Dynasty News, Week 14

Photo: USA Today Sports

Here's a quick rundown of the top dynasty news that matters.

QB Joshua Dobbs, Minnesota

After coach Kevin O'Connell's press conference following the loss to the Bears, Adam Schefter tweeted, "Vikings will 'evaluate' their QB position during their upcoming bye week. After watching QB Josh Dobbs throw four interceptions in the 12-10 loss to the Bears, HC Kevin O'Connell said he will spend the bye week reviewing the best path forward. 'We're going to take a look and really evaluate the inventory of plays we have of Josh,' said O'Connell, who thought about making an in-game QB change. 'We got healthy. We got Jaren (Hall) back available to us, and then Nick Mullens is available as well.'" Minnesota traded for Dobbs at the trade deadline because Hall did not play well and Mullens was on injured reserve. The Vikings are 6-6 and control their playoff destiny with remaining games against the Raiders, Lions (2x), Bengals, and Packers. All five of these games are winnable, especially with superstar Justin Jefferson healthy. With Kirk Cousins a free agent after the season, Dobbs and Mullens each have an opportunity to earn the long-term starting job with a strong performance. The Minnesota defense has played outstanding of late, allowing more than 21 points just once since Week 6.

QB Mac Jones, New England

Beat reporter Mike Reiss tweeted a lengthy discussion from Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien following Mac Jones' poor performance against the Giants, "Question: After the bye week and Mac coming back and having a couple interceptions and [almost] losing a fumble, what can you put your finger on why he's struggled to avoid those type of mistakes this year? Bill O'Brien: 'I don't want to get into all the detail of each play, but the one play where he threw the first interception, there was a protection breakdown. He has to make a better decision there to throw the ball out of bounds. We have to do a better job of protecting him, designing the protection, executing the protection. I'm just being real with you. And the next interception, we were in a situation where they brought an extra guy and we have to get the ball out and make a good decision or we have to take the sack. In both of those situations, he would probably be the first to tell you that he has to make a better decision. But all of us have to do a better job. I've been doing this for 31 years – some years are better than others and right now this year is not going the way any of us wanted it to go, but there is a lot of football left. So we have to continue to try to coach better and play better and execute better, because that's what it comes down to on game day.'" The Patriots have lost faith in their quarterback and it shows in O'Brien's response. Playing so poorly that he was pulled at halftime in the loss to New York has to shake the confidence of Jones and his coaches. Backup Bailey Zappe started Sunday against the Chargers and played poorly, completing just 13 of 25 passes for 141 yards in the shutout loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. At this point, neither Jones nor Zappe is fantasy-viable and just serves to drag down the other New England skill position players. The Patriots are now the first team in the Super Bowl era to lose three straight games when allowing 10 or fewer points in each game. This last occurred in 1938. This is a new low for the Patriots' offense. We expect rookie Malik Cunningham to see increased action down the stretch. Cunningham is electric. But we expect the Patriots to draft their future starter in the 2024 NFL Draft. Currently sitting at 2-10, New England may be positioned for Caleb Williams or Drake Maye.

QB Aaron Rodgers, NY Jets

Last week, the Jets opened the 21-day window for Aaron Rodgers to be activated from injured reserve. He was cleared for non-contact practice and looked to be able to play if New York can keep their playoff hopes alive. Those hopes died with the loss to Atlanta on Sunday. It is a minor miracle for Rodgers to practice 79 days after tearing his Achilles. By the way, Rodgers turned 40 over the weekend.

QB Hendon Hooker, Detroit

Last week, the Lions opened the practice window for rookie passer Hendon Hooker to return from injured reserve. Hooker injured his knee at Tennessee, and the Lions signed veteran Teddy Bridgewater to allow Hooker time to heal and recover. He will get valuable practice time in the next two months as the rookie learns the Detroit offensive system.

QB Bryce Young, Carolina

Over the weekend, Dianna Russini had a scathing report this week on the dynamics between the Carolina coaches and the quarterback position. She said that, by Week 5, the Panthers coaches wanted to bench the first overall pick in lieu of veteran Andy Dalton, no doubt with an eye on saving their jobs over developing the youngster. At that time, the coaches decided to keep starting Young and "focus on developing him even if it means fewer wins in the short term." She added, "Another team source says: 'He needs better protections and weapons. He has 'it.' We do not protect the middle of the pocket. He needs it most in this area because he's 5-foot-10.'" Young showed improvement in the loss to the Buccaneers Sunday, throwing for 178 yards and a pick. However, even the broadcast announcers mentioned how Young struggled to see over his offensive linemen. He is still young and lacks a good supporting cast. It will be interesting to see how the new coaching staff views Young, especially without a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.