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Fantasy Football Week 16 Cheat Sheet: Flex Rankings, Projections for Waiver Adds
- Updated: December 20, 2016
Week 16 of the NFL regular season means one thing to most fantasy players: It’s time for the fantasy football league championship games.
There are fantasy games to play in Week 17 and throughout the postseason, but Week 16 is almost always the last week of full action in which all superstars play and all coaches are not holding anything back in an attempt to win.
That’s why this is championship week in most leagues, and it’s vital to find the best matchups. We have been extolling the talent level of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ trio of Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown throughout the season, but we’re somewhat leery this week as the Steelers host the Baltimore Ravens in a battle for the AFC North title.
The Ravens shut down the Steelers when the two teams met in Week 9 in Baltimore, and the Ravens have played consistent defense all season long. The Ravens have also won the last four games between the two teams and six of the last seven, so we’re hesitant to recommend that favored trio this week.
Here’s our flex rankings for Week 16.
DeMarco Murray has been a consistent force for the surging Tennessee Titans throughout the season, and confidence has never been higher for Mike Mularkey’s team after the Titans’ last-second victory at Kansas City in Week 15.
The Titans will almost certainly be playing for the AFC South title when they host the Houston Texans in Week 17, but before they get to that game, they must play and beat the Jacksonville Jaguars.
That should be an ideal matchup for Murray, who has rushed for 1,224 yards while averaging 4.6 yards per carry and scoring nine touchdowns. Murray has also caught 50 passes for 361 yards and three touchdowns, and while the Jaguars rank seventh in yards allowed, they are a team in disarray.
The Jaguars fired head coach Gus Bradley after last week’s come-from-ahead loss to the Houston Texans, and it may be difficult for Jacksonville to match Tennessee’s intensity.
Look for Murray to tear apart the Jaguars in Week 16.
If we like Murray this week, we also have to like Dallas Cowboys rookie Ezekiel Elliott against the Detroit Lions on Monday night.
The Cowboys have beaten every team they have played this year with the exception of the New York Giants (twice). The Lions were just stopped by the Giants last week but have been a very competitive team this year and remain in first place in the NFC North.
However, the Lions have been somewhat vulnerable on defense, ranking 14th in yards allowed. Elliott has rushed for 1,551 yards with a 5.0 yard-per-carry average and 13 rushing touchdowns. The Lions may not have the capabilities of stopping Elliott or even slowing him down in this game.
The Lions are not a sham just because they lost to the Giants last week. If Matthew Stafford can have a bounce-back game and the Lions can keep this game competitive by matching the Cowboys score for score, Elliott could turn a good opportunity into a superb one.
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