December 22, 2016

Pierre Camus' top 10 potential lineup busts for Week 16 of the 2016 fantasy football season. Players to avoid in your lineups as underperformers and disappointments.

You've read about all the sleepers, waiver wire pickups and starter suggestions based on matchups. Now let me burst some bubbles and tell you who I think is going to bust big time in Week 16.

This isn't to troll or spread hate - that's what those political sites are for. Think of this as a public service for fanboys and truth deniers who insist that everything is going to be alright, when it's clearly not. If you don't believe me, just ask the general public on Twitter. They know everything.

Warning: while the picks made in this article are completely serious, you may find sarcastic humor laced throughout. If you don't have any sense of humor whatsoever, turn back now before you get all worked up. Comments, praise, complaints or ramblings can be directed to @pfunk00 on Twitter.

Editor's Note: New users that sign up on FantasyAces, make a $20 deposit, and enter any game will receive BOTH our full season NFL and NBA Premium Passes for free, a $119.99 value. Just email [email protected] with your new FantasyAces username - and boom, that's it! We will email you with your Premium Passes.

Week 15 Recap

First, the bad news (for my picks): Ryan Mathews suddenly had his best game of the season, Jeremy Hill scored after about 30 tries inside the one-yard line, and Tate was Golden once again. I'm not counting the DeAndre Hopkins awakening as a miss, because Brock Osweiler being benched was simply too good to believe it could happen.

The good news... well, Allen Robinson is still a bust! That sounds pretty Grinch-like, but we're in the business of predicting busts here. Let's take a look at last week's production and/or lack thereof with an all-too predictable Christmas theme.

Andrew Luck (250 YDS, 2 TD)
Ryan Mathews (128 YDS, 1 TD)
Jeremy Hill (43 YDS, 1 TD)
DeAndre Hopkins (8 REC, 87 YDS)
Golden Tate (8 REC, 122 YDS)
Michael Thomas (7 REC, 52 YDS, 1 TD)

Spencer Ware (70 YDS, 0 TD)
Tyler Boyd (2 REC, 13 YDS)
Allen Robinson (2 REC, 15 YDS)
Martellus Bennett (2 REC, 35 YDS)

Overall, not my best week for predictions, but we roll on to Week 16. For some of you this is Championship Week. For many others, it's "please dear God don't let me finish in last place and have to wear a face tattoo of my least favorite team's mascot to work on Monday." Either way, choose wisely and give it the old college try.

Top 10 Busts for Week 16

Derek Carr (QB, OAK) - It's becoming painfully obvious that the dislocated pinky finger is bothering Carr. He may be a Pro Bowl QB and possibly even an MVP candidate, but he may not help you win a fantasy championship. He's thrown for a total of 590 yards and three TD the last three weeks, which works out to an average of 196 yards and one touchdown. Those aren't the type of numbers that will get it done for fantasy owners. The Colts present a favorable matchup, but it's just not clear that Carr can repeat his early season success. Plus, there may be other injuries that we aren't even aware of.

 
 
Russell Wilson (QB, SEA) - Both Wilson and the defense he faces have been a bit schizophrenic lately. A week after throwing five interceptions at Green Bay, he put up three touchdowns versus the Rams. The Cardinals are statistically one of the best against QBs, but were lit up by Drew Brees for 389 yards and four TD last week. Rolling out Wilson as your starting QB is a huge gamble this week, especially if you remember the touchdown-less 6-6 debacle in Week 7. He hasn't nearly lived up to his ADP this season, but at least he's not alone.

 
 
A.J. Green (WR, CIN) - Green returns from a four-week layoff and a torn hamstring to help the Bengals finish up the season. The problem is that the Bengals are out of the playoff race and have no reason to push Green beyond his physical limits. It's hard to imagine he will see double-digit targets right away. He doesn't have an easy matchup either, going up against a Texans secondary that has held its own all season. You may be relieved to see him return, but he makes for a risky start this week. Assuming it still makes a difference...

 
 
John Brown (WR, ARI) - Between Weeks 10-14, Brown had a five game span with a grand total of three catches and 49 yards. Then, he suddenly broke out with 81 yards and a TD against New Orleans. It was his second TD and his second-highest receiving output of the season. Even if you are tempted to take a chance on him as a WR3 streamer, keep in mind he will be facing Richard Sherman for much of the day. Things are certainly looking grim for the Cardinals receivers, not just this week.

 
 
Robby Anderson (WR, NYJ) - Back to Earth, Robby Anderson. As soon as Bryce Petty took over at QB, Anderson suddenly became the Jets' best receiver. He's gone for 240 yards and two touchdowns in the last three games. There is one problem he will face this week, however: the New England Patriots. The Pats know how to take away a team's best option and apparently that option has become Anderson. You probably shouldn't take a chance on him unless you have no better options or are a really big believer in the new Petty/Anderson connection.

 
 
Davante Adams (WR, GB) - You probably haven't forgiven Adams if you played him last week and watched as he dropped two sure touchdowns in the end zone. If you survived to fight again this week in the playoffs, you might be tempted to give him another chance. Consider that he will be facing ageless wonder Terence Newman, who has allowed the fewest PPR per snap among all CBs. Then again, the Vikings were embarrassed last week on defense. Plus, Adams has come up big every other week, so maybe he is due for a big game. He is a boom-bust play for sure, but it doesn't seem Packers fans are too concerned.

 
 
Tavon Austin (WR, LA) - Austin appears every once in a while to make sure we remember how fast he is before promptly disappearing for three more weeks. He is big-play dependent, with those coming few and far in between this season. Against the Niners in Week 1, Austin was targeted a whopping 12 times and somehow came away with just four catches for 13 yards. The Rams may be going with Sean Mannion at QB this week, which doesn't bode well for any Rams receiver other than Kenny Britt, regardless of the juicy matchup.

 
 
Jeremy Maclin (WR, KC) - It had been a while since Maclin made an impact in a game, but he did so with six receptions for 82 yards against the Titans. This time Maclin will face the stingiest secondary in the league to opposing wide receivers. Many a star wideout has been shutout by Denver this season; Maclin doesn't have enough appeal to even be considered as a flex play this week. As they say: Mo Maclin, Mo Problems.

 
 
Steve Smith (WR, BAL) - Smith found his way onto the scoreboard last week in Philly, but now faces one of the hottest defenses in the league. No team has passed for as much as 220 yards in the last five games against the Steelers. Smith will face a combination of William Gay and Ross Cockrell for most of the day, making it hard to trust him even as a WR3. If anything, we should root for Smith to struggle so he can bless us with more entertaining post-game quotes.

 
 
Coby Fleener (TE, NO) - The loss of Josh Hill for the season didn't help Fleener's stock, it somehow did the opposite. Fleener has a total of three receptions and 16 yards the last two games, with three targets in each. He hasn't scored since Week 11 either, making him downright droppable (if you hadn't already). It's been a good year for many, but not Fleener.