The first week of the fantasy football playoffs has come and gone and based on what I’ve read about, many of you in the fantasy community were in some highly contested matchups this week.
Some well-known players helped secure you your victory and even some lesser-known ones did as well. Regardless, when it comes to winning during the regular season a good amount of skill is involved when it pertains to setting the correct lineups and picking up/dropping players over the course of 13 games. When it comes to the fantasy playoffs and win or go home scenario, a lot of LUCK is involved. So if you were one of the ones who survived by the skin of your teeth and advanced to the semi-finals in Week 15 just be happy you advanced this week, grab your fantasy lasso, and ride that lightning bolt of luck into round two with pride.
As I always state, these 4-EYED OBSERVATIONS are meant to recap a few player’s performances from this past week and help give you insight on whether or not these players can help you achieve victory in the upcoming week.
**DISCLAIMER**
As always when discussing fantasy point production we’re referring to 0.5 PPR scoring. IDP fantasy point scoring is solely based on our very own IDP scoring rubric which will be presented to you when we discuss IDPs later on in the article.
Here are my 4-EYED OBSERVATIONS from Week 14!
Quarterback: Mitchell Trubisky can win you a fantasy football championship
That’s right, folks. I said it on Thursday night and I still mean it today. On Thursday Night Football Mitch Trubisky put up:
- 3rd most fantasy points by a QB (32.1)
- 3rd most total touchdowns (4)
- 2nd most rushing yards by a QB (63)
As we stated in our 2019 Fantasy Playoff Primer podcast episode in today’s NFL the quarterbacks that have proven to provide the most fantasy football success/those that you can trust in the fantasy playoffs the most are the ones that not only throw for decent yardage but those that run for decent yardage. Rushing yardage can help put your QB over the top in terms of fantasy point production and/or can help you overcome disappointments such as turnovers in a game. In terms of fantasy point production Trubisky has averaged 20.9 fantasy points per game over the last 5 games and in Week 14 will take on a Packers team that is 27th in run defense which should help him avoid a Packers team ranked in the top 10 in terms of pass rush and coverage. Let’s not forget the Cowboys defense is a pretty solid defensive unit and Mitch carved them up with his arm and legs in Week 14. You can confidently start Trubisky in Week 15 and throughout the rest of the fantasy football playoffs.
Running Back: OK….so Raheem Mostert is a thing now
So if you read last week’s 4-EYED OBSERVATIONS you remember me gushing over Raheem Mostert’s performance in week 13 but also me cautioning you that the backfield in San Francisco was too volatile to trust. Well, Week 14 told us something different.
Mostert posted:
- 4th most fantasy points by an RB (23.9)
- Most rushing yards on his team (69)
- Most receiving yards on his team (40)
- Most touches on his team (12)
In fact, over the last 3 games played Mostert leads the team in rushing attempts, yards ran, yards received, and fantasy points per game (19). Week 15 the 49ers take on a Falcons team that ranks 14th in the league in run defense and allows an average of 108 rushing yards per game. When it comes to the running back position volume is generally a good predictor of fantasy football success and over the past few week’s the 49ers have leaned heavily on Mostert and his production on the field. You should expect the same for him in Week 15. Start him with confidence.
Wide Receiver: “Bobby Trees” has come out of hiding and is producing for you down the stretch
Robert Woods on Sunday put up:
- 6th most fantasy points by a WR (22.1)
- 7th most targets for a WR (7)
- 5th most receptions by a WR (5)
- 2nd most rushing yards by a WR (29)
That last metric just goes to show you how versatile Woods is to that Rams offense. Whether it’s too late or not is a different story, but the Rams offense is starting to look like the Rams offenses of the past few seasons, and over the past 3 games played Woods has led the team in receiving yards per game (122.3), receptions per game (8.7), and fantasy points per game 15.7. Week 15 holds a showdown in Dallas for the Rams and facing a Cowboys team that got lit up by the Bears on Thursday night look for the Rams, Woods, and this, now, high flying offense to continue to produce for you from a fantasy standpoint in Week 15.
Tight End: Ian Thomas is the new Superman in Carolina…outside of Christian McCaffery that is
As we discussed on our Fantasy Playoff Primer episode, with Greg Olsen being out of action due to a concussion Ian Thomas was in a tremendous position to take advantage of the target vacuum in Week 14 left by Olsen and boy did he deliver:
- 8th at TE in fantasy points scored (14.2)
- 3rd in targets (10)
Targets + Opportunity + An Inexperienced QB = Great things for a tight end and for the fantasy manager rostering that tight end. In Week 15 the Panthers take on the Seahawks that just let Rams tight end Tyler Higbee go wild on them for 116 yards and 15.1 fantasy points. The game script and the matchup favors Thomas this week.
IDP OF NOTE FROM WEEK 14
While I normally discuss a DB, DL, AND LB during these OBSERVATIONS, only one player jumped out this week from a fantasy perspective that isn’t that widely known but that can help you going forward in the playoffs.
Linebacker: Donald Payne is bringing the pain for opponents down in Jacksonville
In Week 14, Donald Payne posted:
- 5th most solo tackles among linebackers (8)
- 2nd most assisted tackles among linebackers (8)
- 5th most fantasy points scored by a linebacker (18)
Ever since taking over for Myles Jack, who was placed on injured reserve, Payne has had a team-leading 31 total tackles (10.3 total tackles per game) and the most fantasy points scored by a linebacker on the Jaguars roster. In week 15 the Jags take on the Raiders in what should be your typical “ground and pound” affair. Payne is only rostered in 1.6% of ESPN leagues. Pick him up and start him for the remainder of the playoffs.
Those were my 4-EYED OBSERVATIONS from Week 14!
Be sure to read our 4-EYED WAIVER CLAIMS on Tuesday evening, our 4-EYED PREVIEWS for WEEK 15 on Wednesday, our 4-EYED ASSESSMENT on Thursday, and our HEROES & VILLAINS article from the previous week’s action this week as well!
ALSO, our Week 15 Fantasy Preview podcast will be dropping this Friday!
Make sure to follow us Twitter, Facebook, & Instagram as well as reach out to us to get your personalized fantasy football questions answered!
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*Stats provided by FantasyData.com, ProFootballFocus.com, and FantasyPros.com
