Fantasy football recap -- What we learned from Week 14

Each week, SportsLine's Fantasy expert Jacob Gibbs will provide an analytical deep-dive into Sunday's games to help provide a better understanding of what we learned and how it will impact the Fantasy outlook of specific teams and players. If you have questions about any stats, players, or situations covered or not covered in this article, feel free to reach out to Gibbs on Twitter.

I'll be updating this on a game-by-game basis throughout the night on Sunday and into the morning on Monday.

Arizona Cardinals

No team ran more offensive plays (79) than the Arizona Cardinals in Week 13. They faced a Giants team that couldn't get anything going offensively and punted eight times in total, so there was ample volume available for Arizona's offensive pieces. After three-straight games with just five rushing attempts, we saw Kyler Murray rush 13 times for 47 yards in this game. However, it's worth noting that Murray did not rush inside the red zone a single time and generally avoided contact at all costs on his rushing attempts. Also, his average depth of target (aDOT) of 5.46 yards ranked 27th in Week 14 and was well below his season average, which is a continued trend in games since Kyler injured his shoulder. Murray's low aDOT resulted in just 244 passing yards on a day where he dropped back to pass 44 times.

With the Cardinals playing with a lead throughout, we saw the playing time split return to favoring Kenyan Drake. He played 56 percent of the snaps and handled 23 of 30 RB carries. Drake led all players with eight red zone rushing attempts and four carries from inside the 10-yard line.

Once again, Dan Arnold turned in a strong Fantasy performance while playing an extremely limited role. He has a total of 33 offensive snaps and 25 routes run over the past two weeks, which he has turned into four catches for 88 yards and three touchdowns. Maxx Williams played 65 percent of the snaps, but he was used heavily as a blocker and actually only ran one more route than Arnold.

Atlanta Falcons

Matt Ryan's struggles without Julio Jones on the field continued in Week 14, as he threw three interceptions and the Falcons ended up with just 55 offensive plays as a byproduct. A massive 35 percent of Ryan's targets were directed towards Calvin Ridley, while Russell Gage's 20.6 percent target share made him the only other Falcon with even a double digit rate.

For the third-straight week, Hayden Hurst's snap rate (54 percent) was below 70 percent. He was a fringe top-10 Fantasy tight end when he was regularly playing 75-85 percent of the snaps, but those days appear to be over. He at least ran a route on 23 of his 31 offensive plays, but three targets just isn't enough. He shouldn't be owned in the majority of leagues.

Todd Gurley (33 percent snap rate) again was out-snapped by Ito Smith (42 percent). He turned eight touches into 31 scrimmage yards and wasn't on the field for Atlanta's one snap from inside the 10-yard line. He's not someone worth trusting as even a top-30 Fantasy RB at this point.

Baltimore Ravens

Playing on MNF

Buffalo Bills

Devin Singletary dominated the work in Week 13 after Zack Moss lost an early-game fumble, but the rookie was back to playing the more Fantasy-friendly role in Week 14. Moss played 53 percent of the snaps to Singletary's 40 percent rate, and he handled 13 of 20 RB carries. Moss also was on the field for all three of Buffalo's offensive snaps from inside the 10-yard line. Neither back was productive, but the usage clearly points towards Moss as the one that you want for Fantasy.

Really, no player was very productive in this one outside of Stefon Diggs. Diggs finished with 131 yards, which made him the only Bill with more than 50 scrimmage yards. He led the way with 14 targets. Cole Beasley finished second with 10 targets, followed closely by Gabriel Davis (eight) and Dawson Knox (seven). No other player had more than one target.

Carolina Panthers

Teddy Bridgewater ranked fifth with 46 dropbacks in Week 14, but it resulted in just 283 passing yards against a Broncos defense that has a surprising amount of fight left in them for how their season has gone. Even with a subpar game from Teddy, Robby Anderson and Curtis Samuel were able to put up solid production because of the concentrated nature of the offense.

Without D.J. Moore or Christian McCaffrey, the offense ran entirely through those two and Mike Davis. Robby A saw his target share spike to 28 percent, while 21 percent of Bridgewater's targets went to Samuel and 15.4 percent went Davis' way. Each of those three totaled at least 90 scrimmage yards, and 68.6 percent of Carolina's touches were handled by that trio.

Even without CMC, Davis played just 57 percent of the offensive snaps the last time we saw Carolina -- in Week 12 prior to their late-season Bye. So, Davis owners had to be relieved by his usage in this one. Davis played 70 percent of the snaps and was on the field for six of seven plays from inside the 10-yard line. He received three carries from that range and scored two goal line touchdowns. Davis will likely be a top-five Fantasy RB in my rankings against the Packers in Week 15 if CMC doesn't return to the field.

Chicago Bears

Even in a game they led throughout, the Bears dropped back to pass on 66 percent of their offensive plays. Mitchell Trubisky absolutely shredded the defense of a Houston team that is limping to the finish line, passing for 267 yards and three touchdowns on 33 attempts. A massive 40.6 percent of those targets went to Allen Robinson, who finished with a 9-123-1 line. It's worth noting that Robinson's snap rate (75 percent) was down from his season average for the second-straight week, and it's possible that he's not near 100 percent health. If we can count on this type of target load for Robinson, his snap rate doesn't matter, though.

David Montgomery continued his late-season surge in another pristine matchup, totaling 155 scrimmage yards against Houston's hapless defense. The results have been terrific, but there are some underlying causes for concern. For starters, he only handled 11 of 17 RB carries. His snap rate has dropped from 85 percent in Week 12 to 75 percent last week and 67 percent in Week 14, and Montgomery was on the field for just three of six plays from inside the 10-yard line. It might not matter if Montgomery's recent efficiency continues, but Cordarrelle Patterson is eating into his workload more than we saw previously. Over the past two weeks, Montgomery has 28 carries to Patterson's 16, and Patterson actually has more carries (three) than Montgomery (two) from inside the 10 during that time.

While it was Jimmy Graham who caught a touchdown, rookie tight end Cole Kmet's role continued to grow in Week 14. Kmet played 78 percent of the snaps in Week 13 and 14, but his snap rate was up to 83 percent in this game. He was on the field more than any Chicago skill position player, he finished third on the team in routes run, and only Robinson had more targets than Kmet (six). On top of that, Kmet out-snapped Graham 6-2 on plays inside the 10-yard line, so it's not as if he is losing playing time to Chicago's veteran red zone weapon when the Bears get in scoring distance. I'd view him as a top-15 Fantasy TE going forward.

Cincinnati Bengals

After losing an early fumble, Giovani Bernard ended up playing just 22 percent of the snaps and rushing just three times. Instead, we saw Trayveon Williams and Samaje Perine each play 38 percent of the snaps. Williams turned 15 touches into 63 scrimmage yards in his first real NFL opportunity, while Perine had 41 yards on 12 touches.

Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd led the Bengals in targets, but it was A.J. Green who came down with a touchdown. Hopefully you aren't left trusting any of these options in the Fantasy playoffs.

Cleveland Browns

Playing on MNF

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys ran the third-fewest offensive plays (50) of any team in Week 14 in a game where their defense scored a touchdown and the offense wasn't needed to do much while playing with a large lead.

Michael Gallup played the most snaps and ran the most routes of any Dallas pass-catcher, was one target behind Amari Cooper for the team-lead, and saw an end zone target bounce off his hands. He finished with just 23 yards.

CeeDee Lamb played just 49 percent of the snaps and was targeted only two times in a game script that led to Dallas using more two tight end sets than usual. Still, Lamb hasn't played more than 71 percent of the offensive snaps in a game since Week 4, as the Cowboys have been unusually conservative with their rookie wideouts usage.

Ezekiel Elliott played 61 percent of the snaps and turned his 14 touches into 59 scoreless scrimmage yards. Tony Pollard had just one fewer touch and scored one of Dallas' two offensive touchdowns. Zeke played three snaps from inside the 10 to Pollard's two, and each back saw one opportunity from that distance.

Denver Broncos

Drew Lock has some of the most extreme splits vs man/zone coverage, and this performance will further accentuate that discrepancy. He shredded Carolina's zone-heavy scheme for 280 yards and four scores on just 27 attempts.

Rookie speedster K.J. Hamler had the best Fantasy performance, catching two of three targets for 86 yards and two touchdowns. He ran a route on 20 of Lock's 30 dropbacks, which ranked third behind Tim Patrick and Jerry Jeudy (25 routes each). Patrick led the way with five targets, and he caught one of Lock's four touchdown passes to make up for a disappointing day from a yardage standpoint.

Noah Fant played just five offensive snaps before leaving the game with an undisclosed illness. In his stead, Troy Fumagalli logged a 60 percent snap rate and caught four of five targets for 53 yards and a score.

Phillip Lindsay actually had a higher snap rate (48 percent) than Melvin Gordon (43 percent), but it was Gordon who led the team with 91 scrimmage yards and 16 touches. Lindsay has traditionally been the more efficient of the two backs, but he compiled just 31 scrimmage yards on 13 touches.

Detroit Lions

I don't know why I keep letting myself get excited. If the 2020 season has proven anything, it's that we can't have nice things. After Matthew Stafford aired it out at by far the highest rate of any game in 2020 last week, his Week 14 aDOT was a minuscule 5.76 yards. Checkdown artists Alex Smith, Nick Mullens, and Teddy Bridgewater all threw downfield at a higher rate.

On top of that, D'Andre Swift played just 44.8 percent of the snaps in this game. With Kenny Golladay looking increasingly unlikely to return this season and Swift back to splitting work with Adrian Peterson and Kerryon Johnson, it's going to be tough to play any Lions players with confidence going forward. Marvin Jones won't have to contend with anything near Jaire Alexander-level coverage in a soft matchup against Tennessee next week, so maybe he'll be worth a dice roll.

The lone bright spot for Detroit was T.J. Hockenson, who finished with a 6-43-1 line and saw double digit targets for just the third time in his career.

Green Bay Packers

Aaron Jones' 66 percent snap rate last week marked the second-highest rate of his 2020 season, and he just barely eclipsed it (67 percent) in Week 14. However, Jones carried the ball on just 15 of his 45 offensive snaps, while Jamaal Williams received a carry on 10 of 19 snaps. Jones was efficient with his touches, totaling 75 scrimmage yards on 17 opportunities, but he didn't find the end zone on a day where Aaron Rodgers threw for three touchdowns and rushed for one more.

Robert Tonyan played just 58 percent of the snaps and ranked fourth on the team in routes run, but his propensity for finding the end zone allowed him to again be quite useful for Fantasy. His not-so-great volume leaves Tonyan as a touchdown-or-bust option most weeks, but so far, he hasn't busted at as high of a rate as his usage suggests that he should. Playing with Aaron Rodgers tends to help boost efficiency, so maybe Fantasy owners will be lucky enough to ride this wave for two more weeks.

I expected Allen Lazard to continue to see his usage trend upward in his fourth game back from injury, but he ranked fifth on the team in routes run and was targeted just three times. His usage could still improve, but he's tough to trust at this point.

Houston Texans

Deshaun Watson dropped back to pass 42 times, but he was under pressure at a massive 43 percent rate and ended up being sacked six times. Couple that with his complete lack of weapons, and Watson's surprisingly inefficient day as a passer becomes a lot less surprising.

Without Brandin Cooks,  it was weirdly Steven Mitchell who led the Texans receivers in playing time (89 percent snap rate) and routes run (40). He caught just three of five targets for 38 yards. Chad Hansen (77 percent) and Keke Coutee (73 percent) were the only other receivers with a double digit snap rate. Hansen led the team with seven targets and 56 receiving yards, while Coutee caught Watson's lone touchdown pass. A lot of Fantasy managers trusted Keke in this spot, but that might not be as easy next week after seeing him only targeted three times in Week 14.

Even with David Johnson sidelined, Duke Johnson only played 46 percent of the snaps and was out-touched 12-10 by Buddy Howell. Duke turned his 10 touches into 79 scrimmage yards thanks mostly to a 48-yard screen pass. I wouldn't want to trust any member of this backfield against the Colts next week.

Again, Jordan Akins played a limited role for a Texans team that is in desperate need of playmakers. Akins played 53 percent of the snaps and finished fourth on the team with 24 routes run on Watson's 42 dropbacks. He caught three of five targets for 20 yards, which included a brutal drop on a wide open target in the end zone. I'm not sure why people continue to expect him to be Fantasy relevant, but Houston's usage of Akins is not nearly Fantasy-friendly enough to make up for the persistent mental lapses that he shows on the field.

Indianapolis Colts

No player has more scrimmage yards or touchdowns over the past two weeks than Jonathan Taylor, who has 300 and three during that time. Patient Fantasy owners, I hope you survived long enough to benefit from these performances! The rookie has put on a show recently, and next up is the same Texans defense that Taylor embarrassed in Week 13.

While the JT breakout has been great fun, there are some holes in his usage profile. It's great that Jordan Wilkins (nine percent snap rate and two touches) has mostly been removed from the equation, but Nyheim Hines doesn't appear to be going anywhere. Even in a game where Indy led throughout, Taylor's snap rate was just 53 percent. He also was on the field for just two of six plays from inside the 10-yard line.

Overall, the role is fine. There aren't many truly game script independent running backs, so the fact that Taylor is going to be sidelined on obvious passing downs and occasionally lose goal line work isn't something that will keep him from being a top-15 Fantasy RB going forward. I just worry that the floor might completely fall out on Fantasy owners who ride Taylor to a championship appearance, as the Colts face the Steelers in Week 16.

T.Y. Hilton only played 64 percent of the snaps, but he still ran a route on 24 of 28 Philip Rivers dropbacks. His 26 percent target share backs up the excellent production (5-86-2), and next up is a Texans defense that Hilton has dominated historically.

Michael Pittman led all skill position players with an 89 percent snap rate and ran a route on 27 of 28 dropbacks, but he was overshadowed on a day that was mostly about Taylor and Hilton. He'll be an okay flex play in an advantageous Week 15 matchup.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Mike Glennon threw an interception on his first pass attempt of the second half, and that was likely the last we'll see of him this season. Gardner Minshew came on and played reasonably well, as the Jags completely abandoned the run in the second half. Jacksonville dropped back to pass on 34 of 39 offensive plays in the second half, which resulted in some huge target totals for Keelan Cole (12 targets), Laviska Shenault (11), and D.J. Chark (9). All three of those wideouts had at least a 70 percent snap rate, which dropped Collin Johnson's rate to just 25 percent.

James Robinson played just 42 percent of the snaps in the second half with Jacksonville going extremely pass-heavy, and he ended up with just a 55 percent snap rate overall. We saw Dare Ogunbowale on the field for 71 percent of Jacksonville's 'two-minute' offensive plays, and the passing down specialist was on the field for 64 percent of the third down reps. Couple this dip in usage with remaining matchups against the Ravens and Bears, and Robinson is going to be tough to trust down the stretch.

Kansas City Chiefs

Clyde Edwards-Helaire played 74 percent of the offensive snaps in this game, which was the highest mark of the rookie's season. Le'Veon Bell was on the field for Kansas City's only two plays from inside the 10-yard line, but I think it was just coincidence. He was just the back on the field during that drive, so it wasn't as if the Chiefs sent Bell in specifically to take goal line snaps away from CEH. That drive was the last we saw of Bell in Week 14, as he didn't log a single snap in the second half.

CEH handled 16 of 18 RB carries and finished the game with 91 scrimmage yards on 21 touches. He ran a route on 23 of 39 dropbacks and was targeted six times. 91 percent of the second half snaps went to CEH, and he was on the field for all nine of Kansas City's 'two-minute' offensive snaps. We've seen several others teams hand the keys to the offense to their rookie running backs in recent weeks, and it's quite possible that the same thing is happening in Kansas City.

Mecole Hardman had the punt return touchdown and caught all three of his targets for 40 yards, but he still played just 31 percent of the offensive snaps. While their production may look similar, Sammy Watkins is definitely the receiver to own between the two. Watkins played 86 percent of the offensive snaps and ran a route on 35 of 39 dropbacks.

Las Vegas Raiders

After much attention was given to Josh Jacobs' Instagram troll job and whether he would suit up or not, he ended up logging a 43 percent snap rate and turning 13 carries into just 49 scoreless yards. He was also only on the field for two of eight plays from inside the 10-yard line. It's possible that his health factored into the low snap rate, but 43 percent really isn't that far off from Jacobs' usual role if the Raiders fall behind early. He will have a strong shot at bouncing back against a joke of a professional sports organization in the Anthony Lynn-coached Los Angeles Chargers next week.

After weeks of disappointing results on strong underlying usage, Nelson Agholor finally put up a strong performance. He's near the top of the NFL in air yards, deep targets, and end zone targets over the past month and is not a bad flier if in need of upside in deeper leagues.

Los Angeles Chargers

Justin Jackson was back in the mix for the Chargers, but his return to the field didn't result in any drop-off in playing time for Austin Ekeler. Ekeler still played 60 percent of the snaps, while Kalen Ballage's snap rate fell from 38 percent last week to 29 percent in Week 14. Jackson rushed three times, while Ballage saw seven carries and Ekeler rushed 15 times. The receiving work was what made Ekeler's Fantasy day, though, as he caught all nine of his targets for 67 yards. Ekeler led all running backs in targets per route run last season, so if any running back is going to be an outlier in that category, it is him. Still, though, it is tough to imagine that he'll continue to be targeted at such a high rate. Ekeler drew nine targets on just 26 routes run in Week 14. Next up is an inviting matchup against the Raiders, so Ekeler owners might not have to worry about any sort of regression until at least Week 16.

No other Charger had more than 60 scrimmage yards with Ekeler dominating the offense. Keenan Allen led the way with 11 targets, and Hunter Henry was close behind with eight, but neither were able to parlay that into the type of yardage production I would have expected in a matchup against Atlanta. That could change against Las Vegas in Week 15.

Los Angeles Rams

After by far his best usage of the season in Week 13, Cam Akers was someone I was very excited for in Week 14. And when he broke off a 35-yard gain on his first touch of the game, it seemed likely that Sean McVay would give him every opportunity to keep his momentum going as the Rams make a playoff push. And boy did Akers keep his foot on the pedal on Thursday night. He piled up 194 scrimmage yards on 31 touches, and his 79 percent snap rate was by far the highest of any Rams running back to date. Akers dominated the red zone usage for the second-straight game and was on the field for several long down and distance plays as well. Another 25-plus touches is within his range of outcomes with the Rams likely to be playing with a large lead against the Jets in Week 15.

For the second-straight week, the Rams used two tight ends at a league-high rate. Both Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett were on the field for more than 83 percent of the offensive snaps, while no receiver reached even an 80 percent rate. Cooper Kupp's snap rate has dropped to 65 and 62 percent over the past two weeks as a result, and a similar playing time breakdown could be coming with a run-heavy gameplan likely in store for Week 15.

Miami Dolphins

Tua Tagovailoa led all quarterbacks with 56 dropbacks, and he attempted a career-high 48 passes. The Dolphins were quite conservative with Tua in his first few starts, but we've seen him unleashed in the past two games. Kansas City's defense didn't make things easy on Tua, pressuring him at a 41 percent rate and sacking the rookie four times. Still, he was able to throw for 316 yards even with both DeVante Parker and Mike Gesicki leaving the game with injury. The rookie also led the NFL in passes that traveled 15-plus yards in the air (13) and 20-plus yards (7).

The primary beneficiary of the aggressive downfield passing should be Parker, but it's unclear if he'll be able to return this season after leaving Week 14's game with a leg injury. It was actually rookie Lynn Bowden who came on to lead the Dolphins in routes run (45) and targets (9), and he turned his increased opportunity into 84 scrimmage yards. Bowden was the only Miami skill position player with a snap rate (66.3 percent) above 60 percent, and the Dolphins were creative about getting him the ball in space. He is worth a pickup for anyone in need of WR help.

The Dolphins fell behind early, so passing down specialist Patrick Laird ended up leading the backfield with a 47 percent snap rate. Starting RB DeAndre Washington played 43 percent of the snaps and handled 13 of 17 RB carries, but was only able to compile 52 scrimmage yards on 15 touches.

Minnesota Vikings

Kirk Cousins was pressured at the third-highest rate (46.8 percent) of any QB in Week 14, and he ended up taking six sacks. In spite of finishing third in the NFL with 47 dropbacks, Cousins only finished with 225 passing yards on the day.

Irv Smith was actually the leading receiver, as he caught all four of his targets for 63 yards and a score in his first game back. It's worth noting that Smith only played 35 percent of the snaps and ran a route on 17 of 27 offensive plays, so this was certainly a top range of outcomes performance from someone with such limited volume. Tyler Conklin actually was the tight end who benefited most from Kyle Rudolph's absence, as he logged a 55 percent snap rate, ran seven more routes than Irv, and caught all five of his targets for 40 yards. That might not sound like much, but it was enough to rank him second on the Vikings in receiving this week.

If you were able to survive disappointing performances from Justin Jefferson or Adam Thielen, you'll have to trust them in a matchup against the Chicago Bears in Week 15. Chicago is a stingy defense, but they use a ton of man coverage and Cousins has the NFL's highest passer rating when facing man coverage. Justin Jefferson has put up particularly impressive numbers against man coverage, and the Vikings passing attack shredded Chicago's man-heavy scheme once already this season. So, there is some reason for optimism, even after a thoroughly disappointing Week 14 showing.

New England Patriots

This was just a disaster of a game for the Pats, and there's not much to take away from it. Damien Harris led the way with 50 scrimmage yards, in spite of just a 37 percent snap rate. There's not a single player from this offense that you should be trusting in Fantasy.

New Orleans Saints

10 targets for Alvin Kamara?! And on top of that, a 71 percent snap rate? The Saints apparently realized it was suboptimal to take the ball out of the hands of one of the NFL's top playmakers, because what we saw from Kamara in this spot was drastically different than in previous games with Taysom Hill under center. He finished with 94 scrimmage yards and a touchdown on 18 touches.

The increase in dump-offs to Kamara led to a decrease in rushing for Hill, who finished with just 33 yards on five carries. The Saints were forced into an unusually pass-heavy gameplan while trying to avoid an embarrassing loss to the Eagles, which resulted in a 73 percent dropback rate. Hill's 38 pass attempts resulted in 291 yards and two touchdowns, but neither of those went to his top receiver. Michael Thomas again dominated the target share, and his 84 receiving yards made him the only Saints player to top the 60-yard mark, but it was Emmanuel Sanders and Jared Cook who found the end zone.

Cook had played five-straight games without a snap rate above 40 percent, but he saw 57 percent of the snaps in Week 14. I'm not sure if that was just a product of the Saints falling behind early, or if we should expect him to return to a Fantasy relevant role going forward, but his usage was notably different than what we've seen for the past month or two.

New York Giants

The Giants finished last in the NFL in both offensive plays (49) and yards (159), which made it nearly impossible for any of these players to put up Fantasy relevant totals. The only Fantasy-relevant note is that Wayne Gallman watched from the sideline as a teammate (Dion Lewis this time) scored a goal line touchdown for the third time in the past two weeks.

New York Jets

The Jets were barely better than the Giants in Week 14, totaling 185 yards of offense on 52 plays. Frank Gore returned and played 32 percent of the snaps, which made this a gross three-man backfield. Ty Johnson led the backfield with a 38 percent snap rate, bu he totaled just 16 scrimmage yards on his eight touches. No player had more than 50 scrimmage yards.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles only dropped back to pass on half of their offensive plays while leading for most of this game, and in perhaps the most shocking development of the week, Jalen Hurts didn't take a single sack on his 33 dropbacks. It is also surprising that Hurts attempted a pass on all but three of his 33 dropbacks, as the majority of his 18 rushing attempts (15 if you don't include kneel downs) were designed runs. Hurts finished with 106 rushing yards, and that type of rushing volume is going to put him in the top-12 Fantasy QB discussion on a weekly basis.

Miles Sanders played 77 percent of the snaps after seeing his role severely limited last week, and big surprise, he balled out when given the opportunity. The NFL's leader in yards per carry totaled 136 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns on 18 touches and seemed to benefit from the extra attention that defenses have to give to Hurts on read option plays. Most Sanders owners probably had to endure such a rough season that making the Fantasy playoffs was an uphill battle, but if you have survived this far, you should be rewarded for your patience. Next up is the Arizona Cardinals, and Sanders draws a dream matchup against the Cowboys in Week 16.

Dallas Goedert again led all skill position players in playing time (83 percent snap rate), and his six targets led the team as well. Hurts only threw for 167 yards on a day where the Eagles led throughout and didn't have any need to be aggressive through the air, so it was tough for any of his pass-catchers to be relevant for Fantasy. Alshon Jeffery caught the only touchdown for Philly, which also was his only catch. If taking a shot on any Philly receiver, I'd choose Jalen Reagor, who played 67 percent of the snaps, actually led the way with 46 receiving yards, and finished second on the team with four targets.

Pittsburgh Steelers

I'm not sure if it is due to the scheduling issues or something else, but the wheels have really fallen off for Pittsburgh's passing offense recently. Ben Roethlisberger dropped back to pass 38 times in this one, which somehow resulted in just 187 yards against a subpar Buffalo defense. JuJu Smith-Schuster led the way with 55 receiving yards, and no other Pittsburgh player even topped 40 scrimmage yards.

Roethlisberger's two touchdowns went to JuJu and James Washington, who continued his upward trajectory in terms of his standing on Pittsburgh's depth chart. Washington played a season-high 81 percent of the snaps, while Chase Claypool (66 percent snap rate) and Diontae Johnson (46 percent) both took a backseat. Diontae was benched in the first half after struggling with drops, but he played 95 percent of the snaps in the second half. Weirdly, Claypool was on the field for just 15 percent of the second half snaps. It's going to be tough to trust either receiver going forward.

Speaking of hard to trust, James Conner also only played 15 percent of the second half snaps against Buffalo. He finished with a 41 percent snap rate, which was enough for him to turn 10 touches into 18 yards. Next week's matchup against Cincinnati is appealing, but Conner hasn't looked like himself for the past month or so.

San Francisco 49ers

Deebo Samuel received a jet sweep on the first play of the game, and it was the only play he was on the field for in Week 14, as his season now appears to be jeopardized by a hamstring injury. With Deebo sidelined, Brandon Aiyuk saw a massive 37 percent target share. His usage in Week 14 was truly unprecedented for a wide receiver in Kyle Shanahan's offense:

With a matchup against the Dallas Cowboys up next, Aiyuk is positioned to be a real difference maker for anyone who has him and still has hope at a Fantasy championship.

It was Kendrick Bourne (85 percent snap rate), not Richie James (28 percent) who stepped into a larger role with Deebo out. Bourne caught just three of his seven targets for 42 yards, but the high snap count and decent target total makes him a somewhat viable option heading into a matchup against Dallas.

Raheem Mostert played just one more snap than Jeff Wilson, and he out-touched him 16-12. Mostert gained 70 yards on his touches, while Wilson totaled just 44. Each back was on the field for two of San Fran's four offensive plays from inside the 10-yard line, but Wilson received a carry on both of his plays from that distance, while Mostert didn't see any carries from inside the 10.

Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks beat the Jets so bad that the starting offense played just two-thirds of the game. It's tough to take much from this game. It is at least noteworthy that Chris Carson played 71 percent of the snaps and out-touched Carlos Hyde 11-4 in the first half. In games that project to be more competitive over the remaining weeks of the Fantasy season, Carson should be in store for a big workload.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Bucs tied the Giants for the fewest offensive plays (49) in Week 14, which had a direct impact on the Fantasy value of Tom Brady's pass-catchers. Minnesota really never posed much of a threat in this game, so Brady only dropped back to pass 22 times. The unusual game script resulted in just a 45 percent snap rate for Antonio Brown, as Tampa didn't use many three receiver sets. Despite running just 14 routes, AB led the team in targets and caught all five of them for 49 yards. Brady's two touchdowns went to Scotty Miller and Rob Gronkowski, each of whom only had one catch. Miller only played five snaps, so don't mistake his performance for a sign of rediscovered Fantasy relevancy.

Ronald Jones played 67 percent of the snaps and handled 19 touches, which resulted in 84 scrimmage yards and a score. He apparently fractured his pinky in this game, though, so there's a chance that we see the backfield touches split between Leonard Fournette (who was inactive for Week 14) and LeSean McCoy in Week 15.

Tennessee Titans

The Titans played with a huge lead for most of this game, so Ryan Tannehill only dropped back to pass on 25 of 65 offensive plays. Derrick Henry handled 28 backfield touches, while an additional 12 went to Jeremy McNichols. McNichols turned his 12 touches into nine yards, while Henry turned his 28 into 222.

A.J. Brown absolutely dominated the target share in this game. 39 percent of Tannehill's targets went to his top receiver, and no other player even recorded a 15 percent target share. Brown did drop another pass in this game, but he was spectacular otherwise. He finished with 112 yards and caught one of Tannehill's two touchdowns.

Corey Davis was targeted just three times on a game where downfield passing wasn't really necessary. Tannehill only attempted four passes of 15 or more air yards in the game, so I wouldn't overreact to Davis' disappointing performance. The blowout nature of the game just didn't lend itself to a big day for a receiver who runs the type of routes that he does. 

Washington Football Team

J.D. McKissic played 64 percent of the snaps, even in a game script that did not suit his skillset whatsoever. Washington held a sizable lead for most of this game, which seemingly should have set up as a 'Peyton Barber game script.' McKissic played 70 percent of the first half snaps, and I think we could see him play 70-80 percent of the snaps in a game if Washington fell behind early. Next up on the docket is a matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, so we may see McKissic's role spike as soon as Week 15.

McKissic's 86 scrimmage yards made him the only Washington player to top 50 yards in a game that was mostly won by Washington's defense. Terry McLaurin's recent struggles continued, as he drew just six targets and finished with two catches for 24 yards. He draws an easier matchup in Week 15, but McLaurin's past two games are certainly concerning.

Alex Smith completed just 8 of 19 passes for 57 scoreless yards with one interception prior to leaving the game with a leg injury. He was replaced by Dwayne Haskins, who completed 7 of 12 passes for 51 scoreless yards. Washington is optimistic that Smith will be back for Week 15. Either way, the QB situation is likely to continue to suppress the Fantasy value of the pass-catchers in Washington. I will say that I would feel a bit more confidence in McKissic's passing game projection if Smith is under center.