Starts and Sits have arrived for Week 16 of the Fantasy Football season. The semi-finals are here and we are very close to Championship Sunday. Week 15 saw us have some great starts with both Tight Ends. We had great hits on the sits with DJ Moore, Adam Thielen, DJ Moore, Justin Fields, and Trevor Lawrence. That said, I missed in a big way with James Cook and James Conner. Cook had the best game of his young career and Conner finished as the RB11. Now, it is time for Week 16.
Week 16 Starts and Sits
Quarterback Sits
Brock Purdy @ Baltimore Ravens
The MVP race will be decided as the top teams in each conference get together on Christmas night. The only other time Brock Purdy faced an elite defense was the Cleveland Browns in Week 6 where he finished as the QB25. Baltimore overall has been the best team in terms of least ppg to Quarterbacks with 11.5 ppg. A home game in San Francisco can backfire on me, but Baltimore has allowed just 12 total touchdowns to Quarterbacks this season.
Jordan Love @ Carolina Panthers
Overall, the Carolina Panthers are the worst team in the entire NFL. Yet, they are allowing the second-fewest ppg this season to Quarterbacks. They have allowed the third-fewest ppg to the position in the past month. Without a doubt, the overall team is a dumpster fire, but they have held Quarterbacks in check. After four consecutive QB1 weeks, Jordan Love has sizzled out with a QB22 and QB16 finish the past two weeks. Keep Love on your bench in one of the most crucial times of Fantasy Football.
Running Backs
Austin Ekeler vs. Buffalo Bills
Your studs are your studs, but Austin Ekeler has not lived up to his ADP. Regardless of the injury that we cannot predict for anyone, the Chargers have thrown in the white flag. Ekeler delivered a RB8 finish in Week 14, but against the Broncos who are the worst against the run. The Chargers gave up 63 points to the Las Vegas Raiders and now have to host the Buffalo Bills. The Chargers are already losing in the game and it has not started. Despite how great Ekeler can be, this is murky waters in a game where Buffalo is an 11.5 favorite.
James Conner @ Chicago Bears
James Conner has had back-to-back games as an RB1, but I will double down on him being a sit. With that said, James Conner is better at home than on the road. At home, he averages 5.5 ypc and 4.4 on the road. Also, James Conner has 436 yards at home compared to just 281 on the road. It does not help that the Bears have allowed just 222 rushing yards and 18.20 fantasy ppg the past month. Keep Conner on your bench and stream options such as D’Onta Foreman against the worst team against the run the past month, the Arizona Cardinals.
Wide Receiver Sits
Drake London vs. Indianapolis Colts
Drake London can be trusted, but the team cannot. His head coach says he wants to win but does not put the ball in the hands of his best players. The Falcons have arguably one of the best trios in the NFL, but we will never see their potential with the way the offense is running currently. The Colts also have given up just 499 yards to Wide Receivers in the last month. That is an average of 124.75 ypg. These are the weeks where the match-ups will have you starting people you would have never thought of and sitting guys that got you this far. All in all, Desmond Ridder and Arthur Smith cannot be trusted and the Panthers’ fierce pass defense makes Drake London a sit in Week 16.
Terry McLaurin @ New York Jets
Where the Giants and Jets play is pretty much cursed with the amount of injuries that occur there. The Jets also have the best secondary in all of football and have given up just FOUR total touchdowns to Wide Receivers and 106.16 ypg to the position the entire season. Even with someone like Sam Howell throwing it over 35 times, this defense is too good to start the Commanders’ weapons. Even with Howell being QB9 in ppg, Terry McLaurin is just WR36 in ppg, the worst of his career.
Tight End Sits
Jake Ferguson @ Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins defense has been very elite in recent weeks. They have given up just 133 and 18 receptions to Tight Ends the past month. Although Jake Ferguson has seen eight targets in three consecutive games, 33 ypg from the Dolphins defense is not ideal for someone you want to start in the semi-finals. There are guys with softer match-ups such as Hunter Henry and Pat Freiermuth in Week 16.
Dalton Kincaid @ Los Angeles Chargers
A major tip of the cap to Dalton Kincaid. With the absence of Dawson Knox, Kincaid was one of the best waiver wire adds this season and had a streak from Week 7 to Week 12 as a TE1. James Cook single-handedly destroyed the Dallas Cowboys so the other weapons for the Bills were not needed. It is not a coincidence though that Kincaid has not finished as a TE1 with Knox active except Week 7. The Chargers have given up, but they are allowing the tenth fewest ppg to Tight Ends the past month. This has the making of Josh Allen finding his two top Wide Receivers in the end and then letting James Cook finish the rest off in what should be a blowout.
Quarterback Starts
Baker Mayfield vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Baker Mayfield just finished as the QB2 in Week 15. The last time Mayfield finished that high was in the 2020 season, Week 14. Four touchdowns, 29 fantasy points, and 381 yards is what Mayfield had as they handled my team, the Green Bay Packers. In the semi-finals, I am starting Mayfield in one league. He has the Jaguars who have given up the second most ppg to Quarterbacks the past month. Also, with seven touchdowns to just two interceptions, Mayfield is my favorite start in Starts and Sits to get us to championship Sunday.
Nick Mullens vs. Detroit Lions
The Lions have been getting cooked as of late, giving up the seventh most ppg to Quarterbacks the past month, With that said, to win in the Fantasy Football playoffs, matchups truly do matter. Nick Mullens delivered 19.1 fantasy points along with two touchdowns, and 303 yards. With the weapons for the Vikings at full strength, Mullens has another shot at a QB1 week against a suspect Lions secondary. If you have questions at Quarterback, look into Mullens for Week 16.
Running Back Starts
Chuba Hubbard vs. Green Bay Packers
This one is pretty simple. Any Running Back facing the Packers has a great chance of having a successful game. The Packers have allowed the seventh most ppg in the past month to the position. They also just let Rachaad White finish as the RB6 with 139 total yards and a touchdown. Hubbard has picked it up the past few weeks seeing 22 or more carries in three consecutive weeks. Plug Hubbard into your lineup and watch him find the end zone with 80 or more total yards.
Aaron Jones @ Carolina Panthers
The Panthers too have been horrible against the run. They have given up just 18 ppg to the position the past month, but the fourth most ppg the entire season. This defense keeps the Quarterback and his weapons in check for the most part. This is a spot where Aaron Jones can make up for the season he has had. Injuries have been detrimental to him this season, but with this matchup, Jones can explode with a 20-point game and make a giant impact for managers who drafted him in round three – five in September.
Wide Receiver Starts
Garrett Wilson vs. Washington Commanders
Overall, the Commanders have given up the second most ppg on the season to Wide Receivers. They have given up the MOST in the past month at 51.23 ppg. Garrett Wilson faces his best matchup of the season. This is also a fun fact that is strange, but since Week 8, Wilson has had one good game followed by a bad game. Last week he had 5.9 points. This week should hopefully translate into some good fantasy points.
Chris Godwin vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Chris Godwin just came off the best game of his 2023 season along with his Quarterback having his, too. Now, just as I stated with Mayfield, Godwin has an amazing matchup as well. The Jaguars have been a bottom-12 team in terms of ppg to Wide Receivers all season. They also have given up the seventh most ppg in the past month. With Mayfield set to have another QB1 game, his weapons will also find success. Evans is likely to have a good game because Mike Evans is him, but I also think Godwin will find ways to put up fantasy points and have a top-15 week.
Tight End Starts
Hunter Henry @ Denver Broncos
The obvious starts in Starts and Sit are Kelce, LaPorta, Njoku, Hockenson, McBride, and a few others. If managers do not roster one of them, this is where we have to be surgical. Hunter Henry faces the worst team against the position in the Denver Broncos. Henry started the season with consecutive TE1 weeks. Now, he has had back-to-back TE1 weeks and can have a third straight against a team who has given up nine touchdowns and 955 yards on the season to the position.
Darren Waller @ Philadelphia Eagles
Darren Waller let us down this season and the way he will make it up is with a masterclass performance with the help of the greatest Sopranos character ever, Tommy DeVito. Waller saw four catches for 40 yards in his first game since Week 8. The Eagles, losers of three straight and have given up the 13th most ppg to the position this season. I’d look to start Waller especially if you were never able to find a solid replacement when he got hurt. This is the week he finishes top 10 in his position.
Week 16 Fantasy Football Rankings: Quarterback | Running Back | Wide Receiver | Tight End | Half-PPR by Position | Flex Rankings | Positional Ranks w/ K & DST | Dynasty | Superflex Dynasty