Week 14 Booms and Busts: Players going into the fantasy football playoffs on a high note or slumping at worst time

I don't know where Shedeur Sanders is headed as an NFL quarterback. I can't say he'll be great next year, or next week. And obviously he didn't get a win Sunday against Tennessee.

But it's nice to have optimism back in the Cleveland huddle. And Sanders took enough positive steps Sunday that we can start to consider some Browns players as part of our fantasy playoff plans.

Let's be fair, Cleveland outplayed Tennessee on the field. The Browns had 22 first downs and 412 yards of offense, the Titans managed just 13 first downs and 292 yards of offense. Cleveland cranked out 6.4 yards per play, Tennessee only 4.6 yards per play. Even with one additional turnover, the Browns should have won. Don't take the final score (Titans 31, Browns 29) at face value.

Sanders did a lot of good things. He completed 23-of-42 passes for 364 yards and three touchdowns, and he ran for 29 yards and another score. He threw one pick and absorbed two sacks, a reasonable giveback for a rookie quarterback asked to carry this much of the offensive burden. He was sharp most of the day. The tape looks very good, and that 97.7 passer rating validates him, too.

Fantasy managers in standard leagues really aren't looking to Sanders, but if he plays well, we can consider ancillary options. One of Sanders' scores went to rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. (8-114-1), a perfect throw. Fannin is one of those rookies who gives off veteran vibes this late in the season, a player on the rise - Tennessee couldn't figure out how to stop him. David Njoku also had a short touchdown catch, on another pristine Sanders throw, but he suffered a knee injury and left the game early. Fannin appears to be passing him, anyway.

While Fannin looks like a proactive play moving forward - he's available in available in about 60% of leagues. Jerry Jeudy is more of a depth piece. Jeudy didn't do a lot in the previous Sanders games (everyone remembers the Las Vegas fumble that went viral), but he snagged a 60-yard touchdown Sunday, the signature play in a 3-76-1 afternoon. Chicago (Week 15) and Pittsburgh (Week 17) could be good spots for Jeudy moving forward, depending on your needs at the time.

The Tennessee defense centered on Quinshon Judkins, holding him to 26 yards on 14 carries. Judkins turned his only catch into a 58-yard splash play, partially saving his day, but he obviously came in under projection, finishing with 8.9 fantasy points. Still, Judkins might have some playoff juice, with Sanders giving the offense more upside. Secondary back Dylan Sampson had two short carries and five catches; he's a support guy, not a threat to the Judkins workload.

Running backs have done well against Buffalo all year. If the Browns can keep the game within range, Judkins might be a good play in Week 16 against the Bills. And at least we can project decent volume for Judkins the rest of the season, no matter the opponent.

The star on the other side of the ball was Tony Pollard (25-161-2), who cracked double-digit fantasy points for just the third time all year. With Pollard rolling early, Tyjae Spears (8-19-0) was limited to a backup role and QB Cam Ward wasn't asked to do any heavy lifting. Ward secured his second win despite a measly 4.2 YPA, and no one on the team made it to 30 receiving yards.

Game flow could be a problem for Pollard moving forward, as the Titans will be heavy underdogs against the 49ers and Chiefs the next two weeks. Maybe a date with the plucky but beatable Saints in Week 17 will be favorable for Pollard.

Elements don't bother star QBs: Joe Burrow grew up in Ohio. Josh Allen played college ball at Wyoming. It didn't seem like a little Buffalo snow would hold these guys back, and we eventually got the pinball game we all wanted and needed.

The Allen stuff (three touchdown passes, one long touchdown run) feels like a review at this point. His fantasy points usually feel inevitable. So what if Buffalo doesn't have a dynamic wideout or a superstar tight end? Allen usually finds a way. The Patriots, Browns and Eagles can challenge him down the stretch, but only a fool would bet against Allen.

Burrow showed up in some start-sit discussions but he quickly proved his mettle, throwing for 284 yards and four touchdowns. The two late-game picks were more painful to the Bengals than to fantasy managers - they cost Cincinnati the game - but Burrow acquitted himself well most of the day, despite a lukewarm stat line from Ja'Marr Chase (5-44-0). Tee Higgins pushed to 24.2 points off a 6-92-2 line, and touchdown deodorant (one by land, one by air) saved Chase Brown.

You know the Cincinnati story by now - narrow usage tree, mediocre defense. They play pinball more often than not. The Ravens, Dolphins and Cardinals follow the next three games.

Dolphins run wild: Miami's game plan at New York was simple - let De'Von Achane run through and around the overmatched Jets. But when Achane (105 total yards, one touchdown) suffered a rib injury, backups Jaylen Wright (24-107-1) and Ollie Gordon (5-17-1) stepped into the void. Tua Tagovailoa only threw 21 passes, which is Miami's preferred volume - Jaylen Waddle (5-50-1) came home, but he had to make do on just seven targets. Look for Miami to run the ball into the ground against Pittsburgh and Cincinnati the next two weeks.

Bucs passing game continues to struggle: Nobody expected Tyler Shough to outplay Baker Mayfied at Tampa Bay, but that's what happened. Shough actually provided a fair Mayfield imitation, running for 55 yards and two touchdowns, mostly on pure determination. You admire both guys leaving it all on the field.

We have to wonder what's wrong with Tampa Bay, however. Mayfield managed just 4.1 YPA against a mediocre New Orleans defense. Chris Godwin's 5-55-0 line was passable, but Emeka Egbuka continues to struggle (2-15-0, despite nine targets). Egbuka has just one touchdown in his last eight games, and Mike Evans might be returning soon. Player values shift quickly in this game, don't they? Egbuka went from a right answer to a debatable lineup call in two months.

Commanders' conundrum: Washington has some juicy matchups remaining on the schedule - the Giants next week and Dallas in Week 17. But Jayden Daniels might not be ready for prime time.

Daniels played less than three quarters in a blowout loss at Minnesota, throwing for just 78 yards and producing 3.72 fantasy points. The Commanders removed Daniels after he aggravated his left elbow injury, and although Dan Quinn says Daniels could have returned, there was no point given the state of the game. Marcus Mariota didn't do anything in relief of Daniels, but perhaps he could have sleeper value for those upcoming games, if he's asked to play. After a dream season of green lights last year, Washington has hit every pothole on the 2025 parkway.

No trust in Minnesota: We finally found something J.J. McCarthy can do - throw touchdown passes to tight ends. That won't make fantasy managers particularly happy.

McCarthy had three scoring strikes in the romp over Washington, though two of them went to backup Josh Oliver (2-24-2). T.J. Hockenson's score barely saved a 2-12-1 day. As for Jordan Addison (4-62-0) and Justin Jefferson (2-11-4), they can't be trusted for the rest of the year; the connection with McCarthy simply isn't there. And when the Minnesota defense plays well, McCarthy's passing volume will be very low. He had just 23 attempts Sunday.