In most fantasy football leagues, Week 16 means you’re playing in the semi-finals. Or, you’re playing for draft position. Or perhaps you’re even playing to stop yourself from finishing in last place in your league. Whatever the case, your start and sit decisions are more important than ever. To keep you covered week in and week out, The League Winners are here to help you with any start or sit questions you have. Spending the week agonizing over who to start in your flex? Put your mind to rest and rely on us to do the dirty work for you. If you missed last week’s picks, you can see them here.
Start
Darius Slayton, WR – New York Giants (Thomas Christopher)
Despite having a disappointing Week 15, Slayton still managed to see 7 targets. He’s had a top-24 performance in three of the past six weeks, and I think we see him hit that mark again against a susceptible Vikings secondary. The Vikings like to score points in bunches, so the Giants will have to throw the ball to keep up. I’m expecting at least 5 target and a touchdown for Slayton this week.
Kareem Hunt, RB – Cleveland Browns (Aaron St. Denis)
Rachaad White, RB – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Jeremy Shulman)
I want all the Tampa backfield I can handle this week as Trace McSorley will draw the start against a Bucs D that has stuffed the run all season. Conner is sure to get plenty of opportunities, but I’d expect Tampa to be leading comfortably in this one.
Forcing the Cards into passing situations can only mean bad things for Arizona’s prospects of winning. Fournette is an excellent play, but the Bucs will continue to give White his fair share of touches. In the Glendale sun, both backs should thrive, with White being a little more likely to break off some big plays. White provides a solid floor in fantasy football with upside in the flex for your semifinal matchup.
Sam Darnold, QB – Carolina Panthers (Sheldon Hand)
Putting my neck on the line here, but I believe you can trust Darnold in a great matchup against the Lions. The Lions are allowing the most points, an average of 25.5, to the QB position this year. Between passing and rushing TDs, the Lions are giving up nearly two TDs per game to QBs. The Panthers are still in the playoff hunt – only one game back from the Bucs for the division lead – so they have something to play for. Darnold has protected the ball well, with zero interceptions since taking over as the starter in Week 12. He gives you a safe super flex option in fantasy football leagues, with QB1 upside if he can find the end zone a couple of times!
Najee Harris, RB – Pittsburgh Steelers (Harry Prskalo)
Najee is someone that I will be having in all of my fantasy football lineups this week. He has been disappointing this season, but recently there are many signs that Najee is going to explode this week. Last week he ran the ball 24 times, which is the highest of touches for him this season. He now gets to face the Las Vegas Raiders which allowed Rhamandre Stevenson to rush for 19/172/1. I cannot imagine them not feeding the ball to Harris this week. Expect him to have many chances of breaking off big plays. You should feel confident throwing Najee in this week.
Sit
Antonio Gibson, RB – Washington Commanders (Thomas Christopher)
Antonio Gibson hasn’t completely disappointed this season as most fantasy football managers expected when Brian Robinson was named the starter. With that said, his usage has been trending down; and this week he faces a 49ers defense that is one of the best at stopping running back production. While I think this will be a smashmouth style type of game, I think Gibson’s chances of production are limited. I’m keeping him on my bench this week.
Amari Cooper, WR – Cleveland Browns (Aaron St. Denis)
Over the last month, Amari Cooper’s production has dropped significantly. In Week 16 he gets a matchup against a middling Saints pass defense that has been getting healthier of late. My main concern with Cooper aside from his inconsistency, is the weather. This game could have the worst weather we’ve seen all year. I’m steering clear of Cooper and frankly any member of the Saints or Browns passing attack.
Juwan Johnson, TE – New Orleans Saints (Jeremy Shulman)
David Njoku, TE – Cleveland Browns (Sheldon Hand)
Jerry Jeudy, WR – Denver Broncos (Harry Prskalo)
This one may come as a shocker, but I am not putting Jerry Jeudy in any of my fantasy football lineups this week. After finishing as the WR1 in Week 14, there is some competition for targets this week. When Courtland Sutton has played, Jeudy has finished inside the top 15 only twice. They now have to go against the Rams, which the only brightspot of that team right now is Jalen Ramsey. If you are starting Jeudy this week, I would expect a WR3 with limited upside.
