Fact or Fiction: Fantasy Football Outlooks for Bryce Young, Deebo Samuel, Olamide Zaccheaus, Kayshon Boutte, Dalton Schultz

We've reached Week 17, the end of the line for most of your fantasy leagues. The championship is up for grabs. Will it be yours?

This is when you'd ideally like to play all your star players who have helped you get this far, but injuries can happen at any time, so you might be heading into the championship game down a key player at a key position. Maybe you have Jalen Hurts at QB and need a backup plan in case he remains in concussion protocol.

Every week, I'll examine five NFL players whose numbers from the previous week were better than expected. I'll analyze their games and consider their showings in the larger scheme. Below, you'll find my analysis of the biggest fantasy football surprises of Week 16. Are those surprising results a fact, i.e., a sign of good things to come, or a fiction, i.e., an anomalous result?

• Quarterback fantasy football rankings
• Running back fantasy football rankings
• Wide receiver fantasy football rankings
• Tight end fantasy football rankings
• Kicker fantasy football rankings
• FLEX fantasy football rankings
• Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
• Superflex fantasy football rankings
• IDP fantasy football rankings
• Dynasty fantasy football rankings

Bryce Young - QB, Carolina Panthers

Week 16 stats: 17-of-26 for 158 yards and two touchdowns, five carries for 68 yards and one touchdown - overall QB2

Remember earlier this season when the Panthers benched Bryce Young for Andy Dalton, and then Young only earned the starting role back because Dalton was in a car crash?

Well, we've got a rejuvenated version of the 2023 No. 1 overall pick, with Young going from a bust to someone who looks like he can be a long-term NFL starter, albeit one who doesn't quite live up to the initial hype.

Look at Bryce Young man pic.twitter.com/qM6nkVYehr

— 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙨 🎄 (@ThomasWrrld) December 23, 2024

Young enters Week 17 having finished as a top-20 fantasy quarterback in six consecutive games, including last week's QB2 finish against the Cardinals, a game that saw Young rush for 68 yards and a touchdown.

Up next is a meeting with the Buccaneers, who allow the second-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks. In the first meeting of these teams, Young threw for 298 yards and a touchdown while adding one on the ground as well. He was the overall QB8 in that game.

If you told me at the start of the year that Young would be a starting option for fantasy managers in the championship game, I'd have laughed, but he's certainly in play this week as a top-15 option.

Verdict: Fact

Deebo Samuel Sr. - WR, San Francisco 49ers

Week 16 stats: seven catches for 96 yards and a touchdown, five carries for 25 yards - overall WR5

For the first time since Oct. 10, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel went over 100 scrimmage yards this week, finishing with a season-high 121 yards, including his best rushing mark of the year with five carries for 25 yards.

It's been a rough stretch for Samuel, who entered Week 16 on a stretch of five games in a row with under 25 receiving yards before he exploded for 96 yards and a touchdown against the Dolphins.

This was an encouraging performance for Samuel, but it doesn't erase just how poor his recent results have been. If you really need a flex play, Samuel takes on a Lions defense that allows the sixth-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers, but he's not someone I'm staking my fantasy hopes to.

Verdict: Fiction

Olamide Zaccheaus - WR, Washington Commanders

Week 16 stats: five catches for 70 yards and two touchdowns - overall WR6

Washington Commanders wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus was one of two Commanders players with multiple touchdown catches on Sunday, grabbing five balls for 70 yards and a pair of scores. Jamison Crowder had two touchdowns as well but caught just two passes for 15 yards.

𝙂𝘼𝙈𝙀 𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙉𝙂𝙀𝙍. 🔶⚔️🔷

BACK to BACK for Olamide Zaccheaus. #HOOSintheNFL

pic.twitter.com/0yAqvYuRD9

— Virginia Football (@UVAFootball) December 22, 2024

Zaccheaus played 69% of Washington's snaps, second on the team among wide receivers behind Terry McLaurin. Dyami Brown, who was third among the receivers in snaps, exited the game with a hamstring injury. There haven't been any updates about his status for next week.

It feels like we've been waiting for someone to break out as the No. 2 receiver for the Commanders all year, but it hasn't happened yet. Maybe Zaccheaus is on his way to being that guy, but you can't trust a six-year veteran who has just one 500-yard season to his name, can you?

Verdict: Fiction

Kayshon Boutte - WR, New England Patriots

Week 16 stats: five receptions for 95 yards and one touchdown - overall WR11

New England Patriots second-year wide receiver Kayshon Boutte is coming off the best game of his NFL career, catching five passes for 95 yards and a touchdown. He was targeted seven times.

Boutte played 88% of the team's snaps, marking the 10th game in a row he's been on the field for at least 80% of New England's offensive plays.

It's encouraging to see Boutte on the field this much, but he's struggled to put strong performances together. The Week 17 matchup against the Chargers isn't too tough, but it's still tough to trust a receiver in this Patriots offense, which ranks last in the NFL in passing yards.

However, Boutte has decent appeal in dynasty leagues. Drake Maye has been playing well and should be in line for a performance leap next year. New England almost certainly will add a receiver or two in the offseason, but Boutte could still maintain a solid role in the 2025 offense.

Verdict: Fiction, but he's worth monitoring for dynasty purposes

Dalton Schultz - TE, Houston Texans

Week 16 stats: five catches for 45 yards and a touchdown - overall TE4

Houston Texans tight end Dalton Schultz isn't producing as consistently as he did in 2023, but the seven-year veteran has caught two touchdowns in the past three games, including finding the end zone early in the second quarter on Saturday against the Chiefs.

This week, Schultz looks like a low-end TE1 option as Houston hosts the Ravens in a Christmas Day game. Houston will be without No. 2 receiver Tank Dell after he suffered a devastating knee injury against the Chiefs. While Houston added Diontae Johnson off waivers, I wouldn't expect heavy involvement for him if he even plays. He joined the team Monday and it plays Wednesday.

How many WRs would need to get hurt for us to consider Dalton Schultz? The exact number of WRs that have gotten hurt. https://t.co/gdNOZEInvm

— Andrew Cooper (@CoopAFiasco) December 24, 2024

This should leave Schultz playing a key role against Baltimore, a team that's allowed the eighth-most receiving yards to the tight-end position.

Verdict: Fact

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