What We Saw: Week 16

Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots

 

The Buffalo Bills brought their high octane defense and ground and pound offense to New England in hopes of getting closer to securing their first AFC championship since 1993. The Patriots had other plans in mind and ended up besting the Bills in a tight one. There were a few select fantasy highlights, so let’s take a look at who showed up for us in big fantasy matchups, or helped plant themselves as assets for next year’s drafts!

 

Buffalo Bills

 

Quarterback

 

• Josh Allen: 13/26, 208 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs| 7 rushes, 43 yards

 

Josh Allen didn’t win the game for Buffalo but certainly didn’t lose it for them, as he had the definition of an average passing game, but added four fantasy points of standard rushing value to the mix, and also two passing touchdowns. One of his touchdowns was a huge route break out to a wide-open John Brown on a 53-yard connection, which normally would be the result of a busted coverage from the looks of the play. But as Brown is having somewhat of a renaissance after escaping Arizona and has shown the capability to speed past large swathes of defenses, and on this play, he just outright burned a defender. Allen looked relatively average but had his flashes, and with his rushing upside, he could be a sneaky quarterback to target in your drafts next year.

 

Running Back

 

• Devin Singletary: 15 carries, 46 yards|1 target, 1 reception, 2 yards

 

Devin Singletary was the only running back to carry the ball in the contest, and he did not do too much with it. In a year spent pushing back Frank Gore both from father time and obscurity, Singletary was the only back to share over 50 percent of the snaps, but also did not explode off the paper like some fantasy projectors would be hoping for. He carried the ball with much efficiency, as he averaged 5.4 yards per carry going into the week, 3rd highest of all rushers, but only saw two TD’s this season. Josh Allen clearly enjoys heading out of the pocket and getting his own rushing yards and short rushing touchdowns. Hopefully, Singletary didn’t ruin you in a prime fantasy matchup, but most would likely have done their best to avoid starting any Buffalo offensive players, save maybe John Brown, given the tenacity of the Patriots defense. Aside from a 12-yard breakout, Singletary averaged 2.43 yards per carry tonight, easily his worst of the season.

 

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

 

• Cole Beasley: 12 targets, 7 receptions, 108 yards
• John Brown: 4 targets, 1 reception, 53 yards, 1 TD
• Dawson Knox: 4 targets, 1 reception, 33 yards
• Isaiah McKenzie: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 11 yards
• Dion Dawkins: 1 target, 1 reception, 1 yard, 1 TD
• Tyler Kroft: 1 target, 0 receptions
• Robert Foster: 1 target, 0 receptions

 

Cole Beasley was the de facto winner of the wide receiver pool tonight, as Stephon Gilmore blanketed John Brown for most of the evening, spare the lone touchdown catch he hauled in. Beasley was the check downer and sack saver for Allen tonight, to the tune of 7 receptions and a consistent Julian Edelman like role. Beasley will look to carry this into next year and beyond, as he has a knack for shaking his receivers in the middle of the field. As mentioned above John Brown is also closing in on a solid endpoint for his season, after slipping defenders and cashing in a 53-yard touchdown. In six seasons this is only the second time he’s beaten out a thousand yards receiving, but he’s clearly found a Buzz to his Woody in Josh Allen, who is consistently looking to him on the field. Brown saved his fantasy day with the touchdown on an otherwise empty stat line, but going into 2019 and worst case next week, Brown is a top 20 floor WR with top 5 to 10 upside. 

 

New England Patriots

 

Quarterback

 

• Tom Brady: 26/33, 271 yards, 1 TD|4 rushes, 4 yards

 

Tom the time beater once again edges out a top 10 quarterback in a tight conference matchup with huge playoff implications, in what may have been his sharpest showcase in over a month. A quarterback rating over 100, Tom Brady spread the ball around to nine separate targets on the day and delivered passes to not one but two tight ends on the day, finally building an end of year connection with Benjamin Watson. Julian Edelman left the game for a bit after an arguable pick play gone wrong, but that didn’t stop Brady from finding a way to surgically pick apart a top-five defense and start the end of his season run on a high note. He looked consistent on his passing routes, and a little bit of time in the pocket did him wonders.

 

Running Backs

 

• Sony Michel: 21 carries, 96 yards|2 targets, 1 reception, 5 yards
• Rex Burkhead: 5 carries, 20 yards, 1 TD|4 targets,4 receptions, 77 yards
• James White: 3 carries 5 yards|5 targets, 4 receptions, 24 yards

 

Sony Michel has finally started to find a groove, and lead the backfield on the ground, while also averaging over 4 yards a carry for the fourth time in his last five games, showcasing what had made him most exciting in a few running situations last year. He hit the hole with intensity, was able to lay into some hits, and has seemingly started to gain some coaches confidence, infuriating to fantasy owners who likely either gave up on him or will now have to decide if he’s worth a top 5 round pick again next year in an offense that never truly holds onto a specific game plan or player role. Rex Burkhead was the tank to Michel’s scalpel and ended up rushing in the lone touchdown on the ground today, and is again a huge compliment to the standard rushing game, as he can be seen on both rushing and passing plays. Michel is seeing a third of the play snaps, and Burkhead is only seeing roughly a quarter, so it’ll be interesting to see how the loadout changes going into next year, as James White is still on the books for another two seasons, and is clearly the overall most preferred offensive weapon, even if he isn’t a prototypical rusher.

 

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

 

 

• Julian Edelman: 6 targets, 5 receptions, 72 yards
• Jakobi Meyers: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 25 yards
• Mohammed Sanu Sr: 5 targets, 3 receptions, 24 yards
• N’Keal Harry: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 21 yards
• Ben Watson: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 15 yards
• Matt LaCosse: 1 target, 1 reception, 8 yards, 1 TD

 

Matt FREAKING LaCosse. The Patriots have lost Rob Gronkowski to retirement and CBD relaxation, and Jacob Hollister to the Seattle Seahawks as he thrives, but even so, the tight end train keeps rolling along. LaCosse is by no means a top 10 tight end, but he has these bright spots where you can’t help but be proud of the guy, as he clearly is beyond excited to be on the squad and getting opportunities. Benjamin Watson, the second oldest person on the offensive side of the ball is also showing up late in the season when they need him, as he ended up being almost everywhere on a single drive when they absolutely needed him most. Julian Edelman took a pretty brutal looking shot on a ‘pick play’, and so the ball spread itself out even more for about a quarter, as he was looked over in the middle of the game, but still had another average but worthy points per reception game. There’s more of the same from this boxscore and receiver squad, but look at LaCosse for next year as a sleeper tight end, and Harry could definitely wake up after a year stunted by injury.

 

–Matt Bevins (@MattQBList)