Week 14 continued to show us that at any time, anyone can beat anyone. There were upsets like the Buccaneers beating the Colts the Broncos killing the Texans, and the Rams dominating the Seahawks. There were games much closer than most would have thought. The Packers barely beat the Redskins and the Jets needed the final moments to squeak past the Dolphins. The offenses seemed to be sleepy in Week 13 but this week they woke up. The game of the week was definitely the 49ers edging the Saints in a 48-46 offensive bonanza, which supposedly showcased two the of the best defenses in the NFL. Even Eli Manning almost pulled off an upset. That is if you consider Philadelphia a great team.
My quarterback recommendations were the best of the season. I hit on all three. Jacoby Brissett came through with around 25 fantasy points, good enough for QB10 for the week. Ryan Tannehill, who was my alternate was a revelation again. He was QB3 scoring over 37 fantasy points. Even my dark horse sleeper, Sam Darnold, was able to usurp 20 fantasy points on the way to being QB15. All of them were not as good as Drew Brees or Jameis Winston but all of them had better weeks than Dak Prescott, Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady, Russell Wilson, and Aaron Rodgers. This further verifies that the quarterback position has been and should always be one you wait on in drafting. Don’t fall for the Lamar Jackson trap of 2020.
My tight ends were not as successful but I did manage to pick two successful players out of three. My top recommendation, Mike Gesicki, was awful. He had five targets but only converted one of those into a reception for a measly six yards. However, Tyler Higbee continued to show his dominance without the presence of Gerald Everett. He had another day over 100 yards receiving. He was TE2 for the week. He was only behind Noah Fant, a streamer I missed out on, on account of his poor showing the week before with new quarterback, Drew Lock, who looks the part as the Broncos’ future quarterback moving forward. My dark horse sleeper, Jonnu Smith, was TE10. He only had three receptions but came through with a touchdown. A big win.
Get free start/sit and waiver wire advice for your fantasy team 
Quarterback Streamer of the Week: Jacoby Brissett (IND) vs. New Orleans Saints
I only recommend players who are under 40% owned. However, if you are lucky and Ryan Tannehill (47% owned) happens to be available, pick him up. And if he’s not available, see if 45% owned Derek Carr is on your waiver wire. He’s at home against a Jacksonville Jaguars team heading in the wrong direction. Carr is much better this time of year throwing passes in the hot sunshine. However, more likely than not, neither are possibilities.
Then it is time to go to my 2019 fall back Jacoby Brissett. I don’t think Brissett is the high ceiling play this week but I do think if you want a player to get you enough without setting you up to tank, he’s your guy. The Saints’ defense has been inconsistent enough to not trust them. They have allowed three of the last four quarterbacks to throw over 300 yards, and have given up 11 touchdowns in that span. Brissett has nothing to play for except perhaps his job as the future quarterback for Indianapolis moving forward. So yes, that is a big incentive for him to keep his chin up and try to excel. He seems likely to get you the 20 fantasy points you need and most likely will be in a position where he will have to throw the ball to keep his team in the game. The Saints are also in a must-win because they want to have home-field advantage all the way through the playoffs.
Alternate Quarterback Streamer of the Week: Ryan Fitzpatrick (MIA) vs. New York Giants
Fitzmagic had a very underwhelming performance against the other New York football team last week. However, the Giants have a much more generous defense. The Giants are eighth-worst against opposing quarterbacks. Unfortunately, Miami lost its most dominant weapon, DeVante Parker, early on last week. If he is ruled out this week, you might want to pivot away from Fitzmagic and go with Eli Manning. He showed us that he can still dominate in a first half against the Eagles. He also showed us that he is one step closer to retirement in the second half of that game. Miami has been playing better but let’s face it, both the Dolphins and the Giants are bad teams that are not playing for anything other than a high draft pick. Let’s just hope that Parker is back to help Fitz throw some of his magic. Even with Parker out, I would still personally go Fitzmagic over Manning but both should be able to give you a decent return.
Dark Horse Quarterback Sleeper: Drew Lock (DEN) vs. Kansas City Chiefs
I think the ceiling is very high for Drew Lock. In his first game, he looked very conservative. In Week 14, he was dominant. Which two-game sample size will we see this week? About a month ago I would say he would be a lock for the top streaming option considering the Kansas City defense. However, the Chiefs have looked much better. Since Week 10, no quarterback has been able to score more than 20 points. For the past two weeks, both Tom Brady and Derek Carr failed to score 10.
We know anything can happen in the NFL. Lock could keep rolling and shred the Chiefs. However, he could also throw up a dud performance. We have not seen enough from him. Beggars can’t be choosers. It’s Week 15, there’s not a lot out there to choose from. If you need a quarterback who can win you your week it’s Lock. Just know that if the Kansas City defense continues to play well, you might see your playoff run end.
Tight End Streamer of the Week: Mike Gesicki (MIA) vs. New York Giants
Normally if I get burned by a streamer one week, I tend to shy away the next. I am not this week with Mike Gesicki. Yes, he had a very disappointing performance but he was facing a Jets team that is good against tight ends. I knew this last week, mentioned it in my article but still thought he was going to buck that trend. It didn’t happen but he’s against a very porous Giants defense this week. They allowed Zach Ertz to single-handedly destroy them. He scored more than half of his team’s points and had over 30 fantasy points. Together with Dallas Goedert, the Philadelphia tight end tandem had 12 receptions for 132 yards and two touchdowns. Gesicki doesn’t have to compete with another tight end so feel pretty confident this week having him in your lineup. Sometimes you just have to go back to the well and give it another try despite it feeling slightly uncomfortable.
Alternate Tight End Streamer of the Week: Tyler Higbee (LAR) vs. Dallas Cowboys
If Gerald Everett is out for a third consecutive week, then it’s full steam ahead for Tyler Higbee. He has amassed over 200 yards in two games with Everett out. The best thing about Higbee is he has seen 19 targets in that time, so even if he can’t make it into the end zone, you should feel safe with his über production. If Everett is back, you might want to try one of my other tight end recommendations I have below first. I think it is improbable that Higbee has his third 100+ yard games in a row but this year’s entire fantasy season has seemed to flourish on improbability. The Cowboys had a good defense but have seemed to be tanking at the wrong time.
Dark Horse Tight End Sleeper: Hayden Hurst (BAL) vs. New York Jets
Similar to Higbee’s case, a lot has to do with whether or not Mark Andrews suits up in this short week. I am assuming he won’t be ready and I don’t see the need for Baltimore to rush back their top tight end. Hayden Hurst, who was drafted ahead of Andrews a few years ago was supposed to be the top dawg. He has not materialized but showed us last week that he is quite capable of filling in nicely. If Andrews sits out then give the green light to Hurst, who scored a 61-yard touchdown last week to go along with three receptions. If Andrews manages to see the field then look for a tight end elsewhere.
Keep Your Eye On: Noah Fant (DEN) vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Noah Fant would most likely be my second choice for tight end streaming this week. However, he left his last game on a stretcher so it is iffy whether or not he’ll be back this week. However, if he manages to play plug him in. He might be worth picking up now, and if he doesn’t suit up then Kaden Smith will most likely be around. He’s by far the most athletic tight end of this group and seems to be developing nicely with Drew Lock.
Get a free analysis of your team with My Playbook
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Spotify | Stitcher | SoundCloud | TuneIn | RSS
Marc Mathyk is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Marc, check out his archive and follow him @Masterjune70.
