The Seattle Seahawks will face the Minnesota Vikings in Week 16. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding QB Geno Smith.
Is Geno Smith Playing in Week 16?
Smith hurt his knee in last week’s loss to the Packers. He tried to return to the game but was visibly frustrated on the bench that he couldn’t. Somehow, Smith appears to have avoided a long-term injury. He got in full practices all week and is ready to go.
We’ll continue to monitor the Seahawks’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Geno Smith in Week 16?
Week 9 was the last time Smith finished inside of the top 20 at the position. Asking him to reverse that trend against the blitz-heaviest defense in the NFL is a tall order.
Seattle’s offense as a whole has been underwhelming of late. Five of the first six Seahawks games this season went over the betting total, but unders are 6-2 since.
I currently have Smith sitting outside of my top 20, ranking in the same range as the random number generator that is Anthony Richardson.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 16 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Geno Smith’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 16
As of Sunday morning, Smith is projected to score 13.4 fantasy points in Week 16. This includes 189.9 passing yards, 1.1 passing touchdowns, and 0.5 interceptions. It also includes 2.5 rushing attempts for 12.7 yards and 0.1 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insight on the Bears' Defense
Most defense-first teams need at least some level of support from the offense before the attrition of a long season wears them down. Unfortunately, it appears that's happening to the Bears' defense, which is steadily slipping towards league average after a strong start.
In Week 16 vs. the Lions, the Bears posted their second-worst Defense+ grade (66.0) of the year. Their only worse grade was two weeks ago in San Francisco (63.6), which continues a concerning trend.
Each of Chicago's six worst grades has come in the last six weeks. Over the first nine games, the Bears never finished outside the top 15 in a given week, nor did they post anything lower than a "C" grade.
But since Week 11, Chicago has finished outside the top 15 all but once, with their best grade being a C. In that span, the Bears rank last in defensive success rate (52.3%).
With the offense literally providing zero support and the playoffs no longer a consideration, it's no surprise to see that a talented defense has unfortunately reached its breaking point.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Geno Smith’s Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 12:45 AM ET on Friday, December 27. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Weekly Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 17 QB PPR Rankings
1) Josh Allen | BUF (vs. NYJ)
2) Lamar Jackson | BAL (at HOU)
3) Jalen Hurts | PHI (vs. DAL)
4) Joe Burrow | CIN (vs. DEN)
5) Jayden Daniels | WAS (vs. ATL)
6) Baker Mayfield | TB (vs. CAR)
7) Sam Darnold | MIN (vs. GB)
8) Kyler Murray | ARI (at LAR)
9) Bo Nix | DEN (at CIN)
10) Jordan Love | GB (at MIN)
11) Jared Goff | DET (at SF)
12) Anthony Richardson | IND (at NYG)
13) Brock Purdy | SF (vs. DET)
14) Tua Tagovailoa | MIA (at CLE)
15) Matthew Stafford | LAR (vs. ARI)
16) C.J. Stroud | HOU (vs. BAL)
17) Patrick Mahomes | KC (at PIT)
18) Justin Herbert | LAC (at NE)
19) Caleb Williams | CHI (vs. SEA)
20) Aaron Rodgers | NYJ (at BUF)
21) Geno Smith | SEA (at CHI)
22) Russell Wilson | PIT (vs. KC)
23) Cooper Rush | DAL (at PHI)
24) Bryce Young | CAR (at TB)
25) Drake Maye | NE (vs. LAC)
26) Michael Penix Jr. | ATL (at WAS)
27) Aidan O'Connell | LV (at NO)
28) Mac Jones | JAX (vs. TEN)
29) Mason Rudolph | TEN (at JAX)
30) Tommy DeVito | NYG (vs. IND)
31) Dorian Thompson-Robinson | CLE (vs. MIA)
32) Spencer Rattler | NO (vs. LV)
Seahawks at Bears Trends and Insight
Seattle Seahawks
Team: The Seahawks are 0-3 against the NFC North this season, allowing 27+ points in each of those losses (8-4 against everyone else with 27+ points allowed just three times).
QB: Geno Smith has been much more aggressive under pressure this season (8.1 aDOT) than last (6.4).
Offense: This Seattle offense was behind the eight-ball most of Week 16. Their average starting field position was their lowest of the year (their own 22.5-yard line).
Defense: The Seahawks allowed the Vikings to average 2.1 points per drive on Sunday, falling to 0-6 this season when they allow at least 1.9 points per drive.
Fantasy: All three of Kenneth Walker III’s career games with at least seven receptions have come this season (Weeks 5, 6, and 16). Fantasy managers can up his pass game projection in a significant way when you pencil in Seattle to lose – they are 1-9 when he sees at least five targets in a game.
Betting: Seattle has covered four straight road games, all coming by more than six points.
Chicago Bears
Team: The Bears have lost nine straight this season with a rookie QB. If they lose their final two games, that will run their total to 11 straight -- only twice in the 2000s has a team had a longer such streak in a single season (2017 Browns and 2001 Panthers)
QB: Caleb Williams has run for at least 27 yards in five of his past six games and has thrown for multiple scores in four of his past five (first 10 games: three multi-pass TD games)
Offense: The Bears averaged 39.4 yards of offense per drive on Sunday against the Lions, their second-highest rate of the season.
Defense: Chicago forced a punt on a season-low 10% of possessions last week against Detroit (three of their four lowest opponent punt rates have come since Week 11).
Fantasy: Williams has three games with 330+ passing yards and multiple passing scores – Andrew Luck is the only QB to have more such games as a rookie (four).
Betting: Overs are 8-4 in Chicago’s past 12 games played as an underdog on short rest