Another week means another opportunity to sit in judgment of Jeff Mans! I have poured over Jeff’s rankings and opinions and, well, let us see how he did. Oh, and as usual, I will pepper this piece with a few of my own masterpieces and pieces of [use a word for dung] from the past week.
Here is the 2015 Week 16 edition of Right, Wrong or Indifferent:
RIGHT
Karlos Williams: Maestro Mans was dead on when he penned: “LeSean McCoy is not going to play this week and possibly the rest of the season. I know some of you are worried about Mike Gillislee's role but I assure you that Karlos is the guy the Bills will lean on more this week. The Cowboys give up the fifth most fantasy points to RBs this season and Williams will have an easy time racking up 3-5x his salary this week.” 97 total yards, two receptions and a TD says Jeff was right on here. That said, a matchup with the tough Jets run defense next week says look elsewhere for your week 17 RBs.
Keshawn Martin: Mr. Mans was spot on regarding the “other” Keshawn. Jeff wrote: “It's going to take some guts to roll Martin out in cash games but that is likely what I am going to do this week. Anytime you can get the Patriots slot receiver for near minimum salary in a game they are likely to throw 50-plus times, it is a very good thing. 5-50 out of Martin pays off 2x value and anything beyond that is nothing but post-Christmas gravy.” Well, Keyshawn did better than the 5-50 by posting a 7-68 line. OK, congratulations aside, unless Amendola and Edelman both sit again in week 17, Martin will return to being nothing other than a 16-team league injury replacement.
Allen Robinson: Jeff is looking good here as he continues to show the love to Allen Robinson: “Robinson is going against Brandon Browner who guards height well but that is about it. Browner is literally the 116th-rated CB according to PFF. This game has the highest expected total of the weekend and that means plenty of back and forth from both teams. A-Rob could be in line for a monster game this week against the Saints.” Six receptions for 151 yards and a TD says this was a very good pick. The “Allens” (Robinson and Hurns) continue to be must starts and will both be quite high draft picks in many a fantasy draft in 2016.
Kirk Cousins: OK, one for me. I have adopted the mantra of “play those who play against the Eagles.” That worked quite well Saturday night as team CTW started Cousins over Drew Brees. While Brees was great, Cousins was a touch better with his 365 yards and four TD! The same rule of start the QB against the Iggles does not apply to the 4-11 Cowboys. The Boys’ defense has not given up 20 or more points to a fantasy QB since Week 5 against Tom Brady. The Cowboys' offense is awful without Romo but the defense has played with heart and will likely do so to finish out the disaster that is 2015. Pass on Cousins in Week 17.
WRONG
Ben Roethlisberger: Well, now for the other side of the coin. This Mans prediction hardly came to pass: “A divisional game against an arch rival when they are down and out. This one smells like a huge Big Ben onslaught game. Roethlisberger has thrown for more passing yards than anyone over the last three games. The game could get out of hand which would limit the Steelers' passing offense but with the history between these two teams I do not expect much lying down by Pittsburgh.” 215 yards with two picks and no TD is just bad. For Ben, who has been scalding hot, it is amazingly bad. In a must-win situation in Week 17, I will be more than willing to roll the dice on Week 16 being an outlier. Ben is still one of the best fantasy QBs around.
Tyrod Taylor: I think Jeff got twisted around a bit when he wrote: “Taylor's rushing ability gives him a very high floor. He's averaged eight rushing attempts and 53 yards over the last three games. When you accompany that with his 231 passing yards and two TDs we have a very firm base of 24.3 fantasy points with both passing and rushing upside.” 179 passing yards and 67 rushing yards is fine but no TD by air or by ground plus an INT makes this a “wrong” call. As noted above, QBs have not fared well in fantasy football against the Cowboys. I do not see Taylor doing much more next week against the Jets who have a ton on the line in Week 17.
Tyler Lockett: Jeff booted this grounder when he said: “Doug Baldwin is a legitimate game-time decision this week which is unfortunate after his amazing recent surge. But if Baldwin doesn't go, it becomes a Tyler Lockett day for this Seahawks offense and if they move him into the slot he'll face off against the struggling Lamarcus Joyner. Even if Baldwin plays, Lockett is a fine tournament option as he's got both offensive and special teams upside at his disposal this week.” Three catches for 33 yards is just not getting it done at all. The entire Seahawks team underproduced in Week 16. I still like Lockett as a low price, high upside pick in DFS and Week 17 Super Bowls.
Jason Witten: In all fairness, I have to look in the mirror and scold myself at least once. I really thought Kellen Moore would look to make the simple throws to Witten, stay safe and let the defense do their job. Wrong. Moore heaved low percentage passes around in a failed attempt to impress. Witten paid the price and so did his fantasy owners. He deserved better and so did those who played him this week. Look elsewhere until Tony Romo returns.
INDIFFERENT
Doug Martin: Jeff noted: “There are few known entities this week at the RB position. Martin has 90-plus yards rushing in five of the last six games. The Bears give up the fourth-highest yards per rushing attempt this year and the seventh most rushing yards per game.” Well, 55 total yards and only one catch would have put this in the “wrong” column but that TD saved Jeff from being wrong. Martin’s fantasy problem is that Charles Sims keeps stealing touches and touchdowns. That is something to watch in Week 17 and beyond.
James White: Jeff was pretty high on James White: “The Patriots running game is a mess as proven with the signing of Steven Jackson this week. While I cannot wait to see just how fat Jackson is currently, let's not lose sight over what White has been able to do lately. Despite carrying the ball just four times in the last three games, White has rung up an average of 17.36 FanDuel points. The Pats will throw the ball a ton this week against the Jets and without both Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola, White should easily pay off almost 3x his salary.” 32 yards is hardly impressive but add in the TD and you go from wrong to indifferent. You know this already but the Pats RB situation is just too dicey to rely upon if you are in a Week 17 fantasy Super Bowl.
I am going to replace the last “indifferent” and repeat a note I had in last week’s column – week after week I hunt for items to include in the Wrong and Indifferent sections of this column. The reality is that Jeff Mans misses the mark so few times that it is tough to find mistakes. Remember that when deciding who to read and on whom to rely next week.
OK, let’s use what we learned and win in Week 17. Good luck!
Player News
Dolphins signed No. 13 overall pick DT Kenneth Grant to a four-year contract.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that Grant will sign his contract today. The former Michigan defensive tackle is expected to fill a major void left by Christian Wilkins, who left for the Raiders in the 2024 offseason. Grant totaled 32 tackles, three sacks, and seven TFLs in his final season at Michigan and excelled at stopping the run while also generating 27 pressures in his final season, per PFF.
Beat reporter John Hendrix reports that free agent WR Donovan Peoples-Jones is among the 16 players that the Saints will host for their rookie minicamp.
Peoples-Jones last played regular season snaps with the Lions back in 2023, when he caught 13-of-24 targets for 155 yards. He is highly unlikely to return to fantasy relevance at this point but could perhaps sign on as a special teams contributor.
Titans signed fourth-round pick WR Elic Ayomanor to a four-year contract.
Ayomanor will now begin learning behind Calvin Ridley. Although Ayomanor is unlikely to find a meaningful role in year one, dynasty managers should note his status as training camp gets underway this summer. The former Stanford receiver flashed big-play ability in his two college seasons.
Buccaneers signed seventh-round pick WR Tez Johnson to a four-year contract.
Johnson will serve as a rotational deep-threat option for Baker Mayfield. His thin frame (5'10/154) simply does not lend itself to the repeated hits one incurs in a full-time role. Johnson did earn 100-plus targets in his two seasons at Oregon, though. His big-play style make him a better fit in best ball for now, pending any major on-field breakthroughs.
Giants waived DT Casey Rogers.
Rogers was a 2024 undrafted free agent and logged 33 defensive snaps for the Giants in his rookie season. He is credited with zero tackles and/or sacks. He may find his way onto another roster as a practice squad option.
Vikings signed third-round pick WR Tai Felton to a four-year contract.
Felton is quietly in play to challenge Vikings No. 3 WR Jalen Nailor in training camp. Nailor (5'11/190) caught 28-of-42 targets for 414 yards and six touchdowns in his first season as a starter last year, with the latter category buoying his fantasy productivity. Felton (6'1/183), meanwhile, caught 96-of-143 targets for 1,119 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 2.32 yards per route run in his final college season. Fantasy managers should monitor Felton’s training camp reports this summer, as he could have a matchup-based WR5 role if everything falls into place.