There Are Two NFL Games Tomorrow Start Fantasy Football Title Week
In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Bud Light.
Week 16 might be in the books, but there is no rest for the weary in fantasy land.
Thanks to the NFL now trying to commandeer Christmas in addition to Thanksgiving, we’ll need to juggle holiday prep alongside readying our fantasy teams for two games tomorrow.
Here’s everything you need to know for the absurdly early start to Week 17 and the fantasy finals …
Diontae Johnson signs with the Texans. After a weird, messy breakup with Baltimore, Johnson has found a new home after Houston picked him up off waivers. It’s a perfect fit for both parties after the Texans lost Tank Dell for the year. I can’t imagine starting him with a ‘ship on the line, but it should be a boon for the entire offense in a very difficult matchup.
The Steelers are getting George Pickens back. Fresh off their loss to the Ravens, the Steelers passing game will be getting big-time reinforcements vs. the Chiefs. He practiced in full yesterday, which bodes well for his status on Wednesday. Unlike Johnson, I would have no problem starting Pickens vs. a secondary that just struggled to contain the deep ball vs. the Texans.
Read on for a jam-packed newsletter, including the Utilization Report and Week 17 Waivers …
What else is in today’s newsletter?
- Dwain’s Utilization Report: Santa brought some upgrades …
- Kendall Valenzuela’s Week 17 Waiver Wire Adds
- Watercooler: Who improved their draft stock in Round 1 of the CFB playoff?
- Ian Hartitz’s Sheesh Report from Week 16
Week 17 Utilization Report
Welcome to the Utilization Report, where Dwain McFarland highlights his top fantasy football takeaways heading into Week 17.
Tyjae Spears brings Tidings of Comfort and Joy.
That isn't a lump of coal at the bottom of your stocking; it's fantasy points!
With Tony Pollard battling injuries and the Titans in trailing game scripts, Spears stepped into the RB1 role over the last two games. Over that span, he has a 7.6 Utilization Score with 24.4 fantasy points per game.
This backfield remains a committee, but Spears has the hot hand and could edge out Pollard the rest of the way. The most stable part of the second-year back's profile is his role in the passing game. He has handled 100% of the long-down-distance snaps and two-minute offense in the last two games.
Spears still carries game-script risk, but is playing too well to hold down—he UPGRADES to borderline RB2 status and offers RB1 upside. Spears is available in 44% of Yahoo leagues.
Here comes Santa Claus Keenan Allen.
Keenan may have gone up a pant size or two, but like the big guy in the red suit, he loads lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh. Since Week 12, he ranks No. 4 in Utilization Score (9.5) and No. 8 in fantasy points per game (20.4).
Yes, Allen gets to play from the friendly confines of the slot, but he isn't just a check-down merchant. His 10.8 aDOT is higher than Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jaxon Smith-Njigba—two players who play inside that fantasy managers love. He isn't the same yards-after-catch player he once was, but let's give the 32-year-old credit and acknowledge that he can still ball, y'all!
Going back to the Bears bye week, when Allen was finally over his early-season heel injury, he has an 8.1 Utilization Score. Based on the last four years of data, 64% of his comps were WR1s, with the remaining 32% finishing as WR2s.
Allen UPGRADES to high-end WR2 status.
MORE UTILIZATION REPORT TAKEAWAYS
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Week 17 Waiver Wire Pickups
Bryce Young, Panthers (7% rostered)
Is this crazy? Yes, this is crazy, but we have to give Bryce Young his flowers! He is the second-highest scoring fantasy quarterback for Week 16 with 27.12 fantasy points and finished 17-of-26 passing for 158 yards and two touchdowns (oh and also eliminated the Cardinals from the playoffs in the process).
Young was also pretty mobile in this game as well and had a career-best 68 rushing yards (plus a touchdown). I know most of us won't need him in the fantasy championship, but he is there just in case!
Jalen McMillan, Buccaneers (45% rostered)
For fantasy managers that maybe needed to go in a different direction at wide receiver this past week, Jalen McMillan delivered for you again. He had 16.7 fantasy points against the Cowboys—his third straight game with at least 16 PPR fantasy points. While Tampa Bay could focus more on the run against the Carolina Panthers in Week 17, McMillan is still worth an add, especially if you are a Jerry Jeudy manager.
AROUND THE WATERCOOLER
The latest fantasy nuggets, silliness, and NFL gossip from our merry band of football nerds:
👀 Can you beat Matthew Berry? Here’s your free shot.
💪 Is Jonathan Taylor going to keep fantasy managers from last place? Ian, Chris, and Charch chop it up.
📈 After Round 1 of the College Football Playoff … these 11 players saw their draft stocks rise.
🎄 Christmas on the gridiron? Yes, please. Breaking down the two-game holiday slate.
🎁 Is Jared Goff the gift that keeps on giving during fantasy championship week?
⚔️ Joe Burrow gives cool gifts. Nice.
Week 16 Sheesh Report
by Ian Hartitz
Xavier Worthy was so close to an absolutely MASSIVE game
The Chiefs' first-round rookie has gained 151 total yards and scored 2 TDs over the past two weeks. Xavier Worthy hasn't exactly lit the league on fire during his debut season, but there have still been plenty of nice moments.
Unfortunately, so far the defining memory of Worthy's rookie year is his plethora of near-miss TDs, many of the deep-ball variety. Week 16's win over the Texans was no exception, as the 21-year-old speedster just barely failed to get his second foot down in bounds on what would've been a 24-yard score and dropped a potential 9-yard TD.
Worthy has now caught just one of 8 end-zone targets this season. He's hauled in only 3 of 17 targets thrown at least 20 yards downfield, and 1 of 10 targets chucked 30-plus yards deep. The latter mixtape is particularly sheeshy.
Sadly, Worthy wasn't the only receiver to leave some yards on the field last week.
MORE TILTING MOMENTS THAT LEFT YOU SAYING, "SHEESH!"
Welcome back! First off, for those who answered Lions to yesterday’s trivia quiz, YOU WERE RIGHT! In Week 10 against the Texans, the Lions managed to win despite turning th e ball over five times. Insanity.
Now, onto today’s question …
Jonathan Taylor ran all over the Titans on Sunday, racking up 218 yards yards and three touchdowns since this player, who did it in 2019.
