Fantasy football projections, Week 16: Broncos vs. Texans featuring Peyton Manning, Demaryius Thomas and Dennis Johnson

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We break down the Week 16 matchup between the Denver Broncos and the Houston Texans.

The Week 16 matchup between the Denver Broncos and the Houston Texans is quite the mismatch on paper. We've got all the fantasy projections for you, courtesy of numberFire.

Denver Broncos

Early in the season many experts debated whether or not the Broncos had the type of lineup that would be able to put together an undefeated regular season. Lately, the Broncos have looked beatable, losing two of their last four games. Quarterback Peyton Manning was contained by the San Diego Chargers last week. However, he has 11 touchdowns and more than 1,000 yards passing in the last three weeks, so he should be a good bet against the Texans this week.

When Manning does get things to click against Houston, a lot of his production will benefit his top receiver Demaryius Thomas. Thomas gets targeted a lot, he can get down the field and he can break tackles and fight for extra yards. His ability makes him dangerous and his quarterback makes him that much more difficult to stop. Whether or not the Broncos rest starters in the second half remains to be seen, but Thomas should do well either way.

Houston Texans

Andre Johnson got off to a slow start in the first month of the season. Luckily for his fantasy owners, Johnson has managed to put together a second half that's been much better. Quarterback Matt Schaub's inconsistency had a lot to do with those struggles. Now with rookie Case Keenum under center, it seems that Johnson will get his share of looks. Given how potent the Broncos offense is, Johnson will get plenty of chances to make an impact on the game this week.

On the ground, the Texans will start running back Dennis Johnson against the Broncos. Ben Tate (ribs) is on season-ending injured reserve. Johnson's best game of the season came back in Week 12 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. In that contest, he ran the ball 13 times for 74 yards. The Broncos haven't done a good job defending the run this year, so Johnson could be a sneaky start-worthy player for the fantasy finals.