Let's take a look at five fantasy takeaways from Week 14.
Down goes Dalton
The Cincinatti Bengals, to just about everyone's surprise, were a fantasy juggernaut offensively this season. Tyler Eifert has been the best tight end not named Gronk. A.J. Green has once again solidified himself as one of the best receivers in football. Marvin Jones has been a reliable Flex option. Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill have seemed to alternate RB1/2 type performances each week.
This has been a great offense, and at the center of it all has been Andy Dalton. Even factoring in an injury-shortened Week 14, Dalton ranks 5th among all quarterbacks in fantasy points this season. He's been arguably the best value pick in fantasy this year.
Unfortunately, all that came screeching to a halt this week when Dalton broke the thumb on his throwing hand. While he's being considered week-to-week, Dalton will likely be out until at least Week 17, meaning he could be sidelined for fantasy championships everywhere.
Of course, guys like Eifert and Green will likely be impacted negatively as well with A.J. McCarron under center. The only player who really stands to benefit from a fantasy prospective could be Jeremy Hill, as the Bengals will probably play more conservatively and look to pound the ball and grind out games.
I couldn't imagine writing this 15 weeks ago, but Dalton's injury is likely the most important one we'll see in the fantasy postseason.
Russell Wilson goes off again
When the Seahawks lost Marshawn Lynch to injury, the fantasy community's ears collectively perked up. Finally, the time had come for the Seahawks to cut Russell Wilson loose and let him fully lead a pass-heavy attack.
While that hasn't necessarily been the case, the Seahawks have been much more liberal in taking shots down field. And the fantasy points are rolling in because of it. With Thomas Rawls now out for the season with an ankle injury, and with Lynch still not having a timetable to return, this is clearly Russell's offense.
Wilson had yet another 5 touchdown day against the Ravens this week, which brings him up to 16 scores in the last four weeks. What might be even more impressive is his insane efficiency, as he's completed 75.4 percent of his passes during that timeframe. He's on fire, and with the threat of his legs still present, it's going to be awfully hard to bench him over anyone with matchups against the Browns and Rams on deck.
Tim Hightower, feature back
I'm not exactly sure why the Saints would sign C.J. Spiller to a reasonably-sized deal and then refuse to get him involved in the offense, but I guess we should have seen this coming. Even with Mark Ingram out, Spiller was once again a total non-factor, carrying the ball only three times. Instead, Sean Payton decided to give journeyman veteran Tim Hightower the ball a whopping 28 times.
Was Hightower impressive with his carries? Not really. He did get in the endzone, but he only averaged three yards a carry on the day. But with that being said, you have to take notice whenever a coach leans so heavily in one player's direction. There are only a handful of feature backs out there in fantasy, and it looks like Peyton wants to use Hightower as his go-to guy, as crazy as that may be. Go get him. It's all about volume and opportunity, and Hightower had that this week.
Injury roundup
Let's quickly touch on a few other major injuries around the league. Andrew Luck still appears to be healing, and it sounds like the Colts are planning on starting Tim Hasselbeck in Week 15. Jags RB T.J. Yeldon has a sprained knee. It's hard to tell what the severity is at this point, so stay tuned and prepare accordingly. Washington WR DeSean Jackson may not be ready to play in Week 15 due to a knee injury. Texans QB Brian Hoyer is almost certainly going to be out with head/neck injuries for Week 15, and perhaps beyond. Marquess Wilson is out for the season with a foot injury. Bills RB Karlos Williams and TE Charles Clay look questionable for next week. Bucs WR Vincent Jackson is looking questionable with a knee injury for Thursday night. Browns WR Brian Hartline is out for the season with a broken collarbone. Bengals TE Tyler Eifert may be in concussion protocol. Panthers RB Jonathan Stewart and TE Greg Olsen should both be fine, but it's possible the Panthers choose to give them some extra rest as the season winds down.
Waiver Wire
QB: A.J. McCarron, T.J. Yates, Alex Smith
RB: Tim Hightower, Denard Robinson, Fred Jackson/Bryce Brown, Brandon Bolden/James White
WR: Travis Benjamin, DeVante Parker, Tyler Lockett
TE: Will Tye, Zach Miller
D/ST: CIN, KC, MIA
