Kenny Britt has been consistently targeted and he’ll face the 49ers who struggle against the pass in week 16
There’s no pressure, it’s just championship week with no second chances. In all seriousness, though, this is the time to have fun, and hopefully, it’ll be at the expense of your opponent. To do so, you’re going to need to make the right lineup decisions to have a shot.
Fortunately, we’ve rounded up three of the most accurate experts this season for some championship advice. If you need more help specific to your team, be sure to check out the links below.
[More Lineup Advice: Who Should You Start? | Lineup Picks for your Team]
Featured Experts:
Sean Koerner – STATS
John Paulsen – 4for4.com
Greg Smith – TwoQBs
Q1: Every year, a surprise stud steps up to help lead fantasy owners to a title. What under-the-radar player fits this bill and should be started as a result?
Kenny Britt (WR – LA): vs. SF
“Britt was relatively quiet last week (4-50), but it was a tough situation (in Seattle) and he still saw eight targets. He’s the #16 receiver on the year, but is still being ranked under-the-radar. The matchup is golden – the 49ers are #30 in 4for4’s strength of schedule metric, adjusted fantasy points allowed.”
– John Paulsen (4for4.com)
Dontrelle Inman (WR – SD): at CLE
“I think Inman could be on a lot of championship teams this week. He was getting the snaps all season but has now become a lock for 5-9 targets the past couple months. This week he gets a dream matchup against the Browns. He’s likely a WR3 on some loaded teams that were a bit thin at WR who scooped him up and have rode him during this hot streak.”
– Sean Koerner (STATS)
Vernon Davis (TE – WAS): at CHI
“It wasn’t long ago when Vernon Davis was an on-the-radar stud, and he’s set up for a big week against the Bears if the ailing Jordan Reed sits. Even with Reed active over the past three weeks, Davis was the target leader at tight end for Washington. They must win to stay alive in the NFC playoff race, so I expect Kirk Cousins to engage Davis early and often against a Chicago defense ranked 28th against tight ends by Football Outsiders’ DVOA metric.”
– Greg Smith (TwoQBs)
Q2: Name one “dud” for Week 16 and tell us why you think this is one player owners should strongly consider benching.
Adrian Peterson (RB – MIN): at GB
“Peterson’s return didn’t go very well last week in a nice matchup with the Colts. Now he has a groin injury in addition to his troublesome knee. The Packers have been hot and cold against the run this year, but I’m pretty sure they’ll focus on Peterson early to ensure that he doesn’t get rolling. AP hasn’t cleared 70 yards rushing against the Packers since 2013, though he does have a couple of touchdowns in his last three meetings with Green Bay.”
– John Paulsen (4for4.com)
“Avoid falling for the name brand. Bench Adrian Peterson this week. He probably returned too quickly from his early-season knee injury, and now he’s dealing with a groin injury as well. The Vikings haven’t solved their offensive line problems, and there’s a decent chance the game script against Green Bay pushes Minnesota to run even less frequently than normal.”
– Greg Smith (TwoQBs)
Jimmy Graham (TE – SEA): vs. ARI
“I’m going to go out on a huge limb and say that owners who have Zach Ertz or Cameron Brate should probably be plugging them in over Jimmy Graham this week. Graham has been falling off quite a bit as of late and has a brutal matchup against a Cardinals team that does a good job shutting down the TE.”
– Sean Koerner (STATS)
Q3: Give us one struggling player that owners should resist the temptation to sit because a payoff is coming this week.
DeAndre Hopkins (WR – HOU): vs. CIN | Allen Robinson (WR – JAC): vs. TEN
“I’ll give you two — DeAndre Hopkins was targeted 16 times by backup QB Tom Savage after Savage took over in the middle of the 2nd quarter. It’s not a good matchup against the Bengals, but if Savage is going to give Hopkins double-digit targets, he should produce. The other player that jumps out is Allen Robinson, who has struggled mightily of late but has a fantastic matchup with the Titans; they’re last in the league in 4for4’s adjusted fantasy points allowed metric.”
– John Paulsen (4for4.com)
“The holiday season brings out gluttony in most of us, and I’m a glutton for punishment when it comes to Allen Robinson. He faced tough matchups in each of his last three games, but I’m buying back in for Saturday’s tilt against the Titans. Tennessee has allowed 9.8 targets per game to #1 wide receivers, as well as the third-most fantasy points to the position this season. I may die on this hill with A-Rob, but I’m hoping his talent shines through in a choice match-up.”
– Greg Smith (TwoQBs)
Spencer Ware (RB – KC): vs. DEN
“I seem to always be recommending him as an RB1 even if the short term results don’t lead to that conclusion. The best way to move the ball against Denver has been on the ground so I think we see his normal 15-20 touches and he is due for some positive TD regression as well.”
– Sean Koerner (STATS)
Q4: There are few big name receivers that many have questions about. Between Sammy Watkins, A.J. Green, and Donte Moncrief, who do you trust the most and what should owners expect?
“I would trust Green the most out of the 3. It’s quite possible Green/Moncrief get limited snaps but still play a majority of them in obvious passing downs or in the red zone. Moncrief is tough to play this week because if he doesn’t get a TD it’s scary how low of a floor he has in that scenario.”
– Sean Koerner (STATS)
“Watkins has the best matchup, but was only targeted four times last week against the Browns. Green has the most upside, especially if he’s close to full health. He typically produces at a higher level on the road, but it’s difficult to fully trust a player coming off of a long layoff due to a soft-tissue injury. Moncrief is a TD-dependent play since he hasn’t cracked 70 yards in his last 13 games.”
– John Paulsen (4for4.com)
“All three have risk, but I trust Moncrief the most. His injury concerns seem the least threatening, and his match-up against Oakland is very appealing. Watkins isn’t far behind, though. He’s not 100%, but Miami is infamous for allowing big plays this season, and all it takes is one long touchdown for a player like Watkins to return reasonable value.”
– Greg Smith (TwoQBs)
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Thanks to this week’s Featured Experts for sharing their insight with us. To get more advice from them, please visit their sites and follow them on Twitter. Best of luck to everyone in your championship matchups!
