Team of the Week
QB: Josh Allen, BUF
Allen didn’t have a monster score on Saturday night (24.98 fantasy points), but it was enough to lead all quarterbacks for a somewhat down week, and he overtook Christian McCaffrey as the top overall fantasy option through 16 weeks. Next up is a matchup versus a New England defense that has been excellent down the stretch—though Buffalo has had no problems cracking them over the past few meetings.
RB: Breece Hall, NYJ
Those still alive in the fantasy playoffs were thrilled with Hall’s production on Christmas Eve, as he was fed a season-high 32 touches (including 12 receptions) for 191 total yards and two touchdowns—giving him 37.1 fantasy points on the day. A matchup versus the Commanders helped, but those already eliminated must be disappointed at the unleashing strangely coming when New York was out of playoff contention.
RB: Christian McCaffrey, SF
Baltimore played tremendous last night, but McCaffrey still put up big-time numbers by rushing 14 times for 103 yards and a touchdown while also adding six receptions for 28 yards. The real-life and fantasy MVP candidate now gets a dream matchup versus Washington for the fantasy championship.
WR: Amari Cooper, CLE
Cooper absolutely blew up in Week 16, as he shredded Houston’s secondary by catching 11-of-15 targets for 265 yards and two touchdowns in a huge win for Cleveland. The connection with Joe Flacco has been sensational, and Cooper might be too hot to bench for a Thursday night matchup versus the Jets this week.
WR: George Pickens, PIT
Before the No. 1 spot was taken by Amari Cooper a day later, Pickens looked on his way to an overall WR1 finish for Week 16—turning just four catches into 195 yards and two touchdowns in a needed victory. Now suddenly over 1,000 yards on the campaign, Pickens might be hoping for Mason Rudolph to get another start this week.
TE: George Kittle, SF
The Ravens were a tough matchup for tight ends, but Kittle started on fire and finished as the top scorer at the position with seven receptions for 126 yards (16.1 fantasy points). Again, San Francisco gets a cupcake matchup versus the Commanders in Week 17, so look for Kittle to keep it up on New Year’s Eve versus a defense he stung for a 6/120/2 line last December.
FLEX: Puka Nacua, LAR
Nacua has been phenomenal as a rookie, and he had his best career game last Thursday night with nine receptions, 164 yards, and one touchdown (plus 16 yards on the ground). The star first-year wideout now has four games with 147+ receiving yards on the year, and it’ll be fun to see him match up with fellow rookie Deonte Banks and the Giants this weekend.
D/ST: Raiders
Las Vegas was a week-winning fantasy option to begin the fantasy playoffs with 25.0 fantasy points versus the Chargers, and they followed it up with another dominant performance—and two more touchdowns—versus the Chiefs on Christmas. The unit should at least draw streaming consideration over the final two games (@ IND, v DEN).
K: Jason Sanders, MIA
Sanders has quietly been putting up terrific numbers with double-digit fantasy points in four-of-five games since the bye, and he followed that up with his best performance of the year by hitting five field goals in a 22-20 win over Dallas. The veteran should draw strong consideration for Week 17 lineups.
Surprise of the Week: DJ Chark Jr.
Green Bay has not at all been a shutdown unit on defense, but having top cornerback Jaire Alexander back in the lineup was expected to at least stabilize things—which didn’t happen in a near collapse that was powered by a 6/98/2 line from Chark. The most encouraging part of the performance was how Bryce Young played, so we’ll see if the duo can stay hot on Sunday versus Chark’s former Jacksonville squad.
Disappointment of the Week: Brock Purdy
Not only did Purdy struggle in Week 16 with 2.4 fantasy points—but it happened in the final game of the week with championship berths on the line, and the performance being on Christmas Night only compounded the disappointment. Making matters even more frustrating, Purdy marched down the field with 72 passing yards (2.88 fantasy points) on his first drive before it ended with an interception, and it simply wasn’t his night.
Rookie of the Week: Puka Nacua
Up to a 96/1,327/5 line on the season, Nacua is a making a major push for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, and he’s the easy choice here. The former BYU standout can finish as a top-five fantasy wideout with a hot finish, and he’s almost certainly going to be at least a top-ten option at the position for 2023.
Week 16 MVP: Amari Cooper
The MVP choice was also easy this week, as Cooper’s 46.0 fantasy points in 0.5 PPR leagues will be one of the top scores of the year, and the weekly ceiling is massive with Joe Flacco chucking it for Cleveland. For a guy that has at times been a disappointment late in seasons, Cooper has combined for a 15/374/3 line so far in the fantasy playoffs.