, he did in fact play for the Washington Football Team against cornerback Trevon Diggs and the Cowboys. McLaurin, who entered Week 14 as Yahoo’s WR13, was targeted four times but did not haul in a reception.
Those who missed the playoffs
There may be a sense of relief for those who finally had the bandaid ripped off after scraping together a lineup week after week in what was a very bizarre fantasy football season. Welp. Better luck next year.
Surprises
Derrick Gore, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
If for some reason you were one of the 2% of owners rostering Gore (or starting him), you were treated to a big day from the backup running back. Gore, who entered Sunday as Yahoo’s RB82, finished 10th in total scoring among running backs. He benefited greatly from his garbage-time carries, which included a 51-yard touchdown run, as the Chiefs pounded the Raiders 48-9. Gore finished with 84 yards from scrimmage with a pair of runs that measured 10 or more yards.
Taysom Hill, QB, New Orleans Saints
Hill is rostered in just 50% of leagues — a 16% uptick after Week 13 — but finished as the third highest-scoring quarterback with a win over the New York Jets. Hill, as so often the case, turned in the bulk of his production with his legs as he scored two rushing touchdowns while totaling 73 yards 11 carries. Still, Hill threw five passes of 16 or more yards with 71.4% of his passes being ruled catchable despite the fact he ranked QB25 in regards to passing air yards.
Hunter Renfrow, WR, Las Vegas Raiders
There weren’t many things going right for the Raiders in a one-sided loss to the Chiefs, but Renfrow certainly shined for fantasy owners. He was the highest-scoring player at the position behind 2.05 points per target on 14 targets. Renfrow, who was Yahoo’s WR22 entering the week, caught 13 of the 14 balls thrown his way en route to 117 yards receiving (three receptions of 10 or more yards) and one touchdown.
