2008 Fantasy Football Week 16 Fantasy Recommendations
Quarterbacks
Drew Brees should be unstoppable this week against the 0-14 Detroit Lions. He leads the league in passing yards and is tied for the league lead in passing touchdowns. With this said, he should torch the Lions’ weak defense. Second on my list this week is Matt Cassel, coming off of a 4-touchdown game. He has 11 touchdowns in his last 5 games, while only throwing two picks during the span. He has an Arizona defense who have given up a league-high 31 passing TD’s this year. Another QB I love this week is Jeff Garcia. He should play this week, and if he does, he will love it. He’s playing a poor San Diego defense, which is 31 st in the league when it comes to passing yards and 30 th when it comes to passing touchdowns. With targets to throw to like Antonio Bryant, Garcia should be on fire in week 16. I also like Aaron Rodgers this week, playing against the Bears. The Bears give up around 230 yards a game, and Rodgers likes to throw for close to 300 yards each game.
Running Backs
Pierre Thomas has 8 total touchdowns in the last 5 games, while leading the Saints rushing squad. With Reggie Bush done for the year, Thomas will be the teams leading rusher, without a doubt. Playing against the Lions, who average 186.7 yards/game and have let up 26 TD’s, Pierre should score at least twice while racking up over 150 total yards. Putting up back-to-back-to-back 100-yard games, I have Steve Slaton number two on my list. Playing against a beaten-up Oakland team, Slaton should have a field day in the backfield. Leading the league in rushing yards with 1,581 yards, Adrian Peterson should once again put up another 100+ yard game. It shouldn’t be that tough, knowing he’s already done it 9 times this season, and he’s rushing against a mediocre Falcon’s defense.
Wide Receivers
As quiet as he has been all year, I have some love for Randy Moss this week. With only 10 scores this year, Moss has a good chance to add at least one more to his list this week, playing against one of the league’s worst passing defense’s, the Arizona Cardinals. Antonio Bryant came back to earth last week, but still had over 100 yards and score. Playing San Diego this week, expect Bryant to catch at least 8 passes for over the century mark in yardage and a touchdown, again. With Anquan Boldin possibly not playing, expect Larry Fitzgerald to see the most of the receiving work Sunday for the Cards. Against the Patriots, who have let up 26 passing TD’s this season, Fitzgerald should already have the scent of that end zone. Andre Johnson and Steve Smith, coming off huge games, should also have stellar performances this week.
Tight End
Obviously, Tony Gonzalez is the league’s leading tight end. With Thigpen throwing to only Bowe and Gonzalez pretty much, expect another 60+ yard game with a score from T-Gonz. Jason Witten and the Cowboys are playing the Ravens this week, who like to take away the deep ball. Expect Witten to catch around 6 or 7 passes for medium gains, as well as one of them for a touchdown. Zach Miller has been a big part of the Raider’s offense in the last 3 weeks. He has 18 catches for 203 yards during the span, but hasn’t found the end zone but once all year. He still has many looks and a lot of yardage, which is always reliable for a tight end.
Defenses
My top defense this week would have to be the Eagles. They played extremely well last week, and they have a struggling Redskins’ this week. My next defense is going to be the New York Jets. They’ve been slumping lately, but are playing against a 3-11 Seattle Seahawks. My sleeper defense this week is the Cleveland Browns, playing the Cincinnati Bengals. Although Cedric Benson made the ‘Skins look funny last week with 161 total yards, don’t expect that two weeks in a row. The Browns’ defense isn’t THAT bad.
By Tony Falcioni & Brian Chmielewski
ProFootball-fans.com Fantasy Football correspondant
Fans can contact Brian via email at bchmfantasybaseball @ yahoo.com