Fantasy Football: Week 14

PLAYOFFS?! YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT PLAYOFFS?! Well, okay then. It is that time of year. It doesn’t get much better than this. Welcome to the 2017 Fantasy Football Playoffs!

If your game is meaningful from here on out, that probably means that you’ve been listening to me for about 13 weeks. So why stop now? I can’t think of any reason. With that in mind, today is a little extraordinary. Due to the Playoffs starting, this is a special edition of the HHH Roundup Fantasy Football Article (really rolls off the tongue). This lesson — a truly fitting term — will consist of 3 parts. To start it off, here are 3 players that can make or break your fantasy season this weekend:

Josh Gordon – Be wary of Josh Gordon. If you have him on your roster, throw him in there. He showed promising talent, production, and ability in last week’s matchup against a touch Charger secondary. If you’re going against Gordon, this can be the part where your season is broken. We have seen what he is capable of, and we know how valuable he can be, especially coming from a flex position that he’ll likely be in this week.

Tyreek Hill – I’m not going to sit here and tell you that the cheetah won’t have great game this week. He is at home playing against the worst pass defense in the league AND coming off of a big game. However, that is exactly the problem with Tyreek Hill. This season, he has done a REMARKABLE job alternating huge games with duds. In fact, he has been literally perfect, as Tyreek Hill has produced great numbers every other game through 13 weeks. The matchup is way too sweet to bench the cheetah, but if you’re going against him, this may not be the end of you’re fantasy season.

DeAndre Hopkins – I use Hopkins here just to alert you that if he is on you’re team, he’s going to make you win the game, and that you’re likely going to lose if you’re playing against him. Hopkins receives a healthy 20 targets per game with Tom Savage under center (yes, that is an exaggeration. No, it is not much of an exaggeration), and with the atrocious San Francisco defense staring Nuk down, the star wide receiver is in for a big day.

I’m a nice guy, so I like to help those in need. I get that there have been a few rough injuries this week, like Joe Mixon, Adrian Peterson, and, the most unfortunate of them all, Alvin Kamara. These are all starters, but Kamara is truly the best one, and, since he got hurt on Thursday night, there is nothing that you can do about it. However, the other two guys are still replaceable. Here are three running backs that can fill the void of Joe Mixon/Adrian Peterson:

Giovanni Bernard/Kerwynn Williams – I know that this counts as two running backs, but I’m grouping them into 1 because it’s the same concept. Both of these players filled in nicely for the aforementioned injured running backs. Therefore, these are the literal replacements. If you own them, fire ’em up for Week 14.

Kenyan Drake – Last week, Drake carried the ball 23 times, rushed for 120 yards and a touchdown, and added 21 yards in the air on 3 catches. This was a career day for Drake, and this should continue against the lousy New England defense. Once a 3rd-string RB, Kenyan Drake now seems to be the clear-cut starter in Miami. It is safe to throw him into your lineup now.

Mike Davis – This one’s a real flier. For the first time in what seems like decades, I agree with starting a Seattle RB. Mike Davis played a lot last Sunday, and he really showed up the stingy Philadelphia front seven. This week, the Seahawks travel to Jacksonville. As amazing as the Jaguars have been this season defensively, they have been middle-of-the-pack against the run. Look for this Seattle offense to exploit this. It’s about time Russell Wilson gets some help, and Mike Davis is certainly one that can deliver this week.

I’ve spoken of great sleepers and studs so far today on the HHHRFFA (better). Now, let’s kick it down to a sad gear. The following players should not be in your lineup this week:

Doug Martin – To be honest, I can’t guarantee that the Muscle Hamster will have a bad game this week. He’s back from his injury and playing against an abysmal Detroit rush defense. However, his workload has diminished, so the Dougernaut is not someone trustworthy enough to make a starting lineup in the playoffs.

Demaryius Thomas – As a Thomas owner, it brings me great sadness to say that the quarterback play in Denver has become so bad that their Pro-bowl caliber wideout should be benched on your roster against the New York Jets. You can no longer trust Thomas, who, like Doug Martin, still has some upside. However, the cons outweigh the pros here, so sit Demaryius Thomas.

Josh Doctson – This season, Doctson’s fantasy value seems largely touchdown-reliant. He is not someone that is capable of an 8 catch 100 yard performance, which already makes him rather iffy. Playing against a Charger defense that has been easily top 5 against the pass doesn’t bode well for Josh Doctson, so don’t risk it in the Fantasy Playoffs.

This concludes the playoff special here on the Roundup. I wish you the best of luck in Week 14!