Winners Club: Fantasy Playoffs Need-to-Know Info, Plus NFL Picks
The NFL is back to its regularly scheduled programming this week, but COVID-19 is still impacting Week 16.
Some of the league’s biggest stars – and thus, fantasy contributors – are out for the second round of the postseason and are missing key games in the cutthroat NFL playoff race. Catch up on all the news you may have missed over the holiday weekend to prepare for another loaded NFL Sunday.
Who’s In and Who’s Out
Fantasy managers found out early Sunday morning that Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce did not clear COVID-19 protocols, meaning he will miss Kansas City’s game against the Steelers. Tyreek Hill was able to test out on Saturday, so he’ll be in the lineup for Andy Reid. The COVID-19 list claimed several other fantasy stars this week, and there’s plenty of more traditional hamstring and ankle flare-ups that bring players’ status into question. Bring yourself up to date with the Week 16 Injury Report.
Phot credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Winners Club Live Stream and Twitter Q&A
Got pressing fantasy questions? We’ve got answers! Join Michael Fabiano, Bill Enright and Jen Piacenti on Twitter Spaces at noon ET for their weekly live stream. They’ll answer all of your fantasy questions to help set the optimal lineups for this week.
Submit your questions by tweeting at them (@Michael_Fabiano, @Billenright, @Jenpiacenti) or drop them in the comments. I’ll also be taking over the @SI_Fantasy account at 11:30 a.m. ET to answer start/sit questions or you can send your questions to my Twitter account: @Kkylewood. Good luck this week!
Essential Reading
Best Bets: Our analysts are all over the Rams (-3) against the Vikings in Minneapolis. There’s also some consensus on the Chargers covering against the Texans. Our writers aren’t all in agreement, though. See where they differ and read to find everyone’s best bet.
Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em: Michael Fabiano is riding with Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert as his Start of the Week in a great matchup against the Texans. The second-year play caller has five straight games with 21-plus fantasy points, though he’ll be without Austin Ekeler and Mike Williams.
Photo credit: Denny Medley/USA TODAY Sports
Fantasy Football Projections: Bounce back week for Cordarrelle Patterson? Shawn Childs is projecting one for the Atlanta running back against Detroit. See who else rounds out the top of his player projections at every skill position.
Weekly Player Rankings: Fabiano helps you prioritize your lineup options with deep rankings at every position, including defense and kicker!
NFL DFS Plays: Childs is in search of top-tier performers and value players at each position to build out the perfect DFS lineup and he’s taking Dak Prescott in prime time against Washington despite his recent struggles.
NFL Week 16 Spreads: There are four games this week with double-digit spreads. Find all the latest NFL lines on SI Sportsbook.
