Week 16 Thursday Fantasy Football Takeaways: Chargers' Gus Edwards Scores Twice in Win; Broncos' Javonte Williams and Audric Estime Each have Solid Showings

Week 16 of the NFL regular season opened with a very entertaining game between the Los Angeles Chargers and Denver Broncos.

Let’s go over some fantasy football takeaways from the contest.

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Game Stats

Los Angeles earned a 34-27 victory. The Chargers trailed by 11 points at two different points, but scored three straight second-half touchdowns to surge ahead and come away with a big win.

Los Angeles had 380 total yards of offense, with 284 through the air and 117 on the ground. The Chargers turned the ball over once, were called for two penalties and got sacked twice.

Denver had 355 total yards of offense, with 263 through the air and 110 on the ground. The Broncos didn’t turn the ball over, got sacked twice and were whistled for seven penalties.

Gus Edwards Stands Out

There were a fair amount of big-time fantasy performances in this game, but it was Gus Edwards who stood out. He’s rostered in just 62% of leagues and started in 15% last night.

Edwards had 68 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries. He caught a three-yard pass across his two targets. 

Fantasy owners hoped Edwards would step up as a fantasy asset after the injury to J.K. Dobbins, but that simply hadn’t happened until Thursday night. Edwards should be a popular waiver addition going into week 17. He’s got a matchup against the Patriots, which is a slightly above-average fantasy matchup for him.

Justin Herbert, Ladd McConkey Lead Passing Game

In less surprising fantasy showings, Justin Herbert and Ladd McConkey powered the Chargers’ passing game.

Herbert was 23-of-31 passing for 284 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He also rushed eight times for 28 yards. 

It might not look like a monster fantasy showing, but against one of the better defenses in the NFL, this was a great showing for Herbert. He’s been on the start/sit line in standard leagues for several weeks now, and an average matchup in week 17 will likely leave him there. Coming off a big showing against a tougher defense, I wouldn’t be surprised if Herbert started in more than 32% of leagues (like he did this week).

McConkey went for 87 yards on six catches and targets. Without a touchdown, his fantasy outing was just good, instead of great, but fantasy owners who started him will definitely take this performance.

He tied for the team lead in targets and has been the team’s top passing target most of the season. In an average matchup in week 17, McConkey should be another popular player in the start/sit tool, so check back for our starting recommendations on him.

Other Notable LA Performances

No other Charger had over 45 total yards, but there were a couple guys who scored to deliver solid fantasy totals.

Hassan Haskins had 39 receiving yards and a touchdown on two grabs and targets. He’s been the team’s No. 3 back of late, and a 34-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter really boosted his fantasy outing. He’s an option in deep leagues, but more of a lottery pick than someone to trust all that much.

Derius Davis got three touches on Thursday night. He had a rush that went backward three yards, while also going for 31 yards and a score on two receptions and targets. He’s been getting a couple touches per game most of the season, but still hasn’t gone over 30 total yards in a game. He’s another lottery pick fantasy player for those of you in really deep leagues.

Joshua Palmer went for 41 receiving yards on three catches and six targets - he also caught a two-point conversion pass. He’s a better deep-league option, but with only one game over 45 yards in the past seven contests, he’s a pretty risky starting option.

Tight end Stone Smartt had 37 yards on three catches and targets. Will Dissly missed the game with an injury and Hayden Hurst wasn’t up to speed while playing his first game in a while. You’ll need to watch the injury report to see what LA tight end you can think about playing in week 17. The matchup against New England is slightly above average.

Quentin Johnston has been a decent fantasy asset at times this season, but only had 18 yards on three grabs and six targets. He’s just a deep-league starting option, and not the safest one because he’s pretty reliant on touchdowns as a fantasy player.

Running back Kimani Vidal had 24 rushing yards on five carries. He fumbled, but it wasn’t lost. I thought he’d eventually become the lead back for LA, but that hasn’t happened. He’s another lottery pick starting option in really deep leagues.

Bo Nix the Top Denver Fantasy Player

Denver quarterback Bo Nix had a really nice fantasy showing despite taking the loss in the contest.

He was 29-of-40 passing for 263 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Nix ran for an additional 25 yards on three carries.

This was an average fantasy matchup for Nix, so I’d say he outperformed expectations by a bit. A week 17 clash against the Bengals is a very favorable matchup on paper, so you can bet Nix will be starting in more leagues than he was this week.

Javonte Williams, Audric Estime Power Backfield

Jaleel McLaughlin missed the game with an injury, so Javonte Williams and Audric Estime got a little more work this week. Neother really delivered a ton of yards, but a touchdown and several catches helped each back deliver a good fantasy score for those of you who played them.

Estime rushed for 48 yards and a score on nine carries. It was his most carries in six games, and while it was nice to see from the rookie, McLaughlin’s status will need to be watched before just plugging Estime into starting lineups for week 17. It’ll be close to an average matchup against Cincy for whatever Denver backs play.

Williams got just four carries, going for 24 yards, but caught seven of his 11 targets for 29 yards to finish in double figures in PPR fantasy leagues. Williams hasn’t been nearly this involved in the passing game all season, so I’m taking this performance with a grain of salt. He’s a better deep-league option, but again, you’ll need to watch McLaughlin’s status before even considering him for a week 17 start.

Marvin Mims, Courtland Sutton Lead Pass Catchers

It was a pretty balanced day for the Denver pass catchers. Only Marvin Mims and Courtland Sutton had 50 or more yards (no other pass catcher was even at 30 yards).

Mims had 63 receiving yards on three receptions and five targets. He also rushed once for three yards. Mims has been a decent fantasy asset of late, getting at least four touches in six straight games. His yardages have been a bit sporadic, making him a better deep-league option. It’s a pretty average matchup for Denver wideouts against Cincy for week 17, but Mims should draw a handful of fantasy starts in deeper leagues.

Sutton had 50 yards on five catches and six targets. It was a bit underwhelming fantasy outing, but fantasy owners will take the 10 PPR points over nothing. He’s still the team’s top fantasy pass catcher, but after a couple of low-yardage outings, he’ll be on the start/sit line for week 17.

Devaughn Vele and Michael Burton had a touchdown grab each. Vele had just 21 yards on two catches and three targets, while Burton went for 19 yards on three grabs and targets.

Vele has had some decent fantasy outings this season, but has been under 25 yards in three straight now. He’s an option in deep leagues, but more a lottery pick option than a player to trust.

Burton had only gone over 15 yards in one other game this season, so this was a surprise outing. The fullback is only an extremely deep-league option for those of you extremely desperate.

IDP Standouts

Los Angeles’ Daiyan Henley recorded 10 combined tackles on Thursday. He’s a great weekly IDP option and has now reached double-digit tackles in eight of the past nine games. Put him in your starting lineups and don’t think about it again.

Denver’s Brandon Jones went for 10 combined tackles and also swatted down a pass. He’s had a couple big tackle games this season. With 101 total tackles and a couple other splash plays, Jones is a solid IDP safety option to start every week.

Broncos’ Kris Abrams-Draine had four tackles and an interception on Thursday. It was just his third game of the season, and he has only eight combined tackles now. He’s a deep-league IDP option, but should get a little more attention after this performance.