There are just three weeks left in the NFL’s regular season. That means those who are playing fantasy football are in crunch time. Let’s leave NFL game betting for now and focus on fantasy and examine the 11 best players to start this week.
And keep in mind that many of these tips can be cross-referenced for NFL odds for props in the sportsbook.
Top 11 Fantasy Players Week 16
Justin Herbert
Justin Herbert has been a phenomenal fantasy addition this season. Despite it being just his second year in the NFL, he looks like a seasoned veteran out there.
He has a number of weapons to share the wealth as well with Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and Austin Ekeler, just to name a few.
On top of all that, he gets to go up against the Houston Texans in Week 16. Houston hasn’t been a good defensive team, and assuming this game doesn’t get blown open in the first half, you can expect a massive performance from the young gunslinger.
Matthew Stafford
Matthew Stafford has always found ways to at least put up a touchdown for the Los Angeles Rams this season. He has excellent chemistry with Cooper Kupp and has recently been involving Odell Beckham Jr. into this offense by throwing him three touchdown passes already.
Stafford and this high-powered offense get the Minnesota Vikings this week, a team that just recently cut their best cornerback after a practice altercation. All signs are pointing to Stafford tossing a couple of touchdowns in this game.
Austin Ekeler/Justin Jackson
Speaking of Ekeler earlier, he is bound to have a terrific week as well – assuming he plays for the Chargers. He’s popped up positive with COVID, so it’s unclear if he will play. If not, Justin Jackson steps into a great matchup.
James Robinson
James Robinson has fought a ton of adversity all season long with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He battled a few injuries throughout the early part of the season and had some communication problems with former head coach Urban Meyer.
Those issues resulted in multiple weeks of poor play. However, he just exploded for 80 rushing yards and a touchdown against the Texans after Meyer’s firing.
He gets the lowly New York Jets in this upcoming game, yet another mouth-watering matchup for the young back that is clearly the best offensive weapon on the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jets are favored if you bet online.
Cordarrelle Patterson
Cordarrelle Patterson didn’t have the best game last week against the San Francisco 49ers, but this Atlanta Falcons offense as a whole hasn’t really been consistent.
The only consistent part about this offense is Patterson’s production. Even on a bad day, he gets to see a good number of touches in the ground game and some looks as a receiver.
He can play multiple positions and contributes everywhere on the field. The matchup with the Detroit Lions makes him a great choice this week.
Cooper Kupp
Cooper Kupp has been the best wideout in fantasy this season without a doubt. The superstar receiver has developed instant chemistry with Stafford in this Rams offense and has only had one game with less than 92 receiving yards.
It doesn’t matter what opposing defenses try and do to stop him, he always finds a way to get consistent points for fantasy owners. With a matchup against a Minnesota Vikings squad that hasn’t defended the pass well ahead, Kupp could easily surpass 100 yards again.
Davante Adams
Receivers having stellar chemistry with their quarterback instantly get them at the top of any fantasy rankings. This is why Kupp is at No. 1 for receivers this week and why Davante Adams of the Green Bay Packers is following him here.
Adams saw a lot of targets the last four weeks and that shouldn’t be slowing down at all as they take on the Cleveland Browns. The Browns actually have a strong roster, but health and safety protocols have decimated them from top to bottom.
If they are missing a lot of players from these regulations still, Aaron Rodgers will make sure to take advantage of it by feeding Adams the football.
Mark Andrews
It just hasn’t mattered who is starting at quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens, Mark Andrews has found a way to thrive.
A lot of people expected a slow week for the tight end with Lamar Jackson put to the side with an injury, but Andrews had two touchdowns and 100-plus receiving yards.
With Jackson expected back when the team faces the Cincinnati Bengals, he will be looking to Andrews as much as possible in pass situations.
Travis Kelce
Travis Kelce finally had himself a monster game last week against the Los Angeles Chargers, posting similar numbers to Mark Andrews.
With two huge touchdowns, one to end the game, and over 100 receiving yards on the night. It looked like Kelce was back amongst the best tight ends in the league after having a slow start to the season.
One caveat is he’s popped up early with COVID-19. Make sure that he is cleared to play before starting him.
Justin Tucker
Justin Tucker just doesn’t miss kicks. The Baltimore Ravens kicker is always spot on when given the opportunity to kick the football – whether it’s for extra points or standard field goals.
Tucker isn’t just consistent from a certain range either, which was apparent after he hit a 66-yarder to win a game earlier in the season.
Baltimore is going to have to get a lot of points to knock off the Bengals this week and Tucker will be heavily relied upon to cash in on any attempts that come his way.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may not have had a turnover in their last game against the New Orleans Saints, but they only held them to nine total points.
They were flying all over the field and completely stifled both their run and pass game in the second half. They play the Carolina Panthers, a team that seemingly has no clue what they are doing at the quarterback position.
Whether it’s Sam Darnold or Cam Newton back there, Carolina has just struggled to put points on the board.
