Bengals RB Joe Mixon only managed to record 21 yards on 11 carries in Sunday's win vs. the Buccaneers. Fortunately, Mixon made up for the less-than-stellar effort by adding 5 catches and 33 yards in the receiving game. Teammate Samaje Perine did not find much success either with 7 carries for 24 yards and one catch for no gain. Week 16's showdown against the Patriots will be difficult next week, as the Pats D ranks as the single-most difficult matchup in adjusted fantasy points allowed to RBs this season. As such, fantasy managers advancing in the playoffs should temper expectations for Mixon moving forward.
Titans RB Derrick Henry delivered 104 yards and a TD on 21 carries in Sunday's loss to the Chargers. It marked his 2nd straight game over 100 yards and just his 2nd time reaching 20 carries among the past 7 contests. Henry also led Tennessee with 59 receiving yards Sunday, catching all 4 of his targets. It was his 3rd game with 3 receptions or more among the past 4. Henry gets the Texans in Week 16, a matchup he has exploited for more than 210 rushing yards in 4 consecutive meetings. After that comes a Dallas defense that allowed Travis Etienne to top 100 yards in Week 15.
Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase logged 7 catches on 13 targets for 60 yards, leading all Bengals receivers in those categories in Sunday's win over the Buccaneers. Chase also found the end zone in Week 15, in addition to teammates Tyler Boyd, Tee Higgins, and TE Mitchell Wilcox. Both Boyd and Higgins wound up with 5 catches apiece. While no one besides Chase cracked the 50-yard mark (Boyd with 35 yards, Higgins with 33), fantasy managers who rolled out these Bengals WRs had their days saved by TDs. Next week brings a tough matchup against the Patriots, who rank 7th in adjusted fantasy points allowed to WRs. Still consider Chase a top-5 option, but Higgins is more of a low-end WR2, and Boyd a flex candidate in Week 16.
Cardinals RB James Conner ran 16 times for 63 yards in Sunday's loss to the Broncos. He beefed up the fantasy line with a 4th-quarter TD from 1 yard out. Conner added 28 yards on 3 catches. He gets the Buccaneers in Week 16 and then a high-ceiling matchup at the Falcons in Week 17.
Bengals QB Joe Burrow tallied 200 passing yards, 4 TDs, and 1 INT in Sunday's win. While the yardage total isn't eye-popping, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fell into the Christmas spirit early, gifting Burrow and company good field position as a result of multiple turnovers in the second half. Burrow and the Bengals are set to face off against the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills in Week 16 and Week 17 respectively. Though both franchises rank in the bottom 10 of average fantasy points allowed to QBs in 2022, managers should trust Burrow with the confidence they have all season as a top-12 option.
Broncos TE Greg Dulcich managed just 1 catch for 11 yards on 2 targets in Sunday's win over the Cardinals. He ranked 2nd on the team in routes, according to Pro Football Focus, trailing only WR Jerry Jeudy. Yet Eric Tomlinson led Denver TEs in targets (3), catches (3) and yards (28) and snared the team's only TD reception. He did so despite running only 6 total routes, 22 fewer than Dulcich and 12 fewer than TE Eric Saubert. Jeudy led the team in targets (8), receptions (7) and yards (76). QB Brett Rypien totaled 197 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT on 21-of-26 passing.
The Cardinals somehow managed to let Broncos RB Latavius Murray run for 130 yards and a TD on 24 carries in Sunday's Denver victory. Murray hit runs of 35 and 21 yards, averaging 5.4 per rush overall. RB Marlon Mack ran 5 times for 37 yards and a TD, adding 4 receptions for 26 yards on 4 targets. His target count tied for 2nd on the team, and Mack ranked 2nd along in catches. Murray caught his only target for 12 yards. RB Devine Ozigbo mixed in for 2 carries for 2 yards.
Jaguars WR Zay Jones racked up a monster 6-109-3 receiving line on 8 targets in Sunday's OT win against the Cowboys. It marked the 5th straight game of at least 7 targets for Jones and his 4th time with at least 6 catches in that span. It was just his 2nd 100-yard game of the year, though, and just his 3rd time north of 80 yards. The TDs also more than doubled Jones' season total. TE Evan Engram led the team with 8 receptions and tied WR Christian Kirk for the target lead (10). WR Marvin Jones claimed the team's other TD reception among 2 catches for 17 yards (on 6 targets).
Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence racked up 318 yards and 4 TDs in Sunday's OT win over the Cowboys. He did throw an INT and lose a late-game fumble but more than made up for those plays statistically. It was the 2nd straight game of 300+ yards and 3+ TDs for Lawrence, who has also now reached those marks 3 times in his past 4 outings. Lawrence gets a challenging matchup with the Jets in Week 16, then a Houston defense that's not as good as it's QB-matchup numbers suggest.
Jaguars RB Travis Etienne ran for 103 yards on 19 carries in Sunday's OT win over the Cowboys. It was his 1st game with more than 54 yards on the ground since Week 9 but the 2nd straight week of 17+ attempts for Etienne. He gets a tougher matchup with the Jets in Week 16 but 1 of the league's most favorable rushing matchups in Week 17: Houston.
Giants DL Leonard Williams (neck) is active for tonight’s game against the Commanders. CB Nick McCloud (illness) is active as well
Giants TE Daniel Bellinger (rib) is active for tonight’s game vs. the Commanders. He was limited in practice all week and carries elevated risk in fantasy lineups.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott went 23-of-30 passing for 256 yards and 3 TDs in Sunday's OT loss to the Jaguars. He also tossed 2 INTs, including a pick-6 to S Rayshawn Jenkins in OT to end the game. It was Prescott's 2nd straight game with multiple INTs and 4th such game among the past 6. Next comes a difficult matchup with the Eagles.
Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb caught all 7 of his targets for 126 scoreless yards in Sunday's OT loss to the Jaguars. WR Noah Brown ranked 2nd among Cowboys pass-catchers, hauling in 6 of a team-high 9 targets for 49 yards and 2 TDs. TE Peyton Hendershot claimed the team's other receiving TD. TE Dalton Schultz tallied just 2 receptions for 15 yards among 4 targets. Dallas gets a tough passing matchup with the Eagles in Week 16. Then comes 1 of the league's most favorable passing matchups in the Titans.
Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott claimed the team's lone rushing TD to open the scoring in Sunday's loss to the Jaguars. He totaled 58 yards on 16 carries (3.6 per rush), adding 13 yards on 2 receptions. RB Tony Pollard led the team in carries (19) and rushing yards (75, 3.9 per carry) and caught 4 of 5 targets for 31 more yards. The Cowboys get a rematch in Week 16 with the Eagles, a defense that has been far more favorable to RB production than to opponent passing games.
Texans WR Chris Moore drew a team-high 9 targets in Sunday's loss to the Chiefs. He caught 4 for 42 yards, both of which also led the team. TE Jordan Akins went 3-22-1 receiving on 6 targets. TE Teagan Quitoriano claimed the other TD reception from 8 yards out on his only catch. We'll see whether Houston gets WR Nico Collins or WR Brandin Cooks back for Week 16.
RB Royce Freeman led the Texans with 11 carries and 51 yards in Sunday's loss to the Chiefs, the 1st game since RB Dameon Pierce landed on IR with a high-ankle sprain. RB Dare Ogunbowale got the position's only other carries, taking 8 rushes for 14 yards. RB Rex Burkhead led the backfield in targets (4), receptions (2) and receiving yards (17). Freeman added a 5-yard catch on his only target. This is a backfield to avoid the rest of the way.
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes completed 36 of his 41 passes for 336 yards and 2 TDs in Sunday's win over the Texans. He added a 5-yard TD among 33 yards on 5 carries. It was just the latest big game for Mahomes but came against a Houston defense that has defied QB scoring this season. You already knew you'd be starting Mahomes the rest of the way.
Chiefs RB Jerick McKinnon scored via run and pass in Sunday's win over the Texans. McKinnon carried 10 times for 52 yards, finding the end zone from 26 yards out. He also caught all 8 of his targets for 70 yards, including a 20-yard 2nd-quarter score. That makes 5 TDs in 3 games for McKinnon, who should probably just stay in fantasy football lineups. His 18 opportunities against Houston marked a season high for the 2nd straight week. RB Isiah Pacheco led the team with 15 carries for 86 yards against Houston, adding an 11-yard catch on his lone target.
Chiefs TE Travis Kelce and WR JuJu Smith-Schuster each drew 10 targets and caught every one in Sunday's win over the Texans. Kelce went for 105 yards, while Smith-Schuster compiled 88 yards. Neither reached the end zone, as QB Patrick Mahomes' 2 TD throws went to WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling and RB Jerick McKinnon. Kansas City gets home dates with the Seahawks and Broncos the next 2 weeks.
Search
