December 24, 2022

Dennis gives his fantasy football bold predictions for Week 16 of the NFL season, giving fantasy managers something to think about when setting their lineups.

Week 16 is here, and we're back with another edition of our fantasy football bold predictions. Today's list will include Aaron Rodgers, Tua Tagovailoa, Ezekiel Elliott, Tony Pollard, DK Metcalf, and Taysom Hill.

For those unfamiliar, we'll provide some fun player predictions for fantasy football each week of the NFL season. While we wouldn't expect these things to happen, we also feel it's within the range of outcomes.

These bold predictions are fun and potentially edgy and should not alter your strategy for setting fantasy football lineups. I hope you enjoy it, and thanks for reading. Good luck in Week 16, RotoBallers! Happy Holidays!

Aaron Rodgers...

Outperforms Tua in fantasy production in their Week 16 matchup

At 6-8, the Green Bay Packers attempt to keep their faint playoff hopes alive when they travel to Miami to take on the Dolphins. The Packers' offense will need to keep pace with a Dolphins offense that averages the ninth-most points per game (24.6 points per game). To accomplish this feat, Aaron Rodgers will need to outproduce Tua Tagovailoa.

Tua is QB13 on the season with elite wideout weapons in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. On the other hand, Rodgers is QB16 on a Packers offense that is finally hitting its stride, with Christian Watson finally exhibiting the explosiveness that made him a second-round pick. His big-play ability and the return of Romeo Doubs provide Rodgers with weapons to give the Packers a chance to compete.

In this matchup, Rodgers dips into the fountain of youth and shows the young Tua, who can still sling the ball. Rodgers explodes for over 300 yards and four scores and gives the Cheeseheads and his fantasy managers something to remember this week.

Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard...

 Both RB finish with 100 yards rushing and a touchdown

The demise of Ezekiel Elliott has been discussed endlessly since last season. However, Elliott has proven that he still has tread left on his tires, with the former Buckeye scoring in five consecutive games. Add in his backfield mate, the explosive Tony Pollard, averaging 5.5 yards per carry, and you can see why the Cowboys rank as the third-highest-scoring offense in the league.

The Cowboys are taking on the NFC East leader Philadelphia Eagles, in a pivotal matchup especially considering that quarterback Jalen Hurts will not suit up this week. The Eagles thrive in pass defense, ranking as one of the stingiest defenses to attack via the air, so the Cowboys should look to pound the rock against this middling Eagles run defense. So why not do it with the best one-two in the league? The Cowboys take advantage of the Hurt-less Eagles squad by running it down their throats, with Elliot and Pollard reaching 100 yards rushing and each scoring a touchdown in their Week 16 victory against the Eagles.

D.K. Metcalf...

Finishes as the overall WR1

The Seattle Seahawks travel to Kansas City Chiefs to take on the Chiefs, where they hope they can get right after losing four out of their last five games. The Seahawks will be sorely missing their top receiver, Tyler Lockett, who is out with an injured hand. However, the Seahawks still have an explosive offense led by comeback player of the year quarterback Geno Smith, who has thrown for 26 touchdowns and 3,671 yards through 15 weeks.

In what projects to be a shootout contest, all playmakers should be in fantasy lineups, with wide receiver DK Metcalf being the standout. With Lockett unavailable, look for Metcalf as the go-to guy in a favorable matchup against a Chiefs defense ranked in the bottom third in passing yards allowed.

Fantasy production sometimes boils down to simply opportunity. Metcalf will have plenty of that, with the Chiefs being able to score versus a bottom-dwelling Seahawks defense. The Seahawks are in an uphill battle to come out of Kansas City with a victory. Still, fantasy managers who roster Metcalf will be winners, with the former Ole Miss wideout exploding for a 150-yard and multiple-score effort.

Taysom Hill...

Produces multiple scores to help fantasy teams title games

Taysom Hill is a triple threat on offense and is currently the TE6 on the season. Hill is also a wild-card fantasy player. His production could lie on the negative side, where he produces TE20 or worse, as he performed in five games this season, which makes you wonder why you even have Hill in your lineup. However, there are also those games that you make you look like a genius. He scored multiple touchdowns in the six games he produced as a TE1.

Hill and the Saints will travel to Cleveland to take on the Cleveland Browns, who are bottom ten in rushing yards allowed. Combine that with Cleveland, and the entire East Coast will be hit with a massive winter storm. The weather dictates the game script, which will not be conducive to the passing game. The Saints will be without running back Mark Ingram, which will give more opportunities to Hill to shine in short yardage and be a massive factor in this matchup. With this increased volume, Hill produces TE1 numbers and catapults fantasy managers into their championship matchups with a multiple-touchdown effort.

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