The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face the Dallas Cowboys 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 Baker Mayfield.
Is Baker Mayfield Playing in Week 16?
Frequently on the injury report but rarely actually missing games, Mayfield did not practice on Wednesday with a knee injury, but it was merely maintenance. He practiced in full on Thursday and Friday and is ready to go.
We’ll continue to monitor the Buccaneers’ 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 Baker Mayfield in Week 16?
Mayfield has a level of inevitability to his 2024 profile, and all “inevitable” traits of the 2024 Cowboys are negative, making this the profile of a QB1 without much question.
QB games with 18+ fantasy points, 2024:
- Lamar Jackson: 12
- Josh Allen: 11
- Baker Mayfield: 11
- Jayden Daniels: 10
That, of course, is an impressive list (I’ll take the L on Anthony Richardson weekly, but you have to give me this QB sleeper call from June, but it gets even better when you consider the skill set limitations.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m as much a fan of reckless Mayfield runs as anyone, but I don’t think it’s a stretch to call him “less athletic” than the other names on that list.
Here’s what that list looks like if we only include games with under 45 rushing yards:
- Baker Mayfield: 11
- Sam Darnold: Nine
- Josh Allen: Seven
- Joe Burrow: Seven
Mayfield takes that form into a matchup against a Dallas defense that ranks 24th in passer rating, 25th in completion percentage, and 31st in yards per attempt. He’s a big reason why you’re in the spot you are right now (10 top-10 finishes), and there’s no reason to pivot.
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.
Baker Mayfield’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 16
As of Sunday morning, Mayfield is projected to score 18.7 fantasy points in Week 16. This includes 257.6 passing yards, 1.8 passing touchdowns, and 0.9 interceptions. It also includes 3.6 rushing attempts for 13.6 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.
Baker Mayfield’s Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 11:45 PM ET on Saturday, January 25.
Conference Championship QB PPR Rankings
1) Josh Allen | BUF (at KC)
2) Jalen Hurts | PHI (vs. WAS)
3) Jayden Daniels | WAS (at PHI)
4) Patrick Mahomes | KC (vs. BUF)
