NFL Reactions: Week 16 Recap

This is the best time of the year for me. Fantasy football playoffs are down to the final four teams, NFL teams are fighting for playoff spots and the holiday season is in full gear. Let's talk about the biggest takeaways from the Week 16 action.

Eagles at Commanders

Give the Commanders credit. They won their 10th game of the season.  The Eagles let receivers run wide open and did not keeping Daniels in the pocket like they did in the first meeting, allowing a massive fantasy performance for the quarterback. In addition, it showed great leadership for Daniels to keep plugging away while his team was losing until the fourth quarter. Fantasy managers who started Terry McLaurin were rewarded with 60 yards and a touchdown. I said throughout the week that benching McLaurin was not wise. Plus, if he had a big game on fantasy football benches, that would be a terrible way to end the fantasy playoffs. Surprisingly, Olamide Zaccheaus and Jamison Crowder accounted for four of the five passing touchdowns. In some deep leagues, Zaccheaus was a desperation option in playoff lineups. However, it's unlikely that many lineups included Crowder. Overall, the lesson to learn is that benching Daniels or McLaurin carries significant risk.

About halfway through the first quarter, the Eagles appeared to be on their way to an easy blowout victory. Saquon Barkley was dominant on the ground, the defense forced a turnover and Philadelphia was in control. On one play, everything changed. Jalen Hurts suffered a concussion, and this became one of the wildest games of the season. Barkley could no longer run for consistent yardage because the Commanders had the luxury of selling out to stop the run. The passing game was limited with Kenny Pickett having to finish the contest. Barkley and A.J. Brown ended up doing well for fantasy, but the offense had to settle for field goals instead of touchdowns. Also, an Eagles defense that had been playing at an elite level somehow forgot how to cover receivers. I know that any team is in trouble if it loses its starting quarterback, but it was amazing that the Eagles fell apart on both sides of the football. This loss probably puts the Eagles out of the conversation for home-field advantage in the playoffs. 

Lions at Bears

With all the injuries the Lions have had on defense, I thought it was likely that putting pedal to the floor on offense would be their new way of life. That's exactly what they did. Jared Goff passed for 336 yards and three touchdowns. Jameson Williams caught five passes for 143 yards. Williams, Amon-Ra St. Brown  and Sam LaPorta each scored touchdowns. In Detroit's first game without David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs posted 154 scrimmage yards and a rushing touchdown. There are no real takeaways with this offense. Just enjoy watching for as long as the Lions stay alive in the playoffs.

There is nothing shocking about this performance from the Bears. They quickly fell behind by double digits. Then, they had to go extremely pass heavy while playing catch up. Caleb Williams and Keenan Allen had excellent fantasy performances while Rome Odunze and DJ Moore posted double-digit PPR points. There's little reason to avoid using the top passing-game options in the Chicago offense,  as they should continue to enjoy positive game script. 

Rams at Jets

Many expected a shootout; I was far more cautious. Both the Rams and the Jets are often inconsistent. I always say that we have no idea which Rams team will show up in a given week. Wisely, the Rams attacked a weak New York rushing defense. Kyren Williams rushed for 122 yards and a touchdown. Between the running game being successful and the Rams never trailing by more than six points, Matthew Stafford only attempted 19 passes. The only Los Angeles player with more than three catches or 24 yards was Puka Nacua. Williams and Nacua remain players who must be started in fantasy lineups. Everyone else has a scary scoring floor.

After the Jets had a number of big second-half performances over the last month, they scored all nine of their points in the first half of this game. The only touchdown in this game was scored in the first quarter by Davante Adams. Otherwise, Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson had decent floor performances. Adams continues to be a target hog. The veteran is the one player we should have supreme confidence in each week.

Vikings at Seahawks

Minnesota has not leaned upon Justin Jefferson as heavily this season as in recent seasons. In a huge game on the road, the Vikings wisely made Jefferson the focal point of the offense. The receiver caught 10 of 13 targets for 144 yards and two touchdowns. The last touchdown catch gave Minnesota the victory late in the fourth quarter. Despite not having a flashy performance, Sam Darnold threw three touchdown passes, and he continues to be one of the best values of the fantasy season. Aaron Jones and Jordan Addison also both posted double-digit PPR points. As usual, this is a very narrow tree for fantasy. Each of the key options should be started each week with the expectation of a solid floor along with ceiling potential.

I was surprised Geno Smith had a successful game while playing on a banged-up knee against one of the most blitz-happy teams in the league. The quarterback passed for 315 yards and three touchdowns. Meanwhile, Jaxon Smith-Njigba posted 95 yards and a touchdown and continues to be the most productive receiver on the team. Those who started DK Metcalf were helped on a 25-yard touchdown. Otherwise, he ended the day with three catches for 57 yards. Metcalf is merely a floor option for fantasy. Although Kenneth Walker has been an extremely inefficient runner for most of the season, he caught another eight passes to make him an outstanding option at PPR leagues. Receptions have been a major part of Walker's fantasy value this season, and I don't see that changing unless the ankle injury he suffered late in this game keeps him out next week. Finally, Jason Myers came up short on a 60-yard field goal with two minutes left that would have tied the game. The Seahawks actually got the ball back with about a minute left, but Smith promptly threw a game-ending interception.

49ers at Dolphins

Miami faced a San Francisco defense that was pretty close to being healthy. This was not going to be a matchup that would be friendly for Tua Tagovailoa and the passing attack. As a result, this became the De'Von Achane show. The running back accounted for 191 scrimmage yards and a touchdown, including a 50-yard scoring run to put the game away in the final minutes. Although Tyreek Hill caught three passes for 29 yards, he scored a touchdown to give him a passable fantasy performance. Especially in PPR leagues, Achane and Jonnu Smith (six catches, 62 yards) are the most reliable players on this offense.

In terms of numbers, the 49ers had a solid fantasy performance despite scoring 17 points.  With Patrick Taylor starting at running back, San Francisco couldn't count on their rushing attack. As a result, Brock Purdy passed for 313 yards and two touchdowns. Both George Kittle and Deebo Samuel eclipsed 100 scrimmage yards while Samuel found the end zone. It was the first time in a month that Samuel had a fantasy game with at least seven PPR points. Meanwhile, Kittle has been a fantastic fantasy option all season. The player who let us down was Jauan Jennings. I was concerned that the receiver would see a number of his snaps against Jalen Ramsey, so I recommend Jennings as a floor play. He caught four passes for 51 yards, and though it wasn't the big game we've seen, it certainly wasn't a terrible performance. Even though the 49ers are eliminated from playoff contention, keep starting the top options on this team as you usual.

Cardinals at Panthers

After Carolina lost a game it was favored in last week, the Panthers went back to their usual  underdog role. That suited them well. Carolina got out to an early lead and had Arizona chasing all afternoon. The one superstar in this game was Chuba Hubbard, who rushed for 152 yards and  two touchdowns, including a game-winning touchdown in overtime. With Bryce Young attempting just 26 passes, there was not very much production to go to the receivers. Adam Thielen led the team with 43 yards and a touchdown. Theilen remains a PPR start while Hubbard always gets volume with big-game potential.

James Conner was a beast. The veteran recorded 166 scrimmage yards and a touchdown. Unfortunately, he left in the second half with a knee injury and didn't return. It's possible that even if Conner's injury is minor he could sit in a meaningless game next week. Otherwise, the Arizona passing attack did not have much success against the Carolina defense. Kyler Murray passed for only 202 yards and one touchdown. That was fine for fantasy, as he added 63 rushing yards and a touchdown. After being one of the most reliable tight ends in fantasy, Trey McBride had one of his worst games of the season, catching three passes for 30 yards. Although backup running back DeeJay Dallas scored a touchdown on his only touch of the game, it was Michael Carter who had five rushes and five receptions for 48 scrimmage yards. Those desperate for running back help next week may want to take a flyer on Carter.

Browns at Bengals

The Bengals played a boring game in which they beat the Browns by 18 points, but all of the key players were fine for fantasy. Joe Burrow tossed three touchdown passes, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins scored  touchdowns and Chase Brown recorded 107 scrimmage yards. There's not much to add other than to say that in the second half of the season, the Cincinnati key players have been  fun to watch each week while being extremely productive for fantasy.

The Browns did not field an NFL-level offense with Dorian Thompson-Robinson at quarterback. Fortunately, David Njoku caught eight passes, mostly in garbage time. Also, Jerome Ford had a surprise 66-yard run on the first drive of the game and was able to score a late touchdown to give him an excellent fantasy day. Predictably, Jerry Jeudy's run of fantasy dominance was ended by terrible quarterback play. The receiver caught two passes for 20 yards. Ford and Njoku are the only players we can count on in the fantasy championships.

Patriots at Bills

Josh Allen single-handedly carried fantasy teams to dominance the last month. That was not the case against the Patriots. in the second half, it appeared that Allen injured his throwing hand. However, the quarterback had done little for fantasy up to that point. After Allen threw his first touchdown pass in the third quarter to tie the game at 14, he was never in position to pad his statistics. New England kicked a field goal to go ahead. After that, a defensive touchdown gave Buffalo a double-digit lead. With the game firmly in hand, there was no need for Allen to throw. The only non-QB to post more than 4.5 PPR points was James Cook, who rushed for 100 yards while scoring a pair of touchdowns. Allen and Cook remain the two safest fantasy options, while Khalil Shakir is normally someone we can count on for a high floor.

The Patriots got off to a great start and led the bills 14-7 at halftime. At that point, the magic ran out. With the Bills still fighting for the top seed in the conference, they turned up the heat on defense. As a result, the Patriots did not have sustained success after intermission. Since Kayshon Boutte had just one game with more than 8.7 PPR points this season, it's unlikely that many fantasy managers capitalized on his biggest game of the season. Those who started Rhamondre Stevenson were rewarded with 73 scrimmage yards and a touchdown. Stevenson is often dependent upon game script, making him a volatile fantasy performer. Finally, Hunter Henry remains a great PPR option, and the veteran salvaged his fantasy day by scoring a touchdown in the last two minutes of the game. It would be better if Henry didn't have to split targets with Austin Hooper, but, regardless, Henry has a high floor most weeks.

Titans at Colts

Indianapolis scored 38 points while everyone got to watch the Jonathan Taylor show. Taylor was an absolute monster, rushing for 218 yards and three touchdowns. Fantasy managers who took a chance on Anthony Richardson benefited from 70 rushing yards along with rushing and passing scores. Fortunately, Josh Downs made a big play on the sideline for a 27-yard touchdown to give him a 15-point PPR performance. Taylor has been solid the last few games, but Richardson makes any part of this passing game difficult to count on for fantasy each week. 

The Titans trailed 24-7 at halftime. The team scored 23 points after intermission, helping many fantasy managers pick up some key points. With the team playing in desperation mode, Tyjae Spears scored a pair of touchdowns. In the passing game, Calvin Ridley posted 78 yards and a touchdown while Nick Westbrook-Ikhine had most of his production by finding the end zone for the ninth time this season. Those who took a flyer on Chigoziem Okonkwo  were rewarded with nine catches for 81 yards. There is no part of the Titans offense that is reliable. However, any one of the key starters are capable of having a solid fantasy performance. Just realize the downside is quite low.

Jaguars at Raiders

Brian Thomas dropped what appeared to be an easy touchdown pass in the third quarter. Fortunately, the rookie redeemed himself a few drives later when he was wide open on a 62-yard touchdown. Thomas remains the one player in this offense who gives fantasy managers an excellent blend of floor and ceiling scoring.

Since this game was close most of the way, the Raiders ran a somewhat balanced offensive attack until the fourth quarter. However, the fact that Las Vegas lacks an effective running game didn't do it any favors. Since the team didn't load up on passing attempts, it kept the passing numbers lower than they could have been against a terrible Jacksonville pass defense. Brock Bowers caught 11 passes for 99 yards, and he was the only receiver over 47 yards. Aside from the fact that Bowers is likely to be an incredible tight end for a long time, the Raiders remain one of the worst offenses in the league.

Giants at Falcons

In a game the Falcons were big favorites, I never thought that Michael Penix was going to  be required to do much as a passer. That's exactly what happened. The rookie was a game manager, and Bijan Robinson ran in both of the team's offensive touchdowns. There is little actionable advice to take from the Falcons' offense due to the nature of the blowout victory.

Obviously, Drew Lock is one of the weaker starting quarterbacks in the NFL. The good news was that Lock tossed a touchdown pass to Tyrone Tracy. The bad news was that the quarterback threw two touchdown passes (interceptions) to the defense. Aside from Tracy scoring a touchdown, it was a disaster for the New York offense.  Malik Nabers remains the one player in this offense that we can usually count on as a floor option, though this was one of the worst games the rookie has had.

Injuries

• Jalen Hurts suffered a concussion and Kenny Pickett took over.
• James Conner suffered a knee injury, and though he was not officially ruled out, the running back didn't return in a close game.
• Kenneth Walker injured his ankle.
• Dyami Brown sustained a hamstring injury.