Welcome to Week 16! First, a moment for those who worked their tail off to make it into the playoffs only to face the fantasy wrecking ball Josh Allen last week. Meanwhile, on the defensive side of the ball, the Jets did not perform as well as we had hoped, with the defense allowing over 400 yards of offense. However, we got an adequate performance from the Commanders. Then there was the Falcons, who not only exceeded our expectations but put forth a top-25 overall fantasy performance with 20+ points across leagues last week! That pick was so nice that we are sending it twice. But if you did not pick up Atlanta last week or are not ready to trust this week, we have a few more options to consider. Let’s go over which teams are rostered in around 50 percent of leagues or fewer.
Please note: there’s a decent chance that better teams above this 50 percent threshold are available in your league, but we can’t assume they’re out there for everyone. We have to draw the proverbial line somewhere, so stay active and monitor the league home page; someone might drop a desirable defense after waivers clear.
Green Bay Packers
Opponent: vs New Orleans Saints
ESPN % Rostered: 41%
Yahoo % Rostered: 50%
The Packers are traveling back home after a stellar performance last week in Seattle, where they brought in 2 turnovers and 7 sacks, all while allowing under 15 points. What solidifies this once, though, is a banged-up New Orleans team with a backup quarterback traveling to Lambeau Field in mid-December. While the Saints have their answer for which quarterback will be taking the snaps while Derek Carr is out with injury, they have a new question of how bad the latest injury to Alvin Kamara is after he left the game last week against the Commanders with an abductor strain. Now they get to face a Green Bay defense that has 7 turnovers and 15 sacks over their last four games and stands as a top-10 defense in the league against the rush. They have held five of their last six opponents to under 20 points scoring. Interesting fact: the Packers have the seventh-most sacks on the season with only the third-lowest blitz rate in the league.
Atlanta Falcons
Opponent: vs New York Giants
ESPN % Rostered: 15%
Yahoo % Rostered: 38%
Last week, we stated if they served us well, we’d look to them again this week as well. So here we are after twenty fantasy points last week, Atlanta now hosts the Giants, who are now on their fourth starting quarterback as Tommy DeVito entered concussion protocol last weekend. New York has only eclipsed 20 points and 250 yards of total offense once in all of their games since they last said goodbye to Daniel Jones, as their losing streak now hits nine games in a row. The Giants have averaged double-digit fantasy points to opponents as they have 15 sacks and 5 turnovers in their four games since the bye week. Now they get to face a Falcon team that is coming off a masterful D/ST performance with three turnovers and four sacks in addition to a safety and two blocked kicks last week! Interesting fact: the Falcons have allowed the second-fewest rushing touchdowns on the season.
Cincinnati Bengals
Opponent: vs Cleveland Browns
ESPN % Rostered: 49%
Yahoo % Rostered: 39%
Cincinnati shot up the overall turnover rankings after their six turnovers generated last week alone against the Titans. Now they travel home to host a Browns team that doesn’t know who will get the start under center. The Bengals have now followed up a solid performance with a top-five performance for the second time this year. The last time they did this was against Cleveland, with two turnovers and four sacks in that game. We appear to be in line for a repeat performance, as the Bengals have 9 turnovers and 6 sacks in their three games since their bye week. Over their last three games, the Browns have allowed 11 sacks and an astonishing 12 turnovers while allowing double-digit fantasy points to each opponent over that stretch. Interesting fact: the Bengals have the seventh-highest QB knockdown rate despite having the second-fewest sacks. If only they were just a smidge faster.
Honorable Mentions
Buffalo Bills (E:48% Y!:76%) – Heading home to host division rival New England could be just what this defense needs to get on track again.
Detroit Lions (E:64% Y!:62%) – Earlier this year, Detroit had five sacks against this unBearable Chicago offensive line.
Houston Texans (E:47% Y!:47%) – This could be a good play if Mahomes doesn’t start as he is considered week-to-week.
Indianapolis Colts (E:12% Y!:22%) – If you’re not ready to trust the Bengals (and who could blame you), perhaps trust the team they just beat up on and start the next team going against them instead?
If you see something I don’t, leave a comment or hit me up with feedback @MikeoftheFF on Twitter or find me on Reddit!
Feature image by Michael Packard (@CollectingPack on Twitter) / Photography by Larry Radloff / Icon Sportswire