Fantasy Football: Jalen McMillan among the top sleeper picks for Week 16

On By Littum

Jalen McMillan #15 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Jalen McMillan has been racking up fantasy football points lately. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

The sleeping side slept for most of Week 15. The Browns’ passing game was a mess, Sincere McCormick and Zach Ertz were injured. Stone Smartt beat his projection (he’s also a reasonable pick moving forward), but it’s not like 5-50-0 is a weekly winning return.

Let’s try to flip the script in week 16.

Maye’s rookie year has been a resounding success as he has remained poised and accurate despite mediocre help around him (New England’s offensive line is a problem and the receiver room lacks a true No. 1 option). Maye also helps his cause with his athletic and resourceful running. He is quiet QB12 in cumulative fantasy points since he got the starting job in week 6.

No one expects New England to challenge Buffalo, but the Patriots will likely have to throw more often than usual, standard procedure for a two-touchdown underdog. Maye should be in the 16-19 point range this week.

I suppose it’s better late than never since Rodgers finally hit the 300-yard plateau two weeks ago and then exploded for 30 fantasy points last week. The Rams defense has been accessible to opposing quarterbacks, allowing the ninth most QB points to opponents.

And Rodgers is finally starting to look comfortable again with Davante Adams — they were unstoppable in the second half against Jacksonville. Rodgers should be good for more touchdown passes, and while the Rams didn’t show up on offense last week, I could see this game turning into a sneaky shootout.

It’s not unusual to see rookie receivers increase their production in the latter stages of the season once they’ve gained some experience and built some confidence. McMillan is one of those cases with a serviceable 9-134-3 line over the past two games.

The Tampa Bay-Dallas game has the highest total of the week, and the Cowboys are the 10th best matchup for opposing receivers. I expect McMillan to see 6-8 goals Sunday night, and some of that work will come in the scoring area.

I want you to add and save Bateman with an eye toward Week 17 when he drafts the leaky Houston secondary. Pittsburgh is a tough matchup in Week 16 — the Steelers defend Lamar Jackson better than the rest of the league — and Bateman was quiet (2-30-0) in the previous meeting.

That said, Bateman also has four touchdowns in his last five games, and the Ravens like to take a few deep shots at him each week. Bateman’s midweek foot injury is believed to be of no concern (he was reportedly seen in a walking boot in the Ravens’ locker room), he’s worth considering as an emergency play this week — and a valuable depth addition if you’re looking forward.

It’s strange to see Strange so widely available after his 11-catch game against the Jets. Obviously, no one expects Strange to repeat that streak — and Jacksonville certainly won’t throw as much as it did last week — but he’s the No. 2 reads in this passing game and an easy target for backup QB Mac Jones.

Strange is dealing with a shoulder injury, so follow his training status in the late week. But assuming he’s cleared, I think 5-6 catches is a starting point for him against a mediocre Raiders defense.

A lot of moving parts on this one as the Saints play Monday night and we don’t yet know if Alvin Kamara (groin) will be available. The Saints also play a backup quarterback and go against a surging Green Bay defense. This game could easily get out of hand, with the Packers favored by about two touchdowns.

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But Miller has looked decent the last two weeks, and looking unlikely for Monday night, you’d figure Miller should see 12-15 touches no matter how competitive the game. That type of workload is a currency in the fantasy world.

I actually think Ameer Abdullah is a better player than Mattison right now, but they do different things. Abdullah’s fantasy case is better when the Raiders are underdogs (he’s the third-down back), but Mattison has a more plausible path to touches since Las Vegas is actually a slight favorite over the Jaguars.

Jacksonville’s defense doesn’t stop much of anything, and that includes the run — it’s the third-best matchup for opposing backs in terms of fantasy points scored. Mattison saw double-digit carries in four straight games midway through the year, and I suspect he already has that workload in his back pocket as we approach game day. Volume is your best friend in the backfield.

I wonder when the Patriots will recognize Gibson as one of their impact players. He averages 5.86 yards per carry. carry over the past five games, and he showed explosiveness as a receiver in the loss to Arizona. The passing role, in particular, is likely to expand this week as New England figures to fall into a negative game script against heavily favored Buffalo. I can envision a setup where Gibson reaches double-digit points in any league that has some version of PPR scoring.