Check out these starts and sits for fantasy football in Week 16.
The fantasy football playoffs are officially underway as just two more weeks remain in the season for the majority of leagues. Now, it’s time to look at some start/sit decisions for Week 16.
Doing start/sit articles can be a little challenging. The players featured on the list below should not be taken as “must starts” or “must sits.” Instead, these are more suggestions on what we believe managers should do with fringe players heading into the weekend. The choice is ultimately up to the manager.
Just because a player is listed as a “start” doesn’t mean he should be put in the lineup over the secure, bona fide studs. Vice versa for the “sits.” If there’s no better option on the waiver wire or the bench, a manager shouldn’t automatically sit the player. That’s why these can be tricky waters to navigate.
Here are some waiver wire options for fantasy this week.
After the 15th full slate of regular season action, nearly every fantasy football league should be in their playoffs.
If you had a tough injury in Week 15, or you just didn’t get the production from one of your players that you expected, we’ll scan the waiver wire. For potential pickups, we’ll consider players who are available in at least 50% of ESPN fantasy leagues.
Let’s take a look at some of the potential waiver wire pickups that could help your teams heading into Week 16 of the NFL campaign.
Who were the three stars for the Patriots in Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs?
The New England Patriots fell to 3-11 at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs, but for a second straight week, their offense looked competent.
The issue is they lack the talent across the board on offense, and they are without key stars on defense due to injuries. But they did manage to hang in there with the defending Super Bowl champions in a 27-17 loss.
Whether Bill O’Brien has turned a corner with his play-calling, or if the change at quarterback sparked players to buy in on offense, there seems to be better execution overall. It also helps when the quarterback isn’t making terrible decisions every play and running the offense as designed.
Regardless, this week had some bright spots, despite the loss. Here are the three stars of the game for the Patriots:
Tunnel Vision – a look back at Sunday for fantasy free agents, injuries and notable performances.
SUNDAY SALUTES
Quarterbacks
Pass-Rush
TD
Jared Goff
278-0
5
Baker Mayfield
381-(-2)
4
Aiden O’Connell
248-0
4
Brock Purdy
242-0
4
Easton Stick
257-11
3
Running Backs
Yards
TD
Christian McCaffrey
18-115
5-72
3
James Cook
25-179
2-42
2
Kyren Williams
27-152
5-3
1
Jahmyr Gibbs
11-100
2-8
2
Ty Chandler
23-132
3-25
1
Wide Receivers
Yards
TD
Jordan Addison
6-111
2
Jaylen Waddle
8-142
1
Terry McLaurin
6-141
1
Chris Godwin
10-155
0
Cooper Kupp
8-111
1
Tight Ends
Yards
TD
Sam LaPorta
5-56
3
David Njoku
10-104
1
Trey McBride
10-102
0
Hunter Henry
7-66
1
Isaiah Likely
5-70
1
Placekickers
XP
FG
Ka’imi Fairbairn
1
4
Matt Prater
2
3
Matt Gay
3
3
Jason Sanders
3
3
Harrison Butker
3
2
Defense
Sack – TO
TD
Dolphins
6-4
0
Raiders
3-5
1
Bears
4-3
1
Saints
7-0
0
Titans
4-1
1
Bumps, Bruises and Bowouts
QB Will Levis – Leg
QB Zach Wilson – Head
RB Zack Moss – Arm
RB Keaton Mitchell – Knee
RB Jonathan Williams – Concussion
WR Zay Jones – Leg
WR Michael Pittman – Concussion
WR Ja’Marr Chase – Shoulder
WR Jayden Reed – Toe
TE Hunter Henry – Leg
K Randy Bullock – Hamstring
Chasing Ambulances
QB Will Levis – Injured his ankle but said afterward that he is alright and that the injury “could’ve been a lot worse and it was definitely scarier in the moment than it was.” He carries minimal fantasy value anyway, but had kept DeAndre Hopkins relevant.
QB Zach Wilson – Received a concussion in the shutout loss to the Dolphins. He was replaced by Trevor Siemian who would take the start this week against the visiting Commanders, the NFL version of Santa Claus coming down the chimney. Siemian was even worse than Wilson when he came into the loss to the Fins, but he may have some value against the worst defense in the NFL.
RB Zack Moss – Left the win over the Steelers with another arm injury and X-Rays were negative at the stadium. He was ruled out when he couldn’t grip the ball well. He was replaced by a tag team of Trey Sermon and Tyler Goodson which could repeat this week if Moss remains out. But, Jonathan Taylor may return this week.
WR Michael Pittman – Left the game in the second quarter when he got a concussion after getting blasted on a tackle. He may end up missing this week, and if so they will cobble together the tight ends and other wideouts to replace his production.
RB Keaton Mitchell – Broke into the open and then crumpled almost untouched in the win over the Jaguars. He is already reported to be gone for the season with a serious knee injury. Gus Edwards and Justice Hill will take over his production, but be much slower about it.
WR Zay Jones – Already missed time with a knee injury this year, and now suffered a hamstring strain in the loss to the Ravens. Jamal Agnew will help cover for him if needed, but the Jaguars are running out of wideouts with Christian Kirk already gone.
WR Ja’Marr Chase – Injured the AC joint in his shoulder and is considered “day to day.’ HC Zac Taylor said his availability for the Steelers game will be determined later in the week.
WR Jayden Reed – Left the loss to the Buccaneers with a toe injury and will have a status update later in the week.
TE Hunter Henry – Injured his knee in the loss to the Chiefs at the start of the fourth quarter and did not return. His status will be updated by Wednesday.
Free Agents, Flops and Other Notables
QB Dart Throw – For some leagues, Week 15 is the playoffs and even the league championship for large contests. And the Top-8 fantasy quarterbacks for when you need them the most – Baker Mayfield, Jared Goff, Joe Flacco, Aidan O’Connell, Brock Purdy, Easton Stick, Jake Browning, and Nick Mullens. Basically, all names on your waiver wire in Week 1. Maybe even a week or two ago for most of them. That’s disappointing after the top quarterbacks have been so good all year… until now.
WR Justin Jefferson – He made it all the way through the game without injury. Jefferson led the Vikings with ten targets that became seven catches for 84 yards. That, in turn, helped Jordan Addison (6-111, 2 TD) succeed against lesser coverage. Nick Mullens (303 yards, 2 TD) looks like he’ll stick for now.
RB Bijan Robinson – One of the biggest questions that will come out of 2023 is why did the Falcons have such uneven usage of a supposed generational talent? Robinson faced one of the weakest defenses in the NFL – Carolina – and was limited to only seven rushes for 11 yards while Tyler Allgeier handled 14 rushes for 45 yards. Robinson is already the leading rusher for the Falcons. Seven carries! They already drafted a generational talent in Kyle Pitts and then don’t use him. Now they have Robinson and do not use him. If they use a first-round pick on a quarterback, should we assume up front that he won’t get to play?
QB Joe Flacco – The Browns’ latest quarterback just threw for 374 yards and two scored on the Bears. He passed for 311 yards and three scores in Week 14. He’s only played three games and already has the two highest-producing games for Cleveland.
RB Raheem Mostert – He’s 31 years old and has already topped his career marks in carries, yards and scores. This week versus the Jets, he ran for 42 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries. That a Miami team record with 20 touchdowns on the season, with three games left to play. Does he age in reverse? He’s playing out his ninth NFL season with more touchdowns than he’s scored in all other years combined.
RB James Conner – The Cardinals’ primary rusher ran for 105 yards and two scores at the Steelers in Week 13 and then went in his bye. He returned to face the 49ers on Sunday and reeled off 86 yards and a score on 14 rushes, averaging 6.1 yards per carry. And mostly on fantasy benches across the land.
QB Josh Allen – The Bills beat the Cowboys 31-10 in a laugher and Josh Allen spoke about his newfound wisdom after the game, suggesting that it is okay that he didn’t have to take the team on his back and do everything for the offense. He can allow James Cook to score twice with 227 total yards. Allen only passed for 94 yards and a touchdown but did run in one score. And that is not okay, at least not without warning during fantasy playoffs.
TE Isaiah Likely – Mark Andrews was lost after Week 12 and the Ravens No. 2 tight end stepped up these last two weeks with five catches for around 75 yards and a touchdown in each. That was more yardage than Andrews had in all but two games this year.
TE Sam LaPorta – The rookie just caught three touchdowns on his five catches for 56 yards in the win over the Broncos. That gives him an NFL tight end lead with nine touchdowns – no other in the position has scored more than six. Ironically, the Lions old tight end T.J. Hockenson is the No. 1 and Travis Kelce is No. 2. And LaPorta is No. 3 and just ten fantasy points away from being the No. 1 – as a rookie.
Huddle player of the week
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James Cook – He already had improved in the second half of the season and against the previously feared Cowboys defense, Cook turned in a career-best performance with 179 yards and a score on 25 carries, plus caught two passes for 42 yards and a second touchdown. Cook demolished the Cowboys almost single-handedly.
Salute!
Drama 101 – Somebody has to laugh, somebody has to cry
Who were the studs and duds for the Patriots in Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs.
The New England Patriots put up a valiant fight against the Kansas City Chiefs, but in the end, it wasn’t enough to upset the defending Super Bowl champions on Sunday.
There were some clear similarities to this week and the Patriots’ stunning win over the Pittsburgh Steelers last week.
The offense came out firing on all cylinders in the first half and then crashed into a wall for the last two quarters of the game. It wasn’t a perfect effort defensively, but the unit did do enough to give the Patriots a fighting chance in this game.
Perhaps the only difference was Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense consistently putting up points on the scoreboard. Even after stalled drives, they still found a way to march down the field and score points when they really needed it. That wasn’t the case for Bailey Zappe and the Patriots, unfortunately.
Bill Belichick is now 10-3 against Mike Tomlin in his career.
There’s nothing like a good, old-fashioned Bill Belichick and Mike Tomlin matchup to suddenly make everything okay again for the New England Patriots.
Who cares if this moment of bliss is fleeting? The Kansas City Chiefs are coming to Foxborough next week to more than likely stomp a mudhole in these Patriots, but thanks to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tomlin, the team can rest peacefully for the next nine days.
Belichick came into Thursday night’s game 9-3 all-time against Tomlin. That number seemed sure to go in the other direction given the walking offensive disaster the Patriots have been all season.
And then it was like magic in Pittsburgh. The offense surprisingly looked ready to compete, and some of the most unlikely Patriots players stepped up as heroes.
Let’s delve into some leftover notes from Thursday’s game:
Who were the studs and duds in the Patriots’ 21-18 win over the Steelers?
For at least a night, the New England Patriots had naysayers on hush mode after marching into Acrisure Stadium and knocking off the Pittsburgh Steelers in a surprising upset win.
The victory came on a night when the Patriots were as limited as they’ve ever been at the skilled positions. There was no Rhamondre Stevenson, DeVante Parker or Kayshon Boutte in this matchup.
And it didn’t matter.
The Patriots offense rallied around quarterback Bailey Zappe and put together their best performance since their win over the Buffalo Bills back in October.
With the win, New England improved to 3-10 on the season and officially put an end to their five-game losing streak. Here are the studs and duds from the game:
Quarterback Bailey Zappe had a stellar game in the shocking upset win, throwing for 240 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Not only was the New England offense led by Zappe, but it was also led by the stellar play of tight end Hunter Henry, along with wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster, who had a team-high 90 receiving yards.
The team was also able to find contributions from running back Ezekiel Elliott. The veteran rusher had 22 carries for 68 yards on the ground, and he added a receiving touchdown to his line as well.
New England’s defense made life difficult for Steelers quarterback Mitch Trubisky, who threw for 190 yards, one touchdown and an interception. Safety Jabrill Peppers came up with the takeaway and helped set up one of New England’s touchdowns.
Patriots Twitter was excited about the win, and we’ve compiled some of the best reactions from social media.
Hunter Henry had his best first half of the season against the Steelers.
The New England Patriots offense got into a groove in the first quarter, as they were able to score three touchdowns. Two of those touchdowns came courtesy of the Bailey Zappe-Hunter Henry connection.
The first touchdown pass came with Zappe finding Henry in the back of the end zone for a score to give the Patriots a 14-3 lead. This was Henry’s third receiving touchdown of the season and his first since November 5 against the Washington Commanders.
It wasn’t long after that play before the two connected on another touchdown. This time, it concluded a four-play, 59-yard drive that took 2:10 off the clock. Not only is Henry celebrating a birthday, but he was also celebrating his best first half of the season.
Henry started off the season strong but rapidly declined once the offense started to sputter. Perhaps Zappe can finally make the veteran tight end a factor once again.
Check out these starts and sits in fantasy football for Week 12.
With Thanksgiving behind us, the battles in fantasy football for the final spots in the playoffs officially hit the home stretch.
Three games took place Thursday and another will take place Friday afternoon in the NFL’s first Black Friday game. No teams are on a bye, though we will be hit with another six teams getting the week off in Week 13.
Doing start/sit articles can be a little challenging. The players featured on the list below should not be taken as “must starts” or “must sits.” Instead, these are more suggestions on what we believe managers should do with fringe players heading into the weekend. The choice is ultimately up to the manager.
Just because a player is listed as a “start” doesn’t mean he should be put in the lineup over the secure, bona fide studs. Vice versa for the “sits.” If there’s no better option on the waiver wire or the bench, a manager shouldn’t automatically sit the player. That’s why these can be tricky waters to navigate.
