Week 14 Dossier

League Bandits

Meanwhile, at the Legion of Doom

Footsteps from a pair of rattlesnake boots echo through the abandoned warehouse. They scrape across the concrete floor before they finally come to a rest in front of a row of shipping crates, each with a glass of aged tequila resting on top. Gathered around these crates are leaders of the Asset Trafficking Syndicate, commonly known as the Dynasty Lords. With outstretched arms, the man in the boots smiles and says, “Gentlemen, thank you for being here. We have a common goal. We have fought hard to be here, but each of us knows that everything we have earned can be taken away from us in the blink of an eye during the playoffs. What I propose is that at this moment we form an organization. Bringing our resources together to strengthen our position in the league, we will share knowledge and trade away the finest assets only amongst ourselves. Let us make it known to our league that we control the championship. Inside each of these crates are the highest-valued players and picks in the league. If you place your trust in me to manage the operations, I promise that each of you will have your moment of glory, and you have my word that I will destroy anyone that gets in our way.” Each of the Dynasty Lords looked at one another nodding before they reached for the glasses glistening in front of them. Raising their drinks in the air, they proclaimed in unison, “Al Patrón!” It was at this moment that the Dynasty Lords had now become the Contender Cartel.

Usage Activity

Please examine carefully the following usage activity reports we have gathered on players from week 14:

Patriots vs. Steelers - Ezekiel Elliot’s week 14 was his best performance since week 3 of the 2021 season. Elliot rushed for 68 yards on 22 carries and had 72 yards receiving plus 1 TD on a team-high 7 receptions & 8 targets. Playing 91% of the snaps, and having one of the easiest remaining strength of schedules with the Chiefs, Broncos, and Bills, Elliot’s usage on the ground and involvement through the air could carry contenders to a championship as long as Rhamondre Stevenson remains out with an injury.
In the year of our Lord 2023, nothing can be taken for granted with the quarterback position. Despite passing for only 190 yards, Mitch Trubisky’s 2 TD & 1 INT was still good enough for QB8 on the week. But despite the wicked witch of Pittsburgh Matt Canada being vanquished, it is difficult to trust anyone in this offense when only one Steelers receiver accounts for more than 30 yards.

Buccaneers vs. Falcons - Drake London’s 10/11 for 172 scoreless yards on 76% of the snaps was the best fantasy game of his young career and good enough for WR2 on the week. London remains one of the most intriguing buys heading into the offseason ahead of the Falcon’s offseason campaign for a new QB.  
Since week 9, the only RBs to average more fantasy points than Rachaad White (19.6 pts PPR)) is Kyren Williams (24.9 PPR) and Christians McCaffrey (22.2 PPR). During this time, White leads the league in rushing attempts (109), is 2nd in rushing yards (440 yds), is tied for 5th place with 4 rushing TDs, and is tied for 1st with 2 receiving TDs. Featured on last week’s agency bulletin, one can have confidence in White’s rest-of-season performance after his 25 carries for 102 yards on the ground and 33 yards plus a TD through the air week 14 stat-line.

Rams vs. Ravens - As the best QB this week, Lamar Jackson passed for 316 yards and 3 TDs & 1 INT with an additional 70 yards on the ground. The main beneficiaries of Jackon’s performance were Odell Beckham, Isaiah Likely, and Zay Flowers, who each enjoyed at least 60 yards receiving and 1 TD. Keaton Mitchell was once again ultra-efficient: 9 carries for 54 yards. But it was actually Justice Hill who led all Baltimore backs in snaps at 42%. Hopefully, the Baltimore Ravens firing on all offensive cylinders is only a taste of great things to come for a team that aims to be the #1 seed in the AFC Conference.
Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua continue to make their case as one of the most effective and underrated WR duos in 2023. Kupp enjoyed the 2nd best performance of his 2023 campaign with 8/10 for 115 yards and 1 TD, whereas Nacua turned in a solid 5/8 for 84 scoreless yards. Leading this unit is Matthew Stafford, who has quietly been the 7th best QB since week 9, averaging 20.5 fantasy points/game. But much of this offense owes its success to their RB, Kyren Williams, who is only behind Christian McCaffrey as the most valuable rusher this season. The Rams lead back ran for 114 yards on 25 carries on 90% of the snaps.

Lions vs. Bears - For weeks, Jahmyr Gibbs has received the bulk of snaps at the RB position. That trend continued in week 14, with Gibbs seeing 63% of the snaps and David Montgomery receiving only 35% of the snaps. This could be due to the Lions’ gamescript being down much of the game and favoring the pass-catching abilities of Gibbs over Montgomery. Both RBs finished the game with similar yardage statlines: Gibbs - 11 carries for 66 yards rushing & 1 TD, 3/4 for 16 yards receiving … Montgomery - 10 carries for 66 yards rushing, 3/3 for 19 yards receiving.
The Bears on the other hand have one of the most confusing backfields in the league. D’Onta Foreman led the Chicago backfield with 55% of the snaps, followed by Roschon Johnson’s 28% snap share, and Khalil Herbert's 17% of snaps. Foreman turned this opportunity into 50 rushing yards on 11 carries and 22 receiving yards on 2 catches. It only took 14 weeks, but the Bears may have finally solidified Foreman as their most trusted back. 

Jaguars vs. Browns - Since becoming the Browns’ signal-caller in week 13, Joe Flacco is 5th in passing yards with 565 yds, tied for 2nd with 5 passing TDs, and is 11th in fantasy points/game with 19.3 points. Players like Amari Cooper, David Njoku, and Jerome Ford could all have some of their best 2023 performances yet to come with Chicago, Houston, and Jets still left on their calendar.
A top-10 TE option in all but 4 weeks this season, Evan Engram is on pace to smash last year’s season and have the best year of his entire career. Engram’s 11/12 for 95 receiving yards and 2 TDs was the 2nd best game of his career, only behind last year's week 14 performance versus the Titans. Engram must be considered a top 5 dynasty TE after back-to-back dominant seasons.

Seahawks vs. 49ers - Don’t look now, but Brock Purdy is 2nd only to Dak Prescott in the odds to win NFL MVP this year at +200. No other QBs have enjoyed the same level of consistent success the same way Purdy and Prescott have over the last six weeks of the season. Since week 9, Purdy has been 4th in points per game (22.8 pts), 4th in passing yards (1,520 yds), and 2nd in passing TDs (13). He added to his bid for MVP with a 19/27 for 368 passing yards, 2 TDs, & 1 INT performance against the Seahawks, which included 3 receivers over 75 yards receiving each (2 of which had over 125 yards receiving each). 
Despite receiving the ball from a different passer, DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett remain one of the best WR duos heading into the fantasy playoffs. Lockett led all Seattle receivers with 89 yards on 6 catches, whereas Metcalf had a solid outing with 52 yards on 2 catches plus a TD. Zach Charbonnet appeared to be the furthest removed from injury and the most explosive Seattle back in this game. He had 44 yards rushing on 9 carries on 42% of the snaps, whereas Kenneth Walker III had 21 yards on 8 carries on 56% of the snaps. Perhaps another week will help Walker in his recovery from injury.

Broncos vs. Chargers - Javonte Williams did it: he scored a rushing TD (the 1st one in 2023). On 60% of the snaps, Williams ran the ball 17 times for 66 yards and had an additional 3 catches for 25 yards. Behind Williams in snaps was Samaje Perine (21%), who actually led the team in targets and catches (5/5), and Jaleel McLaughlin (19%). The TD streak continues for Courtland Sutton, who has scored in 10/13 games this season.
It does not look good for the Chargers offense with QB Justin Herbert now likely out for the remainder of the season. The only fantasy players that can survive such a shift are duel-threat RBs that can be utilized no matter the game script, such as Austin Ekeler, who had 51 yards on the ground plus a TD and 49 yards through the air on 72% of the snaps.

Waiver Targets

Spymaster Vanek will provide the latest intel through his America’s Game report. In terms of FAAB bidding, review your league’s previous waiver behavior to navigate the wire best. The waiver wire will become more bare as the season continues, especially in best ball formats.

• Nick Mullens - 9% rostership, spend up to 0% FAAB (Dobbs likely gets another start, but if he has another bad game then it may be Mullens ROS) 

• Easton Stick - 2% rostership, 0% FAAB (he’s a QB likely to start for ROS, pick him up in BB if you have the room, you never know)

• Davis Allen - 6% rostership, 0% FAAB (only Rams TE with a catch in wk. 14, viable start if Higbee misses another game)