Fantasy Football: 3 Bold Predictions for Week 16
The Chargers Will be the Highest-Scoring Defense
Look, I am a big fan of Lamar Jackson. What he can do on a football field is just downright exciting. He improved in each season of his college career and at just 21 years of age he's already leading the Baltimore Ravens on a hot streak that could land them into the playoffs.
I wanted to establish that I believe in Jackson, and I think he will continue to grow as a quarterback with each passing season, just as he did with the Louisville Cardinals -- before I start to tear him down.
Jackson has played just okay this season. He's had a high floor for fantasy since taking over as the starter in Week 11 due to his prowess rushing the football, but he has struggled as a passer. During that span, he's been completing just 58.93 percent of his passes, he's taken 10 sacks, and has only thrown 4 touchdowns to 3 interceptions.
That's not even the worst part. He has seven fumbles over his last five games. That's so many fumbles. He's had legitimate ball security issues, which is what generates the most fantasy points for opposing defenses.
Speaking of defenses, the Ravens haven't played a single pass defense ranked in the top half of numberFire's nERD metrics since Jackson took over, including three bottom-six teams. Jackson's passing numbers have been poor while playing against some of the most-injured and poorly-coordinated defenses available.
The Los Angeles Chargers D/ST isn't one of the worst defenses in the league. In fact, they are quite good -- they're numberFire's 10th-ranked defense overall -- and are easily the best defense Jackson has started against to date. The team just got Joey Bosa back and is starting to hit their stride, holding Patrick Mahomes to his lowest yardage total this season.
Jackson is already one of the most uniquely talented players in the NFL, and I can't wait to see what he can become. But this week he's going to faceplant and help lead the Chargers defense to the top positional finish in Week 16.
