So earlier this week I sent a text to all my NBC colleagues on Football Night in America and on the Fantasy Football Happy Hour podcast. I wrote:
“Goofy favor to ask. I am asking my new NBC colleagues to ask me a question – a self-made interview, if you will – and I will answer them in my column with attribution. I call it AMA – Ask Matthew Anything. So, if you have a moment, can you text me with one question you have for me? Ask me about anything you want… about me, my life, about fantasy, about you, about literally anything you might be slightly curious about me or anything else. I will pick out the best ones and answer, printing the question under your name and then answer it. Thanks!”
So with that here are some of the questions that came in:
Maria Taylor, Host, Football Night in America: Has Jay-Z ever invited you to a concert?
TMR: Yes, and it’s one of the bigger regrets of my life. As readers may or may not know, for the past decade I’ve participated in the world-famous GUTS fantasy football league draft. It’s a league made up entirely of insanely successful people. Just crazy heavy hitters, one after the other, including Jay. And every year they hold their draft in New York City. Except in 2018, when the draft would be held in Miami on August 30th. And the next night the entire league was heading to Hard Rock Stadium to see Jay and Beyonce at their ‘On the Run II” tour. So I was invited to do the whole thing – go to the draft in Miami with the league and then roll with the group to see Jay-Z and Beyonce in concert where I am sure there were backstage passes, sick seats, the whole nine yards to see the hottest concert of the year. I so desperately wanted to go. But it was the busiest draft weekend of the year and to do it I would have had to take 3 days away from ESPN. And ESPN was sympathetic but there just wasn’t anyway they were going to let me leave all my shows for three days leading up to the busiest draft weekend of the year. I tried so many ways to make it work. Just couldn’t. Kills me to this day.
Lawrence Jackson aka @LordDontLose, Rotoworld Fantasy Sports Analyst: What would it take for you to punch someone in the face?
TMR: Ha! Well, honestly, it would take a lot. I’ve been in exactly one physical fight in my life so it’s not my natural inclination. But there are certainly times I would. If I felt someone was a threat to me or my family of course. If someone put their hands on one of my kids. If I ever met the ref that called offsides on Terry McLaurin negating that Brian Robinson touchdown last week. Ha! Kidding! Probably! Maybe! The truth is that since I’ve taken a job in the public eye I have to be super careful. I’ve written about this story in more detail before, but the short version of the story is that about six months after I started at ESPN I got into an argument at a bar that was looking like it was going to lead there when I got pulled out of it by the late, great Stuart Scott. Stu explained to me that even though I was in the right and the other guy was a drunk idiot, the headline the next day wouldn’t be about him. Stu was right, of course, and it’s even more true these days. Even if someone deserved it, the headline the next day would be “NBC’s Matthew Berry punches someone in the face.” Not good. So if I am going to try to land a haymaker, it needs to be REALLY worth it.
Jason Garrett, analyst, Football Night in America, former Head Coach of the Dallas Cowboys: Who’s the greatest QB ever to play for Washington?
TMR: Well, the correct answer is Slingin’ Sammy Baugh (#14 on the NFL’s Top 100 players of all-time) who was not only an elite QB but a great defensive back and punter. Baugh was the first guy to make passing a real weapon in the NFL. But if you were to ask me who the greatest QB of my lifetime (Baugh played from 1937 to 1952) I’d say Joe Thiesmann, who was the QB of my childhood, won the first Super Bowl I saw and sent me my first ever autographed picture. But my favorite Washington QB is Robert Griffin the Third. RG3’s rookie year I was as excited and hopeful and having fun as I can ever remember of being a fan. RG3 also lead to a “War Room league” title at ESPN (the intense FF league played by all of ESPN’s NFL stars and producers) early in my career there, thus helping me with credibility with all those guys. I’ll love RG3 forever.
Pete Damilatis, Producer, Fantasy Football Happy Hour: What is the best and worst part of being a father of twins?
TMR: The best part is it’s double the fun. Everything you love about having kids is twofold when you have twins, seeing things for the first time through two sets of eyes. The fact they are always there for each other and entertain each other. My twins are very different personalities so I love seeing them interact with others and each other. The worst part is, well, they’re twins. So it’s hard for me to do something (anything?) with just one of them without the other feeling hurt and left out. So we always do stuff together. Which is great but I wish sometimes I would be able to just focus on one at a time. Still, I wouldn’t trade having the twins for anything in the world.
Connor Rogers, host, Fantasy Football Happy Hour: What is one part of your job, no matter how many years or times you go through it, that you never get sick of?
TMR: Identifying an undervalued player and then seeing him go off. Like talking up Kenneth Walker on air BEFORE Rashaad Penny got hurt. Or saying on national TV in my first ever appearance for NBC, that Jalen Hurts was not only my fantasy ride or die, but that he had a Josh Allen #1 QB in fantasy and the NFL upside to him. So stuff like that. Starting someone that the numbers say don’t but you have a feeling and it pays off. Stuff like that will never get old.
Matt Casey, Senior Producer of Football Night in America: Do you regret teasing Chris Simms for his take that Joe Burrow would be better than Tom Brady?
TMR: Absolutely. The only thing more annoying than Simms sucking up to Burrow all preseason is that he was right.
Tony Dungy, analyst, Football Night in America, Hall of Fame NFL Coach: How did you become so adept at fantasy scouting? What things does one need to research to know if someone will be a good fantasy pick over a full season? I realize you can’t give away secrets to your competitors but I am curious if there are characteristics you look for in players like I did when I was drafting? Do any intangibles play a factor or is it strictly numbers and measurables?
TMR: Well, it’s a lot of things and I could write thousands of words on this. But in the interest of space and time what I will say is that fantasy success ultimately comes from only two things: talent and opportunity. So all my scouting and research is around that. Talent is not just watching film, but also looking at stats and underlying metrics including comparison’s to players with similar size/speed/attributes. It’s also understanding how that player’s skill set might fit into the offensive system they are going to play in and whether that’s a good fit to what they do well. So that’s talent. Opportunity is not just how much playing time will he get but is it for a good coach, a good offense, a good line, is he playing with a good QB or a bad one, what are potential reasons why he wouldn’t get opportunity (competing with other teammates, bad off-the-field habits, etc.). It’s mostly data and film driven but there are certainly some intangibles that go into it for sure.
Alexa Maremaa, Coordinating Producer, Digital Content: If you could create your dream job, what would your week look like?
TMR: Exactly like it does now.
Let’s get to it. As always, check my rankings out (constantly updated) to see where I specifically land on certain players vs. other players. Also, be sure to tune into a special edition of Fantasy Football Happy Hour on Saturday morning, 11am-1pm ET on Peacock as Saturday will have the majority of games this week.
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Finally, if you enjoy the column being free, one way you can help is by supporting and promoting the column. Which mean if you’re in a state where sports betting is legal and would enjoy trying it out, you can use promo code: Berry for a risk free first bet up to $1,000 at BetMGM.com/Berry. Please bet responsibly.
Okay. Thanks again to all my colleagues for their great help and questions.
Quarterbacks I Love in Week 16:
Tua Tagovailoa vs. Green Bay
Hey, I’m as disappointed as anyone that we won’t get to see a quarterback from Hawaii who played in the SEC and now lives in Miami attempt to endure 0-degree, late December temperatures in Green Bay, Wisconsin. That simply would have been good, wholesome, (frozen) solid entertainment. But Tua is on the Love list this week for reasons beyond his good fortune of getting the Packers at home. Helps when you have Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, of course, but it’s worth noting that Tua has the second-most deep completions on the season among all quarterbacks. That’s relevant because Green Bay allows the second-highest completion rate on deep balls. Since Week 10, the Packers are allowing touchdown passes at the fifth-highest rate and they have also yielded two or more touchdown passes in six of their last eight games. I get that it’s been up and down recently with Tua but I’m back on Tua this week as a top-5 play.
Geno Smith at Kansas City
Even though the Seahawks have lost four of their last five and are now in danger of missing the playoffs, Geno Smith has still averaged 19.4 PPG over that stretch with at least 15 fantasy points in every game. He also 19-plus fantasy points in six of his last seven games. The point: never let real football struggles distract you from fake football success. One of the best stories in the NFL this year has been the emergence of Geno Smith. Just named to the Pro Bowl, I like Smith (if not the Seahawks) to have a nice game against a Kansas City defense that has allowed more touchdown passes than any team in the league. Teams facing the Chiefs average more than 36 pass attempts per game and every quarterback to face the Chiefs this season (except Malik Willis and Bryce Perkins) have thrown two or more touchdown passes. Even without Tyler Lockett, give me Geno Smith as QB6 this week.
Kirk Cousins vs. New York Giants
Over Minnesota’s last two full quarters of play, their offense is averaging 36 points per half. That would be 72 points per game, which would make them the highest-scoring team in the NFL by more than 42 points per game. Wow! Hard to argue with that kind of success. You obviously need the quarterback of such an offense in your lineups. But fine, if you’re the type who needs more of a sample size to convince you — or simply the type who disregards all games in which a Matt Ryan-quarterbacked team blows a massive lead in the second half in historic fashion — I’ve got you. So while maybe this game won’t be 36-points-by-one-team-in-a-half high-scoring, its 48.5 total is the second-highest on the Week 16 slate and Minnesota has the third-highest implied team total. Kirk Cousins has 18+ fantasy points in six of his eight home games this season, and now he’s facing a Giants defense that isn’t playing its best football. Over the past four weeks, the Giants are allowing the eighth-most yards per pass attempt and they have also surrendered multiple passing touchdowns in three of their four games over that stretch. As long as the refs don’t completely ignore the Giants defensive strategy of tackling players well before the ball gets there, Cousins should be a top-10 quarterback this week.
Others receiving votes: Santa isn’t the only old guy with a big weekend in store. I also like Tom Brady facing Arizona in Week 16. The Cardinals allow the highest completion percentage to opposing quarterbacks and they’re tied for the second-most passing touchdowns allowed. Meanwhile, Brady enters this game with multiple touchdown passes in four of his past five games and his offensive line is getting healthier too … Daniel Jones has 30+ pass attempts and 10+ rushes in two of his past three games. I like that sort of workload against a Vikings defense that has surrendered 300+ passing yards in five of its past six games. … There’s a certain Cousin Eddie vibe to Gardner Minshew this week. He’s an unexpected Christmas visitor and he dresses in his own unique style. But if you give him a chance, he can come through for you in the end. Assuming my fantasy ride or die Jalen Hurts doesn’t play this weekend, I like Minshew as an upside QB2 for a spot start. He will be surrounded by elite weapons and get this: in both of Minshew’s starts with the Eagles last season he had multiple touchdown passes. On Saturday he’ll face a Dallas defense that, over the past four weeks, is allowing touchdown passes at the sixth-highest rate.
Quarterbacks I Hate in Week 16:
Trevor Lawrence at New York Jets
Trevor Lawrence is averaging 24.5 PPG over his last five games, helping push many managers (who had the guts to play him over more established quarterbacks) deep into the fantasy playoffs. So why the Week 16 Hate? First of all, bah humbug. Second: bad matchup. Since Week 4, the Jets are allowing touchdowns at the lowest rate in the league. They’ve also gone 11 straight games without surrendering multiple touchdown passes. Also since Week 4, Josh Allen is the only quarterback to score 15+ points against the Jets, but 69% of his fantasy points came from his (nice) rushing. You’re probably still riding Lawrence if he got you this far, I’d just lower expectations. Lawrence is outside my top 12 for Week 16.
Deshaun Watson vs. New Orleans
For everyone who stashed Deshaun Watson on their bench all season, waiting to unleash him for the fantasy playoffs … Watson averaging 11.4 PPG wasn’t quite what you hoped for, huh? Unfortunately for you, I don’t see it getting much better in Week 16. In addition to the measly 11.4 PPG average, Watson is 24th among quarterbacks in yards per pass attempt and has failed to crack 165 passing yards in two of his three starts. Browns-Saints has an Over/Under of 32.5 — the lowest in the NFL since 2009 (back when Cleveland was quarterbacked by Brady Quinn) — and the game temperature is expected to be around 10 degrees with winds of 25 mph. I have Watson near 25, too. He’s my QB21.
Running Backs I Love in Week 16:
Josh Jacobs at Pittsburgh
With three games left in the season, Josh Jacobs needs just 505 yards to become the first Raiders back to run for 2,000 yards in a season since Bo Jackson ran for 2,000 yards in every game in Tecmo Bowl. Very impressive. As is this: Since Week 10, Jacobs is averaging a league-high 29 touches per game and he has six straight games with at least 24 touches. Considering that running backs who receive 15+ touches against the Steelers this season are averaging 19.0 PPG, and the fact that the Steelers have allowed 110-plus rushing yards in three of their past four games, I think Week 16 Josh Jacobs might look a lot like 1987 Tecmo Bo. He’s my RB4 this week.
Alvin Kamara at Cleveland
Two Christmases ago, Alvin Kamara won a ton of fantasy leagues single-handedly by scoring five touchdowns and putting up 56.2 fantasy points. This Christmas, Kamara enters the Saints game having scored just three touchdowns all season. And get this: over his last five games he has fewer fantasy points combined (54.7) than he did in that single Christmas 2020 game. Honestly, if you’re in the playoffs with Kamara it’s likely in spite of Kamara, not because of. Yet I’m still feeling good about Kamara this week, and it’s not just my giving holiday spirit. It’s a Browns defense that’s been in the giving holiday spirit all season long. They give up 5.4 YPC to backs on the season, second-most in the league. Cleveland has also given up 14 rushing scores to backs this season, tied for second-most. And over the past four weeks, the Saints rank Top 10 in rush rate and Kamara’s 23 touches a week ago were his most since Week 6. Especially considering the expected freezing cold weather and gusty winds, my expectation is New Orleans leans on the run game in a massive way here. While I’m fairly certain Kamara won’t put up a 5 TD, 56.2-point game again this Christmas, I do have him on my Nice list. Specifically: at RB12.
Jerick McKinnon and Isiah Pacheco vs. Seattle
We all know the kid who got a ridiculous number of gifts at the holidays. A new gaming system, a pool, a pony, a gaming system for the pony to play in the pool. It was an embarrassment of riches. That’s the Chiefs offense to the rest of the NFL. As though Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and talented receivers weren’t enough, they had to pull a good 1-2 combo at running back out of nowhere, too. Jerick McKinnon now has back-to-back games with 120+ scrimmage yards and his snap rate has increased four straight weeks. As for Isiah Pacheco, he now has six games in a row with 15+ touches and 80+ yards. It’s just ridiculous. And this week McKinnon and Pacheco get a Seattle defense that, since Week 10, is allowing 211 scrimmage yards per game to running backs. And that’s “backs,” plural. The Seahawks have given up 60+ yards to multiple running backs in the same game in back-to-back weeks. They’ve also allowed multiple rushing scores to running backs in three of their past four. So it should be another good week for McKinnon and Pacheco. Yeah, we get it, Chiefs. You’re good. Enough already. I have both KC backs inside my Top 20 at the position.
Others receiving votes: … The Rams have allowed 85+ scrimmage yards to a running back in five of their past six games. This week they face Latavius Murray, who has 20+ touches in three of his past five games, including 77% of Denver’s RB carries a week ago. Chase Edmonds has been activated off IR this week, but my belief is he takes Marlon Mack‘s workload, not Murray’s … Since returning from injury, JK Dobbins has 120+ rushing yards in both games and a YPC carrier number of 8.8 that would even be eye-catching for a star high school back. This week Dobbins gets a Falcons defense allowing the fifth-most yards per game to backs. … Cam Akers has 13+ touches in four of his past five games, include season-high in snap rate (75%) and target share (15%) in Week 15. So Akers should be fantasy useful against a Denver defense that has allowed a rushing touchdown in three of its past four games. … I’m not saying Raheem Mostert is a Must-start in the fantasy playoffs. Because I’m not some Dad joke machine that beats tortured word play into the ground like that. All I’m saying is that playing Mostert this week can help you reach your fantasy Raheems. (Get it? Like “dreams”? Eh? Hello? No, come back.) Ah, well. For those of you still here: this week Mostert plays a Green Bay defense that has allowed a rushing score to a running back in four of their past five games. The Packers have also given up the most rushes of 20 or more yards on the season. Jeff Wilson Jr returned to practice this week and assuming he is active it’s put a slight damper on Mostert’s upside but he should still get more than enough work to be a high-upside flex…
Running Backs I Hate in Week 16:
Brian Robinson at San Francisco
Is Brian Robinson on the Hate list this week because even if he scores a touchdown, the refs will rip it off the board on some BULL$#!^ PENALTY THAT HAS ABSOLUTELY NO REASON TO BE CALLED ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING Terry McLaurin CHECKED BEFORE THE %&@*ING PLAY WITH THE REF TO SEE THAT HE WAS OKAY ONLY TO BE LIED TO AND NOW WASHINGTON’S ENTIRE SEASON COULD GO DOWN THE TUBES?!?!?! No, not at all. I’m not still bitter about that call at all and it won’t eat at me for the rest of my life. Not one bit. Robinson is on the Hate list because he’s playing the 49ers this week and they have allowed the fewest rushing yards to running backs on the season. They haven’t allowed a back to reach even 60 rushing yards in a game yet. In a game in which Washington is a 7-point underdog, more work may go to Antonio Gibson than Robinson … and last week Robinson was already out-snapped by Gibson, 38-24. Robinson is on the Hate list down at RB34. And that ref is on my eternal Hate list.
Jamaal Williams at Carolina
Detroit’s turnaround this season has been absolutely amazing … for everyone who doesn’t have Jamaal Williams on their fantasy teams. While Detroit has won six of seven, Williams has scored more than 12 fantasy points in that stretch just once. His fantasy production has dropped four games in a row, hitting a season-low 3.7 points in Week 14 and then a new season-low of 3.3 points last week. Not good! And the bad stats don’t stop there. Williams has three straight games with a snap rate below 40% and fewer than 40 rushing yards, and seven straight games with zero receptions and under 4.0 YPC. The lack of passing game work is weird to me but whatever. It is what it is and I see no reason any of his negative regression will turn to the positive this week against a Carolina defense that, one the past four weeks, is a Top 10 rush defense. I have Williams outside my Top 30 running backs for Week 16.
Cordarrelle Patterson at Baltimore
Nick Chubb. That’s it. That’s the list of running backs that, since Week 7, have run for more than 50 yards against the Ravens. Over that same stretch Baltimore is allowing just 3.3 YPC to running backs, second-best in the league. Oh and by the way, the Ravens have also allowed only one rushing touchdown over their past six games. “But, Matthew, Patterson can overcome that in the passing game!” At risk of being the Grinch, I say: “His recent passing game usage is two sizes too small.” Since returning from IR, Patterson has less than 10 receiving yards in five of the six games and 85% of his fantasy points this season have come from rushing. And oh yeah, he got out-touched and out-rushed last week by Tyler Allgeier. All that means he’s outside my Top 35 backs this week.
Pass Catchers I Love in Week 16:
DK Metcalf at Kansas City
Look, not all of you are blessed to have the likes of Zay Jones in your fantasy receiving corps. Some of you have to make do with fringe athletes like DK Metcalf. But you have-nots are fortunate that Metcalf this week is facing a Kansas City defense that has allowed the most touchdown to wide receivers on the season. (Metcalf, by the way, leads the NFL in end zone targets.) Metcalf also has 8+ targets in five straight games and wide receivers who have seen 7+ targets versus the Chiefs are averaging 20.0 PPG. With Tyler Lockett out and Seahawks a double digit underdog, Metcalf should get a ton of looks. Give me Metcalf as a Top 7 wide receiver for Week 16.
JuJu Smith-Schuster vs. Seattle
JuJu Smith-Schuster has elevated his play over his past two games. We’re talking 19 catches on 21 targets, running a route on a team-high 87% of Patrick Mahomes’ drop-backs over that stretch. And, as an expert, I can tell you that it’s good for a wide receiver to be on the field running routes when Patrick Mahomes is throwing footballs. Hashtag: analysis. In fact, in games in which Smith-Schuster gets five-plus targets this season, he’s averaging 16.4 PPG. Even a moderate number of targets this week will work against a Seattle defense that allows the fifth-most yards per reception to the slot. In a game with (as of this writing) the second-highest Over/Under on BetMGM. I have JuJu inside my Top 15 wide receivers this week.
Diontae Johnson vs. Las Vegas
Over his past four games Diontae Johnson has a whopping 34.6% target share over his past four games (and a share above 40% in two of the last three). On the downside, despite 123 targets this season — including at least one end zone target in six of his past eight games — he has zero (0) touchdowns on the season. Zero! But what about this line of thinking? Increased target share + impending positive touchdown regression + an opponent in the Raiders that has allowed a wide receiver touchdown in three of its past four games = a holiday miracle and Diontae Johnson scoring a touchdown? Yeah? Maybe? It could very well happen. And even if not, I still like Johnson to post solid fantasy numbers in Week 16 as a viable WR2. He’s my WR 20.
Mark Andrews vs. Atlanta
The Falcons have allowed at least one touchdown to a tight end in three straight and, for the season, Atlanta has given up the fourth-most catches and sixth-most yards to the tight end position. So there’s a lot to like here, including the fact that Mark Andrews has a 30% target share in the nine full games he’s played with Lamar Jackson this season. What’s not to like is that Lamar Jackson is still banged up because … well, he’s a Ravens offensive player and getting injured is just what they do. But if (big if, for sure) Jackson suits up in Week 16? Andrews is an easy Top 2 tight end for me.
Others receiving votes: In five of his past six games, Darius Slayton has a 20% target share or higher. This week he’ll face a Vikings team that, since Week 10, is allowing the most receptions and the second-most yards per game to wide receivers. … Chicago allows the fifth-highest completion percentage on deep passes this season. They have also given up 140+ yards on deep passes in two of their last three games. Now the Bears have to take on one of the top deep threats in the game in Gabe Davis, who leads all qualified NFL receivers this season with a 15.1 aDOT. He’s the most “He’s due for a big game!” wide receiver this side of Diontae Johnson… It took a bit, but for the first time this season (and therefore in his NFL career), Drake London has back-to-back games with six-plus receptions. He is also averaging 13.8 PPG over that span with a 46% target share, in addition to accounting for 72% of Atlanta’s receiving yards in Week 15. … Tyler Lockett‘s absence from the Seattle passing game would vacate a 23.5% target share. And even without a bump in usage, Noah Fant has been producing fairly well of late. Fant has touchdowns in two of his last three games and last week saw a season-high four slot targets. … The NFL’s TE4 in PPG in fantasy over the past four weeks is, believe it or not, Chigoziem Okonkwo. A frequent name in the love section the last few weeks he comes back one more time, even with Malik Willis taking over at QB for the Titans. Okonkwo has at least five targets in every game over that span and last week saw a season-high 60% snap rate. Now in Week 16 he gets a Houston team that ranks bottom-10 in, well, it feels like pretty much everything. But of relevance here: the Texans defense is bottom-10 in yards allowed to tight ends.
Pass Catchers I Hate in Week 16:
Amari Cooper vs. New Orleans
No one is going to complain about a 10-140-0 receiving line. Sure, you’d like a touchdown in there but the rest will do nicely for one game. Except that’s Amari Cooper‘s total production in three games with Deshaun Watson under center. Cooper is averaging just 8.0 PPG in the Watson-led Cleveland offense. And remember: this game has the NFL’s lowest over-under since 2009 and the wind gusts in Cleveland could hit 50 mph in 10-degree weather. Are you pinning your fantasy playoff hopes on a struggling receiver playing in those conditions? I’m not. Cooper is outside my Top 30 receivers.
Chris Olave at Cleveland
Over the past two weeks, the Saints have gotten 15.0 PPG out of their rookie receiver. Only that rookie receiver was Rashid Shaheed, not Chris Olave. Olave has averaged 9.8 fantasy points over the same stretch and has posted less than 12 fantasy points in four of his last five games, including a single game over that stretch with more than six targets. Olave also has zero end zone targets in seven of his last eight games. A receiver with a shrinking role in a bad offense playing in that same Cleveland weather? No, thanks. I have Olave down at WR 32.
Marquise Brown vs. Tampa Bay
Since returning from injury, Marquise Brown is averaging just 33 yards per game despite seeing eight targets in all three games, and only three of his 14 receptions have gone for double-digit yardages. Hey, that’s a lot of threes. Speaking of the number 3, that’s where the Cardinals are now on their QB depth chart, with third-stringer Trace McSorley slated to start this week. Let’s call it three strikes and Brown is out of my lineups in Week 16. I have him outside my Top 30 at the position.
Dawson Knox at Chicago
On Tuesday night, Dawson Knox, Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs and several other Bills players went to see the Syracuse men’s basketball team play Pitt. After trailing by 20 points in the second half, my Orange climbed all the way back to within one point with 29 seconds left. A miraculous comeback was in the making! Only they then threw the ball away and lost. The point of me telling you this story, you ask? It is this: between the ending of this game and especially that Washington game, I’ve had a very rough sports week! And, to be honest, I want to look that ref who called the penalty on Terry McLaurin straight in the eye, and I want to tell him what a cheap, lying, no-good, rotten, four-flushing, low-life, snake-licking, dirt-eating, overstuffed, ignorant, blood-sucking, dog-kissing, brainless, hopeless, heartless, bug-eyed, stiff-legged, spotty-lipped, worm-headed, sack of $#!^ he is! Hallelujah! Holy $#!^! Where’s the Tylenol? Anyway … where was I … ah, yes … Dawson Knox‘s fantasy prospects for Week 16. Knox is averaging just 6.2 PPG in games in which he doesn’t catch a touchdown, and Chicago has allowed on three TE TDs this season (and none since Week 10). The Bears aren’t just stingy in the tight end touchdown department either. They have also allowed the fewest receptions and third-fewest yards to tight ends on the season. All that means I have Knox outside my Top 13 tight ends for Week 16.