CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK

Week 16 fantasy football rankings: Final shot

Week 16 fantasy football rankings: Final shot
Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images

These are my early PPR ranks, so keep in mind I post these on Thursday. Make sure you check the injury report for players that have missed practice. If it doesn't look like a player will play early in the week, I typically won't rank him. Finally, remember there are 3 games on Saturday, so don't forget to set your lineup!

If you have any questions, feel free to hit me up on Twitter. Be sure to check out my show MoneyLine with Jerry Bo on ESPN 97.5 FM. We're on every Sunday morning from 10-noon, and we'll talk a lot of fantasy football and NFL gambling getting you ready for kickoff every Sunday.

@JoshJordan975

@Moneyline975

@JerryBoKnowz

QB

Tannehill is in the Top 10 again this week. Photo by Getty Images.

1 Lamar Jackson

2 Deshaun Watson

3 Russell Wilson

4 Patrick Mahomes

5 Drew Brees

6 Jameis Winston

7 Matt Ryan ATL

8 Ryan Tannehill

9 Aaron Rodgers

10 Dak Prescott

11 Ryan Fitzpatrick

12 Carson Wentz

RB

Zeke Elliot keeps rolling. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images

1 Christian McCaffrey

2 Ezekiel Elliott

3 Chris Carson

4 Saquon Barkley

5 Joe Mixon

6 Leonard Fournette

7 Derrick Henry

8 Austin Ekeler

9 Alvin Kamara

10 Mark Ingram

11 Miles Sanders

12 Melvin Gordon

13 Devonta Freeman

14 Todd Gurley

15 Aaron Jones

16 Kenyan Drake

17 Marlon Mack

18 Nick Chubb

19 Raheem Mostert

20 James Conner

21 Phillip Lindsay

22 DeAndre Washington

23 James White

24 Devin Singletary

25 Mike Boone

26 Le'Veon Bell

27 Adrian Peterson

28 Tarik Cohen

29 Kareem Hunt

30 Ronald Jones

WR

Hopkins should help catch you a championship. Composite photo by Jack Brame

1 Michael Thomas

2 DeAndre Hopkins

3 Julio Jones

4 Davante Adams

5 Tyreek Hill

6 Robert Woods

7 Keenan Allen

8 Allen Robinson

9 Devante Parker

10 D.J. Moore

11 Courtland Sutton

12 Amari Cooper

13 Stefon Diggs

14 Tyler Lockett

15 Breshad Perriman

16 A.J. Brown

17 Tyler Boyd

18 Julian Edelman

19 Kenny Golladay

20 Jarvis Landry

21 Mike Williams

22 Will Fuller

23 Terry McLaurin

24 Cooper Kupp

25 D.K. Metcalf

26 Darius Slayton

27 Anthony Miller

28 Michael Gallup

29 Adam Thielen

30 John Brown

31 Odell Beckham Jr

32 Danny Amendola

33 Jamison Crowder

34 James Washington

35 Sterling Shepard

36 Emmanuel Sanders

TE

Catching up with Kelce. Photo via:Chiefs/Facebook

1 George Kittle

2 Travis Kelce

3 Zach Ertz

4 Tyler Higbee

5 Darren Waller

6 Hunter Henry

7 Austin Hooper

8 Mark Andrews

9 OJ Howard

10 Jacob Hollister

11 Jared Cook

12 Dallas Goedert

DEF

1 Steelers

2 Ravens

3 Patriots

4 Broncos

5 49ers

6 Bills

7 Seahawks

8 Chiefs

9 Chargers

10 Colts

11 Cowboys

12 Saints

KICKER

1 Justin Tucker

2 Wil Lutz

3 Harrison Butker

4 Robbie Gould

5 Younghoe Koo

6 Jason Myers

7 Michael Badgley

8 Ka'imi Fairbairn

9 Jake Elliott

10 Chase McLaughlin

11 Josh Lambo

12 Dan Bailey


That will do it. Good luck this week and when in doubt, start your studs.

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Can top prospect Brice Matthews give Houston a boost? Composite Getty Image.

What looked like a minor blip after an emotional series win in Los Angeles has turned into something more concerning for the Houston Astros.

Swept at home by a Guardians team that came in riding a 10-game losing streak, the Astros were left looking exposed. Not exhausted, as injuries, underperformance, and questionable decision-making converged to hand Houston one of its most frustrating series losses of the year.

 

Depth finally runs dry

 

It would be easy to point to a “Dodger hangover” as the culprit, the emotional peak of an 18-1 win at Chavez Ravine followed by a mental lull. But that’s not the story here.

Houston’s energy was still evident, especially in the first two games of the series, where the offense scored five or more runs each time. Including those, the Astros had reached that mark in eight of their last 10 games heading into Wednesday’s finale.

But scoring isn’t everything, not when a lineup held together by duct tape and desperation is missing Christian Walker and Jake Meyers and getting critical at-bats from Cooper Hummel, Zack Short, and other journeymen.

The lack of depth finally showed. The Astros, for three days, looked more like a Triple-A squad with Jose Altuve and a couple big-league regulars sprinkled in.

 

Cracks in the pitching core

 

And the thing that had been keeping this team afloat, elite pitching, finally buckled.

Hunter Brown and Josh Hader, both dominant all season, finally cracked. Brown gave up six runs in six innings, raising his pristine 1.82 ERA to 2.21. Hader wasn’t spared either, coughing up a game-losing grand slam in extra innings that inflated his ERA from 1.80 to 2.38 in one night.

But the struggles weren’t isolated. Bennett Sousa, Kaleb Ort, and Steven Okert each gave up runs at critical moments. The bullpen’s collective fade could not have come at a worse time for a team already walking a tightrope.

 

Injury handling under fire

 

Houston’s injury management is also drawing heat, and rightfully so. Jake Meyers, who had been nursing a calf strain, started Wednesday’s finale. He didn’t even make it through one pitch before aggravating the injury and needing to be helped off the field.

No imaging before playing him. No cautionary rest despite the All-Star break looming. Just a rushed return in a banged-up lineup, and it backfired immediately.

Second-guessing has turned to outright criticism of the Astros’ medical staff, as fans and analysts alike wonder whether these mounting injuries are being made worse by how the club is handling them.

 

Pressure mounts on Dana Brown

 

All eyes now turn to Astros GM Dana Brown. The Astros are limping into the break with no clear reinforcements on the immediate horizon. Only Chas McCormick is currently rehabbing in Sugar Land. Everyone else? Still sidelined.

Brown will need to act — and soon.

At a minimum, calling up top prospect Brice Matthews makes sense. He’s been mashing in Triple-A (.283/.400/.476, 10 HR, .876 OPS) and could play second base while Jose Altuve shifts to left field more regularly. With Mauricio Dubón stretched thin between shortstop and center, injecting Matthews’ upside into the infield is a logical step.

*Editor's note: The Astros must be listening, Matthews was called up Thursday afternoon!

 

There’s also trade chatter, most notably about Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins, but excitement has been tepid. His numbers don’t jump off the page, but compared to who the Astros are fielding now, Mullins would be a clear upgrade and a much-needed big-league presence.

 

A final test before the break

 

Before the All-Star reset, Houston gets one last chance to stabilize the ship, and it comes in the form of a rivalry series against the Texas Rangers. The Astros will send their top trio — Lance McCullers Jr., Framber Valdez, and Hunter Brown — to the mound for a three-game set that will test their resolve, their health, and perhaps their postseason aspirations.

The Silver Boot is up for grabs. So is momentum. And maybe, clarity on just how far this version of the Astros can go.

There's so much more to discuss! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!

The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday.

___________________________

*ChatGPT assisted.

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