For most leagues, the fantasy football train makes a final stop this weekend. While some leagues will hold their championship game next weekend, the vast majority end at the conclusion of Monday Night Football. Keeping that in mind, this will be our last edition of Sizzle/Fizzle for 2019. It has been a great pleasure bringing you this weekly look at the NFL and fantasy world. Our NFL Week 16 fantasy football trends aim to help you win big, and nothing is bigger than capturing a championship. So let’s get ready for one final round. Best of luck to everyone seeking a title!
Sizzle
Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints – When you become the NFL’s all-time touchdown pass leader, you lead off this list. Brees throws for four touchdowns and 307 yards in a rout of Indianapolis. To illustrate how dominate Drew was, he had only one incompletion! Tennessee presents more of a test, but the time-tested Brees has led plenty of teams to fantasy glory and can do it again.
Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens – With this being our last edition of the season, we must pay tribute to the breakout superstar of the season. Jackson’s latest effort dismantles the New York Jets. Lamar threw for five touchdowns and 212 yards while adding 86 yards on the ground. . Jackson has now rushed for 1,103 yards, the most ever for a quarterback during a single season. If you have to play Jackson this week, best of luck. You are going to need it.
Jameis Winston, QB/Breshad Perriman, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Perriman epitomizes the unpredictability of fantasy football. No one envisioned the former first-round pick who had plenty of rough patches in Baltimore and Cleveland becoming a fantasy star. And here we are, with Perriman starting for lots of teams at championship time. Last Sunday, he made the Lions look silly, catching five passes for 113 yards and three touchdowns. Winston finishes the day with 458 passing yards and four scores. Amazing that Winston generates confidence despite losing Mike Evans and Chris Godwin due to injuries. But thanks to Perriman and capable tight ends Cameron Brate and O.J. Howard, not to mention an often vulnerable Houston defense, Winston’s a firm QB1.
Kenyan Drake, RB, Arizona Cardinals – LeBron James is famous for saying he was taking his talents to South Beach. Drake takes his talents out of South Beach. Not wanted by Miami despite displaying home run ability, Drake destroys the Browns in the desert. He rushes for 137 yards and four touchdowns! Admittedly, Kenyan has had some down weeks in Arizona as well. But when he’s at his best, he hangs with the elite RB1 crowd. Expecting a duplicate performance against Seattle would not be wise, but Drake deserves to start for your team during this pivotal time.
Miles Sanders, RB, Philadelphia Eagles – Heavily hyped heading into the season, Sanders shows flashes during the season. All of those flashes led up to a huge Week 15 performance against Washington. Miles rushes for 122 yards and a touchdown. In addition, he catches six passes for 50 yards and another score. It appears Jordan Howard will be sidelined again. Boston Scott will again spell Sanders, but Miles can again be slotted as an RB2 with the upside for much more.
Chris Carson, RB, Seattle Seahawks – With Rashaad Penny lost for the season, Carson thrives against Carolina’s soft run defense. Carrying the ball 24 times, Carson rushes for 133 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Arizona surrenders an average of 122.7 rushing yards per game. Carson closes out the fantasy season on an RB1 tear.
Anthony Miller, WR, Chicago Bears – Ultimately, Chicago’s 2019 season embodies a major disappointment after the Bears won the NFC North last year. But there are bright spots even when times are tough. Miller has been sensational down the stretch. Last Sunday in Green Bay, the second-year receiver out of Memphis pulled in nine passes for 118 yards and a touchdown. Back in Week 13, Miller had nine receptions for 140 yards. Kansas City defends the pass better than most realize, but start Miller again as Chicago may find themselves playing from behind.
Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons – The absence of Calvin Ridley opens up extra targets for Jones. The veteran made the most of them in Atlanta’s upset win over San Francisco. Matt Ryan locks in on Julio a whopping 20 times. Jones finishes with 13 catches for 134 yards and two touchdowns. His second score won the game. While Julio has long been an elite WR1, sometimes he goes through touchdown droughts. Until last weekend, he had not found the end zone since Week 3. Now clearly on a hot streak and with Jacksonville on tap, Jones could be leading many fantasy teams to titles.
Fizzle
Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, San Francisco 49ers – After Week 14’s conquest of the Saints, Garoppolo plummets back to earth against Atlanta. The resurgent Falcons limit Jimmy G to 200 passing yards and a single touchdown. Anyone who survived despite Garoppolo’s shortcomings needs to be looking for an alternative. Los Angeles yields a modest 220.6 passing yards per game. Additionally, Garoppolo failed to throw a touchdown against the Rams earlier this season.
Kyle Allen, QB, Carolina Panthers – At times, Allen shows promise. But after firing up a festival of interceptions over the past two weeks, Allen takes a trip to the bench. Rookie Will Grier starts on Sunday in Indianapolis. Say what you want about Allen, but D.J. Moore ultimately thrived with him in control. Can Grier click with Moore? He may have no choice, with Curtis Samuel questionable. Of course, Grier will also lean on Christian McCaffrey and the likes of Greg Olsen and Ian Thomas. Grier did not look great during the preseason, but in the end, his presence should not keep you from starting Moore.
Melvin Gordon, RB, Los Angeles Chargers – In a loss to Minnesota, the Charger offense seems to be auditioning for roles as Santa Claus. They presented plenty of turnover presents to the Vikings defense. In reality, Philip Rivers needs to be on this list more than Gordon. But way more fantasy owners were counting on Gordon last weekend. He lost two fumbles and managed 64 total yards. If you survived Melvin’s meltdown, give him another shot in a dandy matchup with Oakland. Earlier this year, he rushed for over 100 yards against the Raiders and scored a touchdown.
Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints – Entering the league in 2017, Kamara scored 31 touchdowns in his first two seasons. So far in 2019, Kamara has scored just twice. We realize Kamara missed a couple of games earlier, but the drop in production has been startling. While Alvin may snap out of his slump soon, he could be a value pick in 2020. His ADP will be lower and you have to figure his touchdown total will rise again.
Josh Jacobs, RB, Oakland Raiders – After missing Week 14 due to an ailing shoulder, Jacobs returns and rushes for 89 yards in a loss to Jacksonville. However, Oakland plans on being cautious with Jacobs as he concludes his rookie season. That means he will not play Sunday in Los Angeles against the Chargers. Naturally, it’s a shame he will not be available during title week. Nonetheless, give Josh his due as he was an instant fantasy sensation with 1,316 total yards and seven touchdowns. DeAndre Washington starts this weekend with Jacobs out and should deliver decent numbers.
Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings – Until recently, durability and Dalvin had a much better relationship in 2019. Improved health makes Cook a fantasy and real-world star. But Cook has departed two of his last three games early due to injury. While his shoulder injury does not appear to be overly serious, Minnesota seems inclined to hold him out until the postseason. They clinch a spot if the Rams lose to San Francisco Saturday evening or if they beat Green Bay on Monday night. With backup Alexander Mattison also injured, the Mike Boone watch is on. Boone rushed for two touchdowns in a relief role last Sunday. Provided he leads the Viking backfield, Boone could produce some Monday night heroics.
Julian Edelman, WR, New England Patriots – One of fantasy football’s most consistent players turn in a shockingly bad performance. Edelman catches just two passes for nine yards in a supposedly awesome matchup with Cincinnati. Some believe Edelman operates at less than full health at the moment. However, it remains shocking he could not get more going against the NFL’s worst team. Can he turn things around against Buffalo’s impressive defense? The Bills limited him to four receptions for 30 yards back in Week 4. In a game New England needs to take home another AFC East crown, Edelman’s anticipated volume keeps him in the WR2 mix. But his risk factor stays higher than normal.
Amari Cooper/Michael Gallup, WRs, Dallas Cowboys – A dominant ground game turns both Cooper and Gallup into Week 15 disappointments. Gallup caught one pass for six yards. Cooper had one reception for 19 yards as Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard ran wild on the Rams. In theory, both players are strong bets to rebound against Philadelphia’s shaky pass defense. On the other hand, Dak Prescott has been limited in practice and may not be at full strength. But Prescott will play and Cooper and Gallup should stay in your lineup.
Once again, thank you for reading our NFL Week 16 Fantasy Football Trends and good luck!
