Seattle Seahawks DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is in an excellent position to succeed in Week 16. The Seahawks are hosting the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings have been one of the worst teams at stopping opposing passing games in fantasy this season. Part of that is due to the fact that the Vikings are so adept at stopping the run. However, their struggles in the passing game are very real. Smith-Njigba has slid into the No. 1 wide receiver role in Seattle's offense this season. He is six yards away from his first 1,000-yard season and he has scored five touchdowns. Smith-Njigba should see plenty of volume this week. The Seahawks are likely going to have to air it out to keep up with the Vikings and avoid their run defense. Smith-Njigba has WR1 upside as a result.

Seattle Seahawks tight end Noah Fant (knee) has had a solid floor this season. However, there is not much ceiling with this player. That is unlikely to change in Week 16 against the Minnesota Vikings. Fant's one saving grace is that he receives decent target volume relative to the Seahawks' passing game volume. He received seven targets in Week 15 and four in the two games before that. Unfortunately, that volume does not translate to yards. Fant has only exceeded 26 yards on three occasions this season. With the Seahawks passing less and less this season and not throwing many touchdowns, Fant has fallen into fantasy-irrelevance. He is better left to the waiver wire while you pursue a win in the fantasy football playoffs this week.

Seattle Seahawks kicker Jason Myers has a chance to make several kicks in Week 16. The Minnesota Vikings have an excellent defense, but Seattle should be able to move the ball on this team, particularly through the air. Myers has been one of the better kickers in fantasy lately. He has posted at least nine points in four of his last five games. Those are seriously difference-making numbers when considering your fantasy lineup. As long as the Seahawks' offense continues to be efficient enough to get into scoring position, Myers will continue his accurate kicking. Myers has made 22/25 field goals this season and 31/34 extra points. What is more, he has not missed a field goal since Week 5.

New Orleans Saints wide receivers Marquez Valdes-Scantling (chest, illness) and rookie Bub Means (ankle) missed practice for the second straight day this week on Friday. On top of a chest injury, Valdes-Scantling is now dealing with an illness, putting his status in question for the Monday night game at the Green Bay Packers in Week 16. Both MVS and Means will need to practice in some capacity on Saturday to avoid being ruled out entirely this week. Means hasn't played since Week 8 and remains on Injured Reserve, so he's almost certainly going to be ruled out. First-rounder Chris Olave (head) has resumed practicing but also remains on IR and is unlikely to play Monday. If Valdes-Scantling doesn't get cleared to play, the Saints will be down to Cedrick Wilson Jr., Kevin Austin Jr. and rookie Mason Tipton as their top three receivers. It's a situation to avoid in fantasy.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold will get a rough matchup this Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks on the road. The 27-year-old had his fourth outing of the season with fewer than 16 fantasy points last weekend in a win over the Chicago Bears and has another stiff test on tap in Week 16. The Seahawks are vulnerable on the ground but have allowed the twelfth-fewest passing yards per game to opponents (213.6). Despite letting up a friendly 21:11 TD:INT ratio, Seattle is affording fantasy QBs 17.0 points per game -; a top-eleven mark in the NFL. Still, the Vikings deploy one of the better sets of offensive weaponry in the league, and Darnold should put up a fight with a first-round playoff bye on the line. He comes in at RotoBaller's QB8 ahead of the fantasy semi-finals.