Sheesh Report. The Biggest Misses from Fantasy Football Week 16.

Week 16 has come and gone. Sixteen NFL games brought joy, laughs and tears to football fans and, of course, fantasy football faithful.

Today, we’ll focus on the latter sadness and break down just how close some came to achieving fantasy football glory.

What follows is a breakdown of all the “Sheesh” moments from Week 16. I’ve watched every game and combed play-by-play data to help determine instances when:

• Pass-catchers could have scored or picked up big yardage with a more accurate pass 
• Pass-catchers did receive an accurate pass that should have resulted in a score or big gain, but the ball was dropped
• Ball carriers or pass-catchers managed to get all the way to the one-yard line, but didn’t score
• Players scored or picked up big yardage, but the play was nullified by a penalty
• Other random shit found a way to tilt fantasy football managers of all shapes and sizes

First, the one player who dealt with arguably more excruciating sheesh than just about anyone else over the last week…

“Sheesh.” — Cooper Kupp

2023 hasn’t been a year to remember for Kupp. His fantasy managers can probably relate:

• Aug. 1, 2023: Kupp suffers a grade two hamstring strain that sidelined him for the first four games of the season.
• Oct. 29, 2023: Matthew Stafford suffered a finger injury that essentially nuked Kupp’s production in back-to-back contests against the Cowboys and Packers.
• Nov. 19, 2023: Kupp suffered an ankle injury just 18 snaps into the game. While the issue didn’t cause any future missed games, it clearly hobbled the 2021 triple-crown winner during the next few weeks of action.
• Dec. 21, 2023: Kupp duds with a 6-52-0 performance following back-to-back weeks with 100-plus yards and a score.

The last performance wasn't that brutal … until you watch the film. It’s not a stretch of the imagination to say that Kupp should have had not one but two additional two-yard TDs to his name during the Rams’ Thursday night win over the Saints.

Neither was an absolute layup, but both were still balls that you would expect one of the game’s single-best players to catch more times than not. Here’s to hoping Kupp can rebound in Week 17’s smash spot against the Giants’ 27th-ranked defense in PPR points per game allowed to the position on the off chance that some of his fantasy managers are still alive.

Would have been a lot cooler if Tyreek Hill caught this

There were roughly six clear dropped TDs in Week 16, which sucks because, you know, football is pretty cool when players make great catches and score points:

• Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill (92 – not overly easy while running full speed downfield, but sheesh)
• Chiefs TE Noah Gray (7)
• Texans WR John Metchie (5)
• Rams WR Cooper Kupp (2, 2 – sheesh)
• Commanders TE John Bates (1)

Seahawks TE Colby Parkinson also caught a pass in the back corner of the end zone on what should have been a nine-yard TD, but sadly he only managed to get one foot down and showed no awareness to even attempt a toe drag. That said: Kudos to Parkinson for later catching a game-winning five-yard score with just 57 seconds left.

A similar phenomenon happened to Falcons RB Bijan Robinson on what probably should have been a four-yard TD. Sadly, Robinson’s fantasy managers didn’t get a redemption story here.

Tony Pollard: C’mon, man

Getting all the way to the one-yard line but failing to score a TD is objectively a sheeshy feeling — particularly when fantasy managers are forced to watch someone else vulture away the score that was SO CLOSE to belonging to them.

Dec 24, 2023; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard (20) rushes with the ball against the Miami Dolphins during the first half at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Here’s the full list of Week 16’s players who managed to get the football within three feet of the goal line, but not quite across the plane, and ultimately didn’t score later on the same drive:

• Packers RB Aaron Jones (x2, same drive)
• 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey
• Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs
• Cowboys RB Tony Pollard (and it’s rather unbelievable he didn’t manage to score)
• Eagles RB D’Andre Swift
• Broncos RB Javonte Williams
• Bills RB James Cook
• Bills RB Leonard Fournette
• Ravens RB Gus Edwards
• Bears RB Roschon Johnson
• Ravens TE Isaiah Likely
• Chargers TE Gerald Everett
• Ravens QB Lamar Jackson
• Texans QB Davis Mills

Swift joins Austin Ekeler and Joe Mixon with six such sheeshes this season. That’s a lot of sheesh!

What pass-catchers had the most targeted yards left on the field?

Air yards measure the distance that any given pass travels (wait for it) in the air. Subtracting yards after the catch from every player’s receiving yards total before taking the difference with total air yards helps us pinpoint exactly how much opportunity through the air a player failed to come down with for one reason or another.

Sometimes unrealized air yards are more akin to “prayer yards” because the pass wasn’t overly catchable in the first place, so grinding the ole film helps with identifying those sorts of situations.

Anyway, nine players racked up at least 70 unrealized air yards in Week 16 specifically:

• Vikings WR Justin Jefferson (108)
• Browns WR Amari Cooper (100)
• Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill (97)
• Bills WR Stefon Diggs (93)
• Chargers WR Quentin Johnston (91)
• Colts WR Alec Pierce (82)
• Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy (79)
• Giants WR Wan’Dale Robinson (78)
• Cardinals WR Michael Wilson (72)

Only five players have racked up over 900 unrealized air yards this season: Chris Olave (1,124), DeAndre Hopkins (1,102), Calvin Ridley (921), Garrett Wilson (917) and Davante Adams (915). That’s a lot of sheesh.

Diontae Johnson should have had a MUCH bigger afternoon at the office

Our previous section helped quantify the most missed opportunities through the air, but there were an additional handful of targets that I can’t help call out because it sure seemed like the following players could have put six points on the board with a bit more accurate pass.

For example, Steelers WR Diontae Johnson got all kinds of open deep on what probably should have been a 69-yard house call … only for Mason Rudolph to sail the pass long and incomplete.

Overall, there were roughly 15 instances where I subjectively believe pass-catchers didn’t receive catchable passes on what would have otherwise been TDs, although differing levels of openness, difficulty of throw and pressure hardly made all of these near misses of the layup variety.

As Benjamin Franklin once said: Not all sheesh is created equal.

• Steelers WR Diontae Johnson (69)
• Seahawks WR Tyler Lockett (47)
• Giants TE Darren Waller (42)
• Cardinals WR Michael Wilson (38)
• Panthers TE Stephen Sullivan (35)
• Buccaneers WR Mike Evans (34)
• Chargers WR Quentin Johnston (32)
• Vikings TE Johnny Mundt (32, although he did catch the underthrow for a 23-yard gain)
• Chargers WR Joshua Palmer (25)
• Falcons WR Van Jefferson (23)
• Rams WR Puka Nacua (22, and it was brutal – 1:10 in this video)
• Browns WR Amari Cooper (17, but he and Joe Flacco did connect for a seven-yard TD later on the same drive)
• Bears RB Khalil Herbert (14)
• Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba (10)
• Vikings TE Josh Oliver (2)

“Not all interceptions are created equal.” — Socrates

While the box score doesn’t account for who to blame on any particular interception, Joshua Dobbs a rocket scientist isn’t always required to figure out that sometimes the QB wasn’t overly at fault.

Specifically:

• None of Vikings QB Nick Mullens' four INTs (!) looked particularly pretty from an aesthetic standpoint, although two of them came on downfield heaves on 4th and 2 and 3rd and 18 — situations that necessitated risky throws despite the unfortunate results.
• Commanders QB Sam Howell had a rough Sunday at the office; just realize his first interception bounced off the hands of TE Logan Thomas and the second resulted after WR Curtis Samuel fell down just as the ball was released.
• Colts QB Gardner Minshew's lone INT was essentially an arm punt deep down the middle on 3rd and 10.
• Browns QB Joe Flacco's second INT was a de facto hail mary on an end zone heave with just five seconds remaining in the first half
• Texans QB Case Keenum's first INT was tipped at the line of scrimmage, while the second was essentially a deep arm punt on 3rd and 8.
• Eagles TE Dallas Goedert fell down on Jalen Hurts' pick-six.
• Giants QB Tyrod Taylor's lone INT came on a hail mary attempt with just four seconds remaining in the game.
• Two of 49ers QB Brock Purdy's four (!) INTs were absolutely the result of bad decisions, but the other two occurred when: 1.) A pass was deflected at the line of scrimmage, and 2.) Purdy was hit while releasing the football.
• Backup 49ers QB Sam Darnold's only INT came on a forced pass on 4th and 17 with just 1:09 remaining in the game.

Might want to skip this one, Garrett Wilson fantasy managers

Fun fact: Fantasy players don’t get rewarded fantasy points for drawing defensive pass interference penalties. Should they? I don’t really think so, but some people disagree with me, so here we are.

The top eight players in most yards gained courtesy of drawing DPI flags were as follows in Week 16:

• Jets WR Garrett Wilson (32)
• Packers WR Romeo Doubs (23 – including one penalty in the end zone)
• Seahawks WR DK Metcalf (22)
• Commanders WR Jahan Dotson (21)
• Ravens TE Isaiah Likely (21)
• Commanders WR Curtis Samuel (20)
• Titans WR DeAndre Hopkins (15)
• Raiders WR Davante Adams (15)

Additionally, Colts WR Alec Pierce (from the 14-yard line), Jaguars TE Evan Engram (15), Packers WR Romeo Doubs (7), Cowboys WR KaVontae Turpin (4) and Browns TE David Njoku (1) drew DPIs in the end zone to set up their offense at the one-yard line on drives that did not culminate with them scoring a TD.

I think I speak for all of us when I say for one last time: Sheesh.

We’re on to Week 17.