Fantasy football managers are getting closer to their goal of winning championships, but first, they must face a difficult set of lineup decisions in Week 16.
Several notable fantasy signal-callers could end up being replaced in Week 16. Patrick Mahomes is dealing with an ankle injury that may impact his status for the Kansas City Chiefs’ Saturday game; Geno Smith suffered a knee injury on “Sunday Night Football,” and his status remains unclear; and, of course, the Atlanta Falcons benched Kirk Cousins in favor of Michael Penix Jr., adding another intriguing rookie to the mix for Week 16.
At this point, you won’t sit lineup anchors like Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson, though the Baltimore Ravens quarterback has struggled against the Pittsburgh Steelers during his career. Anyone looking at the streaming ranks must evaluate whether they can keep trusting guys like Bo Nix on a short week or if it’s time to go in a different direction with someone like Jordan Love.
Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals (at Carolina Panthers)
Don’t be scared off by Murray’s zero-touchdown game against the New England Patriots. The Panthers are a better matchup for Murray, as they have allowed the 10th-most rushing yards to quarterbacks this season. Comparatively, the Patriots have given up the third least, which explains why James Conner did most of the damage for the Cardinals in Week 15.
The Panthers have an all-around poor defense that has surrendered a league-high 27 passing touchdowns to quarterbacks. That includes multiple scores through the air in three of the last four games, so don’t be surprised if Murray finds the end-zone a couple of times and has one of his best rushing performances of the season.
Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers (vs. New Orleans Saints)
The Saints have allowed the third-fewest passing touchdowns to quarterbacks in the NFL this season, but they are allowing the fifth-most passing yards to the position league-wide. They have also allowed three of their last four opponents to throw multiple touchdowns against them, with the lone exception being the Drew Lock-led New York Giants.
That bodes well for Love’s chances of success against New Orleans. Love is averaging 246.1 passing yards per game this season and has recorded multiple touchdowns in three of his last four games. If he continues to click with Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and Co., Love can be trusted as an explosive fantasy playmaker.
Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at Dallas Cowboys)
Mayfield is fresh off a 288-yard, four-touchdown game against the Los Angeles Chargers, who sport one of the best scoring defenses in the NFL. Comparatively, the Cowboys allow 27.1 points, the third-most in the NFL.
About The Author
