New York Jets- 27
Buffalo- 23
It was a familiar formula for the Bills. Playing at home as a favorite over the Jets, rookie QB Josh Allen was running all over the field and gave his team a 14-3 lead after the first quarter. Considering the Jets Offense has struggled all season, this looked like an insurmountable lead, especially after rookie QB Sam Darnold left the game with an injury. Eventually, the Jets scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to complete the comeback and steal the win in Buffalo.
Both teams lost their starting running backs to injury early in the game. For the Jets, that led to RB Elijah McGuire totaling 83 yards and a touchdown while the Bills simply relied on Allen, who became only the second quarterback in NFL history to rush for over 100 yards in consecutive games. That’s even more impressive considering two weeks ago he rushed for 99 yards. With the Bills out of contention and RB LeSean McCoy dealing with a hamstring injury, we might not see much more of him this season. Allen finished with 206 passing yards but no touchdowns and a pair of interceptions. The Bills surprisingly dumped veteran WRs Andre Holmes and Kelvin Benjamin last week, leaving rookie WR Robert Foster (7/104) and sophomore WR Zay Jones (3/22) as the lead wideouts.
Darnold passed for 170 yards and a touchdown with WR Robby Anderson’s 76 yards and a touchdown on four catches leading the team. Despite their comeback win, the Jets remain a team to avoid for fantasy purposes.
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Cleveland- 26
Carolina- 20
The Panthers’ struggles continued Sunday as they dropped another game, their fifth straight, to the Browns. For Cleveland, this was their third win under interim HC Gregg Williams, after winning only three games in over two seasons with Hue Jackson as the head man. Carolina entered the final period with a small lead but rookie QB Baker Mayfield led a pair of scoring drives to get the win.
Mayfield passed for 238 yards and a touchdown and fellow rookie RB Nick Chubb stayed hot with another rushing touchdown, his fifth straight game with a score, as part of his 83 total yards. WR Breshad Perriman surprisingly led the team with 81 yards on only two catches and WR Jarvis Landry totaled 11 yards and two scores. TE David Njoku flopped for the second straight week, catching three passes for 35 yards.
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Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey kept up his torrid scoring pace, finding the end zone twice in the first half before being shut down after the break. CMC finished with 101 total yards and the two scores. Breakout WR Curtis Samuel led the team with 80 yards on four receptions while rookie WR D.J. Moore posted a 5/67 line. Rookie TE Ian Thomas, replacing the IRed veteran Greg Olsen, was a nice surprise. He caught nine of a team-high 11 targets for 77 yards. WR Devin Funchess was again a non-factor, failing to catch any of his three targets. Carolina has fallen out of the wild-card spot in the NFC but is still just one game back despite their losing record.
Green Bay- 34
Atlanta- 20
Despite being all but eliminated from the playoffs, this game still felt like a must win for the Packers after firing HC Mike McCarthy following last week’s loss. The Packers took command early and went into intermission with a 20-7 lead. They poured on two more scores in the third quarter and garbage time ensued.
Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers threw for 196 yards and two scores, slowing down in the second half. After RB Jamaal Williams surprisingly drew the start and got the majority of the first-quarter touches, RB Aaron Jones took control. He finished with 78 yards on 17 carries, thanks to a 29-yard touchdown run. As always, WR Davante Adams (7/81/1) led the team but WR Randall Cobb played his best game since Week One, catching five passes for 43 yards and a touchdown. TE Jimmy Graham was locked up and held to two receptions for 13 yards.
Falcons QB Matt Ryan finished with a nice bottom line but much of that came when the game was already out of reach. Ryan passed for 262 yards and three touchdowns. WR Julio Jones had a nice game, with eight receptions for 106 yards and two scores. For the second straight week, rookie RB Ito Smith outperformed RB Tevin Coleman. Smith carried 11 times for 60 yards compared to 10/45 for Coleman. TE Austin Hooper had just 37 scoreless yards on four grabs.
Indianapolis- 24
Houston- 21
After being shut down last week by the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Colts looked like a different team, ultimately ending the Texans nine-game winning streak. The Colts used a second-quarter outburst to take a 10-point halftime lead and never relinquished the lead, holding on for a 24-21 win as Houston mounted a pair of scoring drives in the second half.
QB Andrew Luck threw for 399 yards and two touchdowns and WR T.Y. Hilton dominated, despite entering the day as a game-time decision. Hilton caught nine passes for 199 yards while TE Eric Ebron posted a 4/65/1 line. Despite leading for the majority of the game, the Colts still couldn’t get their running game on track. RB Marlon Mack rushed for 33 yards on 14 carries but did score a short touchdown to save his bottom line.
The Texans Offense fell short all around. QB Deshaun Watson passed for 267 yards and a touchdown, sending 10 targets to WR DeAndre Hopkins. Unfortunately, Nuk struggled with only four receptions for 36 yards and a score. TE Ryan Griffin actually led the team with 80 yards on five grabs with veteran WR Demaryius Thomas catching four passes for 48 yards. Watson led the team in rushing with 35 yards, which is obviously bad news for starting RB Lamar Miller, who managed just 21 yards on six carries but found the end zone on a direct snap in the second half.
The Colts win puts them two games back from the Texans with three weeks left and Indy is also in contention for the final wild-card spot.
Kansas City- 27
Baltimore- 24
After taking a touchdown lead into halftime, the Chiefs appeared to be in control of this game against the streaking Ravens. A win would put Kansas City in the playoffs but QB Lamar Jackson, making his fourth straight start, got his team back in it and held a fourth-quarter lead. QB Patrick Mahomes engineered an amazing drive, including converting multiple fourth-down plays. That drive eventually resulted in a Mahomes to RB Damien Williams touchdown which tied the game. A Jackson fumble gave the Chiefs a chance at a game-winning field goal, but they couldn’t convert and this one went to overtime. Kansas City did get a field goal in overtime and Jackson then struggled before suffering a lower-leg injury. Third-string QB Robert Griffin III entered the game with a third-and-long and couldn’t convert, allowing the Chiefs to survive and advance to the playoffs.
Mahomes finished with 377 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while the running game continued to struggle following the Kareem Hunt controversy. RB Spencer Ware led the way with 75 yards on 15 carries and missed some time with a shoulder injury late in the first half. Ware also added five grabs for 54 yards. Star WR Tyreek Hill also missed much of the first half with hand and heel injuries but came alive late in the game, hobbling around for eight receptions and 139 yards. TE Travis Kelce’s 7/77/1 will give him a seventh straight game as a top-ten fantasy tight end.
Jackson passed for 147 yards and two scores and added a team-high 71 rushing yards on 13 carries. Rookie RB Gus Edwards saw his rushing yards decline for the fourth straight week, finishing with 67 yards on 16 rushes. RB Kenneth Dixon looked like he had more “juice”, totaling 70 yards and a touchdown on nine touches. As expected, there was little work done by the receivers as WR Willie Snead led the team with 5/61 and WR John Brown caught a touchdown as part of his two catches for 23 yards.
Miami- 34
New England- 33
The AFC East battle was a great game even before the historic ending. The Patriots, who annually struggle in Miami, matched the Dolphins score for score and were in control up until the final second of the game. After a field goal gave New England a late six-point lead, Miami had less than 30 seconds to answer and they needed a miracle. In the holiday season, they got their wish. QB Ryan Tannehill tossed a short pass to WR Kenny Stills, who lateraled the ball to WR DeVante Parker. He quickly pitched the ball backward to RB Kenyan Drake, who did the rest. Drake broke tackles, followed blocks and juked Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski, who was on the field as a defender, on his way to an unbelievable 69-yard touchdown to win the game in walk-off fashion. It was the longest game-winning play from scrimmage with no time on the clock since the merger, per NFL Communications.
The final play was the story but this was a great game for fans and fantasy players. QB Tom Brady played possibly his best game of the year, matching or exceeding his season-best with 358 passing yards and three scores. TE Rob Gronkowski also looked like a different player, at least prior to the final play. Gronk caught all eight targets for 107 yards and a touchdown. WRs Josh Gordon (5/96) and Julian Edelman (9/86/1) also had big games. The Pats backfield struggled, which forced Brady to throw the ball 43 times, just the third game this season he’s hit that number. Rookie RB Sony Michel ran for 57 scoreless yards on 20 carries while RB James White totaled just 28 yards on six touches.
Tannehill passed for 265 yards and three touchdowns, giving him back-to-back three-score games. The team’s starting quarterback also had an injury scare as he was replaced late in the first half as he exited with a foot injury. He was able to return for the second half. WR Kenny Stills lived up to early-season hype after weeks of disappointment. Stills caught eight passes for 135 yards and a touchdown. Drake ended with 79 yards from scrimmage after hardly being involved for most of the game. It was a revenge game for former Patriots RB Brandon Bolden, who two carries to gain 60 yards and score a pair of touchdowns.
New Orleans- 28
Tampa Bay- 14
For the first half of this NFC South matchup, it looked like a repeat for the New Orleans Saints. A repeat of both last week’s stunning loss to the Cowboys in which they were held to only three points as well as a repeat of the Week One stunner when Bucs QB Ryan Fitzpatrick carved up the Saints Defense. The Bucs and QB Jameis Winston led 14-3 at halftime but things quickly changed after the break. New Orleans score 25 unanswered second-half points to upend the Bucs and get back to their winning ways.
QB Drew Brees still didn’t post the numbers fantasy players expected, passing for 201 yards and a touchdown, along with a rushing score. WR Michael Thomas started slowly like most of the Saints but ended with 11 receptions for 98 yards. That’s his most catches since Week Nine. The Saints backs struggled as RB Mark Ingram totaled 53 yards and a score while RB Alvin Kamara posted 87 scoreless yards.
The Tampa offense started out strong as Winston connected with TE Cameron Brate for a pair of touchdowns. That would represent the entirety of their scoring for the day as the Saints Defense stepped up in the second half. Winston finished with 213 passing yards and the two scores and also led the team with 47 rushing yards. WR Mike Evans (4/86) led the team in receiving while WR Chris Godwin disappointed with one reception for 13 yards despite a team-high 10 targets.
New York Giants- 40
Washington- 16
We knew the Redskins’ season was trending in the wrong direction after suffering a seemingly endless number of injuries to key players but no one thought it was this bad. Facing the four-win Giants and forced to start veteran QB Mark Sanchez, the Redskins were shellacked, at one point trailing 40-0. Oh, and the Giants didn’t even have WR Odell Beckham, who was surprisingly ruled out with a quad injury.
Veteran QB Eli Manning passed for 197 yards and three scores and rookie RB Saquon Barkley ran wild, as expected. Barkley totaled 197 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. TE Evan Engram made his return after a two-game absence due to a hamstring injury and led the Giants with 77 yards on three catches. WR Sterling Shepard was a flop, catching two passes for 17 yards, though a short touchdown saved his box score. With a big lead late in the game, Giants fans saw their first game-action for rookie QB Kyle Lauletta, who failed to complete any of his five pass attempts and tossed an interception to the Washington defense.
The Redskins actually came alive when Sanchez was benched for QB Josh Johnson, who was just signed last week. Johnson passed for 195 yards and a touchdown and led the Skins with 45 rushing yards and a score. His performance in less than a half of action still landed him among the top 10 fantasy QBs for the week and he was already named the team’s Week 15 starter. Veteran RB Adrian Peterson was shut down, rushing 10 times for 16 scoreless yards while WR Jamison Crowder finally returned to action, catching two passes for 87 yards and a score. Redskins TE Jordan Reed left the game early with a foot injury and did not return.
Oakland- 24
Pittsburgh- 21
Although it was a close game throughout, this felt like one the Steelers were in control of, even though they played much of the second half without starting QB Ben Roethlisberger, who missed time with a rib injury. Big Ben missed most of the second half after he was a surprise no-show following the break. Backup QB Josh Dobbs saw most of the work but failed to lead any scoring drives. The Steelers were happy to stick with Dobbs until Raiders QB Derek Carr put his team in the lead. That brought Roethlisberger back onto the field and he quickly led a scoring drive, hitting WR JuJu Smith-Schuster for the touchdown. Carr had an answer to that too and Oakland regained the lead with only 21 seconds left. The Steelers had an excellent play call that resulted in Smith-Schuster getting the Steelers in field goal range. K Chris Boswell slipped on the kick attempt and the Raiders stole a win, just their third of the year.
Big Ben finished with 282 yards and two scores even after missing a huge chunk of the second half. Smith-Schuster’s 8/130/2 led the team while WR Antonio Brown quietly added five grabs for 35 yards. Playing without RB James Conner, rookie RB Jaylen Samuels totaled 92 yards but posed no real threat as a runner.
Carr passed for 322 yards and a pair of touchdowns, heavily featuring his tight end trio. TE Jared Cook (7/116) led the team in receiving while Carr’s scoring passes went to little-used TEs Lee Smith and Derek Carrier. RB Doug Martin led the team with 32 rushing yards and also scored a touchdown. Newly-signed RB C.J. Anderson was inactive for his first game with Oakland.
Dallas- 29
Philadelphia- 23
This one was thought to be an easy win for one of the league’s hottest teams, the Dallas Cowboys. It was anything but as the Eagles pushed Dallas into overtime and the two teams combined for 37 total points in the fourth quarter and extra period. That’s notable considering only 15 points were scored entering the final quarter.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott and WR Amari Cooper enjoyed career-best games and fittingly hooked up for the game-winner in overtime as Cooper caught a deflected ball for a touchdown, his third of the game. In all, Cooper caught 10 passes for 217 yards and three scores while Dak’s 455 passing yards set a new career-high by over 100 yards. Hidden in the performance of this duo was RB Ezekiel Elliott, who totaled 192 yards in the game. Even TE Blake Jarwin had a career day, catching all seven targets for 56 yards.
Eagles QB Carson Wentz passed for 228 yards and three scores, hitting WR Alshon Jeffery (6/50/1), TE Dallas Goedert (4/44/1) and RB Darren Sproles (3/34/1). TE Zach Ertz (5/38) and WR Golden Tate (1/7) were victims of the Cowboys’ strict defense. The Eagles running game was non-existent as rookie RB Josh Adams carried only seven times for 36 yards.
Los Angeles Chargers- 26
Cincinnati- 21
What was expected to be an easy win for the Chargers ultimately required them to hang on just to avoid an embarrassing home loss. Hold on they did, but it just wasn’t pretty. The Chargers scored on their first two possessions but managed little offense after that. They could’ve lost this game if not for a controversial call that took a touchdown away from Bengals QB Jeff Driskel.
The Chargers played without RB Melvin Gordon for the second straight week, though reports suggest he’ll be back in Week 15. RB Austin Ekeler bounced back from his Week 13 struggles, totaling 94 yards and a touchdown, though he suffered a late-game injury that has the team concerned about his status for the Week 15 Thursday night contest. WR Keenan Allen led the team with five grabs for 78 yards and a score. Rookie RB Justin Jackson couldn’t continue his strong play from a week ago, managing only 35 total yards. QB Philip Rivers passed for 220 yards and a touchdown.
Playing without QB Andy Dalton and WR A.J. Green, the Bengals put up a strong fight but didn’t have quite enough. RB Joe Mixon totaled 138 yards and a touchdown, matching his season-high in yards from scrimmage. WR Tyler Boyd led the team in receiving but that only took a 3/52 line as he continues to disappoint when Green is not on the field.
San Francisco- 20
Denver- 14
The 49ers surprisingly owned the first half of action and then held off the Denver Broncos in the second half to pull the upset. When I say the 49ers owned the first half, I actually mean that TE George Kittle owned the first half. Kittle caught seven passes for 210 yards and a touchdown before halftime and appeared on his way to the all-time single-game yardage record by a tight end, which is 214. Kittle didn’t record a pass in the second half and finished with that line, which is still very impressive.
49ers QB Nick Mullens passed for 332 yards and two scores, also finding rookie WR Dante Pettis, who posted a 3/49/1 line for the game. With RB Matt Breida out, the Niners turned to rookie RB Jeff Wilson, who totaled 96 scoreless yards on 24 touches. San Fran had WR Marquise Goodwin back on the field and he caught two balls for 20 yards.
Denver worked hard on a second-half comeback and nearly pulled it off. RB Philip Lindsay scored a touchdown but managed just 51 total yards, wrecking his impressive yards per carry with only 30 rushing yards on 14 totes. The Broncos played their first game without WR Emmanuel Sanders, who tore his Achilles during practice last week. It was WR Tim Patrick (7/85) who led the team and rookie WR DaeSean Hamilton (7/47/1) scored his first career touchdown. Fellow rookie WR Courtland Sutton was among the week’s biggest disappointments with two receptions for 14 yards.
Detroit- 17
Arizona- 3
With only one offensive score through the entire game, the Cardinals/Lions game was not one fantasy owners should’ve invested in. Neither team got much going on offense as Lions QB Matthew Stafford managed just 101 scoreless passing yards. RB Zach Zenner actually led the team with 54 rushing yards and a touchdown while RB Theo Riddick’s 30 receiving yards sadly was enough to pace the team. WR Kenny Golladay caught two passes for five yards and is suddenly looking very overrated.
Cardinals rookie QB Josh Rosen passed for 240 yards, the second-highest total of his career but it resulted in only three points. Superstar David Johnson has returned to his frustrating early-season form, totaling 61 yards, though his eight receptions were helpful for those in PPR leagues. WR Larry Fitzgerald caught five passes for 55 yards.
Chicago- 15
Los Angeles Rams- 6
The Bears Defense dominated from the start and the cold weather seemed to get to the Rams, who lost for just the second time this season. While they’ve already clinched a playoff spot, this loss could be viewed as good news for fantasy players as the threat of the Rams stars sitting out regular season games is delayed ever so slightly.
This game featured only one touchdown and that one didn’t exactly help fantasy players as Bears QB Mitch Trubisky tossed the ball to OL Bradley Sewell for the short touchdown. Defense ruled this game as QBs Jared Goff and Trubisky combined for seven interceptions.
Rams RB Todd Gurley suffered through his worst game of the season, totaling 58 scoreless yards, while WR Robert Woods (7/61) led the team. WR Brandin Cooks was held to just three catches for 22 yards. Rams QB Jared Goff threw for 180 yards and four picks.
Trubisky passed for 110 yards and a score while RB Jordan Howard rushed for 101 yards. WR Allen Robinson led the team with only 42 yards on five receptions and TE Trey Burton managed 22 yards on two catches. RB Tarik Cohen totaled 89 yards after his huge game a week ago.
