You have been riding a guy all season long. He's helped you win matchups in a given week and is a primary reason you are in the fantasy playoffs. Then in an instant, that guy lays a big fat turd the minute that you are relying on him to advance in the fantasy playoffs. Rinse, wash, repeat. This has been repeated over the course of your fantasy football-playing career, and Week 14 was no different. Here are five guys that ruined your chances of advancing in the playoffs.
1. Matthew Stafford, Quarterback, Detroit Lions
Week 14 Statistics: 10/25, 148 yards, zero touchdowns, zero interceptions and one forced fumble
As the No. 4 fantasy quarterback this season, Stafford has made the jump to elite status in fake football. The issue here is that many fantasy owners got to the second season simply because of Stafford's surprisingly stellar play. Going up against a Philadelphia Eagles defense that came into the game giving up the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season, many expected Stafford to finish among the top fantasy quarterbacks. Finishing without a touchdown pass for the first time this season, Stafford ended the week as the 31st-ranked fantasy quarterback with just 5.81 points. Admission. I had him as my No. 1 fantasy quarterback for Week 14.
2. Calvin Johnson, Wide Receiver, Detroit Lions
Week 14 Statistics: Three receptions, 49 yards and zero touchdowns
Talk about surprising. Johnson came into Week 14 having put up nearly 1,000 receiving yards in his previous six outings. Yes, that is a fact, a ridiculous one at that. He was also going up against an Eagles defense that ranked DEAD last in the NFL against fantasy receivers. The weather elements in Philadelphia may have crippled Detroit's offense, but for Johnson to put up the 52nd-best fantasy performance by a receiver is just plain crazy. To put that into perspective, Megatron was sandwiched between two rookies, Josh Boyce and Stedman Bailey in the rankings. Sorry, guys. Another admission. I had Johnson as my No. 1 fantasy receiver for Week 14.
3. Zac Stacy, Running Back, St. Louis Rams
Week 14 Statistics: 14 attempts, 25 yards and one touchdown
This rookie from Vanderbilt came into Week 14 combining for nearly 550 total yards and four touchdowns in his previous five games. He had also gone up against the likes of the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks during that span. In fact, Stacy was the No. 7 fantasy running back during that span. Despite going up against an Arizona Cardinals defense that has yielded the least amount of fantasy points to running backs this season, we expected a better performance from Stacy. While he did score a touchdown, the fifth-round pick finished as a bottom-tier FLEX option in standard 12-team leagues.
4. Russell Wilson, Quarterback, Seattle Seahawks
Week 14 Statistics: 15/25, 199 yards, one rush two yards, one touchdown and one interception
It was hard to expect a whole heck of a lot from Wilson in this one. He was lining up against a San Francisco 49ers defense that is playing the best football, as a unit, in the entire National Football League. With that said, Wilson came into the game as the fifth-ranked fantasy quarterback and had been on a ridiculous roll, combining for 15 touchdowns and just two interceptions in his previous six games. Week 14 represented the fourth time that Wilson did not hit the 200-yard mark this season. In doing so, he finished as the 27th-ranked fantasy quarterback on the week.
5. Dez Bryant, Wide Receiver, Dallas Cowboys
Week 14 Statistics: Two receptions, 12 yards and one touchdown
No one on their right mind saw this coming. Everything was aligning for Bryant to have a stellar fantasy performance on Monday Night Football. He was lining up against a Chicago Bears defense that was without Charles Tillman and came into the game ranked in the middle of the pack against fantasy receivers. Bryant responded by catching two passes for 12 yards and a score on just four targets. He finished as the 43rd-ranked receiver on the week.