Los Angeles Rams vs. Minnesota Vikings
Date/Time: Sunday December 26, 1:00pm ET
BettingPros Consensus Spread: Rams -3
BettingPros Consensus Over/Under: 49.5 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Rams 26.25, Vikings 23.25
Quarterbacks
Matthew Stafford: Stafford wasn’t perfect this past week against Seattle, but he did enough from a fantasy perspective to finish as a top-12 option. He completed 21-of-29 passes for 244 yards and had two touchdowns to one interception. Looking ahead to Week 16, Stafford now gets to take on the Minnesota Vikings defense that is allowing the third-most fantasy points to opposing QBs this season and a whopping 272.4 passing yards per game. At this point, Stafford is locked into your starting lineup and he comes with top-5 upside in this particular matchup.
Kirk Cousins: Apparently there is something to be said for the “Primetime Kirk Cousins” narrative out there. In Week 15, Cousins completed just 50% of his passes for 87 yards passing and two touchdowns to one interception against a beatable Chicago Bears defense. He fell completely flat after being one of the more consistent fantasy options over the better part of the season and fantasy managers now have to figure out who to turn to in Week 16. Against the Rams defense that’s allowing the fourth-fewest fantasy points to opposing QBs, Cousins can’t be trusted in your starting lineup.
Running Backs
Darrell Henderson: After being the lead back for the Rams for the majority of the season, Henderson has now taken a back seat in this offense to Sony Michel. With Henderson missing some time due to injury and then COVID, Michel was able to step in and prove that he deserved more playing time. This has now moved Henderson back to fantasy benches, which is unfortunate due to the fact that he helped carry fantasy rosters to the playoffs with his play and production. Sean McVay has discussed keeping both backs involved though and leaning on one particular player if the flow of the game leans that way, so we could see Henderson end up more involved this next week against Minnesota, but that’s far from a guarantee. For the time being, Henderson needs to be put on your bench.
Sony Michel: After riding the bench for the majority of the season, the Rams are turning to Michel down the stretch here and he’s delivering some solid production. This past week against Seattle, Michel had 20 total opportunities and put up over 100 total yards of offense. Looking ahead to Week 16, it’s going to still be difficult to trust Michel as anything more than a mid-range/low-end RB2 due to the fact that we still don’t know exactly how this backfield will shake out. Michel’s likely to get the first crack at keeping the job throughout the course of the game, but we could easily see Henderson work his way into more playing time if he’s looking particularly sharp. This backfield has turned into a bit of a committee, which makes it difficult to lock Michel into our lineups as a top-12 play. He should still be started, but we need to exercise a little bit of caution.
Dalvin Cook: Cook has been placed on the COVID-19 reserve list, and Vikings offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak says Cook will miss Week 16.
Alexander Mattison: With Dalvin Cook landing on the COVID-19 list this week, Mattison is expected to get the start against the Rams. Mattison is in line for a big workload in this one, with occasional relief from rookie Kene Nwangwu. The Rams’ run defense has been tough lately, holding Rashaad Penny, James Conner and James Robinson under 40 rushing yards over the last three weeks. Still, the likelihood of 20-plus touches makes Mattison a midrange RB1 this week.
Wide Receivers
Cooper Kupp: Just how insane has Kupp been this season? He has 1,625 receiving yards on the year through 14 games, which breaks down to an average of 116 yards per contest. If he keeps up this pace for the remaining three games of the season, he will finish with 1,973 yards on the year and that would break the all-time single-season yardage record set by Calvin Johnson (1964) in 2012. There’s not much else to say about Kupp from a fantasy perspective, so let’s keep it short and sweet. Start him as the WR1 yet again in Week 16.
Odell Beckham Jr: OBJ wasn’t able to make much of an impact in Week 15 as he saw just three total targets and reeled in one of them for just seven yards. This wasn’t abnormal for this past week though with so many other star fantasy assets disappointing, but it still crushed your lineup if you started him. Looking ahead to Week 16, we can’t be as optimistic about OBJ as we would have been previously, but he should still be in your starting lineup due to the upside he provides. Against the Vikings secondary that’s allowing the most fantasy points to opposing WRs this season, OBJ can be viewed as a mid-range WR3 that could put up a monstrous performance.
Van Jefferson: Jefferson has certainly been boom-or-bust recently and he fell into the latter category this past week against Seattle. All of the production went Kupp’s way and Jefferson has now seen just five targets over the past two games combined. This is not enough volume for us to consistently rely on Jefferson as a locked-in WR2 in our starting lineups, so we need to downgrade him to a low-end WR3 for this enticing matchup against Minnesota. He’ll need to reel in a deep downfield catch for a touchdown in order to crack the top-20 at the position.
Justin Jefferson: Jefferson didn’t necessarily do a ton last week with his 10 targets, but he was able to salvage his fantasy day by finding the end zone. He accounted for 47 of Cousins’ 87 passing yards against Chicago and he should continue to be heavily involved in this offense moving forward. In Week 16 against the Rams, Jefferson might not have as much room to roam free, but he’s still an incredibly solid play due to his talent and target volume. He can be viewed as a top-5 option yet again.
Kj Osborn: It’s hard to hold Osborn’s disappointing performance last week against him when Cousins threw for 87 total yards. However, it’s worth noting that Osborn only saw three targets, which is extremely concerning as we look ahead to Week 16 and the matchup against the Rams. Assuming that Adam Thielen doesn’t return, Osborn can’t be trusted as anything more than a boom-or-bust FLEX option. If Thielen does return for this matchup, Osborn belongs on fantasy benches.
Adam Thielen: At the time of writing, it’s unclear if Thielen is going to be able to make it back for this matchup. We’ll need to continue to monitor the situation as the week progresses, but if Thielen does return in Week 16, he’s worth rolling out there as a mid-range WR3 due to his involvement in the red zone.
Tight Ends
Tyler Higbee: Higbee should return off of the COVID list here in Week 16 after missing the last two weeks. Week 14 was due to a false-positive test, but Week 15 was actually legitimate, unfortunately. While Higbee could see enough volume to be a top-12 option at the position this week against Minnesota, it’s an extremely risky play to plug him into your starting lineup after not seeing him on the field the past two weeks. He’s a high-end TE2 at best for the second round of the fantasy playoffs.
Tyler Conklin: Fantasy managers rushed to the waiver wire to pick up Conklin after Thielen’s injury in hopes that he would step up. However, he has actually seen his production decrease in Thielen’s absence and he’s not worth rostering at this point anymore. He has just three catches for 27 yards over the past two weeks combined and that’s not enough to look his way in a tougher matchup this week against the Rams. He can be viewed as a low-end TE2 at best.
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. New York Jets
Date/Time: Sunday December 26, 1:00pm ET
BettingPros Consensus Spread: Jets -1
BettingPros Consensus Over/Under: 41.5 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Jets 21.25, Jaguars 20.25
Quarterbacks
Trevor Lawrence: There was some optimism that with Urban Meyer out of town, Lawrence might be able to turn things around from a fantasy perspective. Unfortunately, that did not happen and Lawrence has had just two total touchdowns over the course of the last eight weeks! He’s completely off the redraft radar, despite a plus matchup, and he might not even be worth considering in Superflex formats.
Zach Wilson: Normally, a game between the No. 1 and No. 2 overall QBs taken in the past draft would be must-watch television, but that’s not going to be the case here with Jacksonville and New York. Both Lawrence and Wilson have struggled immensely so far this season and it’s going to be difficult to trust the latter in our starting lineups, despite the plus matchup. He can be viewed as a low-end QB2 in Week 16.
Running Backs
James Robinson: The question of whether or not Urban Meyer was to blame for Robinson’s struggles was answered this past week in resounding fashion. Robinson carried the ball 18 times for 75 yards and he added three receptions for an additional 13 yards through the air. With a touchdown on top of all that, Robinson finished the week as RB4 in Half PPR scoring, and fantasy managers everywhere breathed a massive sigh of relief. Looking forward to Week 16, Robinson somehow has an even more appealing matchup than Houston as he takes on the New York Jets run defense that just allowed Duke Johnson of all people to run wild on them. Fire up Robinson as a borderline top-5 option in Week 16.
Michael Carter: Carter returned to the lineup in Week 15 after missing several games on IR and failed to completely take back over this backfield. Despite settling in as the lead back through the middle portion of the season, Carter split work with Tevin Coleman this past week and neither player failed to make much of an impact for fantasy football. If Carter is not going to see the clear majority of the work here in New York, which we’re unlikely to know before the start of Week 16, it’s going to be difficult to trust him in our starting lineups. Against the Jaguars though, Carter’s worth considering as a high-end RB3 due to the potential that he finds the end zone. It’s a risky play, but it could pay off.
Wide Receivers
Laquon Treadwell: Did you know that over the past four weeks, Treadwell is averaging more fantasy points per game than Darnell Mooney, Chase Claypool, Amari Cooper, DK Metcalf, and Terry McLaurin just to name a few? He’s been incredibly consistent and reliable and he’s now worked his way into the FLEX conversation for fantasy lineups. It’s unlikely that you need to go to your waiver wire and pick up Treadwell at this point of the season, but if you do he can be picked up and played with confidence.
Marvin Jones: Did you know that Jones has finished inside the top-40 WRs just once since Week 3? He’s been a complete disappointment for fantasy football this year with the way the Jacksonville offense has performed and he shouldn’t be anywhere near starting lineups this week.
Jamison Crowder: Crowder is considered doubtful for this week with a calf injury, and even if he were to play, he’d be a dicey option this week against the Jaguars.
Braxton Berrios: With Elijah Moore already out and Jamison Crowder doubtful with a calf injury, Berrios suddenly becomes an intriguing Week 16 option, particularly in PPR leagues. Two weeks ago against the Saints, Berrios drew 10 targets and had 6-52-0. He’s a midrange WR4 this week and has a reasonable chance to see double-digit targets.
Tight Ends
James O’Shaughnessy: O’Shaughnessy was able to lead this team in receiving yards last week, but that’s not exactly saying much. For Week 16, O’Shaughnessy is a desperation pivot due to the friendly matchup against the Jets.
New York Giants vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Date/Time: Sunday December 26, 1:00pm ET
BettingPros Consensus Spread: Eagles -10
BettingPros Consensus Over/Under: 40.5 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Eagles 25.25, Giants 15.25
Quarterbacks
Jake Fromm: The Giants are non-committal at this point of the week as to who their starting QB will be on Sunday, but all signs point to it being Fromm. Regardless of who the starting QB is for New York, we can’t look their way in any format.
Jalen Hurts: Things weren’t looking particularly good for Hurts as the game against Washington got underway, but he rebounded and put up a dominant fantasy performance in Week 15. He ended the game 20-of-26 for 296 yards passing while adding 38 yards on the ground. With three total touchdowns and one interception – that wasn’t his fault – Hurts finished as the QB3 on the entire week. Looking forward to Week 16, Hurts struggled mightily the last time he faced off against this Giants team, which should have us concerned. However, due to the upside that he presents each week, Hurts still belongs in starting lineups for the second round of the playoffs. He can be viewed as a mid-range/low-end QB1.
Running Backs
Saquon Barkley: In his first two seasons in the NFL, Barkley averaged 5 Yards Per Carry and 4.6 YPC respectively. Additionally, he was averaging 7.9 and 8.4 Yards Per Reception respectively each of those two years as well and that was leading to dominant fantasy production. Unfortunately, Barkley has seen his efficiency take a nosedive this year in both of those categories. He’s averaging 3.7 YPA on the ground on 115 carries up to this point and he’s averaging just 6.7 YPR on 37 receptions as well. It hasn’t been great for Barkley here lately and that doesn’t appear to be changing any time soon. With the offense in shambles around him, Barkley is nothing more than a mid-range/low-end RB2 in this matchup against Philadelphia.
Devontae Booker: Booker’s out-producing Barkley on the ground here lately and he could work his way into more playing time as a result. However, with the state of the offense around him, we can’t look at Booker as a viable fantasy option in any format.
Miles Sanders: Sanders had one of the best games of his entire career in Week 15 against Washington. In fact, he’s been rolling lately as he is the first Philadelphia RB since LeSean McCoy in 2014 to have back-to-back 100+ yard performances. While it’s impressive that he’s putting up these types of numbers, it’s also worth noting that he has now gone 155 touches this season and 785 scrimmage yards without scoring a touchdown. If he’s able to go on Sunday, he should be viewed as a high-floor play this week against New York, but the upside isn’t there unless he can snap that streak. He can be viewed as a mid-range/low-end RB2 in Week 16.
Jordan Howard: There were questions regarding which Eagles RB was going to be the second option behind Miles Sanders this week with everyone healthy and Howard ended up being the answer. He had 15 carries to Sanders’ 18 and he was highly efficient with the opportunity. Howard is an intriguing RB3 in standard-scoring leagues and an RB4 in PPR leagues.
Wide Receivers
Kenny Golladay: Golladay was brought in to New York this off-season to be a Contested Catch Specialist for this offense. Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened here this year. According to PFF, Golladay has seen 27 Contested Targets over the course of this season and he’s brought in just 12 of them. With the offense failing to move the ball much lately, plus Golladay’s inability to bring in the contested targets that he does see, he’s nothing more than a desperation FLEX option.
DeVonta Smith: In Weeks 9 and 10 this season, Smith had a combined 41 fantasy points and two top-10 fantasy finishes. However, since that point, he has finished every week outside of the top-35 WRs and has just 20 combined fantasy points in those four games. Despite having a heavy investment in him from a draft capital perspective, the Eagles are focused on feeding other players in this offense and the target volume just isn’t there for the talented rookie wideout. He needs to be viewed as a low-end WR3 moving into Week 16.
Tight Ends
Evan Engram: Engram is doing just enough this season to keep him on the redraft radar, but there is virtually no upside to playing him at this point with the state of the Giants offense. He can be viewed as a low-end TE2 for Week 16.
Dallas Goedert: Goedert went off in Week 13 with Gardner Minshew as his QB, but there were plenty of questions regarding what his fantasy outlook would be with Jalen Hurts returning to the lineup. He had been an inconsistent receiving weapon previously, so the questions were certainly valid and we got our answer in Week 15. Goedert saw nine targets against Washington and he reeled in seven of them – he had two egregious drops – for 135 yards, which was good enough for a top-5 fantasy finish on the week. Moving forward into Week 16, we can view Goedert as a confident start.
Buffalo Bills vs. New England Patriots
Date/Time: Sunday December 26, 1:00pm ET
BettingPros Consensus Spread: Patriots -2.5
BettingPros Consensus Over/Under: 43.5 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Patriots 23, Bills 21.5
Quarterbacks
Josh Allen: Allen continued his streak of being a dominant fantasy option this past week against Carolina. While he only threw for 210 yards, he was able to finish the game with 22 fantasy points on the back of three total touchdowns. This next matchup against New England is brutal for opposing QBs, but we should see Allen do enough to keep fantasy lineups afloat. He doesn’t come with ridiculous upside, but even if the passing game doesn’t work for Buffalo, we know that Allen has the rushing ability in his back pocket to compensate. He can be viewed as a high-end/mid-range QB1 in Week 16.
Mac Jones: Jones certainly wasn’t perfect in Week 15, but we saw the pass attempts tick up enough to the point where he was able to put up solid fantasy production. On the back of 45 pass attempts, Jones was able to put up 19 fantasy points against the Colts and he finished the week as a top-10 QB. Against Buffalo, we shouldn’t be expecting 45 pass attempts, but we also shouldn’t be expecting the same amount as he did the last time these two teams faced off. In a tougher matchup on paper, Jones can go back to being viewed as a mid-range/low-end QB2.
Running Backs
Devin Singletary: Has someone finally taken over this Buffalo backfield? While it seems like that would never happen, Singletary appears to have done that on the back of his big performance in Week 15. With Zack Moss inactive, plus Matt Breida playing just 4% of the offensive snaps, Singletary seems like he’s locked into the RB1 role here in Buffalo. While it’s never a guarantee that that role is going to lead to consistent fantasy production due to the fact that Buffalo’s so dedicated to their passing game, there’s potential for Singletary to be a very relevant fantasy option here in Week 16. It’s a risky play, but if you’re in need of an option to turn to, Singletary can be viewed as a low-end RB2.
Damien Harris: Harris wasn’t able to play last week and he remains questionable with a hamstring injury. Rhamondre Stevenson has been ruled out because of illness, so if Harris does end up returning here, he’s worth viewing as a high-end RB2 with the chance of an elevated workload against a Buffalo defense he torched for a 64-yard TD run and 111 rushing yards in Week 14.
Rhamondre Stevenson: Stevenson has been placed on the COVID-19 list and will miss Week 16.
Brandon Bolden: Rhamondre Stevenson is out for Week 16, and Damien Harris is listed as questionable with a hamstring injury. If Harris can’t go, Bolden suddenly becomes an intriguing Week 16 fantasy option, although it’s not clear how he’d divide work with New England No. 4 back, J.J. Taylor.
Wide Receivers
Stefon Diggs: Diggs didn’t do much this past week from a yardage perspective – just 35 yards on 4 receptions – but he was able to save his fantasy day by finding the end zone. Lately, Diggs has needed that touchdown to be able to vault him up the fantasy rankings, which is concerning as heads into this matchup. JC Jackson should cover Diggs for the majority of the game, which is an extremely difficult matchup for opposing WRs. He’ll bring a safe floor due to the projected target volume, but the upside to be a top-5 option this week probably isn’t there. He can be viewed as a low-end WR1.
Gabriel Davis: Coming off of a game in which he went for 5-85-2, Davis won’t have a chance to provide an encore against New England this weekend because he’s been placed on the COVID-19 list and doesn’t have a chance to be cleared in time because he’s reportedly unvaccinated.
Emmanuel Sanders: Sanders was looking iffy earlier in the week due to a knee injury, but now it appears he’ll be good to go, and he may play an elevated role this week against the Patriots with Gabriel Davis and Cole Beasley both on the COVID-19 list. Still, Sanders hasn’t contributed much since September, and in a tough matchup against the Patriots, it will be hard to trust him as anything more than a midrange WR4.
Jakobi Meyers: Meyers provided a safe floor for fantasy managers last week in a tough individual matchup against Kenny Moore, but that was on the back of Jones throwing the ball 45 times. That’s unlikely to happen in this one, which moves Meyers back down the rankings this week. He can be viewed as a low-upside FLEX option.
Kendrick Bourne: Bourne really did not do all that much last week, but he still managed to finish as a top-36 WR due to how abysmal the rest of the WR position was for fantasy. Bourne amassed just five total touches last week and that’s not enough volume to be a reliable fantasy option. In this matchup against Buffalo, Bourne is a touchdown-or-bust FLEX play.
Tight Ends
Dawson Knox: Knox didn’t provide massive upside this past week against Carolina, but he remained heavily involved in the offense, which is encouraging for fantasy managers.
Hunter Henry: Henry took advantage of Jones’ increased pass attempts last week and he turned it into a TE3 ranking on the week. While we shouldn’t be expecting two touchdowns again here from Henry, he’s worth rolling into your starting lineup if you’re in a pinch due to his potential. We know Jones is going to look his way in the red zone and that’s enough to put him in the high-end TE2 conversation.
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