The New York Giants (2-12) will be on the road to visit the Atlanta Falcons (7-7) in Week 16.
Both franchises have their own unique storylines to follow in the last three weeks of the season. For New York, they could end up with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft but also have the Las Vegas Raiders who enter the weekend with the same record.
Atlanta made a seismic change earlier this week when they announced they benched Kirk Cousins in favor of their first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. in their push for a spot in the postseason.
This a big week for fantasy football managers to secure a spot in the championship game. If you have been leaning on the pair of rookies from the Giants, there is one to trust, and there is one you should avoid this Sunday.
Fantasy Football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em: Malik Nabers
The star rookie receiver is coming off his best game since Week 4. In Week 15 against the Baltimore Ravens, he caught 10 balls for 82 yards and scored his first touchdown since Week 3. Nabers now has 90 receptions for the season, the only player in NFL history to have more through 12 games is Odell Beckham Jr. (91 receptions) per NFL Pro.
He has a great matchup this Sunday to help propel his fantasy managers into the championship game. Per Pro Football Reference, he faces an Atlanta defense that has allowed the fourth-most PPG to receivers this season.
Over their last four games, they have allowed four receivers to finish with at least 75 receiving yards and have given up eight touchdowns to the position in those contests. The Falcons are the only team in the league that has surrendered 20 receiving touchdowns to receivers.
The only concern with Nabers this weekend is if Drew Lock can consistently get the ball in his hands, other than that, he is a high-end WR1.
Verdict: Start ‘Em
Fantasy Football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em: Tyrone Tracy Jr.
Tracy Jr. hasn’t crossed 100 total yards since the Giants’ Week 10 loss in Germany to the Carolina Panthers. A big reason for the rookie running back’s lack of production in his last four games is that he isn’t touching the ball as much as he was in the middle of the season.
In the last four weeks, he has only one outing where he finished with at least 15 touches, which he turned into 83 total yards and a touchdown.
He does draw a tough matchup this Sunday afternoon. Tracy Jr. will go against the Falcons’ defense which has allowed the sixth-fewest PPG to running backs this year per Pro Football Reference. They have only given up four rushing touchdowns to running backs, which is the second-lowest in the NFL.
Only one running back crossed 60 rushing yards against Atlanta in their last four games, which was Aaron Jones, who finished with 73 rushing yards. In those four contests, they only gave up three touchdowns to the position.
Between the inconsistent touches Tracy Jr. has seen recently, and facing a defense that has been rough for running backs in fantasy football, I would consider other options this weekend.
Verdict: Sit ‘Em
