Despite getting sacked five times, Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger enjoyed another big game, yet the Steelers’ comeback bid fell short; Cleveland DE Myles Garrett scored his first career TD and had three solo tackles to help the Browns hold on for a big division win; and the Titans’ D — led by Rashaan Evans‘ six tackles, five assisted tackles, 1.5 stuffs, one pick and one pass defended — backstopped the team’s first home shutout since Christmas Day, 2000.

With Week 14 in the books, the first round of Fantasy football playoffs is upon us. This week we feature former Alabama Crimson Tide standout quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who was selected with the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft by the Miami Dolphins.

He’s rostered on 38 per cent of teams in ESPN leagues, and makes for a great waiver wire pickup this week as he’s primed to take advantage of a favorable matchup against the New York Jets. In Week 14 against the Giants, Tagovailoa completed 30-of-41 pass attempts for 244 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, and will now try to keep the Dolphins firing on all cylinders this weekend.

The jury may still be out on Tagovailoa (at least the Heat mascot seems to love him… see video below), but his improvements have helped fuel the Dolphins’ current five-game winning streak. In fact, it’s been three weeks since he regained the starting job, and twice over that stretch he’s put up at least 17.5 Fantasy points.

Meanwhile, Miami’s second-ranked defense will try to shut down rookie quarterback Zach Wilson and create turnovers and short yardage situations for the offense. In the teams’ previous matchup this season in Week 11, Tua completed 27-of-33 (81.8 per cent completion rate) for 273 yards and two touchdowns.

The red-hot Dolphins are gunning to ride their momentum and keep their playoff hopes alive at home this Sunday. And we just love this matchup against a Jets’ squad that has been struggling all season, has lost two straight and is allowing 31.5 points per game, while compiling an overall record of 3-11 — third worst in the league.

Tagovailoa is a great insurance plan if your starting quarterback goes into Covid protocol or has some question marks heading into Week 15 (for instance, Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens is listed as questionable while dealing with an ankle issue). Consider a Tagovailoa a great one-week filler addition to help you ride into the second round (and, as usual, we’re not alone in thinking this).

RotoRob Tune of the Day

It’s hard to believe that given where he wound up, Roy Ayers got his start as a post-bop jazz artist. In 1975, Polydor Records released Mystic Voyage, signaling his shift from jazz-funk to R&B. The eponymous single from the album hit No. 70 on the R&B singles chart.

After Hilliard’s massive showing against the stingy Patriot defense, now he gets to go up against the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 21st-ranked defense, which is allowing 378 total yards per game, including 116 on the ground. The Jaguars have shown they are susceptible to teams pounding the rock against them. more

Coming off a bye in Week 11, Jefferson turned nine targets into 93 yards receiving with a touchdown. Stafford passed the ball 38 times and tossed three touchdowns in a high scoring showdown against the Packers. In Week 13, the Rams face a struggling Jaguar defense that’s allowing 25.7 points and 258 yards passing per game. more

Last year, Samuel was a key piece of Carolina’s offense, chipping in with short receptions and acting as a constant threat in the run game. He was one of Washington’s big free agent pickups in the offseason, so the coaching staff want him to be a major piece of the attack. more