Surprise Players Who Could Help You Win in the Fantasy Football Playoffs in Week 16: Joe Flacco, Justice Hill, Wan'Dale Robinson and Hunter Henry

Ted highlights one player at each position who could come out of nowhere with a huge performance in the fantasy football semifinals.

Stars win games in fantasy football. But your lineup is only as good as its weakest link, and this late in the season, that link can be pretty weak. Fantasy football playoff matchups are often decided by guys who come out of absolutely nowhere with a big game. One of my fondest fantasy memories is winning a championship on the backs of DaeSean Hamilton and Elijah McGuire — and that was in a 10-team home league. Even more random players can and will make a difference in deeper leagues. With that in mind, I want to highlight one player at every position who could surprise everyone with a week-winning (or at least not week-losing) performance in Week 16 for the fantasy football semifinals.

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Best Deep Streaming Options For Fantasy Football Week 16

Quarterback: Joe Flacco, Cleveland Browns

If we're talking about the kind of players who look very out of place in a playoff-matchup-winning lineup, 38-year-old Joe Flacco certainly fits the bill. But I think he's a more than solid desperation option this week. Flacco has at least two passing touchdowns in each of his three starts for Cleveland. That's not too surprising given that he has attempted at least 44 passes in each of those weeks. That's over five more attempts per game than Kirk Cousins, the second most prolific passer in the NFL this season.

Flacco's volume is turning into fantasy success, too. He has finished as a top-10 quarterback in each of the last two weeks, even overcoming three interceptions last week against the Bears to finish as the QB9. In a matchup with the Texans, who allow the eighth-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, he could certainly post another QB1 finish. Given that he's available in 63% of leagues, consider scooping the Elite Dragon if you're desperate for QB play in your fantasy football semifinals.

Running Back: Justice Hill, Baltimore Ravens

Now this one is really gross. This isn't too surprising, as running backs with any sort of consistent role are few and far between at this point of the season. But Justice Hill has just two games over eight Half-PPR points all season ... and the last one of those came in Week 5. However, I think there's a chance he has his third semi-productive game of the season this week when it matters most.

For one, Keaton Mitchell's unfortunate injury obviously opens up more usage for the veteran in the Ravens' backfield. In Weeks 1-9, before the emergence of the explosive rookie, Hill averaged 7.25 rushing attempts and two targets a game. Not great, but not nothing. For another, I think this high-profile matchup with the 49ers sets up well for his usage. A likely negative game script against the 49ers' elite offense certainly benefits him over Gus Edwards, as he is the preferred pass-blocking and receiving back. And while San Francisco ranks as a bad matchup for running backs due to the lack of volume they've faced, the 49ers actually allow an above-average number of yards per carry. Don't get me wrong, this is only a play if you're desperate. But Hill could have an okay outing in PPR formats with a handful of catches and a handful of rushes. If he somehow manages to score a touchdown, we're golden. 

Wide Receiver: Wan'Dale Robinson, New York Giants

This is the position where there are by far the most options. Every NFL team has just one QB, most don't have any fantasy-relevant tight ends, and running backs that see volume are hoarded like gold. But most teams have three wide receivers play a solid amount of snaps each week, and there's usually someone available who can put up a solid outing in a pinch. In fact, I considered multiple names for this spot: Joshua Palmer, Tyler Boyd, Demario Douglas, and Dontayvion Wicks are all widely available and should see real volume this week. But Robinson is my favorite of the bunch. 

The sophomore slot receiver posted his highest route participation rate of the season last week at 91%, a truly full-time role, and that number has been over 80% in each of the last four weeks. Robinson should be able to perform in this expanded role, as he has the highest yards per route run of any Giants receiver at 1.20 (that's not a good number by the standards of any normal NFL team, but being the most efficient receiver on your team is always good). Once we consider that the Eagles are by far the easiest fantasy matchup for receivers, Wan'Dale looks like a shockingly good start for a player available in 87% of leagues.

Tight End: Hunter Henry (or Mike Gesicki), New England Patriots

Sometimes, things are simple. Henry had a huge game last week, catching seven of nine targets for 66 yards and a touchdown. This week, he gets to face a Broncos defense that allows the most points per game to opposing tight ends. Like any tight end outside of the usual TE1 suspects, he is certainly capable of dropping an absolute zero. But even if he only catches one pass, there's a good chance it is a touchdown. He leads all TEs in the share of his team's end zone targets that he sees with a whopping 38%, and 14% of his catches this season have gone for six. 

Henry is dealing with an injury, so there's a chance he doesn't suit up. If that is the case, I think you can get even more disgusting and roll out former Dolphin Mike Gesicki. Gesicki hasn't done much of note this season, but he has always been a very capable pass-catcher for the position, acting more as a big slot receiver than a traditional tight end. He even tried to get himself designated as a WR for franchise tag purposes. If Henry can't go, he should get all the usage he can handle, and that should turn into a solid fantasy outing.  

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