Arizona Cardinals
DeAndre Hopkins has seen 10 targets in 7-of-9 games this year.
Hopkins caught one pass for four yards last week but once again reached double-digit targets. He was playing with Trace McSorley under center, explaining his horrific efficiency. With Colt McCoy likely to return from his concussion in Week 17, Hopkins remains a strong fantasy option for the end of the season.
Atlanta Falcons
Tyler Allgeier saw 62 percent of the Falcons’ running back carries.
That number was at 53 percent in Week 15 and 40 percent in Week 14. The Falcons are slowly phasing Cordarrelle Patterson out of the offense in favor of their rookie running back. Allgeier will have a stable floor of 15 touches in the final weeks of the regular season.
Baltimore Ravens
All of Baltimore’s receivers combined for four targets.
This is just a reminder that no Baltimore receiver has any fantasy value. Mark Andrews, who has peaked at 63 yards over his previous eight games, is also seeing his fantasy utility dwindle.
Buffalo Bills
The Bills have a pass rate over expected of one percent since Week 10.
Week 10 was the first time Josh Allen was listed on the injury report with his elbow issue. Since then, he is averaging 232 passing yards per game. He entered that game averaging 304 yards per game. The elbow injury is far from the only factor playing into this split, but the Bills are not the same team we saw at the beginning of the year.
Carolina Panthers
The Panthers totaled 570 yards of offense.
That is the new franchise record for total yards in a game. D’Onta Foreman rushed for 165 yards on 21 carries. Chuba Hubbard reached 125 yards and third-string running back Raheem Blackshear also found the end zone. None of the receivers hit the century mark but three players topped 50 receiving yards.
Chicago Bears
Cole Kmet has a 25 percent target share since Week 12.
Kmet has stepped in as the Bears’ de facto WR1 with Chase Claypool and Darnell Mooney sidelined. On the other hand, he has topped 27 yards in one game over his past four appearances. His target share is that of a receiver but his 5.6 aDOT is what you would expect from a tight end.
Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Mixon earned 23 touches.
That was a high watermark for Mixon since Week 9. The team appeared to be easing him back into the lineup while he returned from a concussion, but that may have ended in Week 16. Mixon out-carried Samaje Perine 16-4 and ran more routes than him.
Cleveland Browns
Deshaun Watson ranks 31st in EPA per play (-.11) since making his first start.
Watson hasn’t just been bitten by turnovers or other outliers either. He has no floor on a play-to-play basis. Watson ranks 27th in completion percent over expected and 20th in success rate since Week 13.
Dallas Cowboys
CeeDee Lamb has reached 100 yards in five of his previous seven games.
He is averaging seven catches for 93 yards over that span. Lamb ranks eighth in the NFL in targets (62) and second in PPR points (144) since Week 10. Next up is a Tennessee defense that has given up more points to opposing wideouts than any other team.
Denver Broncos
Latavius Murray saw 40 percent of the Broncos’ carries.
Murray was on the table as a volume-based RB2/3 heading into Week 16. With Chase Edmonds coming off injured reserve to handle eight touches, the same number as Murray, no one in this backfield can be trusted.
Detroit Lions
Shane Zylstra became the ninth player to score three receiving touchdowns in a game in 2022.
Zylstra posted a 5/26/3 line on six targets. He only ran a route on 48 percent of Jared Goff‘s routes, so he doesn’t appear to be a fantasy option for Week 16. He did, however, overtake Samaje Perine for the most surprising three-score game of the 2022 season.
Green Bay Packers
Aaron Jones’ eight opportunities were his lowest of the season.
Jones rushed six times and caught both of his targets. AJ Dillon, on the other hand, rushed 11 times and saw three looks in the passing game. There hasn’t been any update on the reason for Jones’ underwhelming usage yet. If we don’t get one, his ranking for Week 17 will plummet.
Houston Texans
Royce Freeman has 27 carries over the past two weeks.
With Dameon Pierce done for the year, Freeman has become the primary back for Houston between the tackles. He got his first start of the year in Week 16 and earned 16 carries on a 55 percent snap share.
Indianapolis Colts
Zack Moss ranks 11th in carry share (68 percent) over the past two weeks.
Moss has 36 rushes for 146 yards since taking over the Colts’ backfield two weeks ago. He has taken the field for two-thirds of the team’s snaps. He should stay rolling in a low-scoring affair with the Giants this week.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Travis Etienne is averaging 19.8 touches per game over his past four appearances.
Etienne does not have a touchdown and is averaging 3.8 yards per carry over that span. The good news is that he faces the Texans this week. Houston is allowing more rushing yards, attempts, and touchdowns than any other team this year.
Kansas City Chiefs
Kadarius Toney ran a route on 29 percent of Patrick Mahomes’ dropbacks.
Per usual, Travis Kelce and JuJu Smith-Schuster were on the field for nearly every one of the Chiefs’ passing plays. After that, Justin Watson ran the third-most routes on the team. Despite scoring in Week 16, Toney is not on the fantasy radar.
Las Vegas Raiders
Derek Carr has nine touchdowns and nine interceptions over his past five games.
He is averaging 217 passing yards per game in that stretch. After getting hot in the middle of the season, Carr is crashing back to Earth to close out his 2022 campaign. His three-interception loss to the Steelers in Week 16 all but sealed the Raiders’ fate for the year as they have next to no path into the playoffs now. It’s fair to wonder if he will return to Las Vegas in 2023.
Los Angeles Chargers
Austin Ekeler has 24 receiving yards over the past two weeks.
Ekeler is averaging 6.3 targets per game since Keenan Allen returned to the lineup. From Week 1 to Week 10, when Allen started two games but didn’t finish either, Ekeler averaged nine targets per week. His current role through the air is strong, but it’s a far cry from his mid-season split.
Los Angeles Rams
Since Week 9, Cam Akers ranks 15th in yards after contact per attempt.
Akers is averaging three yards after contact per carry since returning to the lineup in Week 9. Before that, Akers was averaging 2.5 yards after contact and ranked 44th among all running backs. A few weeks off may have finally gotten Akers back to a place where he can succeed as a runner.
Miami Dolphins
Tua Tagovailoa has seven touchdowns and five interceptions over the past five weeks.
He has topped 300 yards once over that span. Tua has been pressured on more than 20 percent of his dropbacks in five of his previous six games. That was only the case in two of his first seven appearances this year. Under anything other than ideal conditions, Tua has shown a propensity to crumble.
Minnesota Vikings
Since being traded to the Vikings, T.J. Hockenson ranks fifth in the NFL in targets (73).
That is among all players, not just tight ends. Hockenson is second among tight ends in targets and first in air yards since the team acquired him ahead of Week 9. He has taken over as the TE2 to close out the year.
New England Patriots
Jakobi Meyers scored his first touchdown since Week 8.
Meyers posted a 6/83/1 receiving line on seven targets. Surprisingly, he only ranked second on the team in targets and third in air yards. Kendrick Bourne paced the team with 100 receiving yards plus a touchdown.
New Orleans Saints
Taysom Hill has played on at least 40 percent of the Saints’ snaps in six consecutive games.
Hill rushed nine times for 56 yards and a score in Week 16. He ranks top-20 in rushing plus receiving touchdowns (eight) this year. Hill also has two passing scores.
New York Giants
Saquon Barkley has 18 targets over his previous two games.
Heading into Week 15, Barkley was averaging 4.2 targets per game. It’s possible the Giants have finally turned to using Barkley through the air as they continue to hide Daniel Jones. If Barkley can maintain his role as an integral piece of New York’s passing attack, he will push to be ranked as the RB2 overall for the final weeks of the season.
New York Jets
The Jets have averaged 286 total yards on offense in Zach Wilson‘s starts.
They have averaged 420 yards of offense with Mike White as the starter in 2022. That number jumps to 437 when looking at three additional starts from White in 2021. White is expected to start in Week 16.
Philadelphia Eagles
Gardner Minshew ranked fourth in EPA per play (.29) and seventh in CPOE (6.3).
Minshew threw for 355 yards and two scores. He also made his fair share of errors, tossing two picks and losing one fumble. Still, the efficiency and accuracy metrics suggest he should be treated as a QB1 if he starts in Week 17 or Week 18.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Najee Harris set a season-high in targets (nine).
Harris had four catches over his previous four games heading into Week 16. He ran a route on 63 percent of Kenny Pickett‘s dropbacks in Pittsburgh’s win over the Raiders. His 42 receiving yards were also a season-high.
San Francisco 49ers
George Kittle set a season-high in yards (120) and air yards (73).
Kittle has generally been used far less often than expected this year. With Deebo Samuel out, he is finally seeing an uptick in his usage as a receiver. He has a 28 percent target share and a 36 percent air yards share since Samuel went down with knee and ankle issues.
Seattle Seahawks
Ken Walker touched the ball 28 times.
Only Leonard Fournette earned more touches than Walker in Week 16. Walker topped 100 rushing yards for the first time since Week 9. Facing a Jets defense that is more susceptible on the ground than through the air, Walker should be in line for another strong workload in Week 17.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs have been held under 24 points more often than any other team this year.
Only two other teams have been held to two or fewer touchdowns in more games than Tampa Bay. Last week, the Bucs needed overtime to reach 19 points against the No. 30 defense in points per game allowed. The Bucs are a low-floor, low-ceiling offense for the final week of the fantasy season.
Tennessee Titans
Derrick Henry has averaged 26.6 fantasy points per game in Malik Willis‘s three starts.
This stat is buoyed by his dominant performance versus the Texans the first time they squared off this year, but he also has at least one touchdown and 115 rushing yards in all three games with Willis under center. Henry has posted 460 rushing yards in the three Willis starts. Even if the offense is worse as a whole under Willis, Henry’s numbers explode because he becomes the only player they give the ball to in those games.
Washington Commanders
Terry McLaurin was the intended target on 1-of-16 Carson Wentz passes.
Wentz took over for Taylor Heinicke in the middle of the fourth quarter in Week 16. Wentz started the Commanders’ first six games of the year but a thumb injury sidelined him during the middle of the season. McLaurin averaged 61 yards in Wentz’s six games before posting 81 yards weekly with Heinicke as his quarterback.