The Monday NFL Roundup: Week 16

With three weeks left in the NFL regular season, it is time to lay the landscape. 

What better way than a Coach Power Ranking?

• No Notes - The top tier. Playoff teams. Coaches with Super Bowl wins. Everyone is happy here.

• Just Win A Super Bowl - It is ridiculous not to have Kyle Shanahan, Sean McDermott, and Nick Sirianni in the top tier. If one of them were fired, they would have multiple offers instantly. Still, Buffalo, Philadelphia, and San Francisco have multiple big game losses without breaking through the final tier. Expectations are highest here. 

• Honeymoon Phase - A first-year coach needs significant red flags to be replaced. There is little reason to demand any of these coaches do not deserve a second season. Meanwhile, Jonathan Gannon has Arizona trending up. Shane Steichen had the Colts on the verge of the 2023 playoffs, and their season is not over yet. A fair argument can be made for Dan Quinn, Todd Bowles, and Mike Macdonald to move into the top tier pending the outcome of 2024. 

• Starting To Get Weird - The Browns and Cowboys carried high expectations into 2024. They have fallen short. That said, the past success of Kevin Stefanski and Mike McCarthy is the reason for those expectations. Zach Taylor had the Bengals in the Super Bowl just two years ago. Meanwhile, Mike McDaniel was the buzz of the NFL 12 months ago. It has been a very disappointing season for all four of these teams, but we are not quite at the point of having the replacement conversation. 

• Burning Up - Doug Pederson and Brian Daboll were on fire two years ago. Now? Those two can go either way. Antonio Pierce closed 2023 very strong. He is out of assistant coaches to fire, and there are rumors that Tom Brady wants his former teammate Mike Vrabel. 

•  Open - The interim coaches have a shot; the best chance likely belongs to Darren Rizzi, who has the Saints playing competitive football and winning games. Still, interim coaches are always fighting uphill. 

Thank you, Nathan Jahnke. 

And now, The Roundup.

Deep League Waiver Watch List

'Waivers of the Future,' released after this column, provides in-depth coverage of waivers. Below is a light introduction to players to watch on your waivers this week, emphasizing Superflex and deep leagues. 

• QB Carson Wentz, Kansas City (13% Sleeper rostered) 
• TE Ben Sinnott, Washington (81% Sleeper rostered) 
• WR Malik Washington, Miami (57% Sleeper rostered) 
• QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Cleveland (22% Sleeper rostered) 
• RB Craig Reynolds, Detroit (5% Sleeper rostered) 
• RB DeeJay Dallas, Arizona (4% Sleeper rostered) 
• QB Sam Howell, Seattle (45% Sleeper rostered) 

 Stats Of The Week

• 20,000 passing yards - QB Justin Herbert, LA Chargers - Herbert became the 119th player with 20,000 career passing yards, passing Jay Schroder for 118th place by the end of his day. Herbert's counting numbers are down at 2,959 and 16 touchdowns, but he has played clean football. His interception was his second on the season and first since Week 2. He had 355 attempts between interceptions, three short of Tom Brady for the fourth-longest streak. Aaron Rodgers holds the record with 402. 

• 700 receptions - WR Brandin Cooks, Dallas - Cooks became the 63rd player to hit 700 career catches. 

• 48 touchdowns - TE Mark Andrews, Baltimore - Andrews became the Ravens franchise leader in touchdowns scored, breaking a tie with Jamal Lewis. Andrews is 22nd on the tight end career touchdown leaderboard, with George Kittle just behind at 47. 

• 100 receptions - WR Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati - Chase became the first player to top 100 catches in 2024. His 102-1,413-15 are all career highs, and he is the lead on the wide receiver triple crown. There have been 16 Triple Crown winners, with Cooper Kupp in the most recent in 2021. Steve Smith, in 2005, was the only other winner since Sterling Sharpe in 1992. 

• 1,000 receiving yards - WR CeeDee Lamb, Dallas / WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit / WR Jerry Jeudy, Cleveland - Lamb, St. Brown, and Jeudy all hit 1,000 yards. Three of the five receivers over 1,000 yards (Lamb, Jeudy, and Justin Jefferson) were in the 2020 draft class. Lamb has four consecutive seasons over 1,000 yards, while St. Brown is at three. Jeudy has set career highs with 70 receptions and 1,052 yards. 

• 30 passing touchdowns - QB Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay / QB Jared Goff, Detroit / QB Lamar Jackson, Baltimore - Mayfield set a career-high with his first 30 touchdown season. Goff posted his third 30-touchdown season and is two away from his career high. Jackson recorded his second 30-touchdown season, also sitting two away from his career-high 36 from 2019. 

• 16,000 passing yards - Goff - Goff moved into second place in the Lions career passing leaderboard, with 16,017 yards passing Bobby Layne's 15,710. Matthew Stafford is well ahead at 45,109. 

• 89 receptions, 0 touchdowns - TE Trey McBride, Arizona - McBride moved past Diontae Johnson as the record holder for most catches without a touchdown. Arizona is trying hard to break this mark; they ran a pop pass play at the goal line to try and push McBride in but came up short. Strangely, McBride's 18 red zone targets are among the league leaders, trailing only Travis Kelce's 22 at tight end. 

• 100 receiving touchdowns - WR Davante Adams, NY Jets - Adams became the tenth player in NFL history with 100 career receiving touchdowns. He scored two on the day to put his career mark at 101, breaking a tie with Don Huston at 99 and pushing past Tim Brown and Steve Largent. He trails Mike Evans (who also scored two touchdowns) at 101 to 103 on the leaderboard. Tony Gonzalez is the next hurdle at 111. 

Ridiculous Quarterback Stats Of The Week

• 6,000 rushing yards - QB Lamar Jackson, Baltimore - Jackson joined Michael Vick as the only two quarterbacks with 6,000 career rushing yards. Jackson needs 109 yards to move past Vick. 

• 5 passing touchdowns, 50+ rushing yards - Jackson - Week 15 was the second time in 2024 Jackson threw five touchdowns and ran for 50+ yards. It was his fourth career game hitting those numbers. Mitch Trubisky and Cam Newton are the only other players to record a 5-50 game, each doing it once. 

• 5 passing touchdowns, 5 rushing touchdowns - QB Josh Allen, Buffalo - In Week 14, Allen became the first quarterback to throw and run for three touchdowns each. That put him in a position to become the first player to throw for five and run for five in two weeks. Allen now has seven passing touchdowns, six rushing touchdowns, and one receiving touchdown over his last three games. 

• 700 passing yards, 150 rushing yards - Allen - Allen joined Vick as the only two players to throw for 700 yards and run for 150 over a two-game span. 

• 340 passing yards, 65 rushing yards - Allen - There have been 13 games with 340+ passing and 65+ rushing in NFL history. Allen has done it three times in the 2024 calendar year, hitting the marks in the last two weeks, along with Week 18 of the 2023 season. Justin Herbert is the only other player to have two of these games in his career. 

Backfield Hierarchy

Splitting backfields into key categories based upon snaps and opportunities (rushes plus targets). While carries may be similar, backfields that fall into a Committee with a Lead over a straight Committee saw wide disparities in snap counts.

Bellcows

• Conner joined Zach Charbonnet and Taysom Hill as the only players to rush for 100 yards, with two rushing touchdowns, and catch five passes in 2024. It was the first time a player hit those combined marks in franchise history. Conner is 27 yards from back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. He is fifth on the franchise career rushing list at 3,547 yards and 61 away from fourth place Johnny Roland. His next rushing touchdown will move him into a tie with Wayne Morris for 37 touchdowns with the team. Ottis Anderson holds the franchise mark at 46 touchdowns. Emari Demercado missed an injury, and Benson left with an injury of his own. If both are out, Dallas is worth grabbing in the deepest leagues. 

• Dallas got on Carolina fast, and Hubbard disappeared. This was a disappointing spot for Carolina, which had been carrying positive vibes from multiple competitive performances. The Panthers' remaining opponents are in playoff contention, and the air is out of the balloon. 

• Since Week 4, Brown is RB7 at 17.2 PPG. Pushing to Week 9 is even better, as Brown has been RB3 over the second half at 20.4 PPG. He is 168 yards from 1,000 and three receptions from 50. Joe Mixon only hit those two numbers once in his Bengals career.

• Dowdle had 402 yards over the first nine games of 2024. He has 478 over the last four. He has topped 100 rushing yards for three consecutive games, totaling 392. Henry and Barkley are the only players to rush for that many yards in a three-game stretch in 2024. He needs 120 yards for 1,000. Dowdle only has one rushing touchdown. Thomas Jones (1,119-1), Garrison Hearst (1,070-1), Joe Washington (956-0), and Clark Gaines (905-0) are the only other players with 880+ yards and one touchdown or less. 

• Jacobs is enjoying his second-best career season. His 1,147 yards are three away from his second-highest total. His 12 touchdowns tied his career high, and he topped 300 receiving for the third time while scoring his first career receiving touchdown. Ahman Green and Jim Taylor are the only other Packers backs to hit those numbers. 

• Mixon left with an ankle injury but should be okay in Week 16. The Texans have a brutal matchup against the Chiefs defense. Mixon needs 90 more yards for his fifth 1,000-yard season, and his 11 touchdowns are two yards away from his career high. We all remember Mixon skipping to the end zone in a three-touchdown game against Dallas on Monday night a month ago, but Mixon has been RB18 at 11.7 PPG since Week 11. 

• Taylor dropped the ball on the Colts season and for many of his fantasy managers. His breakaway dropped ball touchback took the wind out of the Colts' sails. The score would have put the Colts up 20-7 against a Denver offense struggling badly. The floodgates opened following that swing; the Colts did not score again, and the Broncos scored 24 unanswered, which put the Colts' playoff chances in a terrible spot. Taylor is 89 yards from his third 1,000-yard season and first since 2021. His receiving profile has been horrid all year, and his 122 yards are the lowest of his career. 

• Williams has his second 1,100 and 12 touchdown season. His efficiency is down from his breakout 2023 season, but he has delivered on his ADP as RB6. 

• The Dolphins run game has struggled all season, and their passing game has been unable to push the ball downfield, effectively leaving them as a short pass offense. Achane has topped 64 yards just once since Week 9, a 73-yard performance in a blowout win against the Raiders in Week 11. Achane rushed for 800 yards in 11 games in 2023. He has 641 in 14 2024 games. 

• Barkley had his second-lowest output of 2024. He is now on pace to fall 55 yards short of Eric Dickerson's NFL record of 2,105. He must average 104 yards to hit 2,000 and 139 to hit Dickerson's record. 

• Guerendo handled the 49ers backfield exclusively in a weather game. Totaling 75 scrimmage yards in a weather game is acceptable for a free waiver pickup. The Dolphins are an exploitable matchup in Week 16, and Buffalo just gashed the Lions. Guerendo's league-winning upside remains intact.

• The Seahawks abandoned the run game for large portions against Green Bay, and Charbonnet was quiet until a late 24-yard touchdown run. If Geno Smith is out, they must rely on the running backs. The Rams have closed on Seattle on a 7-2 run over their last nine games. Ken Walker III's status is still questionable, and Charbonnet has played well enough to play a role, but the Seahawks have to turn up their production.

• Robinson earned Bellcow status in a game where the Commanders spent large portions of the game working the clock. The Commanders' game plan is to grind out 65 yards per game while Jayden Daniels makes some big plays. 

Committee With A Lead

• Henry's managers have to be disappointed by this outing. Through the first nine weeks of the season, Henry was RB1, with a point-per-game lead on Barkley at 21.9 PPG. Since Week 10, Henry is RB21 at 11.5. Hill is at 7.9, but his 15.3 points in Week 15 is more than Henry has in any week over that stretch. Henry needs one more touchdown to tie Jamal Lewis's franchise record 14 but has not scored since November 17th. His 1,474 yards are the second-best in Ravens history, and he is 66 from the second-best in his career. Another 24 yards will make him the 23rd player with 11,000 career yards. It is worth noting that Ali took the mop-up work. Keaton Mitchell has been a healthy scratch in the last two games. 

• Cook has flipped his narrative in 2024. Coming into the season, his lack of red zone usage was a red flag on an otherwise strong profile. His 13 touchdowns are tied with Henry for second behind Jalen Hurts and the third most in Bills history, behind O.J. Simpson's 16 and Josh Allen's 15. Meanwhile, Cook's reputation as a strong passing game option, but his 29 receptions and 232 yards are right between Johnson's 16 receptions for 275 and Davis's 13 for 167. Cook is RB10 at 204.5 points, while Davis and Johnson combined would be RB19 with 163.8. 

• Chubb broke his foot, and his season is over. D'Onta Foreman has not played since Week 8, and Pierre Strong Jr's last carry was Week 11 mop-up duty. Ford, as a Bellcow, can have fantasy relevance. If the backfield splits, the ceiling is low. 

• The rotating Jaguars backfield rotated again. A week after Bigsby dominated opportunities, Etienne was the leader by a large margin in snaps, though opportunities were slightly closer. Both backs have low ceilings full of volatility. 

• The Chargers badly miss J.K. Dobbins. Edwards has led the team in rushing each of the three games Dobbins has missed, but he has only averaged 30 yards per game. This backfield is useless for fantasy. 

• Stevenson has been solid, gaining between 77 and 94 scrimmage yards in four of his last five, but he has not scored a touchdown since Week 9 and has been RB31 at 8.5 PPG since then. The offense has struggled to generate big plays, working on conservative game plans while easing rookie Drake Maye in at quarterback. 

• Baltimore has a strong run defense, and the Giants offense struggled to get much work from Tommy DeVito as a quarterback. Tim Boyle replaced him for the second half, which was garbage time. Despite the opportunities ending up closer to even, Tracy still took a healthy lead in snaps. The team is comfortable featuring Tracy as a Bellcow if the game is competitive. But they are realistic about their competitive position and willing to work Singletary in. 

• Hall saved his day by scoring the late, game-winning touchdown. Allen's back injury pushed Davis into the primary backup role. Hall does not look like himself; if he sits and Allen's back keeps him out, Davis can be the type of late-season surprise that swings leagues. 

• Pollard needs 18 yards for his third consecutive 1,000-yard season. He carried an injury designation and was a game-time decision. Pollard sometimes had a noticeable limp, and Spears played heavily in garbage time usage. Pollard seems committed to being on the field, though the Titans seem committed to garbage time games. Both backs are risky without additional clarity. 

True Committees

• Playing a Denver running back is hoping someone finds the end zone and can scrape together ten points. Williams still led the backfield in snaps with 54%. He has 14 yards on his last 18 attempts going back three games. His production dip aligns with Sean Payton's first statement that he wanted Audric Estimate to see more work. Williams is a free agent following 2024.

• Montgomery suffered a torn MCL and could miss the rest of the season. That would force Gibbs into Bellcow status, given what we have seen with either out of the lineup. Gibbs recorded his second-best fantasy week with 25.9 points in Week 15. He trails Henry by just 9 points for RB2 behind Barkley and should be favored to overtake him. 

• Pacheco looked to be closing on a Bellcow role in Week 14. That reverted in Week 15, with Hunt holding an equal snap share and a slight edge in opportunities. With Patrick Mahomes II going down on a high ankle sprain and a two-game lead on the number one seed, expect the Chiefs to have a conservative approach for their key players.

• Kamara went to the locker room following his 21-yard touchdown catch but did not return. Coach Darren Rizzi said Kamara felt something in his groin after the game. Miller served as a Bellcow following Kamara's departure. Expect that trend to continue. The Saints entered this game holding some level of playoff hope. Much of that left following the loss and the Buccaneers' win. Playing on Monday night, the team has little reason to push Kamara and could use the time to get an extended look at Miller as the top option, projecting a more even split in 2025. 

• A trailing game script took Harris out of the plans. The Steelers have tough games coming up against Baltimore and Kansas City. Harris needs 109 yards to extend his 1,000-yard rushing streak to four seasons. 

• With Irving working through injury, the Buccaneers reverted to their early season split, with Irving handling rushing duties and White taking passing snaps. Irving has shined brighter in 2024 and is the piece you want moving forward. White is dismissed too easily by the fantasy hive mind. He has just five fewer fantasy points than Irving despite missing a game, primarily due to his six receiving touchdowns. Irving is RB17, and White is RB19, averaging 12 points and 12.5 points, respectively. Together, their 330 points is nearly 40 more than Barkley's RB1 293. Irving needs 148 yards for 1,000.