Fantasy Football Instant Reactions: Week 16

Did Week 16 provide clarity for the NFL playoffs, or just confuse us even more? 

Each week, I will provide my five instant fantasy football reactions from the slate of games. What were the key performances, surprises and disappointments from across the NFL? 

Let’s get into Week 16!

Week 16 Fantasy Football Instant Reactions

Reaction No. 1: Backup Quarterback Shine

The schedule was littered with critical matchups with playoff implications hanging in the balance. Several teams were able to earn victories, despite being led by backup quarterbacks. 

• Bailey Zappe brought the Patriots into Denver and upset the Broncos 26-23 on a last-second 56-yard field goal by Chad Ryland. New England’s rookie kicker had missed a field goal and extra point earlier in the game but came through with the biggest kick of his inaugural NFL season. Zappe was 25-of-33 for 256 yards and two touchdown passes. 
• Taylor Heinicke returned under center for Atlanta, replacing the ineffective Desmond Ridder for the second time this season, and led the Falcons to a comfortable 29-10 victory over Indianapolis. Heinicke completed almost 70% of his passes, with one touchdown pass to tight end Kyle Pitts. 
• Veteran Joe Flacco continued his magic with the Browns, blasting the Texans in a huge 36-22 road victory. Flacco threw for 368 yards and three touchdowns, including two to Amari Cooper. 
• Trevor Siemian outduels veteran Jacoby Brissett in a battle of backup quarterbacks, with Siemian’s Jets needing to rally to a 30-28 victory. Siemian guided the Jets to a 27-7 third-quarter lead, before watching Brissett guide the Commanders back to a 28-27 lead with 4:52 remaining. Siemian made enough plays to give Jets fans something to cheer about in an exciting win at the Meadowlands. 
• Mason Rudolph led Pittsburgh to a much-needed 34-11 win at home against Bengals (more below). 

Reaction No. 2: Amari Cooper, Fantasy League Winner

Amari Cooper was the clear fantasy star of Week 16 with a monster stat line of 11 receptions, 265 yards and two touchdowns. He has been one of the most underrated wideouts in all of football for many years, and he delivered in the fantasy playoffs across all formats. 

Reaction No. 3: The Dominant Detroit Duo

Detroit has a pair of fantasy starts in rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. Gibbs tallied 100 total yards and two touchdowns, giving him five scores over Detroit’s last three games. St. Brown posted his second-straight 100-yard game, and eighth overall of the season. 

St. Brown now has 106 receptions on the season with 1,281 receiving yards. The incredible duo led the Lions to their first NFC North title in an incredible 30 seasons. 

Reaction No. 4: Mike Tomlin As a Home Underdog

There is simply no better spot to back Pittsburgh than as a late-season home underdog. Head coach Mike Tomlin is now 7-1 as a home underdog in December or later, with only a 0.5-point non-cover against the Patriots in 2017. If you remember, that game should have probably been an outright win for the Steelers if not for a mysterious call at the goal line. As a betting underdog in the at home, Tomlin is a superb 18-6-3 (75%) ATS, including six straight outright wins during December and January. 

Mason Rudolph threw for 290 yards and two long touchdowns to receiver George Pickens, which should keep the dynamic second-year wideout engaged for the rest of the season. 

Pittsburgh is still alive in the playoff race, and Rudolph provided a spark that has been missing from Pittsburgh all season. 

Reaction No. 5: Buccaneers Control the NFC South

Tampa Bay now stands alone atop the NFC South, leading Atlanta and New Orleans by one game each with two contests left. It was the fourth straight win for the Buccaneers, with just a home matchup with the Saints and road battle at Carolina left on their schedule. 

Tampa Bay has provided one of the most consolidated fantasy teams all season, with both Mike Evans (two touchdowns) and Rashaad White (1 TD) leading the way again. Baker Mayfield was a glorious 26-of-35 for 283 yards and two touchdowns in another fantastic performance for the Buccaneers.