In addition to writing articles and appearing on podcasts, our internal analysts at FantasyPros also toss ideas back and forth in Slack throughout the week. Since these conversations would also be useful to fantasy managers, we decided to organize some of them and make them available to everyone.

Here is what Matthew Freedman, Pat Fitzmaurice, Derek Brown, Andrew Erickson and Joe Pisapia had to say in Slack this week as everyone prepared for Week 16 of the fantasy football season.

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Q1. What was your biggest takeaway or what surprised you the most from Week 15?

Pat: The Jaguars’ second-half onslaught against the Cowboys was a jaw-dropper. Trevor Lawrence has gotten so much better under Doug Pederson’s tutelage. Is it possible Lawrence could ascend to the Joe Burrow/Justin Herbert tier at some point in the near future? Maybe. The kid is good.

And the Cowboys … yikes. A month ago, they were my pick to come out of the NFC. Not anymore. Their injury woes at cornerback could be fatal. Lawrence picked his teeth with the Dallas defense in the second half of that game.

DBro: Justin Herbert’s flop game against a beatable Tennessee secondary. Herbert looked set to smash, and while his 313 passing yards look nice on paper, his 0:2 passing touchdown to interception ratio and 7.5 yards per attempt are nothing to run victory laps about.

Joe: Definitely Herbert coming up short in a favorable matchup. Also, perhaps the Vikings are a team of destiny.

Erickson: Miles Sanders‘ bizarre usage. No carries till middle of 2nd quarter. That won’t happen again.

Q2. Pretty much every league is in the playoffs at this point. Are there any “studs” you’d consider sitting or “sleepers” you’d consider starting this week?

Pat: Weather conditions are going to be awful in Cleveland and Chicago this weekend. I want to avoid pass catchers in those games. Amari Cooper is a terrific player I’d be willing to bench due to weather. Chris Olave, too. Editor’s Note: Chris Olave has been ruled out by the Saints for Week 16.

Marquise Goodwin is probably my favorite sneaky start. I think he might prove to be a pretty good proxy for the injured Tyler Lockett. It will be a skinny target tree for the Seahawks — Metcalf, Goodwin and one or two of the TEs — and the Seahawks’ opponents, the Chiefs, give up buckets of fantasy points to WRs.

DBro: I’ll double down with Pat here on Cooper. For me, it isn’t just about the weather, as Deshaun Watson has been playing terrible football since his return. His putrid quarterback play lowers the floor and ceiling for all the skill players in this offense until further notice. Also, if I have any flex-worthy WRs in good matchups (i.e. Darius Slayton, Gabriel Davis) this week, I would consider starting them over running backs that face elite run defenses this week (Brian Robinson, Tyler Allgeier, etc.).

Joe: I’m running away from Brian Robinson Jr. this week against the 49ers and would rather stream Zack Moss over him. If I had to play a Marquise it would be Goodwin not Brown.

Q3. It looks like Jalen Hurts and Ryan Tannehill are both going to miss Week 16. Are you starting either of Gardner Minshew or Malik Willis? Any other emergency replacement QBs you like?

Pat: Minshew yes, Willis no.

Minshew has been fantasy viable in past starting stints. Now he gets to operate behind the best offensive line in the league and throw to an excellent group of pass catchers.

In two starts and seven total appearances this season, Willis has completed 17-of-38 passes for 177 yards, with no touchdowns and one interception. He hasn’t done nearly enough as a runner to make us overlook how bad he’s been as a passer. You’d have to be awfully desperate to use him in a playoff game.

DBro: Minshew is my top streaming option this week. The Dallas secondary is decimated. Minshew can easily post borderline QB1 numbers playing behind a top-five offensive line and a stocked cupboard of elite skill players.

Also, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Russell Wilson is worth streaming this week if he’s out on the wire. The Rams’ corners have been burnt all year long. Wilson has shown signs of life recently with a big game against Kansas City and improving metrics in recent weeks across the board.

Joe: Minshew knows the offense and has been respectable when filling in last year, so I’m comfortable with him even in a tough matchup as a top 15 option.

Erickson: Love me some Minshew. Been a fantasy football darling in the past and plays in arguably the most favorable offensive environment against a reeling Dallas defense. Also INDOORS. NO WIND, RAIN, SNOW. YLTSI.

Minshew was also more than serviceable in a spot start last year going 20-25 for 242 yards and 2 TDs (19 fantasy pts).

Q4. Any final thoughts for the week? Are you avoiding any matchups because of weather based on early reports?

Pat: I’m a fade-the-weather guy, and even I’m a little freaked out by some of the forecasts. People are going to be busy with holiday merrymaking this weekend, but they should take time to check gameday forecasts before setting their lineups.

I mentioned this in my weekly tiers article: I think the weather is going to make for a lot of low-scoring games in the fantasy playoffs, and I think it’s going to give underdogs a better chance to spring upsets on the favorites.

Joe: Looking at a lot of unders and possible low scoring fantasy matchups so build your LUs for points not upside.

Erickson: Screw this Browns-Saints game. 27mph winds and temperatures in the single-digits. Impossible to trust any pass-catcher, outside guys that see targets close or near the LOS.

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