What We Saw: Week 16

It was a big week for young WRs

Ben Brown
What We Saw 2 Years Ago
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Introduction
49ers @ Titans
Browns @ Packers
Colts @ Cardinals
Giants @ Eagles
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Buccaneers @ Panthers
Jaguars @ Jets
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Ravens @ Bengals
Bears @ Seahawks
Steelers @ Chiefs
Broncos @ Raiders
Football Team @ Cowboys
Dolphins @ Saints

Browns @ Packers

Final Score: Packers 24, Browns 22

Writer: Joe Orlofski (@joeorlofski on Twitter)

 

Remember last week when I said the Packers tried to blow it again?  Well, they tried it….again!  The Packers came out hot against the Browns and still managed to almost blow the game in the last minute.  The Packers’ defense, although getting beat all night, managed to pick off Baker Mayfield four times, including a game-ending one that could have been called Defensive Pass Interference.

That aside, Aaron Rodgers continues to limit mistakes and throw all over opposing defenses, but always seems to sputter out late in games.  There was plenty of scoring in this one, so let’s dive right into the fantasy-relevant players and how they performed.

 

Cleveland Browns

 

Quarterback

 

Baker Mayfield: 21/36, 222 yards, 2 TD, 4 INT | 2 carries, 11 yards

 

Baker Mayfield had a rough day, to the point where I won’t show you every interception cause it’ll just clog up the article.  He started off with a fairly easy touchdown drive, but after that, he made quite a few mistakes.

 

 

This one was just an overthrow by Mayfield.

 

 

This one was also on Mayfield.  It looks like he waited just a bit too long to throw to his receiver, allowing the Packer defender to loop around and make the interception.

 

 

Frankly, this last one was, in my opinion, a missed jersey pull on the receiver that should have been called.  This should not have ended up as an interception.

Baker’s two touchdowns came on short goal-to-go distances and were relatively easy throws to wide-open receivers.  Mayfield is not a great fantasy option.  He throws too few touchdowns and makes too many mistakes to trust.

 

Running Back

 

Nick Chubb: 17 carries, 126 yards, TD | 4 targets, 3 receptions, 58 yards

D’Ernest Johnson: 4 carries, 58 yards | 2 targets, 1 reception, 8 yards

 

Nick Chubb started off hot, catching a 40-yard pass on the opening drive and then taking it in for six.  Chubb had a field day with the Packer defense, busting off huge gains on his way to a great fantasy day.  Chubb will be a workhorse as long as Hunt is out, and even then he still should see a bulk of the work.

D’Ernest Johnson was the main backup with Kareem Hunt still sidelined.  He had limited work, most of it coming on one drive, but he did run all over the Packers.  Overall he doesn’t receive the work that Hunt does, so he probably isn’t going to see the field much with Chubb healthy.

 

 

His longest play came on this 30-yard scamper that he almost took to the house.  Johnson has a ton of value if Chubb were to miss any time.

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Rashard Higgins: 6 targets, 5 receptions, 58 yards

Jarvis Landry: 7 targets, 4 receptions, 55 yards

Donovan Peoples-Jones: 5 targets, 1 reception, 5 yards

Austin Hooper: 5 targets, 3 receptions, 26 yards

Andy Janovich: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 6 yards

Anthony Schwartz: 1 target, 1 reception, 5 yards, TD | 2 carries, 24 yards

Hunter Bryant: 1 target, 1 reception, 1 yard, TD

David Njoku: 2 targets

 

Jarvis Landry returned this week to a mediocre day on the field.  His longest catch of the day came on a good jumping catch that Landry turned into a big gain.

 

Other than that, Landry was mostly kept quiet in this one.

Donovan Peoples-Jones had a forgettable day, catching only one pass on five targets.  Mayfield did target him deep a few times (one which was intercepted), but the deep threat was unable to haul in any of those targets.  He did drop a 40-yard pass that probably should have been caught as well.  Peoples-Jones continues to be an intriguing boom/bust option, although one you probably want to avoid in the fantasy playoffs.

Rashard Higgins came through as the leading Wide Receiver, although he too is just not consistent enough to warrant rostering.

The Tight Ends were pretty much non-startable. David Njoku went back to being a non-factor with Austin Hooper back.  Hooper was the most targeted Tight End but it wasn’t enough to score well in fantasy.  Hunter Bryant was the one who ended up with a wide-open touchdown.

 

Green Bay Packers

 

Quarterback

 

Aaron Rodgers: 24/34, 202 yards, 3 TD | 1 carry, -1 yard

 

Aaron Rodgers had another efficient day, minimizing mistakes and throwing for three touchdowns.  He also broke Brett Favre‘s touchdown record for the Packers on this throw to Allen Lazard.

 

He continued moving the offense, although they did struggle in the second half.  Rodgers threw all three of his touchdowns in the first half.  It is a tad bit worrying that the Packers continue to squeak out victories against inferior teams, but Rodgers should be ok moving forward. He did seem a bit hobbled after getting stepped on/kicked in his bad foot multiple times, so we will have to see how he deals with it in the next few weeks.  He has stated he has had setbacks before, but that hasn’t hindered him so far.

 

Running Back

 

Aaron Jones: 12 carries, 66 yards | 6 targets, 5 receptions, 21 yards

A.J. Dillon: 9 carries, 41 yards | 3 targets, 3 receptions, 15 yards

 

Aaron Jones once again was relatively bottled up in the run game.  His biggest gain came on a 27-yard run, but the other 39 yards came on the other 11 carries.  He saw plenty of targets once again, although his yardage was nothing to get excited over.  Between an iffy offensive line and A.J. Dillon getting a decent amount of work, Jones needs a lot of catches or a touchdown to overcome his lack of yardage.

Dillon continues to be a beast running the ball but doesn’t see enough work to really warrant starting every week.  He did see a few more targets this week, which is promising.

Overall Jones continues to be the main back and should have solid fantasy days thanks to his pass-catching, but is handcuffed, pun intended, by A.J. Dillon.

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Davante Adams: 13 targets, 10 receptions, 114 yards, 2 TD

Allen Lazard: 5 targets, 2 receptions, 45 yards, TD

Josiah Deguara: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 5 yards

Marcedes Lewis: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 3 yards

Juwann Winfree: 1 target

 

Marquez Valdes-Scantling was out this week due to testing positive for COVID.

Davante Adams was Davante Adams.  There really isn’t much more to say.  Adams is one of the best route runners and best receivers in the NFL and will continue to be that for now.  Here was his first touchdown of the game.

The Browns brought the house on this one, and the rookie Cornerback was just not ready to be covering someone like Adams.  Adams was wide open for his first touchdown of the night.  Later on, he caught his second on an out-route that Packers/Adams fans are very familiar with.

Adams is still a beast and continues to be a set-and-forget player.

Allen Lazard stepped up in MVS’s absence, catching the record-breaking 443rd touchdown pass you saw above.  He followed that up with a huge, one-handed 34-yard catch.

Lazard’s performance tends to get volatile when MVS is playing, so he can’t normally be fully trusted when MVS is healthy.  If MVS misses more time, Lazard is a solid second option in that offense.

There really are no other fantasy options in this receiving corps.

 

— Joe Orlofski (@joeorlofski on Twitter)

Series Navigation
Introduction
49ers @ Titans
Browns @ Packers
Colts @ Cardinals
Giants @ Eagles
Rams @ Vikings
Bills @ Patriots
Buccaneers @ Panthers
Jaguars @ Jets
Lions @ Falcons
Chargers @ Texans
Ravens @ Bengals
Bears @ Seahawks
Steelers @ Chiefs
Broncos @ Raiders
Football Team @ Cowboys
Dolphins @ Saints

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