The Worksheet, a comprehensive fantasy football preview by Rich Hribar, breaks down everything you need to know about the Week 16 matchup between the Cardinals and Falcons.
Find a breakdown of every Week 16 NFL game in our Worksheet Hub.
| Atlanta | Rank | @ | Arizona | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -2.5 | Spread | 2.5 | ||
| 25.0 | Implied Total | 22.5 | ||
| 20.1 | 26 | Points/Gm | 21.6 | 21 |
| 24.4 | 22 | Points All./Gm | 27.7 | 27 |
| 61.5 | 16 | Plays/Gm | 65.1 | 4 |
| 62.1 | 18 | Opp. Plays/Gm | 62.3 | 21 |
| 5.5 | 11 | Off. Yards/Play | 5.1 | 23 |
| 5.2 | 12 | Def. Yards/Play | 5.6 | 24 |
| 44.37% | 15 | Rush% | 34.58% | 31 |
| 55.63% | 18 | Pass% | 65.42% | 2 |
| 45.63% | 22 | Opp. Rush % | 44.27% | 20 |
| 54.37% | 11 | Opp. Pass % | 55.73% | 13 |
- Games in Arizona are 6-1 (.857) towards the over, the highest rate in the league.
- The Cardinals are a league-worst 1-6 against the spread at home this season.
- The Cardinals are 0-6 with an NFL-worst -95 point differential over their past six games.
- Arizona is allowing a league-high 112.8 fantasy points per game over that span.
- The Cardinals are averaging 106.0 fantasy points per game on offense under Jacoby Brissett (4th in the league) after 83.7 per game prior (26th).
- Atlanta has allowed 4.7 plays of 20 yards or more per game since Week 9, 29th in the league. They had allowed 2.1 per game prior, 2nd in the league.
- The Falcons are 2nd in the NFL in sack differential (+27).
- Arizona is 30th in sack differential (-22).
Trust = spike production for that player
Quarterback
Jacoby Brissett: This volume train keeps on moving.
Before Brissett even ran a play on Sunday, the Cardinals were already down 10-0.
After a three-and-out on that drive and then another Houston score in the first quarter, the game was 17-0, and we were off to the races again.
Brissett threw the ball 40 times, completing 27 passes (67.5%) for 249 yards (6.2 Y/A) with 3 touchdowns and an interception.
He closed the week as the QB12 (20.6 points), keeping his streak rolling as a top-12 scorer in nine straight games.
Brissett is averaging 42.8 pass attempts per game over his run as the starting quarterback.
Paired with a defense that has fallen apart and an injury-riddled backfield, the Cardinals have thrown the ball 8.3% over expectations, the highest rate in the league.
Brissett found ways to sneak in as a volume-based QB1 in recent weeks against the Rams and Texans, so there is no reason to run away from him here unless you are chasing a larger ceiling than the QB9-QB12 range.
Over their past eight games, Atlanta has allowed 7.8 yards per pass attempt (24th) and a 5.9% touchdown rate (24th).
They are allowing 15.9 passing points per game over that stretch (26th).
They also have a 10.9% sack rate over that span, so this is a spot where you can play the defense with the quarterback, since you can project so many dropbacks.
Kirk Cousins: Cousins provided gamers at least one more spike week in a big spot on Thursday.
He ended the week as the QB3 (26.9 points), completing 30 of 44 passes (68.2%) for 373 yards (8.5 Y/A) with 3 touchdowns.
Cousins is now 3-0 against the Buccaneers with 11 touchdowns and 1 interception the past two seasons, throwing for 386.0 yards per game (8.8 Y/A) and completing 72.5% of his passes.
Against everyone else, he is 6-10 with 13 touchdowns and 18 interceptions, throwing for 198.2 yards per game (7.1 Y/A) and completing 63.9% of his passes.
We will not overly chase last week’s box score replicating itself here, but Cousins does have a favorable matchup to remain in play as a matchup-based QB2 and discounted DFS option.
This Arizona defense is reeling to close the season.
Over their past five games, they have allowed a 68.8% completion rate (30th), 8.3 yards per pass attempt (28th), and a league-high 9% touchdown rate.
They are allowing 19.3 fantasy points per game (27th) over that period with at least 3 passing scores to Brock Purdy, Matthew Stafford, Trevor Lawrence, and C.J. Stroud.
Running Back
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Learn MoreMore Week 16 Fantasy Breakdowns From The Worksheet:
| Matchup | Time |
|---|---|
| Rams @ Seahawks | Thursday Night Football |
| Eagles @ Commanders | Saturday -- 5 p.m. ET |
| Packers @ Bears | Saturday -- 8:20 p.m. ET |
| Chargers @ Cowboys | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Bills @ Browns | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Chiefs @ Titans | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Bengals @ Dolphins | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Jets @ Saints | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Vikings @ Giants | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Bucs @ Panthers | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Jaguars @ Broncos | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Falcons @ Cardinals | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Steelers @ Lions | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Raiders @ Texans | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Patriots @ Ravens | Sunday Night Football |
| 49ers @ Colts | Monday Night Football |