Its championship week in fantasy football in 90% of leagues and the biggest theme of the pickups this week will surround either protecting yourself or blocking your opponent. Everyone would love to pick up someone who will have an immediate impact in your lineup, but it’s always as important to pick up someone that might have a positive impact on your opponent’s lineup. If that means carrying threw QBs or three defenses, so be it. This week you must backup your starters, you must pick up anyone that may have an impact, even if you don’t need them, and most importantly, you must trust your gut. So without further ado, let’s get right to the NFL Week 16 Pickups.
QBs
Robert Griffin III – This can easily be seen as one of those blocking moves. I personally wouldn’t trust RG3 as my QB in championship week after the type of year he has had. However, he has potential to play well in a matchup against a soft Eagles defense. You don’t want him beating you if your opponent is desperate for a QB.
RBs
Joseph Randle – This would be classified as a perfect “protect your star” type of pickup. DeMarco Murray broke a bone in his hand in the game last Sunday night. However, it was his non-primary carrying hand. So it is still being said that he may play with it. Just in case something changes, or if this is a smokescreen that he will play, you need to have Randle, who will handle about 2/3rds of the work if Murray is out.
Toby Gerhart – Over the last few weeks, Gerhart has been much better than at the start of the year. Proving that the injury problems he played through earlier really had an impact on him. Without Denard Robinson, Gerhart is the lone wolf in the Jaguars backfield, and while that might not seem appealing, going against the Titans soft run defense is.
CJ Spiller – If you are a really desperate owner, this week will mark the return of CJ Spiller to the Buffalo Bills roster. They will be facing a horrible run defense in the Raiders, and just like I said with Griffin, I wouldn’t trust him in my lineup, but I also wouldn’t want to be beat by him. Pick him up and keep him on your bench as a blocking move.
WRs
Harry Douglas – Last week Julio Jones was out with a hip injury and Douglas took advantage of the start. Jones is expected to return this week, so it muddles the situation, but we don’t know if Jones will be full strength and the Falcons have a good matchup against the Saints. So if you are a Julio Jones owner, this would be both a “protect your star” and a blocking move at the same time.
TEs
None – Once again, just like last week, there are no TEs out there that should be available that should have a predictable impact to a fantasy game this week.
DEFs
Baltimore Ravens Defense – I was not going to originally name the Ravens this week as a recommended pickup, but after seeing who the Texans may have to start at QB. It’s a must to throw their name in there. The Ravens have already been good on defense for most of the year. The Texans have no QB and will try to overload Arian Foster. The Ravens have the best run defense in the league. It’s about matchups people.
Green Bay Packers Defense – The Packers are in my top 2 for defenses to pick up this week, arguably #1 because they have the best combination of proven ability shown plus matchup. They face a Buccaneers team that is dead in the water and has been 1 of the 5 worst offenses in the league. Only negative I can think of in this matchup is that the game is not in Green Bay.
Tennessee Titans Defense – The Titans are another team that I considered for my top defense this week. They play the Jaguars who, as I’ve said all year, are the team you want to start your defense against all year. When these teams played the 1st time, the Titans defense scored double figures by most league’s scoring rules. This game is on a Thursday night, who should add to the reasoning of picking them up. Short week plus two bad teams equals take the under if you know what I mean.
Carolina Panthers Defense – For the 1st time this year, I decided to throw a 4th defense in here. The Carolina Panthers defense has not even been a shell of what they were last year, but they have played better in the last couple games. This week Johnny Manziel comes to town, which means turnovers. I caution this pickup as the 4th of the 4 I am recommending, just because Carolina has been so bad.
Those are your NFL week 16 pickups. Good luck in your fantasy playoffs and enjoy the games.
