It is Week 16 which means you are reading this column for one of three reasons: (1) You won Week 15 and have moved forward, (2) You made the playoffs with a first round bye and you are checking in to see some viable names for the week, (3) You are bored and simply cannot stay away from all things fantasy football. You know what Week 16 means; win and you are in the championship game or lose and your season is over. Are you ready for your season to be over? Are you ready to watch real football only for the real results? I did not think so! So, let’s get back to work and make the tough decision of what deep/sneaky plays are out there. It feels as if it was just draft season yet here we are for the second week of the playoffs. There are no byes to consider for the remainder of the season, so all players are on the table. Are you going to subscribe to ‘start your studs’ or will you play the matchups? I think the best lineups employ a combination of these two strategies. Please know this week will prove to be more stressful than the first playoff week. We cannot get comfortable. We need to win each week. Leave no doubt! This is what we live for. The trials and tribulations of an up and down fantasy football season. We are skilled fantasy managers and with that comes a responsibility to embolden our lineups with players that give us the best chance to win. We @Razzball are here for YOU! We are here all year and even cover for each other if something comes up. Remember, I do not provide chalky names in this column. I dig deeper to help you with the harder roster assignments. Here we go again…onto my Week 16 Start recommendations.
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Start These Players:
- Position: QB
- Player: Mac Jones
- Week 16 Opponent: at the Las Vegas Raiders
I wanted to recommend Tua, again, but that seems lazy and boring. You could do worse than starting Mac Jones this week against a Raiders team destined for a Top 3 draft pick. The offense is bad. The defense is bad. The Raiders, in general, are bad. Why not fire up Mac Jones considering the Jags running game has been mediocre at best? Jones has three straight games with 220+ passing yards while throwing for two TDs in two of those three. He has also chipped in with 32,31, and 46 passing attempts over that span. We like the volume increase. You may see a pattern in this column as it pertains to Jags players, so stay tuned. Sneaky Play: Michael Penix receives his first start of his rookie campaign against a Giants team that has not stopped anyone through the air. Penix has stud skill position players. The key, for me, will be if HC Raheem Morris removes the training wheels immediately or if he uses Penix as a game manager. I think the Falcons allow Penix to throw the ball if for no other reason than to see what they have in the rookie QB. I do not love starting a rookie QB, in his first start, in a win and advance playoff game, but there are worse choices out there than Penix.
- Position: RB
- Player: Tyjae Spears
- Week 16 Opponent: at the Indianapolis Colts
Our guy Tyjae waited until Week 15 to produce a smash game. He did not do it the old-fashioned way with 20+ carries for 100+ yards, rather, he fell into the end zone on one of his five carries and added a receiving line of 7-6-87-1 for a Sunday total of 26 PPR points. Tony Pollard is still the lead dog for the Titans, but Spears may have proven his abilities during a game in which Tennessee was chasing the scoreboard. This is a dart throw hoping you catch (no pun) his receiving stats again in Week 16. High ceiling, low floor play. Sneaky Play: I love one of the NYG RBs and hate the other. Tyrone Tracy Jr. was a mid-season baller surprise that has cooled off as of late. Devin Singletary started the season as the RB1, and lost his job to Tracy, rightfully so. Lately, Singletary has vultured some of Tracy’s carries and TDs. Neither is an ideal start but if you lost an RB to injury and have been streaming, there are not a lot of names to start. The Falcons looked super against the Raiders but that is not saying much. With Drew Lock back under center, I feel the Giants need to get back to establishing the run. That starts with the healthier player going into Sunday. Both have decent floors, so temper your expectations.
Position: WR
- Player: DK Metcalf
- Week 16 Opponent: versus the Minnesota Vikings
Name another season where DK Metcalf was this frustrating. I will wait. You simply cannot do it. DK has been an auto start for years. This season is different, and, outside of this mid-season injury, I cannot figure out why. Targets are down. Catches are down. Yardage is down. TDs are down. All those things are true as Geno Smith entered Week 15 averaging the 3rd most passing yards per game. Why would I possibly recommend DK in Week 16 as you need to win your matchup? The answer is purely numbers based. Purely analytical. The Vikings afford opposing WRs the most fantasy points this season. The Seahawks are in a must-win position. The only way I sit Metcalf is if Geno sits because of his knee injury. I simply do not trust Sam Howell to get it done through the air. Sneaky Play: Darnell Mooney put up a big, fat zero on MNF. Do not expect that again this week. I think the Falcons, needing a win to stay alive in the real football playoff race, will allow Michael Penix to throw and throw he can. The coaching staff must have seen something in practice that tells them Penix is ready. I do not see a fantasy football world where the Falcons throw less than 20 times again this week unless they jump out to a massive lead in the first half and then run the clock down. One target will not happen again for Mooney. Look for a big bounce-back from him this week.
- Position: TE
- Player: Brenton Strange
- Week 16 Opponent: at the Las Vegas Raiders
Brenton Strange just put up a receiving line of 12-11-76-0 in Week 15. Other than stud rookie WR Brian Thomas Jr., there is no other pass catcher player worthy of a fantasy start for the Jags. Though I do not expect another 12 targets, I do expect Strange to be option #2 for Mac Jones in a game where the QB can throw a lot. I like Strange to have fewer targets while also finding the end zone (hello, prop bet). Sneaky Play: Cade Otton has not been good the past five weeks with only one double-digit output over that span. That changes Sunday in a must-win for the Bucs. Tampa Bay is going to throw early and often. Dallas will be missing Trevon Diggs (season ending knee surgery) thus opening additional passing lanes for the Bucs. This offense runs throw the right arm of Baker Mayfield and I do not think the Cowboys LBs can hang with the young TE. Give me 5-5-50-1 this week for Cade Otton.
Since you are here, check out more fantasy goodness at Razzball. Follow me on Twitter/X @Stiles08. Don’t forget to drop a comment or question down below. Looking forward to seeing you during our Sunday Start/Sit Show on YouTube @RazzballFantasy two hours before kickoff where we answer all your questions live on the air!
-Stiles-
