Depth Chart Watch: Mike Pettine's Fraction of a Brain

Depth Chart Watch: Mike Pettine's Fraction of a Brain

This article is part of our Depth Chart Watch series.

Cardinals RB -- Just promoted from the practice squad two days prior, Kerwynn Williams blew everyone's mind by rushing 19 times for an even 100 yards in Sunday's win over the Chiefs. It should come as no surprise that the Cards weren't willing to commit to either Stepfan Taylor (six carries and a catch) or Marion Grice (three carries) in the absence of Andre Ellington (hernia), and I'd suggest you run out and pick up Williams despite Bruce Arians' nonsense talk about Taylor remaining the nominal starter in a ride-the-hot-hand situation. Of course, with a matchup against the Rams, who just don't give up any points anymore, in Week 15, Williams won't be a terrifically high-upside play.

Cardinals WR -- Michael Floyd turned in his best yardage total since Week 3 on Sunday, catching four of his seven targets for a team-leading 85 yards. So that's promising. Meanwhile, Larry Fitzgerald's return didn't go well, as he caught only four of his nine looks for 34 yards. And the Browns? Well, John Brown didn't catch any of the four passes thrown his way, while Jaron Brown caught a 22-yarder and the game-deciding 26-yard touchdown among his three targets. Hard to really count on any of these guys on a week-to-week basis.

Falcons WR -- Roddy White (ankle) is questionable for Monday night; you'll want to check back on his status if you're trying to decide whether to deploy him.

Ravens WR -- Torrey Smith's knee acted up on him Sunday, and as a result he played limited snaps, largely serving as a decoy. That left a lot of action for Steve Smith - who saw his first double-digit-target game since September and produced seven catches for 70 yards and a score - but also for Kamar Aiken, who's been seeing his role increase lately and appears to be firmly established as the No. 3 here now over Marlon Brown. The rookie set new career (er, season) highs with six catches, seven targets and 65 yards, including a third-quarter touchdown. Brown caught all three of his targets for a modest 30 yards.

Bills RB -- With Kyle Orton slinging the ball 57 times against Denver on Sunday, there were unsurprisingly not too many carries to go around, but Fred Jackson got the majority of them (eight). Bryce Brown and Anthony Dixon saw three each, with Brown also catching a couple balls. Jackson also ended up with the most bad-good PPR stat line in the history of life, as he was targeted 14 times (!) and caught 10 passes for … wait for it … 37 yards. Yeah, that's right - 3.7 yards per catch. Don't pretend you're not impressed.

Bills WR -- Sammy Watkins rebounded from his recent struggles and a first-quarter fumble to end up with seven catches for 127 yards Sunday, finally making his fantasy owners happy again. With the Bills airing it out all game long, Chris Hogan was the second-most-used wide receiver, drawing nine targets, which he turned into seven catches for 54 yards and a score. Robert Woods was targeted only four times and may have been slowed by the ankle ailment that limited him in practice all week. Don't go assuming that Hogan's leapfrogged him on the depth chart.

Bills TE -- Things returned to relative normality on Sunday, with Scott Chandler drawing a ridiculous 11 targets and gaining 81 yards on eight catches, while MarQueis Gray was unable to reel in the only one that came his way. Again, Kyle Orton threw 57 passes, so don't get too excited about Chandler.

Panthers RB -- With DeAngelo Williams (finger) sitting out, Jonathan Stewart had one of the best games of his career Sunday, carrying 20 times for 155 yards and a score in a stunning road rout of the Saints and their miserable defense. Quite the stunning turn in this situation, as Stewart's now had two good weeks in a row. But if Williams is able to return in Week 15 against Tampa, we'll be back to the ol' timeshare and the Mutual Destruction of Fantasy Value Tour.

Bears WR -- Brandon Marshall suffered a major ribs/lung injury on Thursday and is done for the year, leaving Marquess Wilson to assume the role of No. 2 receiver for Chicago. Wilson caught just two of five balls for 19 yards, but is nonetheless of some fantasy interest, as Jay Cutler can't only throw to Alshon Jeffery and Martellus Bennett. (Or can he?) Josh Morgan saw four targets of his own, catching only one for an eight-yard gain.

Bengals RB -- Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard were pretty close to a 50-50 split Sunday, with Hill drawing eight carries to Bernard's six and Bernard five targets to Hill's four. Though Hill was more productive in both areas, neither was particularly fantasy-relevant, and Bernard just hasn't looked the same since returning from his hip and clavicle injuries.

Bengals WR -- A.J. Green reminded us why he's still one of the best around on Sunday, ripping off 224 yards on 11 catches, and his 15 targets out of Andy Dalton's 29 pass attempts (and Jason Campbell's six after Dalton was removed late in the game) didn't leave a lot for the rest of the crew. Mohamed Sanu caught just two balls for 16 yards and had an ugly drop on his only other target. Remember when he was ripping off 100-yard games like it was nobody's business? Those were the days.

Browns QB -- Like everyone else with half a brain, I fully expected that the Browns would stick with Johnny Manziel after inserting him for Brian Hoyer last week. Well, we should have known that Cleveland coach Mike Pettine only has a quarter of a brain. He rolled Hoyer out against the Colts in Week 14 and was rewarded with a 14-for-31 catastrophe. Hoyer rolled up all of 140 passing yards and threw two picks without a touchdown. And yet Pettine said after the game that he never considered going to Manziel. Maybe we're actually talking about an eighth of a brain here.

Browns RB -- The handoffs were nearly evenly split between Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell on Sunday, with West carrying 15 times to Crowell's 14. Both gained exactly 54 yards, but Crowell was the only one who ended up with a fantasy-relevant day thanks to a nine-yard touchdown scamper. Not great efficiency on either end. It remains hard to determine which Browns back will see the heavier end of the carries on any given Sunday.

Browns WR -- Didn't see that 15-yard day coming for Josh Gordon, huh? You're not the only one. Gordon caught just two of his seven targets, though he can hardly be blamed for that. Andrew Hawkins was also targeted seven times, catching a marginally more-efficient four for 38 yards. Travis Benjamin had a 27-yarder, but failed to catch any of his other four targets. So basically everyone got Brian-Hoyered.

Cowboys WR -- Cole Beasley made the most of his three targets Thursday, catching a pair of touchdown passes while filling Dez Bryant's fantasy owners with pure, unadulterated hatred. Bryant had an 82-yard day (40 more than Beasley), but didn't find the end zone for the second straight week. Meanwhile, the decline of Terrance Williams (finger) continued, as he didn't draw a single target.

Broncos RB -- C.J. Anderson produced another huge fantasy performance Sunday, scoring a trio of touchdowns, but he injured his ankle and played through the second half with it heavily taped. Juwan Thompson didn't see much action behind him, but ripped off a 47-yard rush on one of his four carries. If Anderson's ankle worsens, Thompson could draw a starting role, and thus a load of fantasy value.

Broncos TE -- Julius Thomas (ankle) was active Sunday, but didn't play a single snap. Did that mean more work for Jacob Tamme? Well, no. After making his only catch for a 10-yard gain in the second quarter, he fumbled the ball away and wasn't targeted again.

Lions RB -- Reggie Bush was back at it on Sunday, but "it" turned out to be just 34 total yards on 12 touches (eight carries and four catches on six targets). Meanwhile, Joique Bell had another big game - 83 rush yards and a touchdown, and five catches for 50 yards and another score. That receiving TD is an extra special bonus for his fantasy owners, as Bell actually wasn't the one targeted on that pass - he caught a deflected ball that'd bounced up in the air and took it into the end zone. With Bush back in the fold, Theo Riddick didn't take a single snap from scrimmage.

Lions TE -- Joseph Fauria finally got used in the red zone in Week 14, catching his first touchdown of the year, but only ended up with two catches for 17 yards. Eric Ebron was more heavily used, but didn't gain much more (three catches on four targets for 28 yards).

Texans WR -- In a slow day for the Houston passing game - these ain't your Week 13, six-passing-touchdown Texans - DeAndre Hopkins again led the way, but with only 49 yards and no touchdowns. He was targeted two more times than Andre Johnson, who caught all four of his targets, but gained just 17 yards and suffered a concussion that currently has him in the day-to-day category.

Colts RB -- With Indy playing from behind all day Sunday, neither Trent Richardson nor Dan Herron saw a ton of action, as they carried seven and eight times, respectively. However, Herron was significantly involved with the pass game, drawing seven targets and catching four for 45 yards. And though he gained just 26 yards on the ground (to Richardson's 30), Herron's mighty impressive two-yard run on fourth-and-inches was crucial to setting up the game-winning touchdown. He looked like he'd been stuffed initially, but managed to spin his way forward for the first down. Meanwhile, despite being a bit more efficient running the ball, Richardson struggled in blitz pickup.

Colts WR -- So, great things for T.Y. Hilton on Sunday: 19 targets (the most anyone's been targeted in the NFL this year), 10 catches, 150 yards, two touchdowns (including the game-winner in the final minute). However, it's not awesome that he caught barely half the passes thrown his way and lost a fumble. Of course, some of that inefficiency can be chalked up to Andrew Luck's rare bad game. And Hilton did have to deal with being covered by star corner Joe Haden. And he was certainly much more efficient than Reggie Wayne, who caught only one of the eight passes that came his way. Sadly for Donte Moncrief owners, Andrew Luck's 53 pass attempts resulted in only four targets for the rookie (who caught three of 'em). Share the wealth, T.Y.!

Colts TE -- Even with Dwayne Allen back in the fold, Coby Fleener retained a big role in the offense in Week 14, drawing 10 targets, though he didn't make a ton of fantasy relevance out of them (five catches, 56 yards). It seems, though, like Fleener has now won the title of top TE target regardless of Allen's health.

Jaguars WR -- The Jags may have the worst high-volume pass game in the history of life. Allen Hurns turned in the only fantasy-relevant day among Jacksonville's receivers in Week 14, catching five of his team-leading 10 targets for an ugly 36 yards and a day-saving touchdown. Cecil Shorts was targeted nine times, but caught just two for three yards, which is impressively bad. Marquise Lee came in third with eight targets and led the wideout corps with 67 yards. Moving right along.

Jaguars TE -- Marcedes Lewis took all the passing action among Jacksonville tight ends on Sunday, leading the team with 69 yards on three catches (four targets). Clay Harbor's returned to full-on irrelevance.

Chiefs RB -- Jamaal Charles picked up seemingly minor knee and ankle injuries that he played through in Week 14, but savvy owners will want to check in on Knile Davis just in case.

Chiefs TE -- The Chiefs actually managed to figure out on Sunday that they have one legit weapon in the passing game, and his name is Travis Kelce. Kelce led the team in targets (nine), catches (seven) and easily yardage (110), while Anthony Fasano had just one pass come his way (and didn't catch it). The second-year man was charged with a lost fumble, but in my opinion he was already down when the ball came loose.

Dolphins WR -- Jarvis Landry didn't gain a million yards last Monday against the Jets, but hey, he still helped his PPR owners out with eight catches. On Sunday, he caught another six on a team-leading six targets for 55 yards, which was good enough to be the high-water mark on a miserable day for the Dolphins' offense. Mike Wallace and Brian Hartline saw four targets each, neither producing much.

Dolphins TE -- Charles Clay (knee) was back in the fold on Sunday, and though he was targeted only three times (as many as Dion Sims), he finished second on the Fins in receiving with 41 yards. Exciting stuff.

Vikings RB -- Jerick McKinnon (back) is now done for the year, so the Vikings again turned to Matt Asiata on Sunday, and they watched him plod his way to 54 yards on 19 carries and 10 receiving yards on three catches. In other words, it was your typical Asiata day, sans random touchdowns. Ben Tate carried only three times, gaining 15 yards. But on Monday, coach Mike Zimmer said the Vikes gave Asiata too many carries (this isn't something you can figure out during the game?), so it could be Tate will enjoy a bigger role in Week 15.

Vikings WR -- Charles Johnson was the most heavily used receiver for Minnesota on Sunday, seeing eight targets and catching four of them for 103 yards, including a 56-yard score. He would have had a second touchdown, but fumbled right at the goal line, only to have his teammate Jerome Felton recover it in the end zone for the score. Johnson ended up being beaten in the box score by Jarius Wright, who turned a short pass into an 87-yard game-winning touchdown in overtime, but without that would have had a more modest (and normal) three catches for 36 yards. Greg Jennings was his typical mediocre self (five catches, 52 yards) and Cordarrelle Patterson was again invisible, primarily returning kicks, though he had a six-yard carry.

Patriots RB -- LeGarrette Blount again dominated the rushing work for the Pats on Sunday in San Diego, but turned his 20 carries into a fairly unhelpful 66 yards (plus two catches for 11). Meanwhile, Shane Vereen's use remained sporadic, as he carried just one time, plus four pass targets, three of which he caught for a total of 30 yards.

Saints WR -- No Saint produced much in Week 14, but Marques Colston led the wideout crew with seven targets, five catches and 72 yards. So that's good. It's worth noting that Nick Toon again had a role, catching all four balls thrown his way for 45 yards. Meanwhile, Kenny Stills took a step back with a quiet three catches for 23 yards, though I'm willing to pin that more on Drew Brees' rough day than any shortcoming on Stills' part.

Saints TE -- Jimmy Graham must be suffering from some kind of undisclosed injury. That's the only conclusion I can draw from another rough day (three catches out of 11 targets for 25 yards) Sunday against the Panthers. But at least Brees remembered to throw him the ball this time.

Giants RB -- Rashad Jennings (ankle) suited up Sunday, but was severely limited, which left a full workload for Andre Williams out of the Giants' backfield. Williams responded by collecting 131 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries in the game of his career (so far), including a 50-yard run to the end zone. Yeah, Tennessee's defense is not good, but it's still a promising outing for the rookie. That said, Jennings should return to his starting role when healthy, which could be as soon as Week 15.

Giants WR -- Nothing more needs to be said about Odell Beckham. But it's worth noting that Preston Parker was the second-most-productive receiver for the Giants on Sunday, reeling in all five of his targets for 60 yards.

Jets WR -- Percy Harvin turned in a huge game against his old Minnesota mates on Sunday, reeling in six catches for 124 yards and a touchdown as the Jets' most-targeted receiver, but ended up suffering an ankle injury that has his status very much in question for Week 15. If he doesn't play, I'd anticipate more work for Jeremy Kerley and perhaps Chris Owusu or T.J. Graham - all very low-upside choices.

Raiders RB -- Latavius Murray was back at it in Week 14, and though he didn't blow anyone's mind this time (just 3.3 YPC on his 23 totes), it's worth noting that he dominated the workload at running back, and that should continue going forward. Is Maurice Jones-Drew even on this team anymore?

Eagles QB -- The word is that Nick Foles feels good and could theoretically play, but the Eagles are afraid that one big hit will aggravate his still-not-healed collarbone and knock him out for the long haul. Meanwhile, Mark Sanchez was 10-for-20 for 96 yards on Sunday, though at least he threw a couple touchdowns.

Steelers WR -- While Martavis Bryant's four-catch, 109-yard day is pretty mighty, all that production came primarily on one play - a 94-yard touchdown catch, the NFL's longest play from scrimmage this year. Still, the simple fact that he's targeted on plays like that is highly noteworthy. Bryant appears to have taken a solid hold of the No. 2 receiver job; he had six targets to Markus Wheaton's three and Lance Moore's two.

Chargers WR -- One week after I declared that "Keenan Allen lives," Allen rewarded my optimism by catching two of three passes for three yards, thanks in no small part to plenty of attention by Darrelle Revis. Expect a bounce-back performance in Week 15 against the Broncos, who lack a shutdown corner. Meanwhile, with Allen marginalized, Malcom Floyd led the way against the Pats, collecting three of his six targets for a team-best 54 yards and a touchdown. Even Eddie Royal saw more targets than Allen, with five coming his way, though he caught only two and gained a fairly insignificant 30 yards.

49ers RB -- Frank Gore actually had a nice day on the ground, efficiency-wise, on Sunday - he posted a 5.3 YPC on his 12 carries through Curtis Martin-esque consistency rather than one or two big runs. Still, there's not much fantasy value to be found there, nor in Carlos Hyde, who gained 12 yards from scrimmage.

Seahawks WR -- It looks like I shamed Seattle's wideouts - or at least Doug Baldwin - into doing something Sunday. Baldwin caught five of the seven passes directed his way for 97 yards and a score, giving us that ever-so-rare productive Seahawk receiving effort. No one else picked up more than 37 yards receiving, though, and so I'll continue to avoid naming the rest of this crew.

Rams WR -- While Stedman Bailey was targeted just twice on Sunday, he did pull in a 36-yarder that should keep him in Shaun Hill's mind. Of course, Hill only attempted 22 passes, so no one saw too many targets. Kenny Britt's five were the most among Rams receivers, and though he caught just two of them, one was for 41 yards.

Rams TE -- Jared Cook bounced back in a huge way Sunday against the Redskins, catching a pair of touchdowns and leading the Rams in receiving yardage with 61. Backup Lance Kendricks saw just one target, catching it for an 11-yard gain.

Buccaneers RB -- Charles Sims won the Worst Bucs Running Back contest Sunday by losing four yards on five carries, but at least he ended up on the positive side of things thanks to a 24-yard catch. Doug Martin's five carries went for 22 yards, and his own singular catch went for no gain. Avoid.

Buccaneers WR -- Vincent Jackson finally broke out with a big game in Week 14, as he was targeted a whopping 17 times, and he caught 10 balls for 159 yards. Meanwhile, Mike Evans was inefficient, but delivered where it counted, as he caught just four of his 11 targets, but two of them went for touchdowns.

Titans QB -- Zach Mettenberger injured his shoulder yet again Sunday - not a surprise, considering he was playing through an existing AC joint sprain - and he's now done for the year. Jake Locker will start for the Titans the rest of the way.

Titans WR -- Journeyman receiver Derek Hagan came out of nowhere to lead the Titans with six catches on seven targets for 62 yards Sunday against his old Giants mates, which really does nothing so much as highlight how bad the Tennessee offense is. Justin Hunter (spleen) is done for the year and Kendall Wright (hand) sat out, leaving the Titans with perhaps the worst wideout corps in the league. And yet Nate Washington, the best among them, was targeted only three times (and caught all three for 56 yards). Riddle me that. Wright supposedly has a good chance to return in Week 15.

Redskins QB -- Colt McCoy left late Sunday after suffering a neck injury, which means Redskins fans were treated to another taste of Robert Griffin, who looked pretty competent in very limited action in his place. McCoy hadn't looked good before the injury, with a 54.0 QB rating and two picks, but at least he led the team in rushing with 11 yards! Yikes.

Redskins WR -- DeSean Jackson (leg) did indeed sit out Sunday's slaughter, leaving the majority of receiving work to Pierre Garcon (nine catches on 11 targets for 95 yards) and Santana Moss (three catches, five targets, 43 yards). As predicted, Andre Roberts didn't see a big spike, as he was targeted just twice. Jackson could be back in Week 15, but it's no sure thing.

RotoWire Community
Join Our Subscriber-Only NFL Chat
Chat with our writers and other RotoWire NFL fans for all the pre-game info and in-game banter.
Join The Discussion
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andrew Fiorentino
Managing hockey editor, talent wrangler, football columnist, FSWA's 2015 fantasy hockey writer of the year. Twitter: @akfiorentino
Ryan Grubb and the History of College Coaches Headed to the NFL
Ryan Grubb and the History of College Coaches Headed to the NFL
10 Sneaky Tricks For Your Upcoming Rookie Draft (Video)
10 Sneaky Tricks For Your Upcoming Rookie Draft (Video)
NFL Draft Decisions: Navigating Make-or-Break Moments
NFL Draft Decisions: Navigating Make-or-Break Moments
Dynasty Startup Draft LIVE! Superflex; ROOKIES Included! (Video)
Dynasty Startup Draft LIVE! Superflex; ROOKIES Included! (Video)
NFL Reactions: Breaking Down the Stefon Diggs Trade for Houston and Buffalo
NFL Reactions: Breaking Down the Stefon Diggs Trade for Houston and Buffalo
Payne's Perspective: Players To Avoid This Season
Payne's Perspective: Players To Avoid This Season