Kenny Stills could be a dangerous weapon heading into the playoffs

The fantasy playoffs have officially begun for many with Thursday Night Football taking place. All the Jay Cutler owners are likely rejoicing after a very good performance considering his up and down nature. For the most part, if you owned a big name Cowboy or Bear, you likely were rewarded with a decent-to-solid performance (sorry Brandon Marshall owners).  As for everyone else still waiting for the the playoffs, there are certainly storylines we all imagine in our head that would hopefully take place.

With that in mind, we have asked the top experts in accuracy what one bold prediction they have for the fantasy playoffs (Weeks 14-16). Regardless how bold the prediction, the experts featured have nailed it all season long so do yourself a favor and continue reading, here are your bold predictions.

“Kenny Stills will be a top-10 fantasy wide receiver over the next three weeks. Since a season-ending injury to Brandin Cooks in Week 11, Stills has stepped up and become Drew Brees‘ number-one option at wide receiver. He’s seen a team-high 15 targets over the last two games, catching 13 balls for 260 yards and a touchdown. With a fantasy playoff schedule that features Carolina, Chicago, and Atlanta, the table is set for Stills to finish the season strong, as each of those teams has been particularly generous to opposing wide receivers this season.”
– Jason Willan (Gridiron Experts)

“Kenny Stills will be a top-10 wide receiver during the fantasy playoffs. After teammate Brandin Cooks was lost to injury, Stills caught eight passes for 98 yards versus the Ravens and followed that up with a five-catch, 162-yard, one-touchdown performance last week against the Steelers. The Saints face a trio of weak pass defenses in the Panthers, Bears and Falcons over the next three weeks and two of those games will take place on the speedy track in the Superdome. Playing as a WR3 on most teams, Stills is going to break a lot of hearts as he leads his owners to a fantasy title.”
– Justin Boone (The Score)

“Kenny Stills will be a top-10 wide receiver over the next 3 weeks. The loss of Brandin Cooks has been Kenny Stills’ gain. The second year receiver has shown the ability to run the full route tree in Cooks’ absence, while still being able to take the top off of any defense with his long speed. The Panthers, Bears and Falcons offer little resistance defensively over the next three weeks, as all three teams rank in the bottom third in both aFPA (schedule-adjusted fantasy points against from 4for4.com) and pass rank DVOA (according to Football Outsiders).”
– Ryan Noonan (The Fantasy Fix)

“Matt Ryan will post top-8 numbers in the fantasy playoffs. Ryan was the #2 QB through the first quarter of the season, but he has been the #15 QB since Week 5. Things are starting to look up with a pair of nice efforts against the Browns (273 yards, 2 TD, INT) and Cardinals (361 yards, 2 TD, INT) in the last two weeks. But the key is that Ryan’s playoff schedule looks good. This week he faces the Packers, who are likely to put Ryan in a position to throw more than he’d probably like. In Week 15, the Falcons host the Steelers, who just gave up five touchdowns to Drew Brees. Finally, in Week 16, Atlanta travels to New Orleans for another duel with Brees. In their first meeting, Ryan threw for 448 yards and three touchdowns. This week will be Ryan’s final outdoor game of the season, so while other quarterbacks are dealing with the wintry elements, he’ll be throwing in perfect conditions.”
– John Paulsen (4for4.com)

“Tony Romo will be the top-ranked quarterback from Weeks 14-16. No quarterback has a better rest-of-season schedule than Romo, who already bounced back from a poor Week 13 with three touchdowns against the Bears. He’ll face the Eagles and the Colts in the following weeks, and if you happen to still be playing fantasy football in Week 17, he has a very favorable matchup against the Redskins. With the Cowboys in the playoff hunt, Romo will be forced to step up.”
– Sablich Brothers (The New York Times)

“Tony Romo will lead teams to fantasy championships, assuming he stays healthy. Romo is notorious for his lack of “clutchability” in real life, but he’s been a good fantasy quarterback throughout his career, including this year. Romo has an extremely favorable fantasy football playoff schedule against the Bears, Eagles, Colts and Redskins and should be considered a No. 1 fantasy quarterback heading into the postseason.”
– Zach Greubel (Gridiron Experts)

“My bold prediction is actually two – one I’m comfortable with and another that is truly BOLD. The first – Kyle Rudolph finishes the last three weeks as a top-5 TE option. Now healthy and facing two of the friendliest TE defenses in the NYJ and DET the next couple of weeks, Rudolph makes up for lost time. And finally, Jonathan Stewart is a RB1 the next three weeks. With DeAngelo Williams banged up and Stewart performing at a surprisingly effective level now that he’s healthy, Stewart will grab the opportunity and finish strong for fantasy teams clinging to a thread in the playoffs.”
– Nathan Miller (The Fake Football)

“After a half-decade of unfulfilled promise, Jonathan Stewart will meaningfully contribute to fantasy championships. His schedule is full of vulnerable run defenses, and his own performance has been efficient. Stewart quietly leads all backs in PFF’s Elusive Rating (minimum 25-percent of attempts), and DeAngelo William’s injury provides an opportunity for Carolina’s backfield to finally be led by their best runner.”
– Patrick Thorman (Pro Football Focus)

“Frustrated Matthew Stafford owners who managed to make the playoffs despite inconsistent quarterback play can look forward to elite fantasy production from Detroit’s signal caller the rest of the way. Stafford’s struggles to this point can be blamed on a combination of injuries to key offensive players, including the NFL’s top receiver, and some difficult matchups. With Calvin Johnson fully recovered from his ankle injury, Reggie Bush expected back this week, home games against the Bucs and Vikings on tap, and a championship week contest against the Bears, Matthew Stafford will be a top-4 fantasy quarterback during the fantasy playoffs.”
– Matthew Hill (Fantasy Team Advice)

“Eli Manning and Blake Bortles will be top-10 QBs in Weeks 14 through 16. Eli gets Tennessee, Washington and St. Louis, while Bortles gets Houston, Baltimore and Tennessee. Love them both as Daily plays as neither will cost much. Eli in 14 and 15 and Bortles in 15 and 16. In leagues, it will take guts, but I can envision both playing out the string and being fantasy darlings when you need them the most.”
– Ken Zalis (Pressbox)

“Through all of the Giants team success with Eli Manning as their starting quarterback, he has often found himself as a punchline. After the loss of Victor Cruz, Manning seemed destined to fizzle out and become nothing more than a spot starter. However, Odell Beckham Jr.’s breakthrough has revitalized his battery mate and the rookie may very well already be the best receiver that the quarterback has played with. Manning is currently on pace for a respectable 4,107 passing yards and 29.3 passing touchdowns with just 16 interceptions. What were arguably his three worst games also came versus top-ranked defenses (DET, SEA, and SF) and for the most part, he’s taking advantage of plus matchups. Over the next three weeks, Manning will face Tennessee, Washington, and St. Louis – one of the easiest schedules for quarterbacks over that stretch. Look for Manning to produce as a top-12 option in each of those weeks.”
– Kyle Wachtel (Forensic Fantasy)

“After a sluggish season by his lofty standards, Drew Brees is going to reward the owners that stuck it out with a fantasy championship. Just in time for the fantasy playoffs, Brees had his best game of the season in a road destruction of Pittsburgh. Now Brees and his New Orleans team that is desperate to win the NFC South gets three excellent matchups for the fantasy postseason. With home games against the porous Carolina and Atlanta secondaries and a road tilt in Chicago, Brees is primed to return to his 2011-2013 glory days, and to deliver the fantasy championship hardware to his beleaguered owners.”
– Jody Smith (Jody Smith – Gridiron Experts)

“Mark Ingram will be the #1 scoring RB in standard point leagues for Weeks 14-16. He has a fantastic schedule: vs. Car, @ Chi, vs. Atl. Look for the Saints to lean heavily on their ground game and Ingram in their playoff push. His touchdown drought will end this week and he will score at least 3 times in the fantasy playoffs.”
– Sean Koerner (Sean Koerner – Bloomberg Sports)