Lance's 2021 Week 16 Recap and Week 17 Waiver Priorities
RECAP
-A.J. Brown’s return was exactly what the doctor ordered for Tennessee. His 145 yards and one touchdown led the way for Tennessee’s win. If their defense can keep forcing turnovers and their pass game can really get cooking they might actually scare some teams in the playoffs.
-In their last two games Green Bay has looked like the Minnesota Vikings except in the happier side of the mirror world. Their games have come down to the end, but they’ve held on for the win. Based on recent play, Dallas and the Rams seem to pose the biggest threats to them getting the #1 seed in the NFC, but they beat the Rams, and the Cowboys have the harder final two games.
-For the second year in a row the Cardinals are fading fast at the end of the season. They just need one win, or a San Fran or Philly loss and they’re in the playoffs, but if they keep up this level of play they’re going to find themselves bounced easily.
-The Vikings put up a very solid effort against one of the best teams in the league. I was impressed, especially with their defense forcing Stafford to throw three picks. Their chances of making the playoffs and saving Zimmer’s job seem slim, but next year is looking bright for whoever ends up running the team.
-The Jags-Jets game featured lots of young talent from both teams. I loved what I saw out of Zach Wilson and Michael Carter, but the Jags need to put “BUILD AROUND LAWRENCE” in all caps across their draft boards. I’ve seen a lot of mock drafts lately projecting the Jags to take an edge rusher at one. No. They need to fix the Offensive Line and bring in a high-end Receiver and Tight End. It’s never a good sign when two of your top three Receivers for the week are former first-round busts, so for the love of all that Lawrence’s future holds, fix the offense around him.
-The beating Buffalo put on New England was the win we needed to see out of them. I had ZERO faith in Buffalo heading toward the playoffs because they struggled all season long against the good teams. Unfortunately, their final two games are against the Falcons and Jets, so we won’t get to see if it was a fluke or not, but at least they got one good win before the postseason rolled around.
-I don’t know if this was Burrow putting the league on notice, or just sending a message to Baltimore’s defensive coordinator, but either way, well done. Every time I watch Cincy another part of me starts to believe in their chances of making a run in the playoffs. I’m excited to see if they can carry this over against the Chiefs.
-Houston’s best rushing week this season came back in week 1 when Mark Ingram ran for 85 yards on the Jags. Burkhead just obliterated that by carrying Houston on his back for 149 yards at 6.8 a clip against the chargers. Because of their lack of a run defense the Chargers are not a real playoff threat to anyone in the AFC except maybe Buffalo.
-I don't know about the rest of you, but when Dallas scored their first touchdown after half that “stop, stop, he’s already dead” ‘Simpson’s’ meme popped into my head. That was a very well executed game script by Dallas.
-Miami got the win, but honestly, I think they lucked out not having to play Taysom Hill. He may not be a great Quarterback, but the added dimension he brings likely would’ve given the Saints what they needed to pull this one out, because neither team looked like they wanted it. Miami is at seven straight though and in the hunt, so I suppose we should focus on that and not the “what could’ve been.”
FANTASY WAIVER WIRE TARGETS
QB: Mac Jones (New England)
You should stick with what got you to where you’re at (unless where you are is playing in the last place game for your league). But if you are really hurting because of the injuries and covid designations, then I’d recommend checking to see if Jones is available. His matchup against the Jags offers up an opportunity for him to hit that 20+ mark again before the regular season closes out.
WR: Elijah Moore (NY Jets)
Only grab him if you legitimately have someone you can cut, because there’s no guarantee he plays this week. There is a slight chance though, so if you can add him to your bench you could have a sneaky good start come Sunday. Moore saw 31 targets in his last three games before the injury, plus the Jets could be forced into a pass heavy game plan if Tampa runs up the score early and their run defense plays like it has for most of the season.
K: Mason Crosby (Green Bay)
He scored 9 points in their game against Minnesota back in week 11 and this game figures to be another high scoring affair, so he’s a safe bet for a nice fantasy outing.
D: Chicago Bears
The Giants have allowed 16 fantasy points to their last two opponents and things don’t look like they’re ready to get any better for them, so Chicago is definitely worth streaming this week.
