Flex Options for Week 16 (Fantasy Football)
If you are reading this article, you are most likely in one of three situations:
- You had a bye last week, and now you need to fill all the holes left by players who got injured last week when they should have known to rest for your sake.
- You won your playoff matchup last week, but the casualty count was high. You will need to recruit some new troops for the semifinal round.
- You are fighting for your life in the consolation bracket, trying to avoid the last-place punishment in your league. The names below might be the only ones who can save you from that beer mile.
Whatever your situation, I hope these players hit for your lineup this week. They are currently ranked outside the top 24 in the Fantasy Footballers’ rankings, but I like their chances of finishing higher than that this week.
Here they are:
Michael Carter, RB, Arizona Cardinals
For those of you, like me, who held onto Trey Benson in your IR slot all year in hopes that he would come back and save your season, this is our consolation prize. Bam Knight suffered a season-ending ankle injury last week, opening the door for Michael Carter to step in and see a season-high 80% snap-share en route to a top-24 fantasy finish against a stout Houston defense. I don’t expect Carter’s snap-share to remain that high with a full week for Arizona to game plan, but the efficiency could very well come up against a much softer Atlanta run defense. Despite their six-game losing streak, Arizona’s offense has actually been somewhat useful for fantasy since the change to Jacoby Brissett at QB. Carter represents sneaky RB2/Flex value in this battle of non-contending football teams.
Tony Pollard, RB, Tennessee Titans
Pollard has come on strong of late, to the point where it’s difficult to imagine benching him even against a tough Kansas City defense. This game has a putrid 37.5 point over/under, but Pollard has been the RB2 and the RB9 in consecutive weeks, and he’s looked phenomenal carrying the football. This is a little narrative street-y, but Kansas City’s playoff hopes came crashing to an end last week, so there is a chance they come out flat in this one and let Pollard continue to run wild. Either way, Pollard is heating up, and I think you have to keep Pollard in your lineup and hope he can catch fire this week. At the very worst, he’s a safe play based on volume alone, with at least 12 opportunities in every game this season. Like Michael Carter, he’s also a solid play in another battle between two non-contending football teams…
Kenneth Gainwell, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Speaking of volume, Kenny G. has averaged 14.4 opportunities per game over the last five weeks, finishing inside the top 20 for fantasy in four of those. The Detroit Lions have a solid run defense, but Gainwell does a lot of his damage through the air, with at least six receptions in four of his last five weeks. He’s had three TDs over that span, but if you take the TDs away, he is still averaging a respectable 11.6 fantasy points per game thanks to that receiving volume. Pittsburgh is a seven-point underdog to Detroit this week, so there should be plenty of passing situations for Gainwell to thrive in. He’s a safe floor play with some serious TD upside in a game with a 51.5 point over/under this week. I would be starting him anywhere I had him in semifinals week.
Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
David Montgomery, RB, Detroit Lions
I also like Detroit’s RB2 on the other side of this matchup. Despite Montgomery’s decline in snap share of late (six straight games sub-40%), he’s continued to get high-value touches near the goal line and convert on them. This is an entirely TD-dependent play, because unlike Gainwell, Montgomery would be averaging just 5.2 FPTS per game over his last five if you take away his TDs. I’d certainly start the other three RBs I mentioned over Montgomery this week, but I do like the latter’s chances of finding the endzone for the fourth consecutive week. Detroit will probably come out in that (super annoying for Goff and Gibbs managers) wildcat goal-line package at least one time this week and bail out Montgomery managers around the world.
Adonai Mitchell, WR, New York Jets
In general, I like the RB plays better than the WR plays this week, but Mitchell is one name I think you can take a shot on if you are playing in a deeper league. Mitchell stunk last time I mentioned him in this article two weeks ago, but that was a weird game in which the Jets’ starting QB got injured right away, forcing them to go to Brady Cook for the rest of the game. Cook remained the starter last week, and his rapport with Mitchell seemed much-improved after a full week of practice with the 1’s. Mitchell has continued to operate as the Jets’ WR1, leading the team in targets in four of the last five weeks. He’s also flashed some big play ability with a 20+ yard reception in four consecutive games, making him a high-upside flex option for your semifinal matchup. If you are a big underdog this week, Mitchell could be just the spark your lineup needs.