Welcome to the GameDay Edge for Week 16, fantasy football community. Since there were games on Tuesday this week, I will use data from last week to create the pressure and explosive charts for Week 16. Usually, the percentages do not alter too much as evident by the insignificant change in the NFL median values week to week.
Week 16 Median NFL Pressure Rates
Week 16 Pressure Matchup Chart
Check out Week 13’s article for an overview of the development of the Pressure Chart.
Week 16 Explosive Matchup Chart
Check out week 9’s GameDay Edge article for the explanation of the explosive chart.
Rushing Tidbits
- Jonathan Taylor should continue his fantasy football MVP season (maybe even NFL MVP) against the Arizona Cardinals. The only thing that could limit him is the lack of carries if the Colts fall behind, but he will make up for it in the passing game.
- Kansas City has several players on the COVID list. If they do not suit up, they can rely on their run game to win against the Steelers. Along with a good rush explosive matchup, the Steelers are giving up the most rush YPA at 4.9 YPA.
- NE-BUF will be interesting. Buffalo can counter the Patriots by running the ball more, even if it is only from QB Josh Allen. NE gives up 4.6 YPA which is tied to two other teams for third-worst.
- Teams with elite rush matchups for fantasy football are Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, LA Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Seattle Seahawks.
- I did not include the Carolina Panthers because Tampa Bay should build a lead; however, I said the same thing about the Detriot Lions last week which backfired.
- Teams with bad rush matchups are Green Bay Packers, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, New York Giants, and San Francisco.
Passing Tidbits
- The Las Vegas Raiders – Denver game should be interesting. The Raiders can have success passing the ball while the Broncos will have success running the ball; which suits both teams.
- Seattle Seahawks have a great matchup, with a plus explosive matchup in rush and pass; while having a negative pressure matchup for the Chicago Bears. This game could end Matt Nagy’s tenure in Chicago.
- The Bengals will again test the Ravens’ secondary. They have been playing well but still giving up long completions. On the flip side, Ravens will have success against the pass as well so this game has a sneaky offensive explosion potential.
- There are also some games that have a good explosive matchup for the offense while having a good pressure matchup for the defense. SF-TEN is the prime example as the Titans have shown all year long that if their front seven harrases the QB, they play great D. However against solid offensive lines, the Titans defense yields passes which is a theme in most of their losses.
- Teams with plus pass matchups with good explosive and pressure matchups are Baltimore Ravens, Green Bay Packers, LA Rams, Las Vegas Raiders, and Seattle Seahawks.
- Teams with bad pass matchups are Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts, and New York Giants.
