What a devastating week when it comes to early in-game injuries. Keenan Allen, Lamar Miller and Aaron Jones all fell to the injury bug before being able to contribute anything. Were you able to motivate your guys and pull off an improbable victory or did you let your team crumble to the adversity?
I’m sure most of you were hanging on every play for the semifinals, but let’s take a quick look at the good and the bad from every game of the mainslate.
Cardinals @ Falcons
The Good
Atlanta’s DST was a pretty chalky play this week and it did not disappoint, forcing three turnovers and racking up seven sacks. It’s been a season to forget for the defensive unit, but I’m interested to see how they can do next season when all the starters are healthy.
There was a lot of Patrick Peterson nonsense all week, but Julio Jones simply cannot be stopped.
Welcome to the 2018 season, Tevin Coleman. The backup finally delivered a huge performance when it mattered most.
The Bad
Josh Rosen looks simply overmatched every time he drops back.
Austin Hooper only saw one target… which was promptly dropped. The bagel is crushing for what had been a somewhat reliable TE option in PPR formats.
Lions @ Bills
The Good
There might not be many owners who survived last week’s dud, but Kenny Golladay exploded for 146 yards on seven catches. He’s more boom/bust than we’d like, but he almost has to be in Week 16 lineups.
Robert Foster continues to make big plays. Combined with Josh Allen’s big arm, he’s an intriguing WR3.
The Bad
Josh Allen’s rushing floor isn’t exactly as high as we’d like. He did salvage the day with a three yard score in the second quarter, but scrambling yards aren’t nearly as reliable as designed runs.
Packers @ Bears
The Good
It was a tough spot, but Davante Adams is beyond matchup proof. He’s got a strong case to be the first receiver off the board in drafts next season.
The Bad
Mike McCarthy took the fall, but Aaron Rodgers has been extremely mediocre all season and today was no exception.
Aaron Jones broke fantasy owners’ hearts, leaving with a knee injury after just four carries.
Raiders @ Bengals
The Good
Joe Mixon had 29 touches for 130 yards and two scores. He’s a usage monster who is succeeding even without A.J. Green and Andy Dalton.
The Bad
When will NFL teams (and fantasy players) realize Doug Martin is washed? What a waste of a roster spot.
More dynasty related, but John Ross might as well be given up on. If he can’t do anything with A.J. Green and Tyler Eifert out he never will.
Cowboys @ Colts
The Good
Pat Thorman was spot on when he tweeted the importance of center Ryan Kelly to the rushing game. Marlon Mack won many people their semifinals with his 149 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns.
Ezekiel Elliott did about as well as you could hope for with his team being shut out. His usage in the receiving game raises his already high floor.
The Bad
Why draft a wide receiver in the first round if you can’t use him by Week 15? Unless Michael Gallup did something we don’t know about, it’s inexcusable to not target one of your best weapons.
Andrew Luck didn’t need to do much and a result potentially tanked fantasy owners’ seasons. He’s been fantastic most of the season but has now put up a dud in two of the last three weeks.
Dolphins @ Vikings
The Good
Dalvin Cook at $6,200 on Fanduel was maybe the most obvious play of the season and he did not disappoint. Even with Latavius Murray siphoning 15 carries, Cook amassed 163 yards and a pair of scores.
What did Kenyan Drake do to Adam Gase? After Frank Gore went down it was the Kalen Ballage show. The popular best-ball sleeper in the offseason finally delivered with 123 yards and a 75-yard score.
The Bad
Adam Thielen sure put many owners into the playoffs and he surely took many out. An all-time clunker of a playoff week.
Titans @ Giants
The Good
Derrick Henry is the first player to go for 170 yards and two scores in consecutive weeks since LaDainian Tomlinson. With the hapless Redskins on deck, he looks poised to carry owners to a championship.
The Bad
There were actually people saying Odell Beckham Jr. holds Eli Manning back. Hopefully that’s put to rest.
Saquon Barkley couldn’t do anything all day. Like Thielen, he brought people to the playoffs and will surely take them out of it.
Redskins @ Jaguars
The Good
Uh… next.
The Bad
That “all-time great Jacksonville defense” allowed a guy who has played one game since 2011 come back from two scores in the fourth quarter IN JACKSONVILLE. What a bunch of frauds.
The Jaguars taking Leonard Fournette over Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson could be one of the worst draft mistakes in NFL history.
Buccaneers @ Ravens
The Good
Mike Evans has been up and down all year, but he delivered a solid game (4/121/0) when it mattered most. He’s going to be a value in drafts next season.
Gus Edwards’ touchdown regression finally came. The undrafted rookie is the poster child for the “running backs don’t matter” crowd.
The Bad
Cameron Brate has been a solid fantasy contributor since O.J. Howard went down, but nine yards on one catch isn’t going to cut it in the semifinals.
Jameis Winston is the latest quarterback to find out that the Baltimore defense is no joke. He was horrible all day.
Seahawks @ 49ers
The Good
Welcome to 2018, Doug Baldwin. The injury-plagued receiver finally delivered with a 4/78/2 line, but how many people did it help?
Chris Carson smashed in a smash spot, even if it wasn’t the great game script we were expecting. The Rashaad Penny (and my offseason hype of him) looks worse by the week.
The Bad
George Kittle followed up his historic performance with a dud. He’s been fantastic all season in a shallow position and will surely be a priority pick next year.
Tyler Lockett didn’t score which mean Tyler Lockett didn’t do much. He’s completely touchdown dependent.
Patriots @ Steelers
The Good
The Jaylen Samuels tight end eligibility on Yahoo did end up changing the playoff landscape after his monster day of 172 yards from scrimmage. With James Conner expected to return in Week 16, it could be more of a committee than owners of either side would like to see.
The Bad
Antonio Brown salvaged his day with a touchdown, but he was once again out-targeted by Juju Smith-Schuster. It’s clear the passing of the torch has happened.
Rob Gronkowski might not even be a top-five TE option next season. He’s been completely unreliable and tanked many people’s seasons who selected him in the second round.
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Be sure to check back in over the next few days for a more in-depth look at all the waiver options and injury notes that came from today’s games and good luck in your championships next week!
