Week 16 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em for Fantasy Football

We're through bye week season and into the championship round in most fantasy football leagues, and that means you'll be facing even more decisions around who to play in fantasy football every week.

Who Do I Start in Fantasy Football?

Having so many options at your disposal in the fantasy football playoffs makes it especially important to stay on the ball with the top fantasy football plays in Week 16.

If you need some help with your Week 16 lineup, here's some start 'em, sit 'em advice.

Start 'Em, Sit 'Em, Week 16 Quarterbacks

Start Ryan Fitzpatrick (MIA vs CIN): Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Miami Dolphins are having something of a late-season surge, and Fitzmagic has now dropped 20-plus fantasy points three times in the last four weeks, averaging 21.2 per game in that stretch. The Cincinnati Bengals rank 27th against the pass by Football Outsiders' DVOA metrics, allowing the ninth-most points per game to opposing QBs, and Fitzpatrick isn't likely to cool off this week.

Sit Aaron Rodgers (GB at MIN): On the opposite side of the spectrum, the Minnesota Vikings have allowed the 10th-fewest fantasy points to the position, checking in at eighth in pass defense DVOA. Aaron Rodgers hasn't been a must-start option this season, ranking 14th among QBs in per-game fantasy production, and in this matchup he's not someone you want in your starting lineup.

Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 16 Running Backs

Start Mike Boone (MIN vs GB): Dalvin Cook looks like he'll miss this week's game, creating a massive amount of value in the Minnesota Vikings' backfield. Alexander Mattison could threaten Boone's workload, but he didn't practice at all (or play) in Week 15, positioning Boone for a potential bell-cow role. The rookie notched 13 carries and two targets while spelling Cook in Week 15, and if Cook and Mattison are sidelined Boone is a must-start RB for Week 16.

Sit Sony Michel (NE vs BUF): Sony Michel is incredibly game flow dependent. He had a strong showing in a Week 15 blowout over the Cincinnati Bengals, but we shouldn't expect more of the same this week. He had just 15 combined carries in the Patriots' previous two games (both losses), and he turned in just 6.3 fantasy points in his first matchup against the Buffalo Bills this year.

Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 16 Wide Receivers

Start Breshad Perriman (TB vs HOU): Regardless of what happens with Chris Godwin's health this week, Breshad Perriman is a great play. He turned six targets into 113 yards and three touchdowns in his first game without Mike Evans in Week 15, giving him an average 21.4 PPR points per game over the last three. We can't expect that ridiculous production to continue, but with Evans (and potentially Godwin) out this week he should still have little trouble putting up big numbers against a Houston Texans' D that checks in at 26th in Football Outsiders' pass defense DVOA rankings.

Sit Golden Tate and Darius Slayton (NYG at WAS): Even with Evan Engram out, there are just too many mouths to feed in the New York Giants' passing game, and Sterling Shepard is clearly the top dog. He saw 11 targets in Week 15, compared to just four for Golden Tate and three for Darius Slayton. Even against a weak Washington Redskins' defense, these two just don't see enough value to be trustworthy in a fantasy championship matchup.

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Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. 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.