Week 14 delivered some of the wildest highs and lows of the entire year. Several stars posted season-best performances while others completely imploded and may have sunk fantasy playoff hopes everywhere. Let’s dive into the players who swung matchups in both directions.
Stud: Jahmyr Gibbs
Jahmyr Gibbs continues to prove he is one of the most dynamic playmakers in football. Against the Cowboys he took 12 carries for 43 yards and three scores and caught all seven of his targets for 77 yards. That equates to 37 fantasy points in many formats.
What makes this even more impressive is that Detroit was not missing Amon Ra-St. Brown or any major receiving threats besides Sam LaPorta. And even with David Montgomery healthy, Gibbs owned the red zone. All three touchdowns came from inside the twenty at 1, 10, and 13 yards.
This is his third game with three touchdowns since Week 9 and he is top five in red zone attempts this season. Montgomery will still be involved, but the Lions have clearly flipped the script. Gibbs is the preferred red zone option heading into the fantasy playoffs.
Dud: Jalen Hurts
It is hard to describe how far the Eagles offense has fallen. Monday Night Football was sloppy on both sides, but Jalen Hurts’ performance was a disaster: 240 passing yards on 52% completions, no touchdowns, one fumble, and four interceptions. That is 0.4 fantasy points.
And somehow the raw stats do not even capture how bad it was. The lowlight came when Hurts threw an interception, recovered a fumble, then immediately fumbled it right back to the Chargers in one of the most chaotic plays of the season.
Later in overtime, with the Eagles at the Chargers’ seventeen yard line needing only a field goal to extend the game, Hurts’ tipped pass was picked off again to end it.
Philadelphia’s offense looks nothing like the unit that rolled through the league last season. Is the problem play-calling, Barkley’s decline, or Hurts himself? Something has to change.
Stud: Shedeur Sanders
It is officially time to give Shedeur Sanders his flowers. He threw for 364 yards and three touchdowns in Week 14, including a gorgeous 60-yard strike to Jerry Jeudy. He also added 29 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground, finishing with 33.46 fantasy points.
The game ended in bizarre fashion. Sanders marched the Browns 80 yards in the final minutes and threw a seven yard touchdown to bring them within two. Instead of letting Sanders attempt the conversion, Cleveland ran a strange wildcat reverse pass with rookie Quinshon Judkins that failed.
Even so, the Browns named Sanders their starter for the rest of the season. The interesting subplot is 2026 since Deshaun Watson is expected to return from Achilles surgery. Stay tuned.
Dud: Travis Kelce
This was a must win game for the Chiefs and Travis Kelce had possibly his worst performance of the season. He caught only one of five targets for eight yards. But the stat line does not tell the whole story.
With Kansas City trailing by seven and just under four minutes left, Patrick Mahomes hit Kelce deep in stride. It bounced off his hands and deflected directly into a Texans defender for a crushing interception that sealed the game.
The Chiefs now need help to make the playoffs. If Kansas City is going to salvage anything from this season, their most dependable stars need to flip the switch immediately.
Stud: Michael Wilson
Michael Wilson has turned into a revelation. Over the last month he has looked like one of the most productive receivers in football. This week he hauled in 11 of 16 targets for 142 yards and two touchdowns for 37.2 fantasy points.
The situation could not be better for him. The Cardinals are constantly chasing points, Jacoby Brissett is throwing the ball 45 times a week, and Marvin Harrison Jr continues to miss time. In all three games Harrison has sat, Wilson has topped 10 catches and 100 receiving yards.
Arizona is going nowhere, but Wilson is absolutely helping fantasy managers get somewhere.
Dud: Emeka Egbuka
Emeka Egbuka’s slump continued in a tough loss to the Saints. He saw nine targets but caught only two for 15 yards for 3.5 fantasy points. And he dropped a walk-in touchdown late in the fourth quarter that would have tied the game.
The last four games have completely torpedoed his Offensive Rookie of the Year candidacy. He has not topped 45 yards or scored in any of those weeks. Meanwhile Tetairoa McMillan’s odds have surged to -155 or shorter nearly everywhere.
Emergency Room
Daniel Jones
Daniel Jones suffered a season ending Achilles injury, ending what had been one of the most encouraging years of his career. Rookie Riley Leonard finished the game but is now dealing with a PCL sprain. Anthony Richardson remains on IR with an orbital fracture.
This led to one of the most unexpected moves in recent memory. The Colts signed Phillip Rivers to their practice squad. Rivers has not played in five seasons and has been coaching his son’s high school team, which reportedly runs a system similar to Indianapolis.
The Colts are out of options and out of time. Now we find out if the 43-year old Rivers has one more chapter left in him.