ROOKIE WATCH – WEEK 16

By Steve Uetz

Week 16 was the fantasy football championship week (for most leagues) or at least it should have been. Week 17 feels like a lost week for fantasy as some major offensive starting players do not play fully or at all but for the rookies it always serves as an opportunity to show the coaches and organization what they have! Unfortunately for week 16 the fantasy world was without RBs James Robinson, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and Cam Akers, and WR Donovan People-Jones. However, we did get RB Antonio Gibson back! Let’s dive in to see how the rookies performed in the most important week of the season yet; Championship week!

Rookie Studs of the Week: WR CeeDee Lamb and RB Jonathon Taylor

WR CeeDee Lamb: After experiencing a little bit of a value dip, Lamb has now produced well two weeks in a row! Lamb makes it as a Rookie stud of the week since he reached the pay dirt through the air and on the ground in week 16! Lamb caught 3 of 5 targets for 65 yards, including a 52 yard TD! He also scored a TD on his lone rushing attempt which was a 19-yard score! He has now scored a rushing, receiving, and punt return TD in the last two weeks!

RB Jonathon Taylor: Taylor just concluded an impressive 4 week stretch as he scored 6 TDs while handling elite workloads during that span. Week 16 was just par for the course; Taylor handled 18 carries and gained 74 yards and scored 2 TDs! He wasn’t able to haul in his lone target, but the rushing production against one of the years’ best defenses (Pittsburgh) is astounding. He will be a surefire RB1 for next season.

Unexpected Rookie stud performance: RB AJ Dillon

RB AJ Dillon: In the Sunday Night Football victory over the Titans, Dillon surprisingly led the Packers in carries! Dillon handled 21 carries and gained 124 yard and scored 2 TDs! He also caught his only target for 5 yards! So why all the offensive touches?! Veteran Jamaal Williams was inactive, and veteran (and typically lead) RB Aaron Jones only had 12 total touches which may have been due to the large lead that the Packers held over the Titans as it would make to save Jones for the NFL playoffs. Dillon (and his thighs) had plenty of pre-season hype, but this performance legitimately put his name on the dynasty radar! This was the week Dillon GMs were waiting for!

Rookie Dud of the week: WR Brandon Aiyuk

WR Brandon Aiyuk: Aiyuk has been touted as a must-start for a few weeks now and this was an incredibly disappointing performance if he made it into your championship starting lineup. Aiyuk caught 1 of 2 targets for 15 yards and gained 15 yards on 1 rushing attempt. The 49ers had more rushing attempts than passing attempts (30 rush-22 pass) which didn’t help Aiyuk but only 2 targets is absolutely brutal. His season low-point came at the worst time, but he remains a hot dynasty asset!

New name to the series: RB J.J. Taylor

RB J.J. Taylor: With RBs Rex Burkehead and Damien Harris sidelined, Taylor gained 38 yards on 6 carries in the Monday Night Football shellacking as the Patriots were dominated by the Bills. So far this season Taylor has gained 110 yards on 23 carries and has caught 1 of 2 targets for 4 yards…

Minor Rookie Notes…

TE Cole Kmet: another disappointing outing for Kmet as he was out-produced by veteran teammate TE Jimmy Graham for the 2nd week in a row. Kmet caught 2 of 6 targets for 18 yards and actually lost 3 yards on a rushing attempt…

TE Harrison Bryant: As Cleveland was down their current top 3 WRs due to being deemed COVID close-contacts, Bryant caught 3 of 5 targets for 37 yards…

TE Adam Trautman: Trautman caught both of his targets for 45 yards…

RB Salvon Ahmed: Ahmed disappeared in week 16 since Myles Gaskin made his return to field…Ahmed totaled 7 touches but only gained 3 yards with them…

RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn: Here is how I ended Vaughn’s week 15 blurb…”hopefully we can see more out him by season’s end”… well, in week 16 we certainly saw more of Vaughn! In the wildly dominant victory against Detroit, Vaughn gained 62 yards on 15 carries and caught 1 of 2 targets for 7 yards!

RB La’Michal Perine: Perine returned to action as he handled 9 carries for 30 yards and caught 1 of 2 targets for 14 yards…unfortunately Perine landed on the Covid list for week 17 so we will have to wait until next season to track his progress.

RB Darrynton Evans: In the unfortunate dominant loss, Evans only handled 1 carry as he gained 3 yards and wasn;t able to catch any of his 2 targets…

WR Lynn Bowden Jr: limited usage in this contest handled 1 carry for 8 yards and caught 2 of 3 targets for 8 yards…

WR Quintez Cephus: In this ugly loss where starting QB Matthew Stafford left the game early on due to injury, the whole team disappointed. Cephus ended up catching 1 of 2 targets for 9 yards…

WR Tyler Johnson: In the blowout victory against the Lions, Johnson caught his only target for 35 yards…

WR Marquez Callaway: In Michael Thomas and Tre’Quan Smith’s absence Callaway caught 3 of 4 targets for 26 yards…

WR Henry Ruggs: Ruggs didn’t catch either of his 2 targets and gained 7 yards on 1 rushing attempt…

WR Bryan Edwards: Edwards caught his only target for 11 yards…

WR Devin Duvernay: Duvernay gained 7 yards on a rushing attempt and caught his only target for 0 yards, but is getting a lot of work in the kick/punt return game…

WR Quez Watkins: Watkins caught 2 of 3 targets for 57 yards, including a big-time 43 YAC (yards after catch) play…

WR KJ Hamler: Hamler gained 3 yards on his lone rushing attempt as he left the game in the first quarter with an injury…

WR Gabriel Davis: Davis caught 3 of 5 targets for 33 yards… MNF was clearly the Stefon Diggs show but Davis remains a promising young talent!

WR Darnell Mooney: Mooney had the 2nd most targets for the Bears as he caught 4 of 7 targets for 39 yards and gained 2 yards on 1 rushing attempt…

WR Denzel Mims: Mims had a disappointing outing as he was only given 2 targets without any catches… he is still a trending up talent and makes for an interesting dynasty buy low target.

Major Rookies Notes…

QB Justin Herbert: Herbert earned another win in week 16 and didn’t commit any turnovers in a low scoring matchup against the division rival Broncos. This is wonderful for his professional development, but for fantasy his performance was more average. He completed 21 of 33 passes for 253 yards and 1 TD, gained 26 yards on 4 rushing attempts, but did take 2 sacks. We will take it, but likely wanted a little more from him since it was championship week! He is and should be one of the biggest risers in dynasty Super-Flex formats!

QB Jalen Hurts: It was a brutal loss for Hurts and Eagles as Hurts struggled with turnovers (all 3 came in the 4th quarter… yikes) and passing efficiency. He ended up with a nice fantasy day which is important because he was widely touted as a start for the championship round against the struggling Dallas defense. Hurts completed 21 of 39 passes for 342 yards, with 1 TD, and 2 INTs. He also gained 57 yards on 15 rushing attempts but did take 3 sacks and lost a fumble. Despite the late game struggles in week 16, he has revitalized the Philly offense and fanbase. His dynasty stock is taking off like a rocket ship!

QB Tua Tagovailoa: Tua started this contest but ended up getting benched for veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick who led the Dolphins to a comeback victory. Tua was extremely conservative throwing the ball as he completed 17 of 22 passes for 94 yards and 1 TD. He also gained 11 yards on 3 rushing attempts while taking 3 sacks without committing any turnovers. It was an interesting coaching decision to bench Tua as he only averaged 4.3 yards per completion. It is important to note that the Dolphins were without their 2 WRs, DeVante Parker and Preston Williams. Tua is clearly the future but still has some growing pains to overcome.

RB J.K. Dobbins: Dobbins only handled 11 carries in this contest but still produced extremely well with his touches. He gained 77 yards on 11 carries with 1 TD and wasn’t able to haul in his lone target. We are happy with the production but honestly wanted a little more since it was for the fantasy championship. Since teammate and veteran RB Mark Ingram was a healthy scratch, Dobbins’ usage was a little disappointing. He continues to make the most of his opportunities which is why he will likely be considered an RB1 going into next season.

RB D’Andre Swift: In the brutal loss to Tampa Bay, Swift ended up being the most productive Lion. He handled 10 carries for 45 yards and caught 4 of 5 passes for 25 yards. It was just an ugly game where starting QB Matthew Stafford left the game early due to injury and the Bucs led 34-0 at the half…Better days ahead for the young rising star!

RB Antonio Gibson: Gibson made his return to the field which was great! Gibson has been a favorite in this series and just an absolute delight in the fantasy realm. However, in week 16, Washington’s offense struggled mightily in this contest but Gibson looked good and produced despite a smaller workload which was in part due to game flow. Gibson gained 61 yards on 10 carries and caught 3 of 4 targets for 8 yards.  The majority of the RB targets went to teammate McKissic (again, mostly game flow related) but it was still good to see him back. Gibson looks to be a high end RB2 going into next season!

RB Zack Moss: Moss just barely handled the majority of the Bills rushing attempts and was the more efficient rusher compared to veteran Devin Singletary (10 rushed for 36 yards). Moss gained 57 yards on 12 carries and scored a TD! He also caught his only target but went for 0 yards. The RB workload between Moss and Singletary remains even and both have had mixed success with efficiency. I would prefer Moss over Singletary from a dynasty perspective.

WR Justin Jefferson: Jefferson had another strong outing as he once again led the Vikings in targets. He caught 6 of 10 targets for 85 yards. This strong performance was belittled as Jefferson was out-produced by teammate WR Adam Thielen. The real story of this contest was that we witnessed Alvin Kamara’s historic performance that will be remembered forever. Jefferson remained the WR1 of this impressive class.

WR Michael Pittman Jr.: Pittman has immense potential and career upside but has unfortunately faded away in the offense in the last month after his mid-season resurgence. Pittman caught 3 of 5 targets for 38 yards, including one catch that went for 26 yards! He could be an absolute steal in redraft leagues next season!

WR Jerry Jeudy: Jeudy had a decent game with 6 catches for 61 yards; what is most interesting about his week 16 performance was that he earned 15 (!!!) targets! The Broncos are still being held back from their full offensive potential due to inconsistent QB play. Jeudy’s talent is impressive even among his studly rookie peers but the offense has been a bit of a rollercoaster. Here is to hoping for more consistent and improved QB play in 2021! Jeudy will remain a top redraft value in next seasons’ drafts!

WR Lavishka Shenault Jr.: Shenault turned out another solid performance as his dynasty stock continues to rise as the Jaguars have secured the No. 1 pick for the 2021 NFL draft where they are likely to select a QB! Shenault was tied for the team lead in targets with 7 (tied with DJ Chark); he caught 5 for 58 yards and 1 TD! Arrow is trending way up!

WR Jalen Reagor: In the losing effort Reagor was tied for the team lead in targets with 7 and caught 3 of them for 30 yards. Over the last month he has consistently been well involved in the passing game and punt return game. He is a highly versatile player; at the moment he is looking to be a better real football asset compared to fantasy football asset but he is explosive and involved which are good ingredients for fantasy success.

WR Chase Claypool: Claypool remains in the middle of the pecking order in Pittsburgh passing offense but continues to make his presence known. He caught 4 of 6 targets for 54 yards, including one catch that went for 34 yards! It was reported that Ben Roethlisberger will not suit up for week 17 since the Steelers are already guaranteed to make the playoffs; keep your eye on Mason Rudolph and if he and Claypool can connect for some big plays!

WR Tee Higgins: Higgins got it done once again (in a surprisingly high scoring contest)! He led the Bengals in targets and receiving yards as he caught 6 of 9 targets for 99 yards and a TD! Over the last month he has been hard to trust enough to get into your starting lineup as the Bengals offense has been struggling but if you kept the faith and started him you were surely rewarded here!