Fantasy football projections, Week 14: Bears-Lions featuring Jordan Howard, Matthew Stafford, Eric Ebron, more

The Week 14 matchup between the Chicago Bears and the Detroit Lions features one team playing for pride, with another in the thick of the NFC playoff race. We’ve got the fantasy projections courtesy of numberFire.

When it comes to fantasy production, running back Jordan Howard is probably the best option available on Chicago’s roster. That’s especially true with wide receiver Alshon Jeffery still out thanks to a suspension. Howard proved his worth against a porous 49er defense in Week 13. He was all over San Francisco. He finished the game with 32 carries, 117 yards and three touchdowns. It’ll be hard to repeat that kind of volume and production against the Lions in Week 14. Detroit has only allowed one running back to rush for more than 50 yards since Week 7. The good news is nobody expects quarterback Matt Barkley to shoot out the lights at Ford Field. Howard will be a big part of the game plan this week. He’ll finish right around his projections in Week 14 even against a solid defense.

The same can’t be said for Cameron Meredith or any other Bears wide receiver, for that matter. Meredith was a popular addition on the waiver wire once it was announced that the aforementioned Jeffery would be suspended. Unfortunately, Meredith has been held to 67 receiving yards or less in each of the last four games. His midseason 100-yard performances now look like more of a mirage as opposed to a sign of a breakout. Detroit hasn’t given up a touchdown to a receiver since Week 11. Meredith’s prospects appear bleak going forward. It would be crazy to think that he will rise above his projections on the road this time around.

After amassing 241 receiving yards over the span of three weeks, tight end Eric Ebron has cooled off over the last two games. He failed to catch a pass against the Minnesota Vikings on Thanksgiving Day. He followed that up by catching four passes for just 38 yards last week against the New Orleans Saints. The latter effort was a bit disheartening given that the Saints have a poor defense and the fact that the Lions put up a healthy 28 points in the contest. Fantasy owners have to be holding their breath and rooting for a big bounce-back performance against the Bears. Chicago had given up touchdowns to tight ends in three straight games prior to last week, but it only allowed one player at the position to surpass 50 receiving yards. Ebron should end up with more than the 38 yards he put up in Week 14, but it may not be enough to surpass his projections.

A better bet to do just that would be quarterback Matthew Stafford. He completed 30 passes for 341 yards and two touchdowns in a tough road win over the Saints. Chicago surprisingly allows just 220 passing yards per game this season. That’s good enough to rank among the upper echelon of the NFL. On the bright side, the Lions have won seven out of their last eight games, and they should be able to dominate the Bears, who have trouble moving the football offensively. In a home game and as a heavy favorite, the Lions should have no problem disposing of the Bears, which will reflect positively on Stafford’s fantasy football outcomes to start the postseason.