NFL Predictions Week 16: Fantasy Projections and Guide to Latest Vegas Odds

It's time to go all-in on the Green Bay Packers.

This was a team that had a 4-6 record after a Week 11 loss to the Washington Redskins. Its defense appeared to be a disaster, and its offense was limping along.

The Packers could have been swallowed up by a four-game losing streak, but they have reversed that streak and reeled off four victories in a row. The defense has come back to life and is allowing just 15.8 points per game during the winning streak, and the offense is starting to peak, averaging 29.0 points per game over that same span.

The Packers have moved back into the playoff structure, ranking as the No. 2 wild-card team as they get set to host the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday.

Holding that playoff spot is nice, but the Packers have their goals set higher than that. They can play for the NFC North title in Week 17 if they beat Vikings this week while the Detroit Lions beat the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night.

Matchup	Point Spread	Over/Under	Prediction
Minnesota at Green Bay	Green Bay (-6.5)	43	Green Bay; Under
Washington at Chicago	Washington (-3)	47.5	Washington; Over
Atlanta at Carolina	Atlanta (-3)	51	Atlanta; Over
San Diego at Cleveland	San Diego (-4)	43.5	Cleveland; Under
N.Y. Jets at New England	New England (-17)	43.5	New England; Under
Tennessee at Jacksonville	Tennessee (-5)	43.5	Jacksonville; Over
Miami at Buffalo	Buffalo (-4.5)	42	Buffalo; Over
Indianapolis at Oakland	Oakland (-3.5)	53	Oakland; Over
Tampa Bay at New Orleans	New Orleans (-3.5)	51.5	Tampa Bay; Over
Arizona at Seattle	Seattle (-7.5)	43	Arizona; Under
San Francisco at Los Angeles	Los Angeles (-4.5)	39.5	Los Angeles; Uner
Cincinnati at Houston	Houston (-1)	42	Houston; Over
Baltimore at Pittsburgh	Pittsburgh (-6)	44	Baltimore; Over
Denver at Kansas City	Kansas City (-3)	37	Kansas City; Under
Detroit at Dallas	Dallas (-6.5)	44	Detroit; Under

The Packers are 6.5-point favorites over the Vikings, according to OddsShark. With Aaron Rodgers finding his stride (32-7 TD-INT ratio) and building his rapport back with stellar wideout Jordy Nelson (82 rec. for 1,037 yards and 12 TDs), the Packers appear to be in a good position to earn the victory over the slumping Vikings.

Minnesota is coming off a horrendous 34-6 home loss to the Indianapolis Colts, and it won't have running back Adrian Peterson for this game.

Even if it did, it might not matter because the Minnesota offensive line has performed poorly throughout the season. The Vikings have the 31st-ranked offense in the league and have lost seven of their last nine games. They don't have much going for them against a team they edged at home in Week 2.

The Packers are going to take advantage of their momentum, and they aren't going to let their opponents get up off the canvas. Green Bay gets the win and the cover.

Jack Dempsey/Associated Press

New York Jets at New England Patriots

This has been a disastrous season for the New York Jets, as they have failed to capitalize on last year's near-miss when it came to making the playoffs. Instead, they have slid down the ladder and are in last place in the AFC East.

The New England Patriots have already clinched the AFC East title, and they are in prime position to earn the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs. They had a chance to do that in 2015, but they dropped their season-ending games to the Jets and Miami Dolphins, letting that opportunity slip through their grasp.

The Pats close with those same two opponents, and don't expect Bill Belichick's team to give anything away this time. New England is coming off a 16-3 victory against the Denver Broncos in Week 15, and the defense is functioning at a high level right now.

Not only did it keep the Broncos from getting into the end zone, but it also took the ball away from Denver three times. Expect that defense to remain on top of its game against the Jets, who don't appear to have much of an offense with Bryce Petty at quarterback.

The Patriots opened as huge 16.5-point favorites to hammer the Jets, according to OddsShark, and the over/under has been set at 44.5 points. 

Normally, any time a handicapper eyes a huge double-digit favorite, the companion play in the game is the over. However, we don't see the Jets scoring more than a field goal or two. The Patriots will score four touchdowns, win the game and cover. We also like the under in this encounter between two teams going in opposite directions.

Position	Player, Team	Projected stats
QB	Derek Carr, Oakland	315 yards, three TDs
QB	Drew Brees, New Orleans	305 yards, three TDs
QB	Marcus Mariota, Tennessee	295 yards, two TDs
RB	DeMarco Murray, Tennessee	125 yards, one TD
RB	Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas	115 yards, one TD
RB	Devonta Freeman, Atlanta	95 yards, one TD
WR	Jordy Nelson, Green Bay	130 yards, one TD
WR	Mike Evans, Tampa Bay	110 yards, one TD
WR	Amari Cooper, Oakland	100 yards
TE	Greg Olsen, Carolina	90 yards, one TD
TE	Travis Kelce, Kansas City	85 yards

Fantasy projections

Every game played this weekend has fantasy football implications since this is championship week in most leagues.

While daily and weekly games will continue into Week 17 and the playoffs, season-long championships are typically decided in Week 16.

Normally, our first inclination is to look at the Pittsburgh Steelers and their tremendous trio of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, running back Le'Veon Bell and wide receiver Antonio Brown. However, the Steelers are clashing with the Baltimore Ravens this week, and this has not been a favorable matchup for Pittsburgh.

The Ravens have won their last four meetings with their rivals and six of the last seven. This is perhaps the most meaningful game on the schedule this week. If the Steelers (9-5) win, they will clinch the AFC North title, while the Ravens (8-6) will move into first place if they win. 

A Baltimore win would give the Ravens a series sweep and the tiebreaker edge.

We see this as a tight, defensive game, and that means the normally productive trio will be kept under wraps. We are going to stay away from the skilled Steelers in this most vital week.

Our top plays at quarterback this week are Derek Carr of the Oakland Raiders, Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints and Marcus Mariota of the Tennessee Titans.

Look for DeMarco Murray of the Titans, Ezekiel Elliott of the Dallas Cowboys and Devonta Freeman of the Atlanta Falcons to be this week's top producing running backs.

We are going with Green Bay's Nelson, Tampa Bay's Mike Evans and Oakland's Amari Cooper to serve as the most explosive wideouts, and Greg Olsen of the Carolina Panthers and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs will serve as the tight ends to count on this week.