5 Fantasy Football Bold Predictions: Week 16 (2022)

“Fortune befriends the bold.”
-Emily Dickinson

It’s time for weekly bold predictions.

The point here is that if you follow the consensus, you’re probably going to have a good team. But in order to go from good to great, you have to take some chances. You have to do your homework and figure out where you can zig when the rest of your league (or at least your opponent this week) zags. In short, you need to know how and when to be bold.

We asked our analysts to provide a bold prediction for Week 16. Their answers and justifications are below.

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Week 16 Bold Predictions

Miles Sanders bounces back in a BIG WAY. 100 rushing yards and multiple rushing TDs with no Jalen Hurts
Nick Sirianni said that he didn’t use Miles Sanders enough vs. the Chicago Bears. His 1st carry did not come until 6:47 in the second quarter as the Eagles deployed an extremely pass-heavy approach. “We’ve got to get him the ball more,” Sirianni said. And this is hardly just coach speak, considering how Sanders has performed after bad weeks this season. Sanders has finished with 3 games under 50 rushing yards this season, including last week. In the following weeks, he has finished as the fantasy RB3, RB2 and RB3. I’d expect the ground game to remain a major emphasis with Gardner Minshew drawing the start.
– Andrew Erickson

D.J. Moore will finish as a top 10 WR in Week 16
The Panthers offense is not an exciting one, but it is easy to know where the football is going. With the Lions defense picking things up the last six weeks, Carolina will have to throw on the suspect Lions secondary that let Zach Wilson look halfway serviceable last week. That means a large target share for D.J. Moore. He’s a must-start this week.
– Joe Pisapia

Drake London will finish as a top 15 wide receiver this week
Since Week 8, the Ravens have allowed the 11th-most fantasy points per game to perimeter wide receivers and the third-highest catch rate to wide receivers overall. Marcus Peters missing this game is another blow to the secondary, and with Marlon Humphrey not shadowing this year, it won’t be hard for London to avoid Humphrey. Last week with Ridder, London soaked up a 42.3% target share (11 targets), producing seven receptions and 70 receiving yards. He finished with a 46.6% air yard share and 2.41 yards per route run. Even zooming out to his last two games, London has been a volume monster with a 46% target share (11.5 targets per game) with 46.6% of the team’s air yards and 3.24 yards per route run. London should shine in a pivotal week for fantasy gamers.
– Derek Brown

Taysom Hill will run for 100+ yards and a touchdown and finish as a top-three TE for the week
The weather for the Saints-Browns game in Cleveland on Saturday is going to be miserable. Temperatures are expected to be in the low teens, there’s a chance of snow, and a 30 mph wind is expected, with gusts approaching 50 mph. Let’s just say that passing conditions will not be ideal. Look for the Saints to give Hill a lot of work at quarterback, and he’ll be doing much more running than throwing. The Saints’ offense will be facing a poor Browns run defense that has allowed the eighth-most rushing yards this season and is giving up 5.0 yards per carry. Hill could be an excellent TE option for fantasy managers savvy enough to capitalize on foul winter weather.
– Pat Fitzmaurice

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