Fantasy Football Week 16: Antonio Brown, T.Y. Hilton and other must starts

Here is the Week 16 edition of top five wide receivers to lock into your fantasy football starting lineups.

Wide receiver play was strong in Week 15. However, the receivers that put up big numbers may have surprised you.

Meaning, you may be cursing the name Alshon Jeffery because your coworker slotted him into his lineup in your fantasy football championship game. Regardless, some big names still put up stellar numbers.

Last week’s edition of top five wide receivers to start had three players finish as top 10 scorers in ESPN PPR standard scoring leagues. DeAndre Hopkins led all receivers with 39 fantasy points, Davante Adams racked up 21.9 and Julio Jones came away with 20.2.

Keenan Allen leaving his game early resulted in a score of zero, and JuJu Smith-Schuster only compiled eight points. So, let’s look and see who makes this week’s list.

5. Amari Cooper, Dallas Cowboys

Listen, starting Amari Cooper may sound crazy. However, this is fantasy football championship season, so everything should be considered.

Yes, Cooper is an inconsistent player. But, when he is up, boy is he up. The receiver is two weeks removed from a huge 49.7-point game.

Cooper reeled in 10 catches for 217 yards and three scores in Week 14 against the Philadelphia Eagles. Week 15, he only caught four balls for 32 yards.

The Cowboys are at home this week, and Cooper is due for another big-time day against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs have allowed 19 receiving scores to opposing wide receivers this year, which is the third most in the NFL.

Next: 4. T.Y. Hilton

4. T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts looked to have choked their season away until they shutout the Dallas Cowboys at home in Week 15 and defeated the Houston Texans a week prior. The Colts went to a run-first look against the Cowboys, so Andrew Luck and his receivers didn’t have to do much work.

T.Y. Hilton still came away with 13.5 points though. He caught five passes for 85 yards. In Week 14, he torched the Houston Texans for nine catches and 199 yards.

Hilton has been a touchdown away the past two weeks. Meaning, he could have bumped his scored mightily with that touchdown bonus.

This week, Hilton will look to punch one into the end zone against the New York Giants. The Giants secondary has played well, but they are vulnerable to big plays without Landon Collins at safety.

Next: 3. Antonio Brown

3. Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers

Antonio Brown couldn’t have picked a worse time to go into a minor slump. His past two weeks have been lackluster during fantasy football championships.

Week 14, he only had 8.5 points and last week he had 14.9. Many thought he was set to take off after a 31.4-point game against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 13.

Fantasy owners may be wary about Brown for other reasons other than his performances. Smith-Schuster has taken a lot of targets from AB.

Well, forget all of that for this week. Why? The Steelers will play a New Orleans Saints defense that can give up a lot of fantasy points to opposing receivers.

Next: 2. Julio Jones

2. Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons

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Keep your eyes on the health status of Julio Jones. He left last week’s game with an apparent rib injury.

That rib issue limited Jones. He didn’t play much of the second half of the game due to it. However, he still landed within the top 10 with 20.2 points.

Yes, that’s impressive and shows just how dominant Jones is. He caught six passes for 82 yards and a TD. This week, he will line up against the Panthers as the Falcons travel to Carolina.

The Panthers are swooning, and they will be without Cam Newton. Matt Ryan and the Falcons offense may have the ball a lot this week, and they just scored 40 last week.

Next: 1. DeAndre Hopkins

1. DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans

As mentioned in the open, DeAndre Hopkins led all wide receivers with his 39 points. He absolutely exposed the New York Jets secondary during the Houston Texans Week 15 win.

Hopkins caught 10 passes for 170 yards and two touchdowns. At times, he was seemingly incapable of being defended.

Hopkins has launched himself into the “best receiver in the NFL” discussion. This week, he will look to pad his stats against a very injured Philadelphia Eagles defensive secondary.

The Eagles are without many key starters at the cornerback position, which has been well documented each week. The Eagles have allowed 15 receiving scores to opposing receivers, and Hopkins will add to that.