2023 Fantasy Football Week 16 Target Report Preview: A Monster End of Season On Tap For Trey McBride

Now that we’re into the nitty-gritty weeks here, Target Report will take a bigger shift toward player-focused takes to help you better with starts, sits, and who you can trust in your lineups going forward into the fantasy football playoffs.

Targets are paramount when it comes to evaluating pass-catchers for fantasy football. There are no air yards, receiving yards, receptions, or touchdowns without first earning a target. And to earn a target, you need to be deemed “open” by the quarterback. It’s one significant trickle-down effect. There’s a reason the biggest and most consistent target-earners are near the top of fantasy football ADP: They can be relied on by not just their team’s offense to earn targets and produce on those targets, but that also trickles down to the fantasy managers drafting those pass-catchers and starting them in their lineups each week.

In this season’s Fantasy Football Target Report, we’ll take a weekly team-by-team look into these target earners and separate the wheat from the chaff. To properly lead into what we’ll be looking at this season, we’ll have to establish a baseline of the most important things we’re looking at with targets and other receiving metrics that paint the complete picture for who we should be rostering, who we should be adding, and who we can drop. Combing the box score stats doesn’t paint a clear picture of the players we should target, roster, and start. Fantasy football rankings can only paint so much of the picture as well.

Everything we’ll discuss here and this season in the Fantasy Football Target Report will be some of the best statistics and metrics that correlate with fantasy football production. Think of targets as a page in a coloring book, just the outline yet to be colored. Coloring on that page adds context and flavor to that page. That’s what we’ll be doing with targets — adding more context than just some target totals and saying, “go add this player,” which doesn’t help anybody.

This season, we're adding a video component, so if you want to get some of the juiciest nuggets of the target report in video form, check out the Target Report Bulletpoints for the upcoming Week 16!

NOTE:

Any player not listed for a particular team is not somebody who’s rostered in most fantasy formats. The listing at the end (QB1, RB2, etc.) is how they should be viewed for the rest of the season, not for the next week.)

All statistics below are listed in the following format:

• QB as:
  • (20-of-30, 212 yds., 1/1; 4-100-2) 
  • Pass Completions - Pass Att. - Pass Yds., TD/Int; Rush Att - Rush Yds. - TD
• RB as:
  • (18-75-1; 10-4-100-2) 
  • Rush Att. - Rush Yds. - TD; Targets - Receptions - Rec. Yds. - TD
• WR/TE as:
  • (10-4-100-2)
  • Targets - Receptions - Rec. Yds. - TD

NFL Target Report

Arizona Cardinals

Week 15 Arizona Cardinals Fantasy Takeaways:

• Kyler Murray (26-of-39, 211 yds., 1/2; 6-49-0)
  • Murray has decent upside in the fantasy playoff sprint but hasn’t realized it in the last two weeks. The Cardinals are pretty passing-game deficient outside of Trey McBride, which hampers Murray’s ability to score with the elite options at quarterback. 
    • High-end QB2 with weekly QB1 upside
• James Conner (14-86-1; 3-3-3)
  • After finishing as RB11 against the 49ers, Conner is an RB2 against the Bears. He’s rounding into form at the perfect time for anybody who rosters him in the fantasy playoffs, and unless your team is stacked, he should be in your lineups, given the volume. 
    • Low-end RB2/flex option
• Trey McBride (11-10-102)
  • Trey McGronk is just an absolute unit. He will be a 3rd/4th rounder at minimum next season, so of course, we’re starting him no matter what.
    • Must-start TE1

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: N/A

Atlanta Falcons

Week 15 Atlanta Falcons Fantasy Takeaways:

• Bijan Robinson (7-11; 3-1-3)
  • Just when we thought the role was improving, in the PERFECT STORM (literally) game in Carolina when it was raining, and the Falcons had every reason to run the ball ragged with Robinson, he saw his lowest route and snap share outside of the “migraine” game. Tyler Allgeier also doubled him up in carries. Make it make sense. You’ve probably got to start him, but you feel nowhere near as good about it as you did before Week 15.
    • Mid-range RB2 with overall RB1 upside who Arthur Smith holds back for some insane reason
• Tyler Allgeier (14-45; 1-1-6)
  • I don’t know. I can’t begin to explain Arthur Smith, but Allgeier isn’t somebody you can trust in your flex spot.
    • A barely rosterable mid-range RB3
• Drake London (3-2-24)
  • London hit the low end of variance, which makes him hard to trust, especially with the Falcons turning to Taylor Heinicke in Week 16. He’s a flex option and an iffy one at that.
    • Mid-range WR3/high-end flex
• Kyle Pitts (4-3-37)
  • Despite catching a touchdown, Pitts is still hard to trust, but at least he’s running routes on 90% of dropbacks for two consecutive weeks. He’s a streaming tight end if you’re desperate.
    • Mid-range TE2/high-end streamer

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: N/A

Baltimore Ravens

Week 15 Baltimore Ravens Fantasy Takeaways:

• Lamar Jackson (14-of-24, 171 yds., 1/1; 12-97)
  • Elite fantasy quarterback despite a bit of a dud in Week 15. The ceiling for league-winning weeks is always within reach for Jackson.
    • High-end QB1
• Gus Edwards (16-58-1; 1-1-11)
  • Edwards got back into the end zone in Week 15, and with news that Keaton Mitchell tore his ACL and will miss the rest of the season, Edwards and Justice Hill become a two-headed backfield again. Edwards is the much more comfortable start and should regain most of Mitchell’s workload, with Hill mixing in more on passing downs.
    • With Mitchell gone for the season, Edwards is a solid mid-range RB2 with ample touchdown upside and increasing volume in the next two weeks of the fantasy playoffs
• Zay Flowers (2-1-7)
  • Zay Flowers put together two consecutive games with 20+ fantasy points and was a top-10 wide receiver in both weeks before this past week, where he put up a big dud. He can still slot into your WR3 or flex spot, but Flowers’ weekly fantasy floor can be pretty low.
    • Mid-to-low-end WR3 with a low floor and medium-high, target-dependent ceiling
• Isaiah Likely (6-5-70-1)
  • Likely has become the most trusted pass-catcher on the Ravens, which should be zero surprise considering he’s been a one-for-one replacement for Mark Andrews. At tight end, you can take this to the bank as a low-end TE1, where options that earn consistent work, volume, and touchdown upside are scarce outside the top fantasy options.
    • Low-end TE1

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: Keaton Mitchell (torn ACL; out for the rest of the season), Odell Beckham (too small of a weekly role to trust)

Buffalo Bills

Week 15 Buffalo Bills Fantasy Takeaways:

• Josh Allen (7-of-15, 94 yds., 1/0; 8-24-1)
  • We’re starting him no matter what, but the Bills didn’t need the passing game much in this one, so everybody suffered except for James Cook.
    • Locked-in QB1
• James Cook (25-179-1; 3-2-42-1)
  • Don’t look now, but Cook has been a top-three running back each of the past two weeks. This is despite running 45% of routes and 50% of snaps while splitting work with Ty Johnson and Latavius Murray. However, Murray’s role has decreased in the last couple of weeks. Cook is now RB5 in PPR and needs to be started in the fantasy playoffs while on this massive production heater.
    • High-end RB2 that’s on a tear right now
• Stefon Diggs (5-4-48)
  • Diggs was the only WR/TE to record a reception on a day when the running game was king. No worries here; there will be better days.
    • WR1
• Dalton Kincaid (2-0-0)
  • It's hard to be a factor when Diggs was the only WR/TE with a reception. Kincaid is a compiler and not a super great one right now. Start him if you have to, but if I have a better option, I’m starting him over Kincaid.
    • High-end TE2/streamer

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: Gabe Davis (We can’t keep putting ourselves through this anymore. In four of the past six weeks, Davis has put up zero fantasy points.), Khalil Shakir (His role with Dawson Knox back is not strong enough to maintain fantasy value) 

Carolina Panthers

Week 15 Carolina Panthers Fantasy Takeaways:

• Chuba Hubbard (22-87; 2-2-16)
  • Hubbard has the clear lead-back role in Carolina, and his role is rock solid with 25, 23, and 22 carries in the past three weeks. The trouble is, he’s a Carolina Panther. Still, that’s good enough for a volume-based play that could also see a couple of targets.
    • Mid-range RB2 with a solid floor
• Adam Thielen (7-4-43)
  • Thielen has a floor-play archetype at wide receiver but can bottom out, thanks to Bryce Young being #not good.
    • Low-end WR3 with major fantasy downside

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: N/A

Chicago Bears

Week 15 Chicago Bears Fantasy Takeaways:

• Justin Fields (19-of-40, 166 yds., 1/2; 7-30)
  • You take the good with the bad. You know he can put up a dud, but you know he has overall QB1 in his range of outcomes. We plug away and start him anyway.
    • Low-end QB1 with weekly overall QB1 upside
• Khalil Herbert (6-8; 1-1-4)
• D’Onta Foreman (6-(-6))
• Roschon Johnson (5-36; 6-4-24)
  • This backfield is as confusing as ever. Perhaps Herbert isn’t fully healthy following a high-ankle sprain? Johnson got the most touches of the three, but you couldn’t get me to start any of them against Arizona and Atlanta in the next two weeks.
    • Herbert, Foreman, and Johnson are mid-range RB3 options and tough starts for the fantasy playoffs
• DJ Moore (8-4-52)
  • The clear top target in Chicago’s passing game, Moore is the only pass-catcher receiving consistently usable volume and the production to go with it.
    • High-end WR2
• Cole Kmet (7-5-23-1)
  • The clear second target in Chicago, Kmet is a solid low-end TE1 option with solid touchdown equity. There is not a lot of ceiling, but the floor is probably lower than we want to admit. Still, because it's the tight end position, the bar is much lower. 
    • Low-end TE1/high-end TE2

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: N/A

Cincinnati Bengals

Week 15 Cincinnati Bengals Fantasy Takeaways:

• Jake Browning (29-of-42, 324 yds., 2/1; 4-0)
  • Don’t look now, but Jake Browning has been QB8, QB4, and QB4 in the past three weeks. He’s been pretty competent, and while he gets the Steelers in Week 16, you can do MUCH worse if you need a streaming option.
    • High-end QB2/streamer
• Joe Mixon (10-47-1; 3-3-14)
  • Mixon retains his sizable role, but the Bengals are noticeably passing less without Browning, as they should. It’s gotten Brown much more work, but both can co-exist.
    • Mid-range RB2
• Chase Brown (7-23; 3-3-28)
  • Brown is seeing a big uptick in work, and if something happens to Mixon in the next week or two, Brown could be the guy winning people fantasy football championships. Regarding Brown’s standalone value, Brown isn’t startable but should be on benches in most leagues.
    • Mid-range RB3 but excellent contingent value
• Ja'Marr Chase (4-4-64)
  • Chase is really more of a WR2 at this point, but of course, the upside is immense.
    • High-end WR2
• Tee Higgins (8-4-61-2)
  • Who knows, could Tee Higgins could be the guy we all need after a disappointing season to this point? Of course, this is all we predicted. Higgins is a solid WR3/flex option for the fantasy playoffs, while Jake Browning is riding high. 
    • High-end WR3

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: N/A

Cleveland Browns

Week 15 Cleveland Browns Fantasy Takeaways:

• Joe Flacco (28-of-44, 274 yds., 2/3; 1-(-1))
  • Joe Flacco was Joe Flacco. He’s statuesque, will rack up a bunch of pass attempts (44, 45, and 44 in the last three weeks), still has a strong arm, and is not afraid to dump the ball off. He’s okay if you need a plug-and-play quarterback. But you’re just getting passing stats.
    • Mid-range QB2/decent streamer 
• Jerome Ford (8-20; 5-4-11)
• Kareem Hunt (7-8; 1-1-12)
  • The Browns had 45 pass attempts to just 18 runs for the Browns, and the run game dried up for the most part for both Ford and Hunt. That run game has taken a bit of a back seat with Flacco in tow, so the floor and ceiling for both Browns backs take a sizeable hit.
    • Ford is a low-end RB2 and Hunt is a high-end RB3
• Amari Cooper (8-4-109-1)
  • With Flacco passing a ton, Cooper has stepped up with volume-earning and made the most of it with a late touchdown on some inefficiency in Week 15. He’s a solid start the rest of the way in the playoffs.
    • Low-range WR2/High-end WR3
• Elijah Moore (3-2-17)
  • Moore is a volatile flex option and a tough asset to plug into your lineup, considering the volume Amari Cooper and David Njoku have earned and thrived with.
    • Low-end WR3/risky flex
• David Njoku (14-10-104-1)
  • With Joe Flacco cresting the 40 pass attempt mark in three consecutive weeks, all of the main pass-catching targets are in play here, especially Njoku, who was TE2 in the last two weeks.
    • Mid-range TE1

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: N/A

Dallas Cowboys

Week 15 Dallas Cowboys Fantasy Takeaways:

• Dak Prescott (21-of-34, 134 yds., 0/1; 4-27)
  • Dak is still a must-start fantasy option at quarterback despite duds in the last two weeks.
    • Top-6 fantasy QB
• Tony Pollard (11-52; 3-2-5)
  • The Cowboys only had eight total possessions in Week 15, so it's hard to make a definitive read on everything. Dallas should return to a normal-looking offensive on the road against the Dolphins.
    • High-end RB2
• Rico Dowdle (3-4; 3-2-8)
  • Dowdle is merely a contingent play should something happen to Pollard for the rest of the season, as he does not carry enough standalone value.
    • Low-end RB3 and a contingent hold on benches
• CeeDee Lamb (10-7-53; 1-3-1)
  • Stud.
    • A must-start WR1 every week
• Brandin Cooks (6-2-10)
  • With just eight possessions and the Cowboys out of sync all game, Cooks didn’t cook. He’s still a low-end flex, though.
    • Low-end WR3/high-end flex
• Jake Ferguson (8-6-44)
  • Ferguson earned solid volume despite the lackluster offensive output in Week 16. Continue to start him with matchups against Miami and Detroit in the next two weeks.
    • Low-end TE1

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: N/A

Denver Broncos

Week 15 Denver Broncos Fantasy Takeaways:

• Russell Wilson (18-of-32, 223 yds., 1/0; 7-6-1)
  • Eh. Wilson is merely acceptable in the QB streamer territory if you need a quarterback in a pinch. He’s only scored 20 fantasy points twice this season and not once since Week 4. He has one game above 225 passing yards since Week 3.
    • Mid-range QB2/okay streamer
• Javonte Williams (12-27; 2-2-(-7))
  • Williams saw most of the rushing volume in Week 15 but struggled big time when it was a game, and then when the Lions put up a big lead on Denver, Sean Payton gave a lot of the trailing script work to other backs. It’s not super ideal, but he is what he is in this offense: the lead back on a mediocre offense that gets micro-managed.
    • Low-end RB2
• Courtland Sutton (6-5-71)
  • Sutton was alright, but there’s zero upside to speak of. You can start him for sure, as he’s been the only pass-catcher that’s sort of worked in this dull, plodding offense.
    • Somewhat safe, mid-range WR3

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: N/A

Detroit Lions

Week 15 Detroit Lions Fantasy Takeaways:

• Jared Goff (24-of-34, 278 yds., 5/0)
  • If you had a relevant Detroit Lion in the fantasy playoffs, odds are you were likely rewarded with a berth to the semi-finals, thanks to Goff’s five touchdowns. 
    • Low-end QB1
• Jahmyr Gibbs (11-100-1; 2-8-1)
• David Montgomery (17-85; 3-2-(-8))
  • Gibbs and Montgomery ate in this one with a sizable leading script. Gibbs was super efficient and got the touchdown, while Montgomery chugged away. Gibbs had a great fantasy day while Monty got his floor.
    • Both Gibbs and Montgomery are high-end RB2 options and both have weekly RB1 upside
• Amon-Ra St. Brown (9-7-112-1)
  • Stud. Must-start.
    • Solid WR1
• Sam LaPorta (6-5-56-3)
  • THREE touchdowns for Sam LaPorta. He’s really making a legitimate case to be the TE1 in drafts next season, with Mark Andrews coming off of injury and Travis Kelce turning 35 in 2024. 
    • Must-start top-three TE

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: N/A

Green Bay Packers

Week 15 Green Bay Packers Fantasy Takeaways:

• Jordan Love (29-of-39, 284 yds., 2/0; 2-1)
  • After I talked him up last week, Love put up his second-worst fantasy performance of the season in Week 14 as they gave away a game to the New York Giants. He’s a low-end starter because of that lack of consistency.
    • High-end QB2/streamer
• Aaron Jones (13-53; 4-4-16)
  • The Packers did what they could to get the ball into his hands, but Jones doesn’t look like he has the same gear as before. 
    • Mid-range RB2 when healthy
• Christian Watson (Missed Week 15 - hamstring)
  • Watson missed Week 14 with his hamstring and looks unlikely to go in Week 15.
    • High-end WR3 when healthy
• Romeo Doubs (3-3-30)
  • Doubs is too inconsistent to see starting treatment despite Watson being out of the lineup. He’s been touchdown-dependent, but you could do worse in your flex in a pinch.
    • Low-end WR3 and an inconsistent low-end flex
• Jayden Reed (8-6-52-1)
  • Can we start calling him diet Deebo Samuel yet? That’s how the Packers are utilizing him, and Reed looks like the best player on the field on almost every snap.
    • Mid-range WR3 with multiple avenues to quality upside
• Tucker Kraft (6-4-57-1)
  • Kraft has been excellent since entering the starting lineup, but he’s a streamer through and through despite playing 100% snaps for the Packers.
    • Mid-range TE2/solid streaming option

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: N/A

Houston Texans

Week 15 Houston Texans Fantasy Takeaways:

• C.J. Stroud (Missed Week 15 - concussion)
  • Stroud missed Week 15 as he was unable to clear concussion protocol. He may not make it to Week 16 either, so look for Case Keenum to make another start for the Texans against the Browns. I can’t recommend him.
    • Top-8 fantasy QB when healthy
• Devin Singletary (26-121; 5-4-49)
  • Singletary is back at 75% snaps for the Texans as he’s carried volume for the Texans like he did at the end of the season two seasons ago for the Buffalo Bills. Plug him in as a solid RB2 with major flex appeal.
    • Mid-range RB2 and high-end flex
• Nico Collins (Missed Week 15 - calf)
  • Collins only made it three snaps before he succumbed to a calf injury in Week 14 and also missed Week 15. Collins seems unlikely to play in Week 16 either as he hasn’t practiced yet this week. 
    • High-end WR2 when healthy
• Noah Brown (11-8-82-1)
  • Brown has been targeted pretty well by Case Keenum in Week 15, and we can expect that again this week, though the Texans draw a much tougher opponent in the Browns.
    • Low-end WR3/mid-range flex
• Dalton Schultz (5-4-58)
  • With Keenum throwing him the ball, Schultz takes a dip in value, but ultimately, he’s a boom-or-bust tight end fantasy option.
    • Mid-range TE2/mid-range streamer with a brutal schedule for fantasy playoffs

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: N/A

Indianapolis Colts

Week 15 Indianapolis Colts Fantasy Takeaways:

• Gardner Minshew (18-of-28, 215 yds., 3/0; 2-0)
  • Minshew hasn’t been particularly great, but amidst the quarterback injuries around the league, Minshew starts to look better and better. He’s a floor play with a dash of upside.
    • Mid-range QB2/okay streamer
• Jonathan Taylor (Missed Week 15 - thumb)
• Zack Moss (4-13; 3-3-20-1; Left Week 16 - forearm)
  • Taylor was a full participant in the team’s walkthrough activities on Wednesday, which is a good sign for his availability. Moss left Week 15 with a forearm injury and is increasingly unlikely to suit up in Week 16.
    • Taylor is a locked-in RB1 with a good shot to return, while Moss is not trending towards playing with his forearm injury in Week 16.
• Michael Pittman (5-4-78)
  • Pittman was on his way to yet another quality outing when he took a massive hit from Damontae Kazee, which put Pittman into concussion protocol. Pittman benefits from an extra day before his Week 16 game against the Falcons, so he has a better shot than most to play the following week versus others who suffered concussions the prior week.
    • High-end WR2
• Josh Downs (3-3-19)
  • Downs hasn’t been able to recapture his slot magic from the early season, as even with Pittman leaving the game, Downs couldn’t capitalize on available targets. Downs has just nine receptions for 77 yards in his last three games combined, so Downs can’t be trusted right now.
    • High-end WR4/very low-end flex

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: N/A

Jacksonville Jaguars

Week 15 Jacksonville Jaguars Fantasy Takeaways:

• Trevor Lawrence (25-of-43, 264 yds., 1/0; 4-41)
  • Lawrence remains in concussion protocol, but it’s still unclear whether he can clear protocol in time for Week 16 against the Buccaneers. C.J. Beathard would start in Lawrence’s absence.
    • Low-end QB1
• Travis Etienne (10-31; 6-4-28)
  • Etienne maintains his strong role despite a trailing script and just 13 total carries in Week 16.
    • Low-end RB1/high-end RB2
• Calvin Ridley (12-5-39)
  • Ridley got the volume this week but could have been more efficient. It's the same story each week.
    • Volatile WR3 with WR1 upside 
• Zay Jones (8-5-59; Left Week 15 – hamstring)
  • Jones was solid but picked up a hamstring injury and was labeled “week-to-week.” Jones seems unlikely to go in Week 16, so Parker Washington and Jamal Agnew would slot in for the Jags if Jones cannot make it back into the lineup.
    • High-end WR3
• Evan Engram (6-4-28)
  • A down week this week and would be further downgraded if Beathard is in at quarterback instead of Lawrence.
    • Mid-range TE1

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: N/A

Kansas City Chiefs

Week 15 Kansas City Chiefs Fantasy Takeaways:

• Patrick Mahomes (27-of-37, 305 yds., 2/2; 3-(-5))
  • Despite his weapons being up and down, we know what Mahomes can turn Rashee Rice, Travis Kelce, and this ragtag bunch of weapons into every week.
    • QB1, but the offense hasn’t provided many spike weeks
• Isiah Pacheco (Missed Week 15 - shoulder)
  • Pacheco is expected to play in Week 16 and head coach Andy Reid echoed that sentiment.
    • Mid-range RB2
• Rashee Rice (9-9-91-1)
  • Rice has put together four fantastic weeks in a row where he’s been WR3, WR22, WR13, and WR7. Rice DID get to 82% routes per dropback last week and 92% routes per dropback in Week 15, so get him in your lineups ASAP.
    • Mid-range WR2 with upside for more
• Travis Kelce (7-5-28)
  • Stud. Dating Taylor Swift. Winning at life (despite the dud in Week 15).
    • TE1

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: N/A

Las Vegas Raiders

Week 15 Las Vegas Raiders Fantasy Takeaways:

• Josh Jacobs (Missed Week 15 - quad)
  • Interim head coach Antonio Pierce expects Jacobs to be back in the lineup for Week 16 against the Chiefs.
    •  Mid-range RB1 when healthy
• Zamir White (17-69-1; 4-3-16)
  • If, for some reason, Jacobs doesn’t play in Week 16, White should be able to reprise his starting role as a solid low-end RB2 worth tossing into your flex.
    •  Low-end RB2/flex option
• Davante Adams (12-8-101-1)
  • Adams is Adams, though he’s had a down season for his standards. He's still worth starting through, as this condensed Raiders offense doesn’t have much else going for it.
    • Low-end WR1
• Jakobi Meyers (4-2-32-1; 12 yards passing, passing TD)
  • Hey, leave it to Meyers to get involved, not just in the receiving category with two touchdowns. With one through the air passing and catching a touchdown, Meyers cements himself as a low-end WR3 or flex option.
    • Low-end WR3/mid-range flex

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: N/A

Los Angeles Chargers

Week 15 Los Angeles Chargers Fantasy Takeaways:

• Austin Ekeler (5-9; 6-4-29)
  • Ekeler has been inefficient on the ground for most of the season and it was abundantly clear in Week 15 as the Raiders were up 42-0 at halftime and completely broke this game. Ekeler doesn’t look like himself.
    • High-end RB2 with reception-based upside
• Keenan Allen (Missed Week 15 - heel)
  • Allen was ruled out for Week 15 due to a heel injury, a devastating blow for the Chargers and fantasy managers who have gotten Allen’s monstrous fantasy production all season. Allen hasn’t practiced this week heading into Week 16, but still has time. 
    • Top-five fantasy receiver when healthy
• Joshua Palmer (4-4-113-1)
  • The Chargers lost Allen but gained Palmer as a trusted target for Easton Stick. Palmer was shut out at halftime but took a 79-yard touchdown and then tacked on a couple more receptions in garbage time. He’s a solid low-end WR3 if Keenan Allen returns, but if he doesn’t, then Palmer gets a slight bump up in value. Remember how low the floor is for this offense should things not go right yet again. 
    • Low-end WR3 (with Allen in the lineup) and a mid-range WR3 without Allen

Add ‘Em: N/A

Dump ‘Em: N/A

Los Angeles Rams

Week 15 Los Angeles Rams Fantasy Takeaways:

• Matthew Stafford (25-of-33, 258 yds., 2/0; 1-2)
  • Stafford has stepped up his game from earlier in the season and tossed three touchdowns on a previously impenetrable Browns defense, three more on the Ravens this past week, and now tossing a pair against the Commanders. Having the threat of Kyren Williams certainly helps this offense thrive.
    • High-end QB2/worthy streamer
• Kyren Williams (27-152-1; 7-5-3)
  • Williams is an absolute stud with one of the best roles in fantasy football for a running back.
    • Low-end RB1 with receiving upside
• Cooper Kupp (8-8-111-1)
  • Kupp looks healthy again, and this offense is finding its groove late in the season. Kupp looks good and needs to be in every lineup down the stretch.
    • Low-end WR1
• Puka Nacua (8-5-50; 2-3)
  • Nacua does exceptionally well playing off of Cooper Kupp, and quarterback Matthew Stafford looks for him just as much as Kupp. Nacua is a slight step down in terms of fantasy value, but he’s a worthy start in every format in the fantasy playoffs.
    • Mid-range WR2