Team of the Week
QB: Trevor Lawrence, JAX
After a six-touchdown performance in Week 15, Lawrence carried the momentum into a huge road matchup versus Denver—totaling 299 yards and four touchdowns while playing mistake-free football in a 34-20 victory. With back-to-back monster games, Lawrence has become the overall QB4 out of nowhere, and his usage as a runner near the end zone gives him clear QB1 appeal next week against the Colts.
RB: Ashton Jeanty, LV
Considering the preseason expectations, Jeanty has been one of the more disappointing fantasy options this year—though it’s difficult to pin much of the struggles on him behind a bottom-tier offensive line. However, we were given a look at the potential with a monster performance versus a top Houston defense as Jeanty turned 25 touches into 188 yards and two touchdowns for those fortunate to still be in the fantasy playoffs.
RB: Chase Brown, CIN
Few players have shown a higher floor than Brown since a slow start (11.0+ fantasy points in nine consecutive games), and yesterday was an example of the ceiling with 30.9 fantasy points in a three-touchdown performance for a Cincinnati offense that bounced back in a big way from last week’s shutout loss. Brown should be able to finish strong next week back at home versus Arizona.
WR: Puka Nacua, LAR
Nacua entered last Thursday night on fire with 167+ receiving yards in back-to-back games, and he took things to another level with a massive 12/225/2 line in the shootout loss to Seattle. The full package was on display for the superstar wideout, and he’s now flown to career-highs in receptions (114), receiving yards (1,592), and receiving touchdowns (eight) with two games to go.
WR: Chris Olave, NO
Olave was another player that has been excellent lately and was even better when it matters most for fantasy owners—catching 10-of-16 targets for 148 yards and two touchdowns in a convincing win over the Jets. The ability of Tyler Shough to hit in the deep ball (and Taysom Hill for the second score) boosts Olave heading into a great matchup against the Titans next Sunday.
TE: Harold Fannin Jr., CLE
Despite a difficult matchup versus the Bills this week, Fannin came through with a 4/34/1 receiving line and added a one-yard rushing touchdown on his way to a position-best 17.5 fantasy points. Now up to a 70/701/5 line on the season, Fannin has a very strong case for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
FLEX: Jaylen Warren, PIT
The Steelers being the aggressors in a hard-fought win over Detroit was one of the biggest surprises of the week—and Warren was a key part of it with 14 carries for 143 yards and two touchdowns. Both scores came from exactly 45 yards out in the fourth quarter, and next week, Warren will face a Cleveland run defense that has fallen off in recent games.
D/ST: New Orleans Saints
The Saints were a popular play this week, and they racked up the fantasy points with eight sacks while holding the Jets to six points and under 200 yards of offense. New Orleans also had a couple of takeaways and were close to at least a couple of more with a tremendous 19.0-point performance.
K: Charlie Smyth, NO
The 19.0 fantasy points were also matched by the kicker for the Saints—as Smyth hit five-of-six field goals (and both extra points) fresh off signing a three-year extension on Saturday. With another favorable spot next week in Tennessee, Smyth should draw some lineup consideration.
Surprise of the Week: Trevor Lawrence & Parker Washington
Denver seemed to focus more on stopping the run in the loss to Jacksonville, and that led to Lawrence thriving with Washington—who caught six passes for 145 yards and a touchdown—operating as his top weapon. Lawrence heads into Week 17 with 37.73 fantasy points per game over his past two outings, and Washington has quietly gone for 13.0+ fantasy points in four-of-seven appearances since the bye week.
Disappointment of the Week: Jaxson Dart
A bunch of star players disappointing could have been chosen here as well, but Dart—after being a legitimate difference-maker for fantasy owners at times this season—having just 0.02 fantasy points crushed the hopes of many either in the fantasy championship or trying to make it. Unfortunately, the rookie had no answers for an aggressive Minnesota defense, and he was limited to seven-of-13 passing for 33 yards and an interception.
Rookie of the Week: Ashton Jeanty
Jeanty was a long touchdown waiting to happen at Boise State, and he somehow hadn’t had a run of more than 13 yards since way back in September—so yesterday was a very welcomed performance with a 51-yard touchdown run and a 60-yard touchdown catch in the near upset win over Houston. Work needs to be done for Jeanty to reach 1,000 yards on the season (currently at 828), but facing the Giants next week should help his odds.
Week 16 MVP: Puka Nacua
Similar to Kyle Pitts Sr. in Week 15, Nacua basically locked up MVP honors with the 40.5-point showing on Thursday Night Football, and the yardage (225) was a new single-game high with the night being capped off by a 41-yard score in overtime. Before that, Nacua was on the receiving end of a one-yard touchdown where he likely benefitted from Davante Adams (hamstring) being out, and there’s no reason to believe he will slow down next Monday night against the Falcons.