Week 16 brought chaos. Some fantasy football stars delivered when it mattered, while some we trusted flat-out busted. Here are my Week 16 instant reactions — let’s get into it.
Trevor Lawrence: Fixed and on fire
Trevor Lawrence did it again. He goes into Monday night as the QB1 for Week 16 with 31 fantasy points, one-upping Matthew Stafford’s Thursday Night Football heater from earlier in the week. Since Week 10, Lawrence is THE QB1 in fantasy scoring.
Liam Cohen fixed him. Early in the year, things looked rocky with clear frustration and communication issues, then the switch flipped — and it’s stayed on. Jacksonville is 11-4 after a handily executed upset in Denver, sitting in position to clinch the AFC South and still chase the AFC’s top seed.
This was Lawrence’s game from the jump. He threw 3 touchdowns for 279 yards, added a rushing score and never blinked in a building where the Broncos were undefeated. We said it on the Week 16 Data Dump — if you’re going to beat Denver, do it through the air. The Jags couldn’t run it much at all, finishing with 81 rushing yards and just 50 from Travis Etienne Jr., so Lawrence took the keys and drove.
He elevated everyone. Parker Washington turned 6 catches into 145 yards and a touchdown and sits as the WR3 in half-PPR heading into Monday night. That’s emblematic of what Lawrence has been on this heater — a multiplier for his playmakers, a closer in the red area and a problem on the ground when pockets crack. Over the six-game win streak, he’s got 15 touchdowns, 3 interceptions and 2 rushing touchdowns. Over his last five, he’s posted three games with 3-plus passing touchdowns, the other two with 2 passing scores. That’s a star playing star ball when it matters most for a team very much in the Super Bowl hunt under first-year head coach Liam Coen.
Instant reaction: Rank Trevor Lawrence as the QB1 for your Week 17 championship lineups.
Justin Herbert smash spot delivered
If you were tapped into the Yahoo pieces all week, this felt inevitable. We called a top 10 finish and Herbert cleared it with room to spare, sitting as the QB3 heading into the island games.
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The setup was a layup. Dallas has been bleeding points and this was the sixth time it’s coughed up 34+ this season. That’s not random variance, that’s a defense you target with confidence when your quarterback is a difference maker. You don’t get cute in spots like this; you press start and live with it.
Herbert rewarded the conviction. He went 23-of-29 for 300 yards with 10.3 yards per completion, his best mark of the season. First 300-yard day since Week 3. He wasn’t sacked for the first time all year and he added a rushing touchdown to cap it. This wasn’t hero ball either; it was command. He got Ladd McConkey involved, Quentin Johnston ripped explosives and Omarion Hampton kept them on schedule on the ground. When the ball is out on time and the pocket is clean, Herbert dices you up like this.
The best part is that the process matched the result. The last month had been rough for fantasy, which spooked some managers, but context matters. Dallas has been a get-right opponent for real offenses all season. Elite talent plus a defense that can’t cover or tackle equals ceiling outcomes. If you faded Herbert because of recent game logs, that’s on you. If you followed the plan, you banked points and moved on.
Instant reaction: Herbert validated the call in a dream spot against a defense leaking points — never overthink an elite quarterback in an elite matchup.
Joe Burrow silenced the noise
This was the response you wanted from a franchise quarterback and it came right when Cincinnati needed it. After a week of questions about his mental state and the Bengals’ direction, Burrow walked into Miami and put a stamp on the day. He goes into Sunday night as the QB4 on the week and it felt like he re-centered the whole operation. The team hasn’t been good this season (Burrow hasn’t shied away from saying that) but this was the kind of tone-setter that reminds everyone what the ceiling looks like when No. 9 is right.
The numbers tell the story. Burrow completed 78% of his throws, going 25-of-32 for 309 yards and 4 touchdowns with zero turnovers. That comes after back-to-back games with 2 interceptions against Baltimore and Buffalo, plus the ball-security issues that followed. Not today. Burrow played fast, stayed on schedule and never gave Miami a puncher’s chance. Even with a couple sacks, the ball came out with conviction and accuracy to every level.
Everybody ate. Chase Brown found the paint three times, Tee Higgins snagged a score and Mike Gesicki got in as well, while Ja’Marr Chase vacuumed up volume with 9 receptions for 109 yards. If you started your Bengals, you got paid, which is exactly what you wanted to see as we close the season. Momentum matters for confidence even if it doesn’t technically carry over week to week, and this was the kind of get-right spot that travels. Arizona and Cleveland are up next and the way Burrow ran this show, he should keep the fantasy floor sturdy with a path to more spikes.
Instant reaction: Burrow shut everyone up with a clean, ruthless four-score masterpiece to remind everyone he’s still that dude.
George Pickens’ volume roars back
It had been quiet for George Pickens the last couple weeks — back-to-back 30-yard statlines, three straight without a touchdown — and then he walked into Sunday and shook the room. On a day that didn’t look like it would favor Dallas with how well the Chargers defense has played, Pickens gave you exactly what you drafted him for. He led the Cowboys with 9 targets, led them with 7 receptions, piled up 130 yards and finally broke the drought with a score. The highlight was a pure nine route dropped right in the bucket from Dak Prescott, the kind of connection that reminds you why we don’t fade high-volume alphas tied to high-end quarterbacks.
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Pickens was involved from the jump. If the game hadn’t gotten away from Dallas late, the box score might be even more impressive because the usage was there and the intent was obvious. Pickens has been one of the league leaders in volume all season and this was a course correction after a brief lull, not some random spike from a bit player.
Sidebar for the real ones tracking season marks: CeeDee Lamb cleared 1,000 yards on the year, his fifth straight 1,000-yard season and finished second on the team in receiving today. That matters because defenses can’t cheat one way when both guys are humming, which feeds cleaner looks for Pickens on the perimeter.
Dallas is out of the playoff hunt but the way Pickens played here reads like a guy auditioning for a bag and making his case, one contested ball at a time.
Instant reaction: Pickens snapped the slump with a 9-target, 130-yard heater and reminded everyone he’s the Dallas passing game’s tone-setter.
Chris Olave erupts
The Saints have quietly stacked three straight and Chris Olave just put the league on notice. Tyler Shough has been impressive inside this month-long stretch and he delivered his first 300-yard passing game of the season Sunday — 308 with zero interceptions. When we zoom out over his last six games, he has five outings of 200-plus passing yards with four passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns. That stability matters because it gives Olave the consistent platform he’d been missing early in the year.
And Olave did the rest. He goes into Monday night as the WR2 in half-PPR, only behind Puka Nacua, after detonating for 16 targets, 10 receptions, 148 yards and 2 touchdowns. Olave’s target share continues to hold strong and he’s leveraging those looks into real field tilt. You can feel the trust — early first reads, money downs, then the shot plays when corners get lazy. This was his highest yardage output of the season, only his second 100-yard game and his first multi-touchdown performance. Right on time for fantasy managers who needed a hammer.
I love the intent from New Orleans. While plenty of teams are easing off, the Saints are playing to win and building momentum with their core. Two road tests remain and nothing about the approach suggests they’ll throttle down. Shough’s confidence is growing, the ball is finding Olave where it hurts defenses and the whole operation looks tighter each week.
Instant reaction: Keep your Saints very much on the radar come Week 17 — they’re playing to win.
Justin Jefferson can still produce
This wasn’t the nuclear Jefferson game we’ve come to expect, but it was the sign of life you wanted to see. Minnesota managed just 126 passing yards between two quarterbacks after J.J. McCarthy exited and Max Brosmer took over, yet Jefferson still owned the day with 6 receptions for 85 yards. That’s 85 of the team’s 126 through the air in a slog, his best receiving output in nine games. He hadn’t cleared 79 yards since October 19 against Philadelphia, so for everyone who benched him out of frustration, this was the reminder that elite talent can still elevate a broken box score.
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He didn’t score and he goes into Monday night as the WR16 in half-PPR, but the usage and intent were encouraging. Even with the offense sputtering, Jefferson kept winning leverage downs, kept demanding targets, kept stacking chain-movers. Last week teased what could’ve been with a couple of near-miss touchdowns. Today delivered the stabilization you needed heading into the stretch, especially with defenses sitting on the run and daring Minnesota to beat single coverage outside.
Now it’s a short week, a Christmas Day home game and a Lions defense that just got lit up by Pittsburgh. Quarterback clarity matters, no question. If McCarthy can go, the rhythm and timing are better. If it’s Brosmer again, Jefferson still projects as the first, second and third read when Minnesota needs answers. The floor rises when a player can vacuum up this kind of share in a game where nothing else works.
Instant reaction: Jefferson’s 6-for-85 while the team threw for 126 says he’s back on the Week 17 radar versus a beatable Lions secondary.
Tony Pollard drops three straight 100s
This wasn’t some shocker. Kansas City’s season is cooked. Patrick Mahomes is out for the year with a torn ACL, Rashee Rice missed this game with a concussion and the Chiefs lost backup Gardner Minshew to a possible ACL tear in this game as well. Coming into this matchup, the Chiefs were still somehow favored, but this wasn’t a tough task for Tennessee. The Titans leaned on Tony Pollard and he handled business with his third straight 100-yard game on the ground. He logged 21 carries for 102 yards as Tennessee keeps evaluating the roster and building confidence for rookie quarterback Cam Ward.
Week 17 brings New Orleans, a head-to-head of Cam Ward versus Tyler Shoug,h with both teams trying to stack positives for young quarterbacks. Pollard’s steady work has been the stabilizer for this offense, and the volume plus game plan keeps the floor sturdy with room for more if Tennessee controls the script.
Instant reaction: Pollard’s third straight 100-yard day makes him a must-start in Week 17.
Bryce Young gets the job done
Carolina beat Tampa Bay at home and jumped to the top of the NFC South because Bryce Young played clean football when the run game had nothing. He tossed 2 touchdowns and kept the operation steady while rookie wideout Tetairoa “T-Mac” McMillan delivered 10 targets, 6 catches, 73 yards and a score. That makes a touchdown in 4 of his last 5. The Panthers couldn’t lean on Rico Dowdle or Chuba Hubbard, so it came down to which quarterback would make plays, and which would blink.
It wasn’t Bryce. He avoided the back-breaking mistakes and outplayed Baker Mayfield. The late interception from Baker sealed it and let Carolina finish the job without a chaotic finish. Young is still hard to trust week to week, but the connection with McMillan and the opportunity he keeps giving the rookie are real. Bryce will continue to go back to T-Mac, and that role is what we chase.
Instant reaction: McMillan’s usage and scoring roll make him a probable must-play next week versus Seattle. Keep him in lineups.
Bijan Robinson and Kyle Pitts Sr. continue to score
Atlanta went on the road and handled Arizona, 26-19, with its two stars doing the heavy lifting. Kirk Cousins threw 2 touchdowns, but Bijan Robinson and Kyle Pitts Sr. carried the headline. Bijan logged 16 carries for 76 rushing yards, then led the team in receiving with 7 catches for 92 yards and a touchdown. Pitts kept the heater alive with 7 receptions for 57 yards and another score. What makes it more encouraging is that it happened with Drake London on the field. London clearly wasn’t 100% off the PCL issue, finishing with 3 catches for 27 yards on 8 targets, yet the offense still found explosives through Robinson and Pitts.
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The Rams come to Atlanta in Week 17 and their defense has sprung leaks. They’ve allowed 31 to the Panthers, 34 to the Lions and 38 to the Seahawks across the last four games. Over the last month, they’re giving up about 114 rushing yards per game and nearly 257 through the air — roughly 371 total per game, sixth worst in the league over that span. That is not the way you want the defense playing when you’re facing playmakers who can flip a drive with one touch. Atlanta doesn’t need a track meet to keep Robinson and Pitts in plus situations. It just needs to keep feeding its best players and let matchups do the rest.
Cousins has given this passing game real stability. The ball is out on time and the targets are concentrated where they should be. Depending on your injuries and matchups, Cousins may firmly be on the top 10 radar next week as a streaming option.
Instant reaction: Bijan and Pitts stay locked in lineups, and Cousins is on the top 10 stream radar against a Rams defense trending the wrong way.