Week 16 Monday Night Start Decisions and Rankings: Should You Be Starting Green Bay's Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs or Christian Watson? What About New Orleans' Kendre Miller and Juwan Johnson?

Week 16 of the NFL regular season finishes off with a game between the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints.

Let’s take a look at the top fantasy players from the contest. We’ll also provide rankings for the offensive skill position players before we wrap up.

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Quarterbacks

Jordan Love leads the Packers, while Spencer Rattler guides the Saints.

Love has 2,953 passing yards, 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions on the season. He also has 75 rushing yards and a score on the ground. Love scored 18 fantasy points last week and has 15 or more in five straight contests.

Rattler has 706 passing yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions this season. He’s rushed for 61 yards. Rattler had 135 passing yards, a score and no picks in the second half of last week’s game.

It’s a very tough matchup for Rattler, while being a slightly more favorable clash for Love. In the weekly projections, Love is set for 19 fantasy points, while Rattler is at just nine.

Love is clearly the best fantasy option in this game. Even in the bit tougher matchup, I expect him to deliver another solid fantasy score, at least. I would have tried to avoid Rattler at all costs this week - if you’re stuck starting him, you just hope he can provide you a few points and avoid a ton of negatives.

Running Backs

Josh Jacobs powers the Packers’ backfield, while Emanuel Wilson and Chris Brooks back him up. Kendre Miller is expected to lead the Saints’ backfield with Alvin Kamara out with an injury. Jamaal Williams and Jordan Mims are the top-two backups for Miller tonight.

Jacobs has 1,147 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns across 265 attempts this season. He’s also got 302 receiving yards and a score on 31 receptions and 38 targets. Jacobs has scored at least 22 fantasy points in five straight games.

Wilson has 348 rushing yards and a score on 72 carries, while adding 46 receiving yards and a touchdown on nine grabs and 12 targets. He’s scored just four fantasy points over the previous three contests. Brooks has 101 rushing yards on 22 attempts and 67 receiving yards on 10 catches and 11 targets. He had three fantasy points last week, but zero in the previous game.

Miller has 19 rushing attempts over the past two games, gaining 78 yards and scoring once. He’s only had two receptions across five games played this season, but might be a bit more involved in the pass game tonight.

Williams has 129 rushing yards and a score on 35 attempts and 38 receiving yards on seven catches and nine targets this season. He’s gotten six touches over the past six contests. Mims has 42 rushing yards on 14 carries and an additional 42 receiving yards on four grabs and seven targets. He hasn’t gotten a touch over the past three games.

It’s a pretty favorable matchup for the Packers’ backs, while being an average test for the Saints’ RBs. Jacobs is projected for 21 PPR fantasy points, while Miller is at 12. They are the only two inside the top 55 backs in the weekly projections.

Jacobs is clearly the top fantasy back in this matchup, and he’s been a must-start fantasy player for the past several weeks. 

Miller is an intriguing option, and one of the few Saints to consider playing this week. I’d prefer to only play him in a deeper league though. 

No other backs in this contest are worth a start. I’d rank them as follows: Brooks, Wilson, Williams, Mims.

Wide Receivers

The Packers top fantasy wide receivers are Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson and Dontayvion Wicks. The Saints have played Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Dante Pettis, Kevin Austin and Cedrick Wilson of late.

Reed has slowed down a bit as a fantasy performer, with just two PPR performances over 10 points in the past five weeks. He got six targets in weeks 13 and 15, but just one in week 14.

Doubs returned from a concussion and delivered a two-touchdown performance in week 15. He only had 40 yards on three catches and five targets though, so he’s still not the safest fantasy option.

Watson has reached 55 receiving yards in four of the past five games, but had no catches in the other contest. He hasn’t scored since week 6, but does have four or more targets in six of the past seven contests.

Wicks has been a fantasy disappointment this season. He had between 25-50 yards in weeks 12-14, but was limited to just 14 yards last week with Doubs back on the field.

Valdes-Scantling is questionable with a chest injury and illness, and he’s really the only Saints’ wideout worth playing in fantasy. He has over 35 yards in five straight games, and at least 50 yards in four of those contests. He’s scored four times in that span as well.

Pettis was brought in in week 10, but hasn’t topped 25 yards in a game yet. Austin has two games over 30 yards, but three under 20 yards in the past five games. Wilson has just two catches for 37 yards over the past five games.

The matchup for the Saints’ receivers is pretty tough, while the Packers’ wideouts have a more favorable test ahead. So if MVS misses the game, it might make more sense to pivot to a Packers’ wideout than a Saints’ pass catcher.

In the weekly projections, Reed is projected for 12 PPR fantasy points. Watson is at 11 points, while Doubs is at 10. Valdes-Scantling sits at nine points and Wicks is the last one in the top 73 with five projected points.

While I think Reed offers the most upside in tonight’s game, I’d feel safest starting Doubs. I’d take Reed after that and then Watson. 

Valdes-Scantling is my No. 4 wideout in this game and Wicks is really the only other one I’d want to start, but that’d only be in a very deep league. The top-four fantasy wideouts for me are all standard league options, but I’d rather start them in a deeper league. 

Tight Ends

Tucker Kraft is the top fantasy tight end for the Pack, while Luke Musgrave could also return to the field. Juwan Johnson and Foster Moreau lead the Saints.

Kraft has 555 yards and seven touchdowns across 41 receptions and 56 targets this season. He only scored five fantasy points last week, snapping a streak of three straight double-digit outings.

Musgrave hasn’t played since week 4 with an ankle injury. He only had five grabs for 22 yards across seven targets in those first four games.

Moreau has 302 yards and four touchdowns on 23 receptions and 31 targets this season. He scored a touchdown last week to get into double figures as a fantasy performer for the first time.

Johnson has 375 yards and three scores on 36 catches and 47 targets. His only three double-digit fantasy outings came in weeks where he scored.

It’s a more favorable matchup for the Saints’ tight ends tonight. Kraft is projected for nine PPR points, while Johnson sits at seven. Musgrave and Moreau don’t crack the top 24 in the weekly projections.

Kraft is my favorite fantasy tight end tonight, but I preferred to start him in deeper leagues only in a tougher matchup and seeing some of his inconsistent outings this season. Johnson is a better deep-league option, but could get some standard league starts in the favorable matchup.

I like Moreau over Musgrave. I’d consider Moreau in deeper leagues, while staying away from Musgrave in his first game back.

Kickers

Blake Grupe kicks for the Saints. He’s 22-of-26 on his field goals and 29-of-31 on his extra points.

Brandon McManus does the kicking for Green Bay. He’s 14-of-15 on his field goals and has made all 23 of his extra points across eight games played. 

McManus is projected for nine fantasy points, while Grupe is at just four. I also like McManus more tonight, as I think Green Bay eases to victory and scores way more points.

Defenses/Special Teams

The Packers’ defense allows 321.8 yards and 20.5 points per game this season. Green Bay has 26 takeaways and 16 giveaways.

The Saints’ defense gives up 376.6 yards and 22.3 points. New Orleans has 16 takeaways and 15 giveaways.

Green Bay’s D/ST is projected for nine fantasy points, while New Orleans is at just five. I definitely like the Packers’ D/ST more tonight, and would stay away from the Saints’ D/ST at all costs.

Offensive Overall Rankings (OP or Flex Spots)

1. Josh Jacobs

2. Jordan Love

3. Romeo Doubs

4. Jayden Reed

5. Kendre Miller

6. Christian Watson

7. Marquez Valdes-Scantling

8. Tucker Kraft

9. Spencer Rattler

10. Juwan Johnson

11. Foster Moreau

12. Dontayvion Wicks

13. Chris Brooks

14. Dante Pettis

15. Cedrick Wilson

16. Luke Musgrave

17. Emanuel Wilson

18. Jamaal Williams

19. Kevin Austin

20. Jordan Mims