What a rough week this close to the end of the year. We saw some absolutely devastating injuries. Two of the NFL’s biggest stars, Patrick Mahomes and Micah Parsons, both tore their ACLs, and several other players went down as well. Not all was bad, though. Jaguars fans can rejoice: Trevor Lawrence is finishing the best season of his career with jaw-dropping performances. Week 16 is already here and fantasy playoffs are in full swing. Some of you might be limping into this week’s matchup due to injuries. Let’s set those lineups and hope for the best. Away we go.
Starts
QB – Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints (@ NYJ)
Owned in less than 10% of leagues, this might be a bit of a deep cut, but Shough should be starting in leagues this week. I know it’s the playoffs, but if you look at what the Saints have been doing the past month, it makes sense—and the matchup can’t get any better. The Jets are simply that bad.
In his last five starts, Shough is averaging 236 passing yards and has scored more than 16 fantasy points in four of those games. He’s getting better every week and just showed up his division rival for the second time this year. The Panthers have been a top-10 unit against QBs this season, yet in two games against them Shough combined for 554 yards, 3 TDs, and no interceptions.
Now he’s up against the Jets, who have allowed the fourth-highest QBR to opposing QBs this season, giving up 25 passing TDs with not a single interception. It might not feel right at first, but if you’re streaming a QB this week, Shough is the guy.
RB – Tony Pollard, Tennessee Titans (vs KC)
So much can change in fantasy in such a short time. If you had asked me a few weeks ago whether you should play Tony Pollard in the playoffs against the Chiefs, I would have laughed. Now he looks like a lineup lock. Through Week 13, Pollard had yet to surpass the 100-yard rushing mark on the year. Now he’s had back-to-back 100-plus yard games: 39 carries for 265 yards and 3 TDs over his last two outings.
The Titans have been out of the playoff hunt for a while, yet these guys are still playing their hearts out. With Gardner Minshew at the helm and the Chiefs officially out of the playoffs, this is going to be a grind-it-out game that the Titans could end up winning. I expect another game with Pollard getting 15-plus touches and at least one more TD, making him a must-start in this crucial week.
WR – Troy Franklin, Denver Broncos (vs JAX)
What a great game this is going to be: the 12–2 Broncos vs. the 10–4 Jaguars. Two offenses that have been lighting up the field. Over the last three games, the Jaguars have put up 109 points while the Broncos have scored 85. This matchup has all the makings of a beautiful late-December shootout.
If it’s a shootout, there’s no doubt Troy Franklin will have a big day. He was in a bit of a slump, but he turned it around in Week 15 with six catches for 85 yards and a TD. Franklin has had his down games, but when his team performs well he usually lights up the stat sheet. The Broncos have scored more than 30 points in three games this season; in those three, Franklin has pulled in 15 catches for 193 yards and 4 TDs.
With the way these offenses are playing, they’re going to have to match each other stride for stride. I expect a big game, and Franklin will be a big part of it. Make sure he’s starting in your lineup.
TE – Colby Parkinson, Los Angeles Rams (@ SEA)
It must be an absolute dream to play with Matthew Stafford. If you’re out there and you’re open, he’s going to find you. With Davante Adams most likely out this week, Parkinson is an absolute must-start. Before the Week 8 bye, he was pretty much an afterthought in this offense because of the plethora of weapons. Since then, he’s been nothing short of a TD machine.
In his last six games, Parkinson has hauled in 22 catches for 230 yards and a whopping 6 TDs. You don’t want to rely only on touchdowns, but it’s hard to ignore what Stafford likes to do in the red zone. With their top red-zone target in Adams sidelined, Parkinson is next man up. Expect a higher target share as well. Parkinson should be a top-10 play this week.
Defense – New Orleans Saints (@ NYJ)
The Saints as a whole have played some really good football late in the season on both sides of the ball. Early in the year the defense was absolutely dismal; now, over their last five games, they’ve allowed just 18 points per game. They’ve paired that with six takeaways and 10 sacks over the same span. Those aren’t mind-blowing stats, but you’ll happily take a defense allowing fewer than 20 points with a couple of sacks.
They should easily hit that floor this week against the Jets. New York is dead last with 147 passing yards per game this season and is averaging just 20 points per game. The floor is as high as it gets for the Saints defense. They’re a must-start.
Sits
QB – Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys (@ LAC)
Do you really want a Cowboys quarterback starting for you in the playoffs? They’re 4–10 in the postseason since 2000. Cowboys slander aside, Prescott simply shouldn’t be in lineups this week—less because he’s a Cowboy and more because of the matchup.
The Chargers have been historically amazing against QBs this season. Through 14 games, they’ve allowed just 174 passing yards per game and a league-low 12 passing TDs, paired with 17 interceptions. Dak was on a bit of a hot streak, but last week, in a must-win game against a sub-par team, he fell flat—294 yards and 0 TDs against the Vikings. I don’t expect a bounce-back in what is another must-win for Dallas. Don’t let earlier performances force him into your lineup.
RB – Kenneth Walker, Seattle Seahawks (vs LAR)
For a while, it was steady work for Walker. The ceiling has been low all season, but he was usually good for a solid flex play with a chance at a TD. The running back committee in Seattle is not good at all for fantasy—it’s almost just a handcuff situation at this point, waiting on an injury.
The last two weeks have been brutal for Walker: 19 carries for 46 yards combined. Just absolutely dismal numbers. Even with the RB tandem, you could at least count on him getting carries, but Week 15 was his first game all season with fewer than 10 rushing attempts. In a must-win week, he’s very hard to trust.
WR – George Pickens, Dallas Cowboys (@ LAC)
Another Cowboy who has had an incredible year—but that doesn’t mean he should be in your playoff lineup. It’s been two straight weeks of disappearing from the offense for Pickens, and he’s chosen the worst time to hit a slump. Back-to-back games with fewer than 40 receiving yards simply won’t cut it in the playoffs, especially in this matchup.
As mentioned earlier, the Chargers have been elite against the passing game this season. They’ve allowed the fewest fantasy points to WRs all year. Pickens may have balled out over the course of the season, but you can’t afford a 4-catch, 40-yard line this week. Better matchups are out there.
TE – Oronde Gadsden, Los Angeles Chargers (@ DAL)
After Weeks 7 and 8, it looked like Oronde Gadsden was going to finish as a top-10 TE on the season, combining for 232 yards on 12 catches with 2 TDs over those two games. Since then, he hasn’t come close to duplicating that success. Over his last four contests he’s barely been startable, catching just eight passes for 136 yards and 0 TDs.
In two of his last three games, he’s caught fewer than two passes. He’s been disappearing from the game plan since the Chargers got healthy at WR. It was fun while it lasted, but in a week this important, he simply can’t be trusted.
Defense – Kansas City Chiefs (@ TEN)
What a rough finish this season has been for the Kansas City Chiefs. They’ve missed the playoffs for the first time in what feels like forever and also lost their QB to a serious injury. They simply have nothing to play for this week. On paper, the matchup looks amazing, but I doubt they play with much passion.
On the other side, the Titans have been playing their best football of the year. For the first time in his career, Cam Ward has had consecutive games with multiple passing touchdowns. There’s nothing the front office wants to see more than a strong finish from their top draft pick. Over their last five games, the Chiefs have produced just two takeaways and nine sacks—nothing that inspires confidence. Better options and better matchups are available.
