Team of the Week

 

QB: Daniel Jones

Jones’ return to the lineup couldn’t have gone any better, as he was 28-of-42 for 352 yards, five touchdowns, and zero interceptions in a 41-35 overtime victory over the Redskins. For the season, Jones now has an impressive 23 touchdown passes in just 12 games, and he will hope to finish strong by ruining Philly’s dream of a postseason run next week.

 

RB: Saquon Barkley

One of the touchdowns for Jones yesterday came on a 33-yard throw to Barkley, but that was just a small part of the monster performance from New York’s offensive centerpiece. Overall, Saquon turned 26 touches into 279 yards and two scores on his way to the top fantasy finish of the week (41.9 points). The Giants may try to get Barkley over 1,000 yards next Sunday to close out the year (currently at 911).

 

RB: Kenyan Drake

The fantasy playoffs started quietly for Drake as he totaled just 67 scoreless yards against Pittsburgh, but he’s completely exploded in back-to-back weeks since then—including 24 carries for 166 yards and two touchdowns in Arizona’s win over the Seahawks. Ironically, Drake was the only player in the league without a win before Week 15 (having previously been with Miami), but he’s now a league-winner for fantasy owners.

 

WR: Tyler Boyd

Cincinnati going into full-blown comeback mode (and successfully sending the game to overtime) led to a 9/128/2 line for Boyd on 15 targets, and he’s suddenly just 13 yards away from another 1,000-yard season following the performance. Look for Cincinnati to keep throwing next week in the finale versus Cleveland.

 

WR: Michael Thomas

Tennessee held Thomas in check for most of the game on Sunday, but coverage fell apart late, and the 26-year-old finished with 12 catches, 136 yards, and a score on his way to breaking Marvin Harrison’s single-season record for receptions. Since the start of the fantasy playoffs, Thomas has gone for lines of 11/134/1, 12/128/1, and 12/136/1.

 

TE: Mark Andrews

This season has been rough for tight ends, but for those who ended in Week 16, the group went out on a high note—with Andrews (6/93/2) leading the way. A busted coverage by the Browns opened things up for the talented second-year player, and he didn’t slow down from there to finish as the overall TE1 for the week.

 

FLEX: Devonta Freeman

The Jaguars have been lost on defense in the second half of the year, and that didn’t change on Sunday as Freeman went off for 127 yards and two scores on 22 touches. Injuries and ineffectiveness has plagued Freeman this season, but he’s nearing 1,000 total yards heading into the finale.

 

D/ST: Colts

It’s never a bad idea to target a quarterback making his first start to stream against, and the Colts—despite getting torched in Week 15—didn’t disappoint. Carolina should have helped rookie Will Grier with a more balanced offense, but on 44 attempts, he had just 224 yards and tossed three interceptions. Because of a huge boost from Nyheim Hines in the return game (two punt return touchdowns), the 29 fantasy points for Indy was easily tops in Week 16.

 

K: Nick Folk

Folk was clutch for New England on Saturday, hitting all three field goal attempts (including a 51-yarder) in a 24-17 victory over the Bills. Most kicking options struggled to put up big numbers this week, but fantasy owners can’t have any complaints about 12 fantasy points from Folk.

 

Surprise of the Week: Josh Allen

Facing the Patriots in Foxborough is the toughest matchup imaginable for a quarterback, but Allen overcame a slow start to finish with 20.6 fantasy points thanks to 208 yards and two scores through the air with an additional 43 yards rushing. The highlight—a 53-yard strike to John Brown—gave Buffalo the lead in the second half, and Allen has proven his team can play with anyone heading into January.

 

Disappointment of the Week: Big-name wide receivers

The week got started with DeAndre Hopkins (4.8 fantasy points) getting contained on Saturday, and the struggles continued throughout Sunday with Amari Cooper (4.4), D.J. Chark (2.8), Tyler Lockett (1.7), Christian Kirk (0.9), D.K. Metcalf (0), and others all doing close to nothing or nothing. Unfortunately, there isn’t anything that can be done about a clear starter—most notably Hopkins, Cooper, and Lockett—not putting up numbers when it’s needed most.

 

Rookie of the Week: Daniel Jones

Daniel Jones is the only rookie since at least 1950 with 350+ passing yards, 5+ passing TDs and 0 INT in a single game.

— Gil Brandt (@Gil_Brandt) December 23, 2019

 

Week 16 MVP: Saquon Barkley

Barkley was the consensus No. 1 overall pick in most fantasy leagues over the summer, so if you were still alive in Week 16, he made up for some struggles and missed time with a career day against Washington. The Giants are playing with a rookie quarterback and still don’t have an above-average offensive line, but Saquon’s individual talent should make him a clear top-five pick again in 2020.