Every Monday, fantasy football analyst Joel Smith goes over eight important statistics you may have overlooked from the week. There are a lot of notable stats in Week 16. Do you need to know what keys to fantasy success your teammates may be missing?
15
Emeka Egbuka had his lowest line run of his rookie season on Sunday. With Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan fully healthy, both receivers saw more action in Week 16 than the struggling Egbuka. The Bucs’ quarterback efficiency has yet to return with the return of the Buccaneers’ receivers. Egbuka has excelled at the start of the year not because of the incredible volume he thinks Tampa Bay’s only healthy receiver has, but because of his top-notch efficiency. Now, the rookie has neither. In his two games back, Evans is shooting a league-high 40.4% per route.
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With Egbuka sitting fourth overall in a struggling Buccaneers passing attack, he’s no longer in flex territory for head coaches looking to bounce back this week. Tampa Bay ranks 24th in the number of fantasy PPG productions received since the Week 9 bye. Even against a weaker Miami secondary in Week 17, the Buccaneers didn’t have many positives in passing the ball outside of Evans.
18-5
Omarion Hampton’s carry+goal advantage over Kimani Vidal. In the first two weeks after Hampton’s return, the score was 31-30, a near-perfect 50/50. With a struggling offensive line and a lack of receiving volume, Hampton need Just like he did on Sunday against the Cowboys. With Vidal receiving 18 of 23 touches instead of his usual 12 of 23, the difference between a great RB2 and a weak flex (based on his score per touch on the day).
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The Cowboys without Quinnen Williams aren’t the same Texans defense Hampton will face in the fantasy championship, but Week 16 should provide some hope. First-round pick Ashton Jeanty scored over 30 points against the Texans defense in Week 16, the best mark at the position compared to their schedule. A close scoreline in a home game could go a long way toward Hampden’s success next Saturday.
21.5
Ashton Jeanty has had fantasy PPG in six games for the Raiders, who haven’t lost by more than three points. In his other games, the rookie averaged just 10.5 points per game. When they keep it close, Jeanty takes center stage, as evidenced by his 25 touches against the NFL’s best defense on Sunday. I’m using this stat not just because of the Raiders’ two-point loss to a dominant Texans defense, but also because of their Week 17 game.
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As mentioned before, Houston’s matchup against RB ranks No. 1 compared to this season’s schedule. The next matchup between the Giants and Raiders enters the week ranked 31st. Las Vegas has a chance to have its seventh close game of the season as the Raiders trail New York by just 2.5 points at home. For those who survived the 31-0 blowout win over the Eagles in Week 15, Jeanty may start Week 17 with a little more confidence.
83%
There are routes to Drake London. It’s not the day one would have hoped for injury-free, but the volume of games in London has returned to normal. Kirk Cousins maintains a focus on star players in Zach Robinson’s offense. Bijan Robinson had 11 targets, Kyle Pitts had nine targets and London had eight targets. No other player has more than two goals. Pitts may have goals beyond London, but his goals downfield should be better than his performance on Sunday.
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However, London’s 26.7% targets per route were the best among Atlanta’s wide receivers and tight ends. Next week, the Falcons take on the Rams, who have been down in passing fantasy PPG has allowed recently. I could very well see this going like the Rams’ Week 14 game against the struggling Cardinals. Arizona lost 45-17, but that didn’t stop Michael Wilson and Trey McBride from combining for 200 yards receiving. Regardless, London’s last bad game came in Week 7 against San Francisco. In Week 8, he scored 34.3 points.
13.3
Week 15 Fantasy Point at Taysom Mountain. The best thing about Mount Taysom is that the QB-RB hybrid can count as TE, which is the hardest fantasy position to find real value at. The key here is the absence of Devin Neal and Alvin Kamara. The Saints turned to their triple-threat “TE” by giving Hill 12 rushes, six targets and one pass attempt (a 38-yard touchdown to Chris Olave). Fantasy TE is all about TDs, and Hill’s use of the red zone makes him one of the best.
Aside from volume, another reason Hill had a strong performance in Week 15 was the Jets defense. New York is allowing the opposing offense to score more than 28 points per game, but the Titans (the Saints’ Week 17 game) are outscored by less than two points. Hill has had multiple games with 15-plus fantasy points every season since 2019; he just got his first of 2025.
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33.7
Since Week 11, the Steelers RB ranks second in fantasy PPG in the NFL, behind only Detroit. Kenneth Gamwell and Jaylen Warren form a dominant duo alongside Aaron Rodgers. Pittsburgh ranks behind only CMC and the 49ers in RB target share this season, with 25% of Rodgers’ passes going to defenders. Most importantly, it helps with their consistency. Over the past five weeks, each RB has scored 12 or more points in four of five games. Gainwell has been a fantasy RB10 since Week 10.
With the prospect of being without DK Metcalf in Week 17, Pittsburgh’s running backs may get even more of a spotlight. Even though the Steelers duo combined for less than 100 yards in their last game against Cleveland, it wasn’t the Browns’ defense. Since the Week 9 bye, Cleveland ranks last (32nd) in fantasy points allowed by RBs. Both running backs can be relied upon as the Steelers continue their playoff push.
0/7
RB touches the ball after Josh Jacobs fumbles it in the third quarter. Heading into Saturday’s Week 16 game against Chicago, Jacobs finished the day without practice and had 12 carries for 36 yards. The key in Week 17 will be watching his practice reports. When Jacobs played injured the past few weeks, the Packers allowed him to practice on a limited basis throughout the week. It wasn’t until Week 16 that Jacobs was completely rested for game time.
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Once he fumbled the ball in the third quarter, the injured guard played just two plays in the fourth quarter without touching the ball. It could be a scary start against a Ravens defense that has been dominant in the second half of the season. Since the Week 7 bye, the Ravens defense has allowed just 11.7 rushing fantasy points, the lowest in the NFL. Since Jacobs’ value relies on his rushing touchdowns, the matchup against Baltimore, which has two rushing touchdowns in its past six games, is concerning.
0.16
Bryce Hall and Brady Cook have combined for fantasy points at quarterback, which would be last among RBs this season. Rushed volume can only get you so far. I say rush because Hall’s once game-changing catching upside is no longer there in 2025. Hall hasn’t had a game with more than five targets since Week 5. The Jets’ star RB has a touchdown rate of less than 2 percent this season, and his odds aren’t improving.
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New York already faced New England in Week 11, when Hall had 14 carries for 58 yards and two catches for 6 yards. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Hall fall below 10 fantasy points again, for the fourth straight week.
