To everyone who has advanced into your fantasy football championship, congratulations and good luck.
For everyone else, there’s always next year, although I am quite sure there will never be another fantasy season like this one.
Here are some numbers to ponder:
4 - Number of touchdowns Miami Dolphins quarterback Matt Moore threw last week in his first start since 2011. Even more shocking, Moore’s four-score game was more than Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Kirk Cousins, Derek Carr, Matthew Stafford, Andy Dalton and Derek Carr COMBINED!
2 - Number of weeks Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, last season’s NFL MVP and fantasy player of the year for many, finished in the top five in quarterback points.
4 - Number of weeks Dak Prescott was in the Top 10 for points. He may be winning games for the Dallas Cowboys, but he did not exactly tear it up for fantasy owners.
7 - Number of times in 10 games since returning from suspension that Tom Brady has thrown for 2 or more touchdowns
0 - Number of times this season Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan has failed to throw at least one touchdown. He has accounted for two or more 10 times.
34 - Number of touchdowns thrown by New Orleans Saints’ Drew Brees which leads the league. Now for the bad news. In weeks 13 and 14, the first two rounds of the playoffs for most, Brees combined to throw 0 touchdowns and 6 interceptions.
16 - Number of interceptions thrown by Jacksonville quarterback Blake Bortles.
9 - Number of running backs who’ve surpassed 1,000 yards rushing entering this week. The first six (David Johnson, Ezekiel Elliott, DeMarco Murray, LeSean McCoy and Le’Veon Bell, Lamar Miller) probably went in the first three rounds of drafts, but I’d hazard a guess that the next three went very late or were undrafted. They are LeGarrette Blount, Jordan Howard and Jay Ajayi.
6 - Number of Top 25 running backs that any owner could’ve had because most likely were claimed off the waiver wire. Along with three 1,000-yard rushers listed above, owners could have had Spencer Ware (860, 3 TDs), Terrance West (729, 5 TDs), Christine Michael (573, & RDs)
9.6 - Scoring average each week for Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley, who was the first running back taken in most drafts.
2 - Number of running backs who finished in the Top 10 in Week 1 and were in the Top 10 for the all-important weeks of 13-15 (David Johnson, Carlos Hyde).
12 - Number of touchdowns Green Bay Packers receiver Jordy Nelson has, the same as Julio Jones, A.J. Green and Jarvis Landry combined.
17 - Combined touchdown total of New Orleans’ Michael Thomas and Green Bay’s Davante Adams, both of which were available off the waiver-wire this season.
3 - Number of 100-yard receiving games by Pittsburgh Steelers Antonio Brown
1 - Number of combined touchdowns by Brown in Weeks 13-15 (playoff time)
4 - Number of combined touchdown catches in Weeks 11-15 by Ted Ginn Jr., Malcolm Mitchell and Taylor Gabriel - all of which added off the waiver wire.
2 - Number of rushing touchdowns by Kansas City Chiefs receiver Tyreek Hill to go with 6 receiving scores, In comparison, Green Bay Packers wide receiver turned running back Ty Montgomery has three rushing scores and no receiving touchdowns.
15 - Number of times Arizona’s David Johnson has gone for over 100 yards combined rushing/receiving in a game. Johnson, like Newton last year for many, has driven the bus many of you are happily riding into the championship. He also has 17 combined touchdowns and 73 receptions for PPR lovers. He is the unquestioned player of the year in fantasy and should be the No. 1 pick next year.
5 -Number of defensive touchdowns scored by Kansas City this season to go along with two kick return touchdowns.
33 - Number of field goals made by Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker with only one miss.
17 - Number of combined missed extra points by the Top 10 fantasy kickers this season.
Next week while congratulating new fantasy league champions, we will also dole out our 2016 fantasy football awards.
The Most Valuable Player has already been listed above, but who was the Biggest Surprise? Biggest Draft Bust? Biggest Draft Steal? One to Watch Out For in 2017? All of it will be unveiled.
Now for the final Always Be Working segment of this season. Many of your leagues do not allow add/drop at this point because of locked rosters, but those who do have that option, here are some names who could potentially lead you to a fantasy championship.
Players to add for Week 16
Quarterback: The Houston Texans finally benched Brock Osweiler, although it was too late for DeAndre Hopkins owners. Tom Savage came in during the second quarter and passed for 260 yards. He now gets a Cincinnati Bengals team that allowed 286 yards last week and has allowed passing touchdowns in three of its last four games.
Running Back: The San Diego Chargers could have Melvin Gordon back, but if the injury report starts looking like he may not be available, go grab Kenneth Farrow. He had a really poor game last week which is beneficial for you because he will not be high up on free-agent lists. Farrow is facing a Cleveland Browns team has allowed a rusher to surpass 100 yards and score a touchdown in three of its their last four games.
Wide Receiver: Seattle is finally using Tyler Lockett, who has 234 yards and a touchdown in the Seahawks last three games. Also Will Fuller may be out on waiver wires because he was such a disappointment after a promising start. If so, he looked like a good grab this week after being targeted 8 times for 4 catches and 42 yards last week by Savage.
Tight End: Miami Dolphins tight end Dion Sims is a little touchdown dependent, but when he has three in the past three games, he is one to grab.
Players with matchups to exploit in Week 16
Quarterbacks: If ever there was a week to play Phillip Rivers it is this week as He faces a Cleveland defense that has given up a league-worst 31 touchdown passes. The only caution is to watch the weather report, but otherwise, he is a must-start for championship teams that start him or have him on their bench. Washington’s pass defense the past three weeks has allowed 914 yards and six touchdowns, which is good news for Philadelphia and Carson Wentz.
Running Backs: He has disappointed you all season, but this is the week for Todd Gurley, who gets a 49ers defense that surprisingly shut Gurley down in Week 1, but in the weeks since has become the most giving of units for opposing running backs. In the past three weeks alone, San Francisco has allowed 533 yards rushing and a league-worst eight touchdowns. Another unit who can be run against are the Kansas City Chiefs, who it might be worth taking a chance on Devontae Booker, another player who has not lived up to expectations, but could take advantage of a juicy matchup.
Wide Receivers: Green Bay may be winning games, but the Packers are doing it despite their secondary being torched for 565 yards and four touchdowns in their past three games. Chicago’s Alshon Jeffery/Cameron Meredith could be in for big days.
Tight Ends: Martellus Bennett should have a huge day against a New York Jets secondary that has struggled to deal with the tight end, allowing 5 TDs in their past three games. Also look for Hunter Henry of San Diego, who should feast on a Cleveland Browns defense that has allowed three TDs to tight ends in their last two ball games.
How did my teams do?
I began this year by playing in three fantasy football leagues: a 14-team point-per-reception league that uses CBSSports.com, a 12-team standard league that uses Yahoo.com and a 10-team point-per-reception league that uses ESPN.com. I am in the championship game in two leagues and made the consolation final in the other. Would rather be playing for three titles, but two championship chances out of three opportunities is not too shabby.
Good Luck in your Championship Games!
- Chris Parry is a staff writer for the Tyler Morning Telegraph and ETFinalScore.com, and an avid fantasy football player for nearly two decades. His weekly fantasy takeaway appears on Wednesdays. Feel free to email with any questions or comments to cparry@tylerpaper.com, or you can tweet to @CParryETFS.