Week 14 was a nightmare for many fantasy teams who were single-handedly knocked out of contention by George Kittle, Amari Cooper or even freakin’ Derrick Henry. If that was you, it’s time to start looking toward next year. If you are still alive, there is some useful information for you in here too. Today, I’ll tell you the biggest takeaways from what I saw on this week’s tape that you likely didn’t see in this week’s highlights.
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#5) Don’t forget about Joe Mixon in the 2nd round next year
A.J. Green and Andy Dalton getting injured certainly didn’t help Mixon this year from a fantasy perspective, nor did a still terrible offensive line. When you watch him play though, you see that he would be a complete superstar in a handful of offenses. It doesn’t take a genius to realize he is both fast and big, but everytime I see him, I come away extremely impressed with his vision and agility. The moment a hole begins to open up, or even before it happens, Mixon reacts, jetting immediately into the hole. It seemed like every single carry he was creating extra yards when few others in the game could have done the same thing. Assuming Cincy cleans up their offensive line next year, he could be a major steal in fantasy drafts.
#4) Chris Godwin actually played a spectacular game
“Wait a second, I used him in DFS and he most definitely did NOT play well.” I get it, 1 catch for 13 yards on 10 targets looks downright disgusting, but from what he could control, it was about as good of a game a receiver played this weekend. This is something I’ve grown used to thinking every time I watch the youngster. The reason he only caught one ball is that Jameis Winston was so incredibly awful. He threw one catchable ball to Godwin. The reason he kept looking that way, however, is that Godwin was putting the moves on the New Orleans’ secondary, creating separation time and again. We know he’s got insane body control, and now we see plus route running. He has the makings of a serious breakout threat next year with increased targets.
#3) The Dolphins have a top three cornerback duo
With Xavien Howard out for Miami, all eyes were on Minkah Fitzpatrick who was expected to shadow Josh Gordon. We’ve seen him at safety and in the slot, where he has been more than sufficient for the Dolphins, but this week’s assignment proved to be a treat watching. He is by no means the most athletic cornerback, but he is a warrior and as wise as a five-year veteran. If you want to teach a kid to play cornerback, turn on this week’s film. Minak does all the small things right from his football to his positioning and especially using contact to create an advantage. With that said, you can look at Gordon’s stats and suggest Fitzpatrick didn’t do his job, but the majority of his production was in his limited time away from Minkah’s coverage. Don’t sleep on the Dolphins next year if they can acquire some offensive playmakers.
#2) Kenneth Dixon is the best back in Baltimore
We all know that Gus Edwards has been piling up fantasy points since bursting onto the scene a few weeks ago. When you watch him play, however, it is very basic. There is nothing wrong with that, of course, since his line is providing holes and he is staying in his lane picking up the yards given to him, but his current backup does that and then some. I’m talking about Dixon, of course, who is not only a superior back and talent to Edwards, but also Alex Collins. I’m expecting the Ravens to turn the backfield over to him this off-season, if not sooner for their playoff push. It could even happen this weekend in a great matchup against the Bucs.
#1) The Giants are oozing with talent on defense
Yeah, I’ve seen the boxscores. New York is getting shredded on the ground. And through the air. It’s been ugly for sure, but this team is still stacked with athletes all over the field. You may think Washington must have just given up to have been blown out by the Giants, but the fact of the matter is that New York actually played one of the best defensive games of the week. We know about Alec Ogletree, Janoris Jenkins and especially Olivier Vernon‘s abilities, but watch Dalvin Tomlinson and the rookie, Lorenzo Carter, play too. There is some improvement needed, of course, but both are physical specimens who could really prove to be disrupters in part of a good, if not great unit next season when Landon Collins returns from injury.
Additional Notes
- Dede Westbrook is going to be a playmaker with a new QB next year
- Zach Zenner is surprisingly enormous and fast
- Robert Foster is nothing more than a WR5 even with a lead target share
- Ian Thomas is a lot more athletic than most tight ends
- Eli Apple looks ten times better now than when the Saints traded for him
- Ito Smith looks like Maurice Jones-Drew lite for Atlanta
- Rob Gronkowski looked just about as good as old
- Marlon Mack still looks plenty impressive on tape
- DaeSean Hamilton is twice the football player Tim Patrick is
- If Zach Ertz disappeared overnight, Dallas Goedert would be a top 5 tight end
- There is nothing wrong with Todd Gurley whatsoever, don’t worry!
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