What to do with Austin Ekeler and Breece Hall, Andy Behrens for NFL Commish and more: Week 14 fantas

Publish date: 2024-05-26

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s the final week of the fantasy football season! Next week kicks off the playoffs for most leagues, and this will be my last mailbag of the season (but we still have a few more mailbags left with Dane and Dom answering). I want to thank each of you who have submitted questions, comments, and read my work this season. It truly means the world, and I hope I helped improve your fantasy season somehow. If I didn’t answer your question in the article, drop it in the comments, and I’ll answer as many as possible. You can hit me up on Twitter/X @GMenJay, as well.

Should I be concerned with Austin Ekeler for the rest of the season? – Gabriel M

Is it time to bench Austin Ekeler? I’m in first place and gearing for the playoffs. I have Achane, Mostert, Brian Robinson, James Cook and Charbonnet. Seems all of them are better than Ekeler right now. – Anonymous

Is it time to bench Austin Ekeler?? Declan W

There were multiple questions about Austin Ekeler, and rightfully so. Ekeler has just 21.1 points in total over his past three games, failing to score more than 9.4 in each. Let’s dig into his poor performance over the recent three-game stretch and see if better days are ahead.

Week 11 — @ Green Bay
- Ekeler had one of his most efficient days on the ground against Green Bay, averaging 6.4 yards per carry and enjoying his third-highest rushing total on the season. The problem? He received a season-low 10 carries and just three targets (his second-lowest of the year). So, while he left his fantasy managers wanting more from a production standpoint, it’s a good sign that he was able to get the job done against a sub-par rushing defense. He did lose a fumble, however.
Week 12 — Baltimore
- The Ravens boast one of the top defenses in the league and play the run well. They are just outside the top 10 in rushing yards allowed per game (102.3) and have given up just 4 rushing touchdowns on the season. While Ekeler matched his season-low 10 carries from the previous week, he saw his typical passing game usage, catching five passes on six targets. He lost a fumble for the second game in a row.
Week 13 – New England
- The Patriots haven’t done much right this season, but stopping the run is one of them. New England allows the fewest yards per carry in the league (3.2) and the third-fewest rushing yards per game (88.7). His rush attempts did bump up to 14, but he had an anemic 1.3 yards per carry, and once again saw just three targets.

So, two of the games were tough matchups (BAL, NE) where he didn’t see his typical volume, and he performed well on limited touches in the one good matchup. He uncharacteristically lost two fumbles over those three games; Ekeler’s never lost more than three in an entire season. Looking things over, I don’t think it’s time to panic just yet. No, Ekeler isn’t the elite Top 5 option he’s been in seasons past, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a running back with his upside and upcoming schedule (Denver twice, Las Vegas, Buffalo). He’s still an every-week starter.

Can I even trust Breece Hall anymore? That Jets offense is so brutal. The one thing that is holding his value is that he gets a ton of check downs granted they go for 1-2 yards but still. – Steve B

Unfortunately, you’ve been unable to trust Breece Hall for a while now. Teams know all they have to do is stop the run against the Jets with the likes of Tim Boyle and Zach Wilson under center. Hall looked like a league winner with his massive day in Week 5 against Denver — 177 yards, a touchdown, and three catches for 17 yards. But in the seven games since, he hasn’t rushed for over 50 yards in a single game. He’s been under 30 yards in five of those seven and he has a yards per carry of just 2.4.

The usage in the passing game is the only thing he has going for him, and even with it, he’s averaging just 12.2 points per game over his last five. Hall has a solid floor of around 10 points with his passing game work, but the upside is gone. At best, he’s a back-end RB2, and I would have no problem benching him for the likes of James Cook, David Montgomery, and RBs in a similar range. Hall is still undeniably talented and worth targeting in dynasty leagues. Nevertheless, through no fault of his own, this season just isn’t happening for him.

Why does the NFL hate FF players, having a Week 14 bye schedule?? – John G

For a sports league worth roughly $160 billion dollars, the NFL does a lot of things that don’t make sense. If they use Amazon AWS to run “trillions” of potential schedules to find the “perfect” one, why can’t they have eight straight weeks of four teams on bye (say, Weeks 5-12)? Why would they want to keep the millions of those who play fantasy football happy? If it wasn’t for fantasy football, people would be watching re-runs of The Golden Girls on a Thursday night instead of games like the Trubisky vs. Zappe slobberknocker we have to look forward to this week.

They should make the season 19 weeks, add a second bye week, only allow teams to play on Thursday coming off a bye, and move the Super Bowl to Presidents Day weekend so the majority of people have the next day off. Boom. It’s time I take over as NFL commissioner. My first act would be to make YouTube TV allow you to choose which four games you want on the quad-box. Actually, I think Andy Behrens would make a better NFL commish.

I am urging congress to allow Sam Howell to quarterback the Jets on his bye week. https://t.co/imjACQDol2

— Andy Behrens (@andybehrens) December 5, 2023

Heading into a must win next week in order to qualify for the playoffs. I’ve got Aiyuk, Pittman, Sutton, and Reed with really nice matchups. I can’t believe I’m asking this, but do I start them as my WRs and Flex and bench my first round, 2nd overall pick JaMarr Chase?? – Yaniv S

I would say you likely asked this question before Jake Browning did his best Joe Burrow impression. Chase went off for an absurd stat line of 11 catches, 149 receiving yards, and a touchdown (and led me to a Monday Night Miracle comeback in my home league to clinch a playoff spot).

With that being said, I understand your thought process. You’re asking an excellent question, and it’s a good sign that you’re willing to even consider a move like benching Chase. It’s so easy to get stuck on name value and previous production from elite players who lost value due to injury, changing situations, or falling production. Renee Miller talked about this in her latest column.

I wrote in my Week 13 QB Stock Watch column I feel that way about Patrick Mahomes in 1QB leagues. He’s no longer unbenchable. However, I still think Chase is. If we hadn’t seen this type of game from Browning where he peppered Chase with targets and had a pretty good deep ball, I’d have considered considering the idea of benching Chase. But he’s locked and loaded in any lineup I have him. His upside is just too massive.

This was Ja’Marr Chase’s 6th career game with 10 receptions, 100 yards and a receiving touchdown.

In NFL history, that’s the most by a player in his first three seasons.pic.twitter.com/jCZu8jMZca

— Moody (@EricNMoody) December 5, 2023

Should I play Justin Jefferson his first week back against LV? PPR 1 flex spot, 10 team. I also have (WRs) Pittman, Chase, and (flex) Moore or Aaron Jones. – Kaleb R

Yes. If Justin Jefferson plays, he’s in your lineup.

My team is cooked for the year. We are allowed two keepers per season. I have Justin Jefferson as one. Are there any good waiver wire players I should look at trying to grab in hopes they have a good finish to the season and I can keep them for next year? – Alex J

There are two types of players you should be looking for as potential keepers who could be available on the waiver wire at this point in the season.

The first is the guy who would step into a considerable opportunity for playing time if there is a path for them to move up the depth chart in the offseason. For example, Khalil Herbert is a 6th-round draft pick in the final year of his rookie contract in 2024. Roschon Johnson is widely available and would see his value spike if the Bears named him the starter for 2024. Rico Dowdle could step into the RB1 role if the Cowboys move on from Tony Pollard. The same goes for Zamir White if the Raiders lose Josh Jacobs.

The second is the lottery ticket types who you would take a shot on at the end of drafts. Jaylin Hyatt, AT Perry, Kendre Miller, and Jonathan Mingo are players who could skyrocket in value if they go on an end-of-season tear and have a chance for much better situations in 2024. If you’re looking toward next season, look for ceiling, don’t worry about floor.

Who do I pick up for Tank Dell? – Jude C

Check out Jake’s Week 14 Waiver Wire column that just dropped. He gives you a ton of widely available options (rostered in under 60% of Yahoo leagues). He lists them in his order of preference.

It’s slim pickings right now, but based off of Jakes’s column, my favorite pickups would be:

That’s it for this go-round. Keep an eye out on Sunday for my QB Stock Watch column, and good luck in Week 14. May you dominate your fantasy playoffs! Feel free to drop questions in the comments or hit me up on Twitter/ X @GMenJay — I’m happy to answer any questions there as well. See you on another time.

(Top photo: Billie Weiss/Getty Images)

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