Week 16 Results

Green Bay (vs New Orleans) - 3 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 1 INT, 0 pts allowed

Hopefully your league has a big bonus for the NFL's first shutout this season.

A Look Ahead: @MIN - Sam Darnold is a little tougher to defend than Spencer Rattler.

Cincinnati (vs Cleveland) - 5 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 2 INT, 6 pts allowed

Vonn Bell's forced fumble and recovery on a D'Onta Foreman goal-line carry to end the first drive of the game set the tone, and Dorian Thompson-Robinson was as ineffective as expected.

A Look Ahead: DEN - We release the Bengals D/ST back into the jungle.

Buffalo (vs New England) - 2 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 INT, 1 DEF TD

A Drake Maye/Rhamondre Stevenson miscue in the end zone ended up in Taron Johnson's hands for a touchdown to make this Week 16 play.

A Look Ahead: NYJ - Aaron Rodgers has been safe with the ball, and the game may be meaningless for the Bills, so not a preferred option, even if Tyrod Taylor starts for a banged-up Rodgers.

Atlanta (vs NY Giants) - 3 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 2 INT, 2 DEF TD

Drew Lock left all kinds of Christmas presents under the tree for anyone who chose the Falcons D/ST in Week 16.

A Look Ahead: @WAS - Washington turned the ball over five times in Week 16, but don't hold your breath waiting for a repeat performance in Week 17.

Arizona (at Carolina) - 3 sacks

Bryce Young found his game after a rough Week 15 and eliminated the Cardinals from the playoff race with an overtime win.

A Look Ahead: @LAR - The Cardinals D/ST fly south for the winter now

Houston (at Kansas City) - 1 sack

Does Patrick Mahomes II have access to alien healing technology, or does he exaggerate his injuries? Inquiring minds want to know.

A Look Ahead: BAL - We send the Texans D/ST to their home on the range.

Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda

Baltimore (vs Pittsburgh) - 3 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 1 INT, 1 DEF TD

A Marlon Humphrey pick-six basically iced this game and possibly decided a few fantasy playoff matchups.

Philadelphia (at Washington) - 1 sack, 3 fumble recoveries, 2 INT

And Washington somehow won this game. 

Week 17 Candidates

Indianapolis (at NY Giants)

The "Lock" in Drew Lock stands for "Lock in 10+ D/ST points if you stashed the Colts for Week 17." We'll see if he's the quarterback for the Giants this week. The Colts are a strong pick, whether he plays or not.

Miami (at Cleveland)

The Dolphins are playing in the cold, but they are still alive in the playoff race, and the Browns are trotting Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Bailey Zappe, or Jameis Winston out there. If the Colts D/ST isn't the #1 play of the week, then it will probably be the Dolphins.

Philadelphia (vs Dallas)
Dallas (at Philadelphia)

Both sides of this matchup present D/ST possibilities. The Eagles only need one more win to clinch the division. But they face the Giants in Week 18, so they may not push Jalen Hurts if the call to clear concussion protocol is close, as the Cowboys D/ST has come alive for fantasy since Micah Parsons came back. If Hurts plays, the Cowboys D/ST is out of consideration, but the Eagles D/ST becomes an even better play. The Cowboys may not have CeeDee Lamb (or at least a full-effectiveness Lamb) after he aggravated his shoulder injury again in Week 16, and the Eagles D/ST had their best game of the season in the first matchup against the Cowboys.

Las Vegas (at New Orleans)

Spencer Rattler was playing at Drew Lock level on Monday night against the Packers. The Raiders don't have Maxx Crosby, but they do have at least three sacks+takeaways in each of the last three games.

Kansas City (at Pittsburgh) **Wednesday**

The Chiefs can lock up the #1 seed and take it easy in Week 18 if they win this one. Russell Wilson threw a pick-six in Week 16 and may get more cavalier with his throws if the Steelers are behind and seeing the division title slip away in the second half.

Cincinnati (vs Denver)

The Bengals D/ST has been elite since their Week 12 bye and not just by fattening up on matchups against the worst quarterbacks in the league - although that has helped over the last two weeks facing Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Drew Lock. Bo Nix had a three-pick game just two weeks ago, and the Bengals have to win to stay alive.

Baltimore (at Houston) **Wednesday**

The Ravens D/ST was a hit in Week 16 and will face a Texans team that just lost Tank Dell and has little to play for with the #4 seed their likely fate. If the Ravens jump out to a big lead, we may see Davis Mills for a few drives.

Atlanta (at Washington)
Washington (vs Atlanta)

Jayden Daniels has played like a veteran, but the Commanders had ball security issues against the Eagles. The Falcons pass rush had 11 sacks in the first 11 games but have 16 in the last four. Michael Penix Jr. also did not look like a rookie in his first NFL start, but the Commanders are going to be a tougher draw than the Giants, as Dan Quinn could have tricks up his sleeve to test Penix and make the Commanders the better D/ST play of the two.

Week 18 Preemptive Pickups

Baltimore (vs Cleveland)
Philadelphia (vs New York Giants)
Indianapolis (vs Jacksonville)
Tampa Bay (vs New Orleans)