QB

Brock Purdy (San Francisco 49ers)

In the three games that Purdy has helmed the QB position for the 49ers, he has scored 14.3, 21.7, and 16.48. He doesn’t have an easy matchup in Week 16, by any means, but it won’t affect his floor. Kyle Shannahan’s scheme is built to withstand any QB and his playmakers make him matchup proof. He faces Washington in Week 16 but in Week 17 will face the Raiders. He is startable both weeks and should get you 15-20 in each of those two games.

Gardner Minshew (Philadelphia Eagles)

Minshew will be taking over for Hurts for what is projected to be the next 2-4 weeks. In his two starts last year he compiled 439 yards on 60 pass attempts with four touchdowns and had at least 15 points in each of his starts. This time around he will have a better supporting cast and a top five offensive line. You can start him confidently in Week 16 against the Cowboys and he is in a smash spot in Week 17 against the Saints. 

Kenny Pickett (Pittsburgh Steelers)

Pickett should be back from concussion protocol in time for the Steelers Week 16 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders. Picket has scored at least 12 points in each of his last four starts and will be going up against a defense giving up the sixth most points to the QB position. 

Sam Darnold (Carolina Panthers)

In the three games since being announced the Panthers QB, Darnold has scored 16.86, 11.8, and 13.2. This week he will face the Detroit Lions in a game that the Lions are projected to score a lot of points in. This means the Panthers will be forced to abandon the run and throw the ball. Darnold likely will make some mistakes, but he will also see 30+ pass attempts, which will be a first for him this year. He also has the added element of running the ball that often goes overlooked. In two of the three starts this year he has at least 30 yards rushing or a rushing TD. 

Week 17 Potential Streamers

Mac Jones

Desmond Ridder

Russell Wilson

RB

Zack Moss (Indianapolis Colts) 

Moss became the feature back in the Colts offense once Jonathan Taylor went down. With Taylor slated to miss the remainder of the season, I expect Moss to continue as the 1A of this backfield. Both Moss and Jackson saw one target in the air game, but Moss took almost 75% of the snaps after Taylor got hurt and handled more carries than Jackson, 24 to 13. The Colts have a RB friendly schedule to end the season, facing the Chargers in Week 16 and Giants in Week 17.

Chuba Hubbard (Carolina Panthers)

Chuba Hubbard took over as the lead back in Carolina this week, something I mentioned that could happen in last week’s Waiver article and in the DFS article. Hubbard took 63% of the team’s offensive snaps and caught all three of his targets for 57 scoreless yards. He added another 10 on the ground on his four carries. The volume wasn’t there on the ground, but the snaps were and the targets continue to be there. I expect that to continue, most certainly into Week 16 as the Panthers take on the red hot Detroit Lions. That is a Lions defense that has become an extreme pass funnel, trotting out an elite rush defense and a terrible pass defense. Hubbard should see another 3+ target outing and have an increased chance of falling into the endzone.  

James Cook (Buffalo Bills)

James Cook has turned this backfield into an almost split committee. Singletary ended up with 47 snaps over Cook’s 28 but Cook took almost all of the snaps during the second and third quarters. Singletary took every snap on the final drive, which was over six minutes long, making it seem like he was the clear cut 1A but that was not the case most of the game. In Week 16, the Bills play the Bears, in a game I expect the Bills to dominate. This script lines up well for Cook to have another double digit touch count and potentially out snap Singletary all together. I expect that to flip back to about 60% Singletary in Week 17 when they face off against the Bengals in a game that has massive implications for home field advantage and playoff seeding. 

Tyler Allgeier (Atlanta Falcons)

Looking forward to Week 17 with this one. In Week 15, Allgeier continued his pursuit of a 2023 starting, lead back gig for the Atlanta Falcons. He ran the ball a season high 17 times for 139 yards and a score. He also nearly split the backfield snaps with a healthy Patterson, taking 36 snaps to Patterson’s 37. Allgeier will face off against a good Ravens defensive front in Week 16. I’m hesitant to chase the points here given Allgeier gets little to no air work and the Ravens have been crushing opposing rushing games since acquiring Roquan Smith. However, in Week 17, the Falcons will face the Arizona Cardinals at home. The volume will be there in every game for the remainder of the season as the Falcons try to hide the deficiencies of Desmond Ridder.

WR

Marquise Goodwin (Seattle Seahawks)

It is looking like Tyler Lockett is going to miss this week and possibly more. That opens the door wide open for the Seahawks WR3 to step up this week. This game has by far the largest implied game total of 49 so expect Goodwin to immediately see Lockett level volume of 9-12 targets.

Chris Moore (Houston Texans)

I think there is a very good chance that Brandin Cooks returns in Week 16 against the Titans but we will still see a large role for Chris Moore moving forward. Nico Collins has yet to practice and I wouldn’t be shocked if he doesn’t return this year. The Texans will take on the Titans in Week 16, a team that can’t stop anyone in the passing game. They also have a great Week 17 matchup against the Jaguars so Chris Moore can be considered a staple in your lineups even if Cooks returns this week.

Elijah Moore (New York Jets)

Elijah Moore continues to run as the clear cut WR2 in this Jets offense with Corey Davis sidelined. Moore saw seven targets, catching four of them for 51 scoreless yards. He has now seen 23 targets over his last three games. Moore is likely to have Zach Wilson throwing him the ball the rest of the season, which is a knock on Moore, but as long as he sees 7+ targets a game he will produce regardless of who is at QB.

Chase Claypool (Chicago Bears)

Keep an eye on Claypool’s availability but we likely won’t have any Week 16 answers by Tuesday night. This should push Claypool down priority lists but he should be a prime target when you wake up Wednesday morning. Claypool saw 11 targets combined in the last two games he has played and that was with Mooney. He has two great matchups in Weeks 16 and 17, facing the Bills in Week 16 and the Lions in Week 17. 

Jahan Dotson (Washington Commanders) 

Dotson has looked great the last couple of weeks seeing 15 targets over his last two games. These are high quality targets down the field and he is being targeted in the endzone as well. He has scored 16.4 and 20.5 PPR points in each of those two games, catching nine of those targets for 159 yards and two scores combined. So why isn’t Dotson higher? This is a play geared towards Week 17. The Commanders face the 49ers in Week 16 and I can’t recommend playing Dotson in a game he likely will have a dud. So I wouldn’t go crazy for a guy you can only play in your championship game, should you get there. In Week 17, the Commanders face the Browns, who can be had on deeper shots to Dotson, leaving the door wide open for a long TD. It is also worth mentioning that these two games were both played against the Giants. I don’t think that note is that big of a deal though, Dotson is a talented rookie who is coming into his own as an NFL player late in the season, which is common for rookie WRs. 

TE

Chigoziem Okonkwo (Tennessee Titans)

The fourth round rookie out of Maryland has been coming onto the scene as of late. He has scored at least 10 points in each of his last three games, seeing five or more targets in each of his last four. It seems that the Titans are comfortable making him a part of their weekly game plan and are finding ways to get him the ball. The Titans will face off against the Houston Texans in Week 16, a team that has given up the sixth most fantasy points to opposing TEs since Week 9. 

Juwan Johnson (New Orleans Saints)

Johnson has seen at least four targets in three of his last four games and has scored at least 12 PPR points in four of his last five. Johnson also has at least 40 yards in four of his last five games, setting himself up as the TE11 on the season now in PPR points per game. Johnson has neutral matchups to end the season, facing the Browns in Week 16 and the Eagles in Week 17, but the converted WR deserves every week starter treatment in this baron TE landscape. 

Cade Otton (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

Otton is coming off a week where he had only one target, a ball in which he caught for a 20-yard gain. However, before his one target outing, Otton had seen 15 targets in his previous two games. Cameron Brate being back certainly does throw a wrench into Otton’s overall volume but it just pulls it down from a potential 10 targets to about five targets. If Otton can get five targets from Tom Brady against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 16, sign me up.

DST

Detroit Lions 

The Lions should be viewed as an elite play for the remainder of the season. They are one of the best run defenses in the NFL and play back to back games against teams that have very poor offensive lines and won’t be able to take advantage of their shortcomings against the pass. 

Tennessee Titans

The Titans have a prime get right spot here against the Texans at home. Divisional games are always tough but the Texans offense is tough to watch right now. Their only slimmer hope is that Brandin Cooks returns but even if he does return, I’m still confidently firing up the Titans.

Atlanta Falcons

This is more of a floor play than a ceiling play. The Ravens offense isn’t making mistakes and they have one of the best special teams in the NFL but the Ravens offense is bad. In Week 15 the bad Browns defense finished as the DST3 with 14 points. The Ravens offense is inept and shows no creativity. Huntley can’t throw the ball beyond 8 yards and they refuse to commit to the run. This game has a line of 37.5 and I still think the under hits.