If you win this week in Fantasy Football, you will advance to the Fantasy Football Championship, which is the ultimate goal of every season. Manifest those championships. Now is more important than ever to pay close attention to the details and make the best Fantasy Football lineup decision possible, which will set you up for success.
I invest significant time and effort into this series, and I take pride in identifying players likely to exceed expectations each week. This article is designed to help you optimize your Fantasy Football lineups and make informed decisions for daily fantasy sports (DFS), giving you a competitive edge.
Weekly I dig through and analyze NFL matchups focusing on factors such as Fantasy points allowed per game, yards allowed, and player performances to predict who will excel.
My intention as a content creator has always been to help YOU “Play 2 Win”. That is exactly what we will be doing here. Thanks for all of the support with this series this season. No slowing down now. We are off into Week 16
2024 Fantasy Football Playoffs Semifinal Winners
Broncos vs. Chargers (Thursday Night Football)
Back in Week 6 Courtland Sutton caught four of his six targets for 53 yards and a touchdown in the first Chargers matchup this season for 15.3 Fantasy Points. The connection with rookie Bo Nix started off slow, but Sutton shifted into being a weekly starter and one of the best values for the position to FLEX each week. Looking specifically at Sutton’s last seven games played he has averaged 9.43 targets, 6.43 receptions, 85.86 receiving yards, 0.57 receiving touchdowns, and 18.9 Fantasy Points. The Chargers allow the 12th-most Fantasy PPG to wide receivers this season and is a matchup Sutton has already excelled in.
In the Week 6 Chargers vs Broncos matchup, Ladd McConkey caught four of his eight targets for 43 yards. Across the last four games played, McConkey has ranged from 14.3-20.7 Fantasy Points in all of them which shows his FLEX value. During this span, the rookie earned nine/12 targets in Weeks 11/13, produced 123/117 receiving yards in Weeks 11/13, scored last week, and caught at least five passes in all of them. McConkey is a very reliable slot receiver for Justin Herbert witha proven upside due to his athleticism. Herbert will be looking for Ladd often in Week 16.
Texans vs. Chiefs (Saturday Game 1)
Nico Collins has scored 20.2, 19.9, and 17.7 Fantasy Points in the last three games played which has been encouraging since returning from injury in Week 11. Collins produced 92 and 119 yards across Weeks 12-13, and in a low passing yardage day for the Texans last week he accounted for both receiving touchdowns. We know the 13-1 Chiefs will mean a tough matchup, which should mean plenty of passing volume. I would expect Collins to earn double-digit targets in this Week 16 matchup, and with his recent stretch of Fantasy performances, this should mean an increased opportunity to continue racking up Fantasy Points.
Patrick Mahomes was listed as a full practice participant on Tuesday, which is an important note to make since the ankle injury scare from Week 15 which meant a Carson Wentz appearance. First-round rookie Xavier Worthy is a player trending up right now for Fantasy Football, who has scored double-digit Fantasy Points in three of his last five games with two of those being scores of 16.8 (Week 11) and 19.6 (Week 15) points. Worthy earned a season-high 11 targets last week which meant catching a season-high six passes. Similar to Week 1, Worthy also caught a touchdown and rushed for a touchdown showing off his dynamic skillset. The Chiefs actually gave Worthy three opportunities last week on the ground, which was another season-high. Worthy has produced over 40 receiving yards in five straight games, which does not sound wild but is encouraging as he only produced 40 receiving yards in two of his nine games prior to this stretch. An uptick in volume could be a great sign for the speedster in Week 16 against a Texans defense allowing the seventh-most Fantasy PPG to wide receivers this year.
Steelers vs. Ravens (Saturday Game 2)
Pat Freiermuth has scored 18.8, 13.8, and 11.2 Fantasy Points in the last three games played with a touchdown in each of them. For the position, this has meant TE6, TE5, and TE8 Fantasy finishes which shows a true impact for the position. The Ravens are a positive passing matchup, allowing the second-most passing yards per game and even more specifically for Muth the 11th-most Fantasy PPG to tight ends. George Pickens did not practice on Tuesday as he is dealing with that hamstring issue that has kept him out the last two weeks, so if he misses again it could mean a continued emphasis on Freiermuth from Russell Wilson who has been targeted six or seven times in two of his last three games.
In the first Ravens vs. Steelers matchup this season, Isaiah Likely (four catches for 75 yards) and Mark Andrews (two catches for 22 yards) combined for six catches and 97 receiving yards. It was a rough first five weeks for Andrews this season, but across Weeks 6-15 he has averaged a healthy 13.64 Fantasy Points with six of those nine games above that scoring average. What has truly propelled Andrews for Fantasy is the touchdown scoring, which has been an upside he has had through time with Lamar Jackson. Across the last nine games, Andrews has totaled eight touchdowns and has scored in 7/9 of those.
Giants vs. Falcons
Malik Nabers has scored 14+ Fantasy Points for three straight weeks now and is coming off of his best week since Week 4. Nabers caught 10 of his 14 targets in Week 15 for 82 yards and a touchdown for 24.2 Fantasy Points. We know that Nabers has this sort of upside, which was evident in Weeks 2-4 when he averaged 106.67 receiving yards, a touchdown, and 26.67 Fantasy Points in those three games. Nabers had a long stretch of very average weeks on top of missed time following that, which may not all be on him with his quarterback adversity but emphasizes his recent games. Nabers has an opportunity to stay hot as he faces a Falcons team allowing the fourth-most Fantasy PPG to wide receivers and ninth-most receiving yards per game this season.
The Atlanta Falcons have had enough of Kirk Cousins, who has thrown one touchdown and nine interceptions across the last five games and will turn to first-round rookie Michael Penix Jr. I do not think the gameplan going into this Giants matchup will be to have the rookie quarterback win them this game in his first start, I think the gameplan will be to pound the rock. Not to say Penix cannot and will not sling it a bit. Bijan Robinson has rushed 26, 22, and 22 times in the last three games resulting in 102, 92, and 125 rushing yards with two rushing touchdowns. 25.5, 20.1, and 14.5 Fantasy Points followed. Across the last two weeks, Tyler Allgeier has totaled 63/43 rushing yards with a rushing touchdown in Week 14. Allgeier earned 12 carries just last week. So obviously Bijan Robinson is a player who can absolutely smash this week, as he has done so many times this season. Desperation plays and deep leagues may take a look at Allgeier as well, hoping the game can script him into some double-digit touches as well with a fall into the end zone. The Giants allow the fourth-most Fantasy PPG to running backs this season.
Cardinals vs. Panthers
James Conner has had a solid year in general but has definitely trended up the last two weeks for Fantasy Football. 18 rushing attempts for 90 yards paired with four catches for 32 yards and a receiving touchdown in Week 14 was 22.2 Fantasy Points. Then in Week 15 Conner rushed 16 times for 110 yards and two touchdowns with five receptions for 28 yards which was a season-high 30.8 Fantasy Points. Rushing upside and efficiency paired with receiving work has meant plenty of upside for the veteran. Conner continues to thrive as a workhorse and has finished three straight games with 20+ touches. The Panthers are a smash matchup this week for Conner to stay hot as they allow rthe most Fantasy PPG to running backs and also the most rushing yards per game this season.
Week 15 was a down week for Chuba Hubbard, but Week 16 presents a solid opportunity to bounce back for Fantasy Football. Back in Week 14 Hubbard rushed 26 times for 92 yards and a touchdown as well as caught four passes for 14 yards which was 20.7 Fantasy Points. Encouraging also is Hubbard catching four passes in back-to-back games, which is something he has done eight times in total this season. Hubbard is having a great season with eight weeks of 15+ Fantasy Points and five weeks over 20 Fantasy Points. The Cardinals allow the 10th-most Fantasy PPG to running backs this season.
Lions vs. Bears
The last time the Bears and Lions faced off this season David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs combined for 30 rushing attempts for 175 yards and also combined for five catches for an additional 53 yards. David Montgomery unfortunately will miss the rest of the season due to a sprained MCL, which should emphasize more volume in general for Jahmyr Gibbs. Gibbs is coming off of a massive Week 15 performance where he rushed eight times for 31 yards and a touchdown and also caught five passes for 83 yards and a receiving touchdown for 28.4 Fantasy Points. Gibbs is one of the most electric players in the league which is evident by him splitting reps with David Montgomery this year but still scoring 19+ Fantasy Points seven times. The Bears allow the fifth-most Fantasy PPG to running backs and seventh-most rushing yards per game this season, so with that matchup data on top of what Detroit did last time around to the Bears, it should be an elite Gibbs week.
Caleb Williams had a huge day back in Week 13 against the Lion throwing for 256 yards, three passing touchdowns, and he also rushed for 39 yards which was 26.1 Fantasy Points. The first overall pick from this year’s NFL Draft has had plenty of down weeks, but his spike weeks have truly flashed the potential the rookie has. Williams has finished three weeks with over 300 passing yards, six weeks with multiple passing touchdowns, seven weeks with over 30 yards rushing, and four weeks with over 23 Fantasy Points. Caleb has not thrown an interception either since Week 6. The Lions allow the seventh-most passing yards per game, and after the 23-20 loss earlier this season I am sure Williams is looking for another big game out of spite.
Titans vs. Colts
Chig Okonkwo has had a quiet season for the most part but has shown signs of life in two of his last five performances. Back in Week 12 he scored a 70-yard touchdown which meant 14 Fantasy Points. Just last week, Chig caught eight of his 10 targets for 59 yards which was 13.9 Fantasy Points. Chig was absolutely fed last week by both Will Levis and Mason Rudolph. Rudolph will start this week who has totaled 215, 266, 240, and 209 passing yards in his last four performances along with a six-to-five touchdown to interception ratio in these games. The Colts allow the third-most Fantasy PPG to tight ends this season, so after a week where Chig was highly involved in the passing attack, this pushes the streaming narrative if you are looking for a tight end this week.
Anthony Richardson across the last four weeks has alternated between being Fantasy useful and not useful for Fantasy each game. 28.1 Fantasy Points (QB4) in Week 11, then 13 Fantasy Points (QB21) in Week 12, then 23.2 Fantasy Points (QB9) in Week 13, and then 15.4 Fantasy Points (QB16) in Week 15. So by pattern…this must mean a good week… right? The Titans allow the 11th-most Fantasy PPG to quarterbacks, which is a positive sign. Some other positive signs across the lats four weeks include 272 passing yards in Week 11, two passing touchdowns in Week 13 (two interceptions too though), 45-61 rushing yards the last three weeks in a row, and four rushing touchdowns during this span. There is clear upside to Richardson, just murky consistency. If you are shooting for upside in a matchup you are trailing heading into Sunday then he may be a consideration for the position.
Rams vs. Jets
Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp busted last week and Kyren Williams has scored under 14 Fantasy Points in five of his last seven games which further emphasizes Puka Nacua as the safest option in the Rams offense for Fantasy Football. Across the last six games played, Puka has averaged 11 targets, 8.17 catches, 108.83 receiving yards, 0.5 receiving touchdowns, and 23.52 Fantasy Points. This is the same monster from last season who broke rookie records.
Aaron Rodgers is yet again a solid streaming option for the quarterback position this week for Fantasy Football. Rodgers has scored 17.6 and then 30.1 Fantasy Points the last two weeks which has meant QB11 and QB4 Fantasy finishes. Rodgers threw for 339 yards and a touchdown in Week 14 then threw for 289 yards, three touchdowns, and rushed for 45 yards in Week 15. The wide receiver duo of Davante Adams and Garrett Wilson raise the yardage and touchdown ceiling high for Rodgers. ARod will face a Rams defense in Week 16 that allows the ninth-most Fantasy PPG to quarterbacks and the game script of this one should emphasize both offenses pushing the ball through the air with both of them having an elite wide receiver pairing.
Eagles vs. Commanders
In Week 11 when the Commanders faced the Eagles Saquon Barkley rushed 26 times for 146 yards, two touchdowns, and took two catches for 52 yards which was 33.8 Fantasy Points. Barkley has finished nine weeks with over 100 rushing yards, five weeks with over 145 rushing yards, three weeks with over 40 receiving yards, has scored 13 total touchdowns, and is averaging 22.1 Fantasy PPG this season. Thriving in Philly. There should be confidence in elite talent when elite talent gets the opportunity to have elite performances against teams they have already had elite performances against this year.
The Eagles are a very tough matchup across the board. In Week 11 the positives to note from Washington include 63 rushing yards and a touchdown for Brian Robinson Jr, eight receptions for 89 yards from Austin Ekeler, and six receptions for 47 yards and a touchdown from Zach Ertz. Austin Ekeler is on the IR and Zach Ertz is likely to miss Week 16 due to being in concussion protocol.
Browns vs. Bengals
The Browns have benched Jameis Winston and will turn to Dorian Thompson-Robinson which means… a lack of confidence in all pass-catching options for Fantasy Football. If I am tossing a dart in this offense it will be on Jerome Ford who will operate as the lead running back for the rest of the season following the Nick Chubb broken foot. Ford last week rushed seven times for 84 yards and a touchdown and also caught two passes for 20 yards which was 18.4 Fantasy Points. Ford opened up the season with double-digit Fantasy scores in three of his first four games and averaged 12.4 Fantasy PPG last season as the lead back. Rushing volume paired with dump-offs is the hope here.
Tee Higgins caught four of his eight targets in Week 7 against the Browns for 82 yards and a touchdown which was a solid 18.2 Fantasy Point outing. Higgins would go on to miss the next three full games due to injury but has had weeks of 29.8, 17.9, and 19.8 Fantasy Points in three of his four games upon return. Ja’Marr Chase has been amazing this season (props to anyone… anyone…(Nick Skrip) who said he was the 1.01) but do not let this overshadow Higgins having a great year as well. Higgins has six receiving touchdowns through nine appearances this year, which screams the upside in that department. Higgins caught five of his eight targets for 88 yards and a touchdown last week, and now faces a Browns defense he was successful already against that allows the sixth-most Fantasy PPG to wide receivers this season.
Vikings vs. Seahawks
Aaron Jones has scored 19.9 (Week 12), 16.4 (Week 14), and 18.6 (Week 15) Fantasy Points in three of his last four appearances. During those specific weeks, Jones rushed for 106, 73, and 86 yards with a touchdown in each of them on the ground. Jones has finished five weeks with over 90 rushing yards, four weeks with four or more catches, seven weeks with 16+ Fantasy Points, and two weeks with over 20 Fantasy Points. The Seahawks allow the 11th-most Fantasy PPG to running backs and the 11th-most rushing yards per game this season which is a positive matchup.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is in the “must-start” category for Fantasy Football regardless of the matchup for me, but I think it is time to call a DK Metcalf bounce-back game. What better week would there be for DK to “get right” than against the Vikings defense allowing the most Fantasy PPG to wide receivers and the fourth-most passing yards per game this season? Since returning from injury after the Week 10 BYE, Metcalf has yet to score above 14 Fantasy Points and has been under 11 in four straight games. Earlier this season Metcalf had some major performances though that directly translated to Fantasy Football. 10 catches on 14 targets for 129 yards and a touchdown in Week 2 for 28.9 Fantasy Points. Four catches on six targets the very next game for 104 yards and a touchdown for 20.4 Fantasy Points. 104 yards yet again in Week 4. Four catches on seven targets for 99 yards and a touchdown in Week 7 for 19.9 Fantasy Points. The guy can ball, and we have seen that plenty through his career. JSN has become the alpha through the air in this Seattle offense but there will be plenty of room for DK in Week 16 to once again deliver high FLEX value in such a good matchup.
Patriots vs. Bills
If New England can keep this Bills matchup somewhat close, we can finally see another bigger Rhamondre Stevenson week. Rhamondre has ranged from 69-74 rushing yards in four of his last five games but has scored under 13 Fantasy Points in all of them. Back in Weeks 8/9 Stevenson scored 23.5/22.4 Fantasy Points which was correlated to rushing touchdowns and some receiving usage so we know the upside potential is there. The Bills allow the second-most Fantasy PPG to running backs this season, so if the Patriots can grind out some clock on the ground it would give Stevenson the opportunity to take advantage of a nice matchup.
James Cook rushed 14 times for 107 yards and two touchdowns last week and also took a catch for 28 yards which was 26.3 Fantasy Points. Two games prior Cook rushed 14 times for 107 yards and a touchdown and caught a pass for 13 yards which was 19 Fantasy Points. The rushing upside is evident as of late. What else is evident is the touchdown scoring upside with Cook accounting for 14 on the year. The Patriots allow the seventh-most Fantasy PPG to running backs and the 12th-most rushing yards per game this season which should enable Cook to stay hot this week for Fantasy Football.
Jaguars vs. Raiders
Brenton Strange took on the Evan Engram role last week and absolutely sprinted with it. Strange caught 11 of his 12 targets for 73 yards which was 18.3 Fantasy Points. With Engram out for the rest of the season, this Week 15 performance can hold a lot of weight as Strange looked well connected with Mac Jones who he likely spent tons of time with on the second team all season. The Jaguars spent a second-round draft pick on Strange back in 2023, so this has been a guy they were willing to invest in and eventually use. Now is that time. The Raiders are a great matchup for Strange to keep rolling as they allow the fourth-most Fantasy PPG to tight ends this season. Great tight end streamer to take a chance on.
The Jaguars allow the third-most Fantasy PPG to wide receivers and the most passing yards per game this year as a smash matchup through the air. Aidan O’Connell was back at practice on Wednesday which is a positive sign for the pass-catchers. The last time O’Connell played a full game was back in Week 13 where he targeted Jakobi Meyers 11 times and Meyers caught six of those for 97 yards which was 15.7 Fantasy Points for the wide receiver. Through 12 appearances this season Meyers has been targeted 10+ times in five of them, finished with 97-121 receiving yards in three games, scored 13+ Fantasy Points seven times, and 15+ Fantasy Points five times. Week 16 is a great one to stick Meyers in your FLEX spot.
49ers vs. Dolphins
De’Von Achane has been a consistent Fantasy Football producer this season with plenty of upside. Through 14 appearances Achane has scored over 20 Fantasy Points in scene of them and a 50% hit rate there is outstanding. A huge boost to Achane’s production is the consistent involvement in the passing game. Achane’s 78 targets ranks second for the position, 70 receptions ranks first, 509 receiving yards ranks second, and 17.5 Fantasy PPG ranks eighth. Achane has finished with eight, six, and seven catches the last three weeks and I expect that to continue into Week 16’s matchup against the 49ers who allow the 12th-most Fantasy PPG to running backs.
Deebo Samuel’s seven targets last week was the highest since Week 11. It was painful to see Deebo drop a pass he likely could have taken to the house, which would have meant a much different Fantasy week than the one he had so his Fantasy struggles continued. Isaac Guerendo is still banged up and missing practice, so one possible hope is that Deebo gets more reps as a rusher similar to the five he received in Week 14. So if we combine the five rushing attempts in Week 14 with the seven targets in Week 15 we could potentially get a game with solid opportunity. Deebo deserves to be on Fantasy benches due to scoring under seven Fantasy Points for five straight weeks but some managers need to take shots on upside and he had that a handful of times this season. 18.7 Fantasy Points in Week 1, 18 in Week 2, and 20.7 in Week 6 show the signs of the Deebo we once knew and loved.
Buccaneers vs. Cowboys (Sunday Night Football)
The Cowboys allow the sixth-most Fantasy PPG to running backs and the fourth-most rushing yards per game this season which is a great sign for the combination of Bucky Irving and Rachaad White. I think both backs are in play for this week for Fantasy. With David Motngomery’s injury in Detroit, this may now be the best running back 1-2 punch in the league. Bucky rushed 15 times last week for 117 yards which was 13.3 Fantasy Points. White rushed 15 times last week for 64 yards and one of his two catches was a touchdown which meant 14.1 Fantasy Points. Last week was a good example that there is plenty of volume given to both of these guys. Irving has scored 15+ Fantasy Points six times this season and over 27 Fantasy Points twice. White has scored over 15 Fantasy points Both Buccaneers running backs scored 15+ Fantasy Points five times this season and over 24 points twice. There have been three games where both running backs scored 15+ Fantasy Points in the same game.
CeeDee Lamb has looked very CeeDee Lamb the last two weeks with scores of 21.4/26.6 Fantasy Points. This has been very encouraging due to Lamb not scoring 20+ points prior to these games since Week 8. 13 then seven targets, six then nine receptions, 93 then 116 receiving yards, and a touchdown in each game have all been positive signs for last year’s WR1. The Buccaneers allow the ninth-most Fantasy PPG to wide receivers and the third-most passing yards per game this season which should keep Lamb on track for Fantasy this week.
Saints vs. Packers (Monday Night Football)
Josh Jacobs since the Week 10 BYE:
- Week 11: 18 rushing attempts for 76 yards and a touchdown. Four catches for 58 yards. 23.4 Fantasy Points
- Week 12: 26 rushing attempts for 106 yards and three touchdowns. 28.6 Fantasy Points
- Week 13: 19 rushing attempts for 43 yards and a touchdown. Four catches for 74 yards. 21.7 Fantasy Points
- Week 14: 18 rushing attempts for 66 yards and three touchdowns. 24.6 Fantasy Points
- Week 15: 26 rushing attempts for 94 yards and a touchdown. Four catches for 42 yards. 21.6 Fantasy Points
The Saints allow the ninth-most Fantasy PPG to running backs and the sixth-most rushing yards per game this season. Nuff said.
Make sure to check out all of our Week 16 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!