Week 16 Fantasy Picks: Start 'Em, Sit 'Em for Buccaneers vs Panthers in Fantasy Football Playoffs

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will look to rebound against the Carolina Panthers after getting shutout by the New Orleans Saints last week. FanDuel Sportsbook currently has Tampa Bay listed as hefty 10-point favorites.

Fantasy Football Playoffs Advice

If you need some help with your fantasy lineups, here's some start 'em, sit 'em advice for this Week 16 showdown.

Ronald Jones Fantasy

Start Ronald Jones, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Leonard Fournette is out, and that should lead to a huge role for Ronald Jones. While the Panthers' run defense started out red hot, Carolina is now a bottom-10 rush defense by DVOA. Jones, meanwhile, looked as explosive as ever last week, turning 8 carries into 63 rushing yards. Tampa Bay is also listed as a 10-point favorite, meaning Jones should see plenty of carries against a beatable run defense. That's a recipe for a big day on the ground.

Cam Newton Fantasy

Start Cam Newton, QB, Carolina Panthers: Cam Newton has been a much better fantasy quarterback than a real-life one. He has two performances of 23-plus points in his four starts, recording 1 rushing TD in all four as well. With Carolina entering this one as a 10-point underdog, the Panthers are probably going to be leaning on Superman early and often. Tampa Bay has also allowed top-12 fantasy production to opposing QBs this season, so this matchup isn't nearly as daunting as you might think.

Tyler Johnson Fantasy

Sit Tyler Johnson, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Tyler Johnson is stepping into a huge role with Chris Godwin out for the year. He saw 7 targets last week, catching 4 passes for 41 yards. While that increased opportunity may seem intriguing, Johnson is not someone you want to be starting this week. For one, Antonio Brown's impending return will likely cut into Johnson's volume in a big way (assuming AB does play). And Carolina is also a top-10 pass defense by DVOA, surrendering bottom-six PPR production to opposing wideouts. It's best to take a wait-and-see approach with Johnson right now.

Chuba Hubbard Fantasy

Sit Chuba Hubbard, RB, Carolina Panthers: Starting a running back against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers never seems to work out. Tampa Bay owns a top-12 run defense by DVOA and also surrenders bottom-12 PPR production to the position. That's not likely to change much this week. Chuba Hubbard has yet to top 40 rushing yards since Christian McCaffrey went down in Week 12. He doesn't add much through the air either. Hubbard only has 1 catch on 1 target during that two-game span. With game script also likely to be working against him, it's hard to see Hubbard doing much of anything this week.

SIGN UP AND GET AN INSTANT DEPOSIT BONUS UP TO 500! We'll match 20% of your first deposit on FanDuel Fantasy Sports. Max bonus $500

Max Staley is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Max Staley also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username mstaley1212. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.