For a lot of Fantasy managers Week 15 marked the end of the road. This was significantly more likely if you faced Miles Sanders, A.J. Brown or Anthony Miller. Those odds went up even more if you started Austin Hooper. Of course, Sanders, Brown and Miller are nowhere close to the end. They're just getting started on their careers.
Let's start Believe It or Not off this week with a look at their futures:
Miles Sanders should be viewed as a top-12 Dynasty running back.
Remember lamenting Doug Pederson's running back usage? It turns out he was just waiting for the right back. Sanders is the right back.
On Sunday, Sanders rolled up 172 total yards and two scores against Washington. In the five games since Jordan Howard's injury Sanders has averaged 19 touches and 95 yards per game. He's now over 1,000 yards for the season and has been very efficient along the way. This is exactly the type of running back I want leading my Dynasty squad.
Verdict: Believe it.
Sanders is still just 22 years old and a lot of the running backs that entered the year in my Dynasty top-12 are approaching the wrong side of the aging curve. Melvin Gordon will turn 27 this offseason and we don't know where he'll be playing. Le'Veon Bell and David Johnson are a year older and have similar uncertainty.
Sanders is a young back who can handle all facets of the game, and as an added bonus he's very likely to be on a good offense for at least the next three seasons. I'll have updated Dynasty rankings out by the end of January and he'll be in my top 12 for sure.
Anthony Miller and A.J. Brown are must-start receivers in Week 16.
Miller and Brown were two of the top five receivers in Week 15 and they did it in convincing fashion.
Miller caught nine of 15 targets for 118 yards and a score. It was his fourth game in his last five with at least nine targets and his fifth game in a row with double-digit Fantasy points.
Brown caught eight of 13 targets for 114 yards and a score. It was his third game in his past four with more than 100 yards and a touchdown.
Start both of these breakout receivers with confidence in your championship game.
Verdict: Believe it.
Since Week 10 Miller and Brown are both top-20 wide receivers. And even if you don't totally believe in this breakout, the position has been decimated by injury, with Chris Godwin the latest victim. Three of the top 14 receivers from 2019 have already been ruled out for Week 16. Neither Brown nor Miller has a great matchup, but the way they've been playing, I don't care.
Joe Mixon should be a top-20 pick again next year.
After a slow start to the season, Joe Mixon has quietly been one of the best running backs in football over the past two months. He ran for 136 yards against the Patriots on Sunday and has been a top-six back in all formats since Week 8. He's going to finish the year as top-12 running back for the second year in a row and should once again be an early second round pick in 2020.
Verdict: Don't believe it.
I just don't have a lot of confidence this situation is going to be that much better in 2020. They'll likely be starting a rookie quarterback which probably means they're starting a bad quarterback again. And if they use their first overall pick on that quarterback then that lessens my confidence the offensive line or defense will be significantly improved.
Mixon is a very talented back and he's having a very solid year, but I'll be taking a wide receiver or a different running back in the second round next year.
If you have Austin Hooper you should be looking for a Week 16 tight end.
Hooper was supposed to help the tight end position when he returned. He's done no such thing. In two games since returning he's caught five passes for 52 yards. That wouldn't be a great performance if it was just one game. You can't trust that type of production in your championship game.
Verdict: Don't believe it.
Who exactly do you think is on the waiver wire you can trust? Unless the answer is Tyler Higbee, I'm sticking with Hooper. As bad as he's been the past two weeks he's still the No. 5 tight end on a per game basis this season — and he had a late touchdown Sunday overturned on replay. He also has a very good matchup at home against a very bad Jacksonville defense.