Stars of Week 14

QB: Trevor Lawrence, JAC: 30-42, 368 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs (plus 1 rushing TD)

RB: Jerick McKinnon, KC: 6 carries, 22 yards, 0 TDs (7 catches, 112 yards, 2 TDs)                       

WR: Jerry Jeudy, DEN: 8 catches, 73 yards, 3 TDs

TE: Evan Engram, JAC: 11 catches, 162 yards, 2 TDs

Week 14 gave us the most unlikely group of fantasy heroes for the weekly honor roll! We’ve got two Jaguars, a Chiefs’ player who’s not the QB, lead RB, a WR or TE, and one of 2022 Russell Wilson’s top pass catching options. Alright, let’s go!

Trevor Lawrence looked like THE Trevor Lawrence that the NFL world had been expecting since he entered the league in 2021. Three TD tosses, a fourth score via the rush, and 368 yards tossed against a formidable Titans’ D (albeit not a strong pass D). Lawrence is fighting his way into low end QB1 territory. He can certainly help you in the playoffs if you need to solidify the position.

The Chiefs send players all the time to the weekly leader board. But third down RB Jerick McKinnon? While only rushing for 22 yards, McKinnon scored twice while amassing 112 receiving yards over 7 receptions. McKinnon can be a flex option in deeper leagues (12 plus teams), but don’t go overboard here. This just happened to be a game where Mahomes checked down often to McKinnon against a tough Broncos’ D.

Speaking of the Broncos, WR Jerry Jeudy and the offense showed some unexpected life versus the Chiefs after falling behind 27-0. Having only thrown 4 total TDs during the previous 7 game span, Russell Wilson connected with Jeudy for 3 scores this past Sunday. Jeudy and the Broncos’ passing game will be hard to project as ‘fixed’, as they’ve still been mostly very bad. Wilson left the Chiefs game under the concussion protocol, so keep an eye on who starts for the Broncos next week versus the Cardinals. Jeudy remains a WR3 / flex option.

We began looking at the Jaguars’ QB, and we end with the team’s tight end. Evan Engram put his signature performance on tape this past Sunday against the Titans, catching 11 balls for 162 yards and 2 TDs. Engram’s last four games prior to this past Sunday? 10 catches for 56 yards. Engram’s having a nice season by tight end standards, but treat this performance as a one-off. Engram profiles as a solid TE2 for fantasy purposes.

Week 14 Takeaways – A Closer Look

Each week we’ll take a closer look at a handful of performances and sort out what such performances mean going forward.

- JK Dobbins, RB – BAL:  15 carries, 120 yards, 1 TD

- Gus Edwards, RB – BAL: 13 carries, 66 yards, 0 TDs                            

Analysis: The Baltimore Ravens have the largest stable of functional rushers on their roster. Two QBs and three RBs can all tote the rock in a fantasy relevant manner…provided that they see the field. Unfortunately the Ravens have been ravaged by injuries, which has required a weekly assessment as to which Ravens have fantasy relevancy. We’ll focus on the team’s RBs this week, as a now healthy JK Dobbins rejoined the fray, giving the team it’s top three RBs at its disposal. As expected, JK Dobbins and Gus Edwards shake out as the team’s top two RBs, splitting carries fairly evenly against the Steelers. Looking at the snap count, Dobbins saw the field for 28 plays versus 21 for Edwards, while fellow RB Kenyan Drake only took in 9 snaps - mostly on passing downs. Starting QB Lamar Jackson missed this game, but nevertheless we have enough here to deduce the likely distribution among the Ravens’ RBs moving forward. Dobbins and Edwards should continue to split carries fairly evenly, but Dobbins will get a bit of additional work / snaps on passing downs. This makes Dobbins the more valuable back, landing as a high end RB3 / flex option. Edwards should be viewed as a low end flex option, more valuable in standard leagues than in PPR leagues. Jackson’s return will likely cut a bit into the workload for both players, but both RBs need to be owned in all leagues.

- DJ Chark, WR – DET: 6 catches, 94 yards, 1 TD

Analysis: The Lions’ offense has been firing on all cylinders the past several weeks, with the Minnesota Vikings becoming their latest victims. Flush with relevant fantasy players, the Lions have added an intriguing name to the mix the past few weeks – WR DJ Chark. The veteran WR from LSU hauled in 6 balls for 94 yards and a TD, while being targeted 7 times by QB Jared Goff. Chark has had a productive weeks, as he caught 5 passes for 98 yards in week 13, to go along with a TD catch in week 12. With mainstay tight end TJ Hockenson traded out of the Motor City, the Lions have plenty of targets to go around among the WR group. Only star WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (9) saw more targets than Chark this past Sunday. WR Josh Reynolds (the WR corps runs deep) also factors into the mix, but Chark is the better receiver and appears to have Goff’s trust as his second target. Chark also outsnapped Reynolds 60 to 43. Chark can be a WR3 / flex option for your team in both PPR and standard leagues. If you need a WR, put a claim in for Chark this week.

- Jameson Williams, WR – DET: 1 catch, 41 yards, 1 TD

Analysis: Rarely do we separately feature two players on the same team playing the same position, but given the focus points are completely different, we do so here. The Lions’ riches at WR run so deep that rookie WR Jameson Williams necessitates discussion as well. Unlike the look at Chalk above, this is more of a keeper league / 2023 scouting report. If not for a serious injury which caused Williams to miss most of his rookie season, the Alabama alum likely would’ve been the first WR picked in the 2022 draft. Williams has serious sizzle to his game, so it goes to form that his first NFL catch results in a 41 yard TD bomb. Williams has breakaway speed, great hands and solid route running skillset – so not just a deep threat. While Williams will be a risky, high ceiling / low floor option for the rest of 2022, he’s a player to keep a close eye on for the rest of the season…for purposes of scouting next year. With a handful of games left to help get Williams acclimated to NFL play, he should be roaring to go in 2023. Fellow WR Amon-Ra St. Brown will likely garner most of the attention in drafts – as he should – but Williams could be in line for a huge bust out season in 2023. Keep an eye on Williams as a sleeper when draft time rolls around. And for those of you holding Williams in dynasty / keeper leagues, get ready to reap the benefits for next season and beyond.

* All snap count information is referenced through statistics provided by Pro Football Focus.

Rapid Fire Pickups

Each week we’ll throw out potential free agent pickups from each position for deeper leagues, in each case a player 1) who has NOT been featured above, and 2) remains available in more than 50% of leagues.

QB: Mike White, NYJ (vs DET)

RB: Chuba Hubbard, CAR (vs PIT)

RB: Travis Homer, SEA (vs SF)

WR: Van Jefferson, LAR (@ GB)

WR: Parris Campbell, IND (@ MIN)

TE: Taysom Hill, NO (vs ATL)

Personal Note

Thank you for reading my articles on RealGM! I have a request of you – if you enjoy my work, I kindly ask that you consider following me on Twitter if you aren’t already. My Twitter handle is @NeemaHodjatNFL. Your support is very much appreciated.