Week 16 Saturday Fantasy Football Takeaways: Kareem Hunt, Dalton Schultz, Zay Flowers, Calvin Austin and More

Week 16 of the NFL regular season included a pair of games.

Let’s take a look at a couple fantasy takeaways from the contests.

Explore the best in-season fantasy football tool to manage your team and get league rankings with the Fantasy Assistant. Use our  trade analyzer and trade value charts to break down trade scenarios with Fair Trade ratings. Need a fantasy expert on call for waivers specific to your league? Our AI Fantasy Expert can break down any player for you inside the Fantasy Assistant.

Game Stats

Kansas City earned a 27-19 win over Houston, while Baltimore picked up a big 34-17 victory over Pittsburgh.

The Chiefs had 375 total yards, with 260 coming through the air and 124 on the ground. They had no turnovers, two penalties and were sacked just once.

The Texans had 311 total yards, with 244 through the air and 84 on the ground. They had two turnovers, were sacked twice and got called for six penalties.

The Ravens had 418 yards of offense, with 220 on the ground and 207 through the air. Baltimore had one turnover, two penalties and got sacked once.

The Steelers went for 315 total yards, with 217 through the air and 117 on the ground. Pittsburgh was sacked three times, turned the ball over twice and were called for five penalties.

Kareem Hunt Over Isiah Pacheco?

The biggest offensive fantasy takeaway was Kareem Hunt having a bigger day than Isiah Pacheco.

Hunt rushed 11 times for 55 yards and a score, while also having 24 receiving yards on two catches and three targets. Pacheco had 26 rushing yards on nine carries and a catch across two targets that went backward a yard.

Not only did Hunt do more with his touches, but he also played more. He was on the court for 32 offensive snaps, which was 43% of the team’s total. Pacheco played 35% of the snaps, which was 26 snaps.

I figured Pacheco would take over the majority of the backfield touches as he got back into the swing of things, but Hunt appears to not be going anywhere. The Chiefs also could be splitting the workload in an effort to keep both backs fresh for the postseason, especially with a bunch of games in a short amount of time.

Whatever the case is, Hunt looks more like the team’s RB1 than Pacheco. Neither are getting enough touches to be starting in many standard leagues - both are definitely options in deeper leagues.

The Steelers are usually a pretty good defense when it comes to slowing running backs, but they were just shredded by the Ravens. I still don’t like the matchup enough to play either back in week 17 - they will stay deep-league options only.

Which Texans’ Pass Catcher will Step Up?

Tank Dell led the Texans with 98 receiving yards and a touchdown on six receptions and seven targets. It was one of his best games of the season, but he also left the game with a significant knee injury, and it's pretty much a given he’ll miss extended time now.

Nico Collins was second on the team with 60 yards on seven grabs and 10 targets. He’s usually the top target in the Houston passing attack, and with Dell out now, Collins’ fantasy outlook should be even better. He’s a must-start player anyway, but you should feel great if he’s in your lineup going into week 17.

Tight end Dalton Schultz seems like the best bet to step up, and he’s the next-best fantasy pass catcher in Houston after Collins and Dell. He had 45 yards and a score on five catches and eight targets on Saturday.

The Steelers are a pretty average matchup for tight ends, and with Dell likely out, Schultz is going to be a pretty good starting option for week 17. I’m sure we’ll cover him in start/sit articles as week 17 approaches, so check back for those!

No other Houston pass catcher had over 19 receiving yards. I don’t see any other pass catchers being worthy of a standard league start in week 17.

Xavier Hutchinson and Robert Woods each played 34 offensive snaps, which was just 58% of the team’s total. Irv Smith Jr. played 18 snaps, while Jared Wayne was on the field for just eight snaps.

Woods is the better fantasy option with eight targets over the past two weeks, but he’s not a great one with only five catches and 31 yards in those games. He’s the only pass catcher outside Collins and Schultz that I’d consider in week 17.

Hutchinson has just 21 yards on two catches and targets over the past two games. He hasn’t done much all season, and the only thing making him a possible deep-league option is his snaps played.

Someone outside Collins and Schultz could deliver a decent fantasy score in week 17, but it’s far too risky to try anyone in such a critical fantasy week. 

Derrick Henry and Zay Flowers Ease Fantasy Owner’s Minds

Baltimore’s Derrick Henry and Zay Flowers have been good fantasy players most of the season, but both have just been solid of late. They both delivered big games in week 16, which should ease fantasy owner’s minds going into week 17.

Henry rushed for 162 yards on 24 carries, while adding 27 receiving yards on two catches and targets. He didn’t score for his fourth straight game (which is most of the reason he was just a solid fantasy player of late), but he had enough yardage to help fantasy teams out.

He’ll take on the Texans in week 17, which is a pretty tough matchup on paper. The Chiefs’ big game on the ground on Saturday mixed with Henry’s talent and big game makes him a good starting option. Not many were sitting him, but a poor game on Saturday might have at least put Henry in start/sit decisions - you don’t have to worry about that now, start him in week 17.

Flowers went for 100 yards on five catches and eight targets. He rushed once for three yards.

It was his first game over 100 total yards since week 9. He hadn’t topped 71 yards in any of those games.

The Texans are a pretty favorable matchup for a receiver anyways, but Flowers’ big outing this week should put him in a ton of starting lineups in week 17 (more than the 65% that did this week).

Calvin Austin a Notable Positive Steeler Performer

Not many Steelers delivered good fantasy scores on Saturday.

George Pickens missed another game, so it left the team’s pass catchers without their clear No. 1 option. Calvin Austin was the one who stepped up, catching four of his five targets for 65 yards.

It was the second straight week Austin went for 65 yards, but he did it on one fewer catch this week. In the two weeks before that, Austin had just three catches for 33 yards combined.

As long as Pickens misses week 17, Austin is going to be a decent fantasy starting option. The clash with the Chiefs is a pretty average one for a receiver, so I’d say that Austin is definitely an option in standard leagues. Considering most leagues are in the fantasy championships next week, I’d guess those teams have better starting wide receiver options available.

I like Austin better as a deep-league option, but again, that’s only if Pickens misses the game. He’ll be a popular waiver wire option, and will see his start percentage rise most likely.