In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Bleacher Nation Fantasy: 

It's been very clear that 2024 is The Year Of The RB.

The best teams in your league are littered with Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, Joe Mixon, and Josh Jacobs. 

But something that has received slightly less publicity is the corresponding downfall of the WR position.

I knew it was a bad year for the WRs, but I didn't realize it was this bad. 

Fantasy analyst Matt Harmon drove this home for me yesterday with a post comparing the Top 5 WRs in receiving yards through 13 weeks in 2023 vs. 2024.

Check this out:

2024: 

1) Ja'Marr Chase: 1,142 
2) Justin Jefferson: 1,038 
3) Terry McLaurin: 896 
4t) Jerry Jeudy: 880 
4t) CeeDee Lamb: 880 
5) Zay Flowers: 863

2023:
1) Tyreek Hill: 1,481 
2) Lamb: 1,182 
3) Keenan Allen: 1,175 
4) A.J. Brown: 1,164 
5) Chase: 1,063

How insane is that!? Jeudy had one big blowup game on MNF and went from 30th in the league in total receiving yards to tied four fourth. And McLaurin and Flowers are only there because they haven't had their bye yet!

Woof. 

I know it's still December, but my New Year’s Resolution is for WRs to score fantasy points again. 

What else is in today’s newsletter?

  • Freedman’s Favorites: Top Plays for Week 14
  • Watercooler: We’ll never get enough of Jameis
  • Ian’s Manifesto: Everything you need to know for Week 14

Stat of the Day 12/4: DJ Moore had a 44% target share in Week 13

By Geoff Ulrich

Both DJ Moore and Keenan Allen had monster days in Week 13’s narrow loss to the Lions but it was Moore who ended the day with a wild 44% target share (via our Utilization Report), getting 16 passes thrown his way to Allen’s eight. 

The former Panther was overshadowed a bit by Allen’s 2 TDs but Moore found the end zone himself and has distanced himself from rookie Rome Odunze in the pecking order who has been chomping at Moore’s heels for targets for much of the season. 

This is still a fluid situation, but Odunze and Caleb Williams have had trouble connecting of late and only converted on two of six targets against Detroit. By contrast, Moore, whose usage includes more high percentage routes, has connected on 22 of his last 30 passes (73%). 

The Bears don’t have the easiest schedule for the fantasy playoffs but the next two weeks could be promising. The 49ers have injury issues everywhere and the Vikings (Moore’s Week 15 opponent) have allowed 14 receiving TDs and the most fantasy points per game to opposing WRs this season. 

If you’re holding Moore, you should be prepping to have him in a starting spot come the first week of the playoffs, if not sooner.  

 

Freedman’s Favorites for Week 14

Here are a couple of Matthew Freedman's favorite fantasy plays for Week 14. Check out his full articles and rankings for more.

Jalen Hurts (Eagles) vs. Panthers

Let's be real for a second. Eagles RB Saquon Barkley is great. He leads the league in both rushing attempts (246) and yards per carry (6.1). With elite volume and efficiency, he has a godlike and NFL-best 124.9 rushing yards per game.

Barring injury, he's almost certain to win Offensive Player of the Year, where he's a -500 favorite.

But there's no chance—absolutely no way—that Barkley is worth more to the Eagles than Jalen Hurts.

And yet in the MVP market Barkley is +500 (FanDuel) while Hurts is +6600 (BetMGM).

That's wrong.

Neither player is likely to win MVP, which will probably go to Bills QB Josh Allen—and rightfully so. But the Bills could lose 1-2 of their next five games (at LAR, at DET, vs NE, vs. NYJ, at NE), whereas the Eagles have a real shot to finish 15-2 with their remaining schedule (vs. CAR, vs. PIT, at WAS, vs. DAL, vs. NYG).

And if that happens, I think Hurts—not Barkley—will ultimately draw credit from AP voters, who have given the award to QBs in each of the past 11 seasons.

Chase Brown (Bengals) at Cowboys

The Bengals are all but eliminated from postseason contention, but I still expect them to show up on Monday Night Football and put up points against the Cowboys, who are a tragic No. 32 in defensive rush EPA (0.086).

And that makes Chase Brown—as the lead back in one of the NFL's best offenses—an attractive option.

In his four games this year without No. 2 RB Zack Moss (neck, IR), Brown has been a full-blown workhorse.

Utilization: 83% snap rate | 92% rush share | 64% route rate

Production: 494 yards, 3 TDs | 74 carries, 26 targets

With 15-plus opportunities in every game since Week 9 (and 15-plus in all but one game since Week 4), Brown has an outstanding fantasy floor, and with his matchup, he has a soaring ceiling.

MORE OF FREEDMAN’S FAVORITE QBs FOR WEEK 14

MORE OF FREEDMAN’S FAVORITES:

Win Real Cash with Bleacher Nation Fantasy

Receive a no-sweat first entry up to $250!

Attention football fans! Want to win real cash playing a fantasy football game? Download the Bleacher Nation Fantasy app today and put your sports knowledge to the test. Dominate the competition and claim your share of real cash prizes.

Use code: SWEATFREE for a risk-free entry up to $250. Download Bleacher Nation Fantasy from the app store now and don't miss out on this incredible offer!

DOWNLOAD THE APP TODAY!

AROUND THE WATERCOOLER

The latest fantasy nuggets, silliness, and NFL gossip from our merry band of football nerds:

 🧐 Ian and Dwain analyze Utilization Report data and identify players to target.

🥧 Steve Smith eats some humble pie. He slammed Jeudy last year.

🤢 A wild playoff stat. It’s been a rough 15 years for the Jets.

🤝 Justin Herbert is classy. Thank you, good sir.

🏆️ Who deserves coach of the year? A fairly tight race.

🤐 The league suspends Azeez Al-Shaair. Here are the details.

💃 Bo Nix vs. Jameis Winston. ICYMI, this is too funny.

Week 14 Ian’s Manifesto

By Ian Hartitz

And just like that: Week 14 is upon us. Let's break down some ball!

Every week I will be going through 10 key storylines ahead of all the NFL action, focusing on key fantasy-related trends, the week's biggest mismatches, my personal rankings of every game, bold predictions, and much more. Here is one of the storylines.

As always: It's a great day to be great.

Who are the top QB streaming options this week?

We still have several viable options for down-bad managers suddenly forced to deal with the bye ahead of Week 14. Here’s one.

1. Browns QB Jameis Winston (rostered in 9.5% of ESPN leagues): Look, we can debate the merits of the Jameis experience when it comes to being a good REAL LIFE QB, but there's no debate of how great he is with a long leash in fantasy land thanks to the reality that interceptions are worth only -1 points in more leagues than not. I mean, the man is averaging 336 passing yards per game in his five full starts for crying out loud! While Winston hasn't been lights out since taking over as Browns QB1, Monday night's 497-4-3 effort against the Broncos' allegedly elite pass defense proves that even a tough matchup isn't enough to limit the ceiling here. This is a necessary point ahead of Sunday's date with the Steelers, who Winston did manage to throw for 219 yards against during a blizzard two short weeks ago. Early forecasts call for reasonably fine weather this Sunday, and accordingly, I'm firing up the veteran gunslinger as a legit top-10 option at the position with Cleveland seemingly fine embracing the experience at this point. Consider: The Browns' +4% dropback rate over expected since Week 8 trails only the Bengals and Chiefs across the entire NFL.

More QB Streamers, Trends, Bold Predictions, and More For Week 14

Where Freedman Ranks Five Buzzy Names..

Half-PPR scoring, RB/WR/TE ranks:

Bucky Irving—8th

Isaac Guerendo—25th

Jakobi Meyers—38th

Jonnu Smith—57th

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine—72nd