Quarterback
Drake Maye, Patriots
Maye proved once again to be a high-floor fantasy option in Week 16. He rushed for 30 yards and had a ceiling game through the air, throwing for 261 yards and a pair of scores. His big-play hunting style also got the best of him, as it tends to do, with a red zone interception.
Bills ball brought to you by Cam Lewis!
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) December 22, 2024
📺: @paramountplus & @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/CAg7KMqnCM
Maye added a fumble on a throw behind the line of scrimmage that resulted in a Buffalo touchdown to his ledger as well. Maye is doing enough to stay in the weekly QB2 ranks, but the lack of a No. 1 receiver and his own shortcomings make it hard for him to hit high-end fantasy outcomes.
Bryce Young, Panthers
Young stumbled in Week 15 but recovered phenomenally on Sunday. He threw for a sleepy 158 yards while scoring twice and was devastating on the run. Young set a career-high in rushing yards at 68 and scored a rushing touchdown. The showing highlighted his mobility, a feature of his revitalized game. Over his past six contests, Young is averaging nearly four carries for 29 yards and .5 touchdowns per week. He gets a date with a Bucs defense that has allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this week.
Others receiving votes: Cooper Rush and Russell Wilson
Running Back
Alexander Mattison, Raiders
Mattison returned to the starting role this week and out-carried Ameer Abdullah 12-7. Both backs scored rushing touchdowns and both were heavily involved in the passing game. Mattison ran slightly more routes and caught four passes for 29 yards. Abdullah caught five passes for 47 yards. Mattison gets the edge over Abdullah based on his rushing role, but both backs could crack the RB3 ranks for the Raiders’ Week 17 date with New Orleans.
Gus Edwards, Chargers
Edwards solidified himself as the Chargers’ top back in Week 16 with a 14/68/2 rushing line and his first carry of more than 12 yards on the season.
The blocking on Gus Edwards' long 4Q run was a thing of beauty. pic.twitter.com/433Q1WPgHU
— Daniel Popper (@danielrpopper) December 20, 2024
Edwards has seen all five of the Chargers’ carries inside the five-yard line since JK Dobbins was placed on injured reserve. The Chargers should walk over the Patriots this week, putting Edwards in another great spot for the fantasy championship.
Audric Estime, Broncos
Jalee McLaughlin missed Week 16. Not one to let a good crisis go to waste, Sean Payton refused to narrow his backfield, instead throwing Blake Watson into the fray as the third member of the committee. Estime operated as the primary option between the tackles, seeing nine carries to four a piece for Watson and Javonte Williams. The Broncos are three-point road dogs to the Bengals next week, making it hard to trust Estime and his limited role.
Patrick Taylor, 49ers
Taylor made the start in place of an injured Isaac Guerendo on Sunday. He was the only running back to see a touch for the 49ers, though Deebo Samuel and Kyle Juszczyk both earned work out of the backfield. Taylor finished the day with just 44 percent of the team’s carries but a healthy 14 percent target share. Even without a true backup running back stealing work, he looks like the leader of a committee and is staring down a potential blowout game script at the hands of Detroit next week.
Michael Carter, Cardinals
It’s simply a waiting game with the Cardinals. James Conner left Week 16 in the second half and did not return. Trey Benson didn’t practice last week and was ruled out on Friday. Emari Demercado was placed on injured reserve just over a week ago. That left just Carter and DeeJay Dallas, who was dealing with an illness, after Conner went down. Carter was the only backup to carry the ball, though Dallas managed to score on his only touch with a one-yard receiving touchdown.
Others receiving votes: Tyler Allgeier and Raheem Mostert
Wide Receiver
Hollywood Brown, Chiefs
Hollywood only ran a third of the routes for the Chiefs in Week 16. They made it clear he would have his reps scaled up as the season comes to a close, making it hard to trust him from a fantasy perspective. On the other hand, Brown was targeted on 53 percent of his routes, resulting in a 20 percent target share in his Kansas City debut. Brown caught 5-of-8 targets for 45 yards. Even on a pitch count, he looks like the best bet to be the team’s No. 2 receiver at worst down the stretch.
Jalen McMillan, Bucs
The breakout is as real as it gets for McMillan. He is averaging 1.95 yards per route run over the past three weeks and has upped his target share to 20 percent. McMillan has at least four catches for 57 yards and a touchdown in each of his previous three games. The rookie has earned his spot in the WR3 ranks.
Kayson Boutte, Patriots
Boutte has strung together three games with a target share of at least 20 percent. He hadn’t done much with the expanded role before Week 16 but changed that on Sunday. Boutte went for 95 yards and a score in a career performance from the young wideout. Boutte is running nearly every route and is earning plenty of targets, keeping him in the FLEX mix for Week 17.
Olamide Zaccheaus, Commanders
The Commanders rolled out Zaccheaus and Dyami Brown as their starting receivers after Terry McLaurin in Week 16. Both players earned 70 percent of the routes and Zacchaeus led the way with a 22 percent target share. He cashed in with a 5/70/2 stat line. While it was a strong showing from the veteran, I don’t think we can bank on him out-targeting Brown and Zach Ertz going forward, making him a weak bet for Week 17.
Others receiving votes: Wan’Dale Robinson and Brandin Cooks
Tight End
Chig Okonkwo, Titans
I didn’t like Okonkwo as a streaming tight end last week based on his limited route rate. He ran roughly half the routes two games ago. Chig took me to task in Week 16 with nine catches for 81 yards. Most importantly, he did so on 83 percent of the routes. Okonkwo has a 29 percent target share and has been targeted on an absurd 37 percent of his routes over the past two weeks. I’m waving the white flag. He’s a TE1.
Hunter Henry, Patriots
Henry has been a weekly TE1 since Maye took over as the starter.
He was averaging 10.8 PPR points per game in Maye starts before Week 16 and put 13.9 on the board versus Buffalo. Henry has finished as a top-10 tight end in 6-of-10 Maye starts.
Payne Durham, Bucs
Rookie tight end Payne Durham got the start with Cade Otton out for Week 16. He ran a route on 88 percent of the Bucs’ passing plays and earned a 14 percent target share. Durham is only on the streaming menu if Otton remains sidelined, so proceed with caution here.
Others receiving votes: Tyler Conklin and Noah Fant
