December 22, 2017

Chris Moore looks to identify PPR sleepers based on targets and receptions risers from Week 16 of fantasy football. Add these WRs, TEs and RBs if possible.

Well, we've reached Week 16. For most leagues, it's championship week. With that in mind, if you're still browsing fantasy football content at this point in the season, it likely means you've had a pretty good year and are playing for a title. Or maybe you're a go-getter in a third place matchup with some money on the line. In either case, you've made it deep enough into your league's postseason that your roster is probably in reasonably good shape.

Still, it's always a good idea to keep your finger on the pulse of what's going on around the league. Sometimes you'd be surprised who you find available in free agency during the fantasy playoffs. Maybe you lost Antonio Brown last week find yourself in a desperate situation that you didn't expect. Or maybe your opponent had Antonio Brown and still hasn't settled on a replacement. It's always a good idea to know what's out there and take action accordingly, even if you're only adding a player to block your championship nemesis.

This week's target column will go over some of the biggest and/or most surprising target totals from Week 15, but we'll place additional emphasis on what's most actionable for your league's championship.

Rising Target Grabbers

WIDE RECEIVERS

Michael Crabtree (WR, OAK) - 17 Targets

If you add in the 13 looks he got in Week 14 against the Chiefs, that makes a monstrous 30 total targets over his last two weeks. That said, he's only accumulated 14 receptions for 99 yards over that span. Still, Derek Carr has found him in the end zone a total of three times in the last two games, for a pair of TDs and a two-point conversion. You will take this type of volume every time. With Amari Cooper looking questionable at best for a Monday night date with Philadelphia to close out the week, Crabtree is a WR1 for your fantasy championship game, despite the recent inefficiency.

Sterling Shepard (WR, NYG) - 16 Targets

After two straight miserable fantasy performances in Weeks 14 and 15, Shepard, and the Giants offense as a whole, came to life in giving the presumptive #1 NFC seed Philadelphia Eagles a run for their money in their first game after losing Carson Wentz to a torn ACL. Shepard racked up 11 catches for 139 yards and a touchdown against what had been a formidable defense against the pass. Considering the peaks and valleys we've seen from Shepard's production of late, it's necessary to consider him a potentially risky WR3 for Week 16, but he certainly has a high ceiling, despite a tough matchup against Patrick Peterson and the Arizona Cardinals defense.

Randall Cobb (WR, GB) - 14 Targets

It's a mixed bag for Cobb's outlook heading into Week 16. On one hand, he was clearly rejuvenated by Aaron Rodgers's ever so brief return to action against the Panthers, catching seven balls for 84 yards and a touchdown, but on the other hand it's right back to the Brett Hundley show for the season's final two weeks. The third factor to consider is the fact that Davante Adams is dealing with a concussion that may hold him out of a Week 16 matchup with the division rival Minnesota Vikings. Cobb again figures to be a big part of the game plan so even against a tough defense, he belongs in the WR3 conversation.

Mike Wallace (WR, BAL) - 10 Targets

With six catches for 89 yards in Week 15's drubbing of the Cleveland Browns, Mike Wallace now has 9.8 or more fantasy points in PPR formats in each of his last seven games. Furthermore, he should be considered a higher ceiling play than usual, at home against a Colts defense that is allowing the 8th most fantasy points to wide receivers in Week 16. Wallace deserves flex consideration in deeper leagues as Flacco and the Ravens offense has shown signs of life in scoring 109 points over the last three weeks.

Alshon Jeffery (WR, PHI) 10 Targets and Nelson Agholor (WR, PHI) 9 Targets

Last week's contest against the division rival Giants involved a lot of fireworks from both offenses, despite the absence of Carson Wentz and the extended futility we'd witnessed from Eli Manning in 2017. Questions about the relative usability of Eagles pass-catchers were pretty substantially answered with Nick Foles putting together a decidedly Wentz-like fantasy game in completing 24 of 38 passes for 237 yards and four touchdowns against the Giants in Week 15. We're not quite ready to give this Foles led offense our full trust with fantasy championships on the line, but there's no denying that Alshon Jeffery (4 catches, 49 yards, and a TD in Week 15), and Nelson Agholor (7 catches, 59 yards, and a TD in Week 15) are firmly in play. If you had been using them with Wentz at QB, it looks like you can use them reasonably confidently with Foles under center as well.

Keelan Cole (WR, JAX) - 9 Targets

It wouldn't be entirely fair to say that Cole's outburst against Houston, in which he caught seven passes for 189 yards and a pair of touchdowns, came out of nowhere. While we certainly didn't expect this kind of production, and while he was aided by an early injury to Marqise Lee, it's worth noting that he had been putting up respectable fantasy efforts in each of his last two games, with three catches for 49 and a TD in Week 13 and three catches for 99 and a TD in Week 14. San Francisco represents a neutral matchup for WRs, but Cole can be considered as a WR3 in the event that Marqise Lee has to miss this contest, a prospect looking extremely likely as of this writing.

RUNNING BACKS

Kenyan Drake (RB, MIA) - 11 Targets

We already knew that Drake was good before this performance at Buffalo. As such, there's little to really take away from this performance that's going to make much of a difference in how we approach Drake for the rest of 2017. He went from being a high end RB2 to a pretty clear RB1 as he saw a spike in passing game involvement that accentuates just how high his floor is, even in a tough game flow situation. Now with 447 yards from scrimmage and a pair of touchdowns over his last three games, he's an absolute must start in Week 16 and will probably flirt with second round value in 2018 drafts, regardless of what happens with backfield-mate Damien Williams.

TIGHT ENDS

Greg Olsen (TE, CAR) - 12 Targets

Anyone who has been tracking Olsen's return since his first action in Week 12 after nine weeks off with a foot injury, is probably scratching their head wondering just where this came from. Nine catches for 116 yards and a touchdown is simply a mammoth tight end stat line. Don't overthink it. If you're lucky enough to have Olsen on your roster at this point, you're starting him, despite the risks, especially given the fact that a goose egg looms as a potential floor for just about any TE in 2017.

Charles Clay (TE, BUF) - 9 Targets

Clay made this list as a post-hype breakout candidate for Week 15 as he had come available in a big percentage of Yahoo leagues, and was finally healthy and getting Tyrod Taylor back as his QB. He didn't disappoint against the Dolphins, catching five passes for 68 yards and returning to the TE1 streamer conversation. With Kelvin Benjamin still likely at less than 100% even if he does play at New England this week, Clay should once again be one of Taylor's primary targets in this key divisional matchup.

Potential Week 16 Breakouts

Benjamin Watson (TE, BAL)

Piggy-backing a bit off of what I wrote about Mike Wallace, the Ravens offense has come out of the cellar to post 109 points over the team's last three games. Meanwhile Watson has posted 11+ fantasy points in PPR in three of his last six. It's not the sexiest play, but Watson gets a very beatable Indianapolis defense for Week 16 and you could do worse as a streamer for Week 16.

Danny Woodhead (RB, BAL)

See above. Woodhead's usage has been trending in the right direction since his return in Week 11. Though he's yet to put up a game in the double digits in PPR scoring in 2017, a forward thinking fantasy player might give him a long look in DFS, especially in full-PPR formats. He's seen his targets and catches increase in each of his last three games. There are no season saviors at the RB position in season long leagues at this point, but if there were to be a running back that came out of the woodwork to post 15+ PPR points in Week 16, it's as likely to be Woodhead as anybody.

Tyrell Williams (WR, LAC)

Once again, we're swinging for the fences in the breakouts section, as we must acknowledge that Williams carries with him a disturbingly low floor, especially making him a dicey season-long consideration. Still, if we're looking for a player that is both widely available and truly capable of being a difference maker in Week 16, Williams is the name that jumps off the page. The New York Jets have allowed four different WRs to go over 93 yards receiving in their last three games. Williams himself exploded for 132 yards and a touchdown in a Week 14 win over the Redskins and with Keenan Allen having left Week 15's contest against the Chiefs early with a back injury, Williams could hypothetically see a safer target share than usual, even if Allen is ready to play, as expected. Not for the faint of heart, Williams is a sleeper with a huge ceiling and rock-bottom floor.

More Week 16 Lineup Prep