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

Week 16 is the do-or-die weekend for fantasy football owners hoping to punctuate their respective 2018 seasons with titles.

Given the stakes (massive) and margin for error (nonexistent), owners will want to give themselves every advantage they can.

Most know to analyze box scores and season stats to help determine the best possible plays. But not enough utilize the work done by the oddsmakers.

Think of the Week 16 point spreads and over/under lines, relayed by OddsShark, as possible glimpses into the future. A huge over/under, for instance, tells you plenty of points are expected. A wide point spread, meanwhile, signals that teams could turn one-dimensional in an effort to milk the clock or catch up.

After laying out the latest odds and predicting each contest's result, we'll spotlight a quarterback, running back and wide receiver who look extra attractive through the Vegas lines.

Vegas Odds

Washington Redskins at Tennessee Titans (-10, 37.5 O/U): Titans 27, Redskins 14

Baltimore Ravens at Los Angeles Chargers (-4, 42 O/U): Chargers 26, Ravens 23

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Dallas Cowboys (-7, 48 O/U): Cowboys 30, Buccaneers 17

New York Giants at Indianapolis Colts (-9.5, 48 O/U): Colts 24, Giants 13

Houston Texans at Philadelphia Eagles (-1.5, 46 O/U): Texans 28, Eagles 23

Jacksonville Jaguars at Miami Dolphins (-3.5, 38 O/U): Dolphins 17, Jaguars 10

Green Bay Packers (-3, 46.5 O/U) at New York Jets: Jets 20, Packers 17

Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns (-9, 44 O/U): Browns 28, Bengals 20

Minnesota Vikings (-6, 42.5 O/U) at Detroit Lions: Vikings 31, Lions 13

Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots (13.5, 44.5 O/U): Patriots 28, Bills 14

Atlanta Falcons (-3, 44 O/U) at Carolina Panthers: Falcons 24, Panthers 17

Chicago Bears (-4, 43 O/U) at San Francisco 49ers: Bears 27, 49ers 20

Los Angeles Rams (-14.5, 44.5 O/U) at Arizona Cardinals: Rams 38, Cardinals 10

Pittsburgh Steelers at New Orleans Saints (-6, 53 O/U): Saints 35, Steelers 28

Kansas City Chiefs (-2.5, 54.5 O/U) at Seattle Seahawks: Seahawks 28, Chiefs 27

Denver Broncos (-3, 43 O/U) at Oakland Raiders: Broncos 24, Raiders 20

Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks

Ben Margot/Associated Press

It's never a bad move to search out the game with the highest over/under. More often than not, it seems to involve the Kansas City Chiefs, who have both an electric offense and a generous defense.

Kansas City has two wins in which the opponent scored more than 30 points. It also has a pair of three-point losses when the opposition topped 40 points. The scoreboard tends to move at an incredible rate, and the fantasy numbers from these contests can be almost comical.

Russell Wilson's owners will rightfully hope they are in store for that kind of performance. Kansas City allows the third-most fantasy points to quarterbacks, ranking tied for 23rd in passing touchdowns allowed (27) and dead last in passing yards against (283 per game).

Four quarterbacks have thrown at least three touchdown passes against the Chiefs this year. Our projections have Wilson joining that club with a 296-yard, three-score performance.

Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers

David Richard/Associated Press

It seems like almost every week is becoming a special one for Christian McCaffrey, who last finished below 100 scrimmage yards in October. But this might be a huge performance even by his standards.

For starters, it's one of the friendlier matchups running backs can find. The Atlanta Falcons surrender the fourth-most fantasy points to running backs and sit in the bottom 10 in rushing yards (25th) and rushing touchdowns (27th) allowed. The past two running backs to face this group—David Johnson and Aaron Jones—each cleared 100 scrimmage yards and found the end zone.

But the bigger sign monster numbers might be ahead for McCaffrey is that with the Carolina Panthers shutting down Cam Newton, they are turning to Taylor Heinicke under center. Name doesn't ring a bell? It probably shouldn't. The 25-year-old has thrown five passes in six appearances over his NFL career.

The best thing for an unproven quarterback is a dominant running game. Unless the Panthers get worried about overexposing McCaffrey, they should give him all the touches he can handle. We're putting McCaffrey down for 157 scrimmage yards and two scores.

Amari Cooper, Dallas Cowboys

Ron Jenkins/Associated Press

The Dallas Cowboys-Tampa Bay Buccaneers game has a healthy over/under of 48, which is interesting given Tampa hasn't reached 20 points in a game December 2. That means oddsmakers are counting on one of two things: either the Bucs wake up or the Cowboys go wild on offense.

It's likely a combination of the two. Dallas isn't an overwhelming favorite at -7, which is good news to any fantasy owner with a share in this offense. That should mean the Cowboys keep their foot on the gas pedal—against the 30th-ranked scoring defense.

Amari Cooper, anxious for a rebound after his 32-yard effort in Week 15, might have been drooling in the film room ahead of Sunday's game. Tampa's passing defense has been shredded this season. Only the Oakland Raiders have allowed more passing touchdowns (30), and just five teams have yielded more passing yards. One of the five teams is the Philadelphia Eagles, whom Cooper burned with 16 catches for 292 yards and three touchdowns in two matchups.

As long as the Bucs can keep this relatively close, Cooper should be involved early and often. Our crystal ball says he's good for eight receptions, 102 yards and a touchdown.

Statistics used courtesy of NFL.com and ESPN.com. Fantasy scoring obtained via Yahoo Sports.