Nobody can make a reasonable case that Baltimore Ravens backup QB Tyler Huntley, in his second season after being undrafted out of the University of Utah, is as good as 2019 NFL MVP Lamar Jackson, one of the top players in fantasy football. Still, when Jackson left Sunday's 24-22 loss to the Cleveland Browns on a cart with a sprained ankle of yet-to-be-determined severity, Huntley nearly led the team to victory. He hardly appeared overwhelmed, just like in Week 11, when he led the Ravens to a 16-13 road win against the Chicago Bears.
Week 15 is approaching and with it the fantasy football playoffs in most leagues. Should Jackson need to miss games, ESPN Fantasy will surely recommend more proven quarterback options than Huntley. He has fewer than 100 career pass attempts. Still, should Huntley have to start the Week 15 home game against the Green Bay Packers, he should be able to keep other Ravens relevant. After all, he kept TE Mark Andrews, WRs Rashod Bateman and Marquise Brown and the running game active in Cleveland, and the Ravens scored more than 20 points for the first time since Week 9.
Both Andrews and the rookie Bateman surpassed 100 receiving yards, the third time this season for the former and the first time for the latter. Andrews and RB Latavius Murray scored fourth-quarter touchdowns. OK, so by then the Ravens moved the football against a different Browns defense, one armed with a big lead, but Huntley, for the most part, played competently. A bit rattled versus the rush at times, he overthrew several open receivers (the speedy Brown specifically), but showed touch and accuracy on short passes. He threw for 270 yards and ran effectively for 45 yards on six attempts. Huntley was not the reason the Ravens lost the football game.
Huntley scored 15.3 PPR points, which is actually more than Jackson averaged over his past three full games. Yes, Jackson entered Week 14 fifth among quarterbacks in full-season PPR scoring, but he ranks outside the top 20 since Week 10. Jackson threw eight interceptions in his past four games entering Sunday, and he last rushed for a touchdown in Week 2. In other words, Jackson was hardly playing at an MVP level for the past month, disappointing fantasy managers since Week 9. However, the skill players surrounding him were faring OK, so fantasy managers should stick with them against the Packers regardless of who plays quarterback.
Getting things started
The Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers should further clarify AFC West hierarchy in the first game of Week 15, this Thursday night. Chargers QB Justin Herbert threw four touchdown passes in the first matchup of the season, outshining Mahomes back in Week 3, a 30-24 Chargers win, and RB Austin Ekeler and WR Keenan Allen caught two of the touchdowns. Ekeler (ankle) left this past Sunday's easy win over the New York Giants early, and his status may be questionable in a short week. Justin Jackson and Joshua Kelley are the backups, and not so exciting. Allen (COVID-19 list) missed the game and he may not be ready for this game either. The Chiefs, fresh off a 48-9 humiliation of the reeling Las Vegas Raiders, have healthy fantasy options.
Scheduling notes
Fantasy managers must be aware that there are also a pair of Saturday games for the next several weeks. Managers in ESPN leagues will still be able to make moves on Sunday morning, but our advice is to set your preliminary rosters well before then, avoiding Thursday/Saturday options in the flex spot. The aforementioned Raiders and Browns play on Saturday afternoon, each team still in the wild card race, but hardly thriving offensively. Raiders WR Hunter Renfrow has surpassed 100 receiving yards in each of his past three games. We shall see whether excellent TE Darren Waller (knee) returns after missing two games. The Browns may be without RB Kareem Hunt (ankle), who was injured Sunday.
The Saturday night game features two of the four teams coming off the Week 14 bye in the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts. Patriots RB Damien Harris (hamstring) left the Week 13 win over the Buffalo Bills prematurely, and we will see whether he is a full participant in practices this week. The Colts have no such concerns at running back with Jonathan Taylor, fantasy's top PPR scorer entering Week 14. The bye weeks have mercifully ended.
Other injuries
The Philadelphia Eagles come off their bye for a home tilt with Washington, and they may get a break with the road team potentially missing QB Taylor Heinicke (knee) and WR Terry McLaurin (concussion). TE Logan Thomas (knee) is out for the season. Washington may rely heavily on RB Antonio Gibson, with QB Kyle Allen and WR Cam Sims the potential passing game leaders. Gibson is the only one you would want in fantasy.
The Detroit Lions offer no sympathy toward Washington. The Lions played Week 14 sans RBs D'Andre Swift (shoulder) and Jamaal Williams (COVID-19 list) and TE T.J. Hockenson (hand). Fantasy managers would like them back! The San Francisco 49ers won without RB Elijah Mitchell (concussion), as Jeff Wilson Jr. split carries with WR Deebo Samuel. Follow for news updates during the week.
Monday night madness
The Minnesota Vikings visit the Chicago Bears on Monday night, as those relying on RB Dalvin Cook and WR Justin Jefferson -- as well as statistically underrated QB Kirk Cousins -- have to wait until the final scheduled game of the weekend for fantasy love. Cook and Jefferson combined for 55.7 PPR points in Week 14, and second-year WR K.J. Osborn filled in for veteran Adam Thielen with 83 receiving yards and a touchdown. There is no clarity, as of now, on whether Thielen (ankle) will be available for this game. He missed their Week 14 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.