Fantasy Football: Welcome back, Bucky Irving — Tale of the Take, Week 14

Fantasy football analyst Ray Garvin drops his hottest takes for Week 14 — the last week of the regular season in most Yahoo leagues.

Bucky Irving rips the Saints for a multi-TD day

The Tale: Tampa finally got its RB1 back and didn’t waste time telling us who the backfield belongs to. In his first game after the extended injury absence, Bucky Irving handled 17 carries for 61 yards and scored. Baker Mayfield chipped in as a scrambler, but the other backs were bench warmers. Rachaad White and Sean Tucker combined for just 4 carries, and in the passing game, White saw 3 targets to Irving’s 2 — a near dead heat that shouldn’t worry Irving managers at all.

This wasn’t a committee. It was Bucky’s show, and usage like that is the cleanest signal we can get heading into Week 14.

Now comes a run defense that isn’t great. Over the last three games, New Orleans sits bottom five in yards per rush allowed and they’re giving up over 2 yards before contact per attempt — also bottom five. That tracks with what we just saw when the Saints got gashed for 164 rushing yards with De’von Achane doing his thing. It’s not one fluke game. The recent-form data says backs are getting downhill fast on this front, creating chunk gains without needing perfection up front.

Game environment tilts in our favor too. Tampa is in a tight NFC South race with the Carolina Panthers while New Orleans looks like a group already peeking at the offseason. The Bucs have zero reason to overthink this. With another week of health building under him, the most logical path is more Bucky, earlier and often.

When a staff shows you who they want on the field, believe them. When the matchup says lanes will be there before first contact, lean in harder. Bucky is a high-end RB2 with true RB1 upside.

The Take: Irving scores multiple touchdowns against the Saints in Week 14 and posts his best fantasy outing since returning.

James Cook(s) the Bengals

The Tale: Everything about this spot screams ceiling. Cincinnati has been a cheat code for running back receiving production, allowing 11.5 receiving fantasy points per game to the position, which is dead last in the NFL. Zoom out and it’s all systems go for Cook. The Bengals rank bottom three in overall running back points allowed at 22.3 per game, which tells us touches against this defense usually cash. That fits where Buffalo is right now. Last week, the Bills put the offense on Cook’s shoulders and he answered with true workhorse usage — 32 rushes for 144 yards while leading the team with 33 receiving yards. With Dalton Kincaid banged up and no consistent alpha wideout separating, the Bills’ game plan should be simple: feed James Cook.

This Bengals offense looks different with Joe Burrow back under center. They dismantled the Ravens last week and in his first game back from an almost season-long injury, Burrow looked like he hadn’t missed a beat. The ripple effect is real. Ja’Marr Chase is in his second game back after a one-week absence and Tee Higgins missed Week 13 but was limited Wednesday, which puts him on track for Sunday. With those pieces in place, Cincinnati can stress you at every level. On the other side, Buffalo hasn’t been good at stopping the run, giving up heavy production to backs, which plays into what Chase Brown wants to do when the Bengals do get on the field. That sets the stakes.

This is a game both teams need to have — Buffalo is still alive for the No. 1 seed while Cincinnati is still in the hunt for the AFC North crown — and the best way for the Bills to cap explosives from a Burrow-led attack is to shorten the game and lean on Cook to keep drives on schedule. What once felt like a fireworks show now profiles as a nasty, grinded-out game where volume and patience win — and Cook will be the big beneficiary.

The Take: James Cook finishes Week 14 as the overall RB1 versus Cincinnati.

Colby Parkinson finds pay dirt vs. the Cardinals

The Tale: Los Angeles keeps rolling out tight ends, but there’s no mystery who sits at the front of the line. With Tyler Higbee on IR, Colby Parkinson has been the every-down option and he’s answered with three touchdowns in his last four games. He’s running routes with the 1s, blocking enough to stay on the field, then slipping out into space where Matthew Stafford trusts him to box out and win. That role matters in this offense. Sean McVay will live in condensed formations, sell outside zone, then hit play-action seams that stress linebackers. Parkinson is the benefactor.

Arizona is the exact opponent we target for tight end streams. Over the last three games, the Cardinals have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to the position — north of 15 per game — and the recent tape backs it up. George Kittle beat them for 6 catches, 67 yards and 2 touchdowns. Brenton Strange came off the shelf and posted 5 for 93. Even when production doesn’t pile up, tight ends are streaking open off misdirection because the second level is late to pass off routes and the safeties bite hard on run keys. That’s the blueprint McVay loves.

Context helps, too. The Rams just took a bad road loss to Carolina. Stafford is coming off his worst outing of the season. Kyren Williams is dinged up. This team cannot stack Ls with the NFC playoff picture tightening. The path back is cleaner pockets, quick answers and red-zone designs that leverage size. Puka Nacua and Davante Adams will command the coverage, which leaves single coverage or free releases for Parkinson on stick, leak and wheel variations they’ve repped all year.

The Take: Colby Parkinson scores a touchdown in Week 14 and finishes as a top-10 tight end. Start him with confidence as a streamer who brings real touchdown equity in a matchup tailor-made for his role.

Trevor Lawrence turns the corner vs. Indianapolis

The Tale: This spot sets up clean for Trevor Lawrence to stack production through the air and on the ground. Since their Week 12 bye, the Colts have sprung leaks everywhere, tying for the most 10-plus yard plays allowed over the last two weeks with 32. In that same stretch, they’ve surrendered the eighth-most rushing fantasy points per game to opponents and the ninth-most receiving fantasy points per game. That profile screams explosives, plus yards after the catch, which is exactly where Jacksonville can stress you when Lawrence is decisive and using his legs. He hasn’t been great this season, yet he’s starting to string together answers — five passing touchdowns across his last two games and about five rush attempts per game over the last month give him dual-threat juice you can bank on.

Personnel helps the arrow point up. Lawrence is finding a rhythm with Jakobi Meyers, Brian Thomas Jr. is back to stretch the field and Jacksonville sits atop the AFC South while Indy wobbles. When Lawrence plays point guard and takes the freebies the defense offers, this offense stays on schedule and then punches above its weight in the red zone. That’s the blueprint here. The Colts defense has been a step slow post-bye and if they’re missing bodies in the secondary again, spacing only gets easier for quick hitters that turn into chunk gains.

On the other side, Indy’s offense has struggled to sustain drives, which invites short fields and extra possessions. At home, with playoff positioning on the line, Jacksonville doesn’t need Lawrence to be perfect. It needs him to keep the ball out of harm’s way, pepper his playmakers and steal first downs with his legs when the pocket muddies.

This is a game both teams need to have — the Jaguars are pushing for seeding while the Colts are fighting to keep pace in the AFC South — and it shapes more like a spot where efficiency and timely scrambles tilt the balance more than a careless shootout would. Lawrence is the healthiest quarterback in this matchup and the one most likely to control tempo.

The Take: Trevor Lawrence finishes Week 14 as a top-10 quarterback with touchdowns through the air and on the ground vs Indianapolis.

Adonai Mitchell Keeps Rolling vs. Miami

The Tale: Over the last four games, Miami has bled production to wideouts, giving up the fifth-most PPR points to the position. That lines up with what we’re seeing from AD Mitchell in New York. Since he landed with the Jets, his targets have climbed from 6 to 7 to 12 last week against Atlanta, when he logged his first career NFL touchdown. This is the field-stretcher the Jets wanted and he brings a skill set no one else in this room has — true downfield speed that flips the field and stresses defensive coverage. With Tyrod Taylor at the controls, this passing game has been more aggressive than it was with Justin Fields, and that volume (plus intent) matters against a Dolphins team that can force you to keep pace.

Head coach Aaron Glenn pushed for Mitchell in the Sauce Gardner deal and said he’s “here for a reason” and “never a throw-in,” calling him a true X with speed who can win 1-on-1. The context helps too. Miami’s offense should find success, which pushes the Jets to throw and funnel opportunities to their ascending playmaker at home. Mitchell has earned trust quickly, he’s stacking targets and he’s the best bet on this roster to create explosives after the catch or over the top.

This isn’t a one-week blip. It’s a clear progression in role and usage, meeting a defense that has sprung leaks on the perimeter since Week 10.

The Take: AD Mitchell scores again in Week 14 versus Miami.

Fantasy Football: Welcome back, Bucky Irving — Tale of the Take, Week 14

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