• ShareCopied to clipboard

Start/Sit (Week 16)

December 20, 2025

Quarterbacks

START

CJ Stroud vs Raiders

We were slow to believe as it has been a rough go lately for Stroud. However, he’s quietly put together three straight weeks of 200 yard performances and notched just his second game this season of 3 td’s or more. With a checked out Raiders defense next up, we’re all in.

Justin Herbert at Dallas

His numbers as of late have left a little to be desired. However, this matchup looks great. Dallas isn’t eliminated just yet but I think everyone knows they’re done for 2025. They had their chance to fight with their back against the wall and they surrendered 250 yards and 3 total scores to JJ McCarthy. Dallas looked different on defense for a little bit but they’ve reverted back to their old ways and Herbert will be ready for them. I like the Chargers a lot in this one.

Tyler Shough vs Jets

Alright, I’ve seen enough to start Shough with confidence. He’s been consistently playing well over the last few weeks and has taken down two divisional rivals in back to back games. Next up are the lowly Jets who just fired their defensive coordinator and are playing for absolutely nothing at this point. This Jets defense was just carved up for 330 yards and 5 touchdowns by Trevor Lawrence and they’re just trying to get to the finish line.

SIT

Sam Darnold vs Rams

It’s not so much about his game against the Colts as it is about the game upcoming vs the Rams. Darnold has been great for most of the season and he could very well make me look like a fool here but he STRUGGLED last time out against LA with 4 interceptions. To his credit, he battled back, but he was seeing ghosts for most of that one. I’m not chancing it in my playoff matchup if I can help it.

Baker Mayfield at Carolina

Baker has been off since his shoulder injury vs the Rams in week 12. The exception is last week vs a Falcons squad on Thursday Night. I don’t think that’s a turning point so much as I believe screwy things happen on TNF. Baker has struggled greatly in his last two trips to Carolina (1 td, 2 int). This should be even tougher with a Panthers squad that believes they can take the division. Yes, Mike Evans is back and perhaps you roll the dice on letting this matchup ride. I’m only here to warn of the negative side of it given what we’ve seen lately.

Jaxson Dart vs Minnesota

Dart is such a fun player to watch. The same headfirst heart that Skattebo played with put him on IR for the season. Dart himself has taken five trips to the medical tent for concussion evaluation. You can’t predict stuff like that but his playstyle brings some worries on game day. The Vikings defense went into Dallas and completely shut down one of the more talented offensive groups in the NFL. Dart is hardly throwing to talents like CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens and Minnesota has a top 5 passing defense.

---

Running Backs

START

Omarion Hampton, Chargers

Hampton has been back from injury for two full weeks now and has slowly handled a bit more of the backfield work each week. While he isn’t lighting up box scores, he’s putting respectable flex numbers and not hurting your lineup. The most important takeaway for me was that Vidal received 3 less carries (15 to 12) but only obtained about half the yardage that Hampton received. Hampton’s running style should match up well in week 16 against Dallas as it should be wheels up.

Kenneth Gainwell, Steelers

Look, it isn’t the sexiest name, but we can’t ignore the production Gainwell has had all season. He started off hot, kind of disappeared in the middle and has come back hot since week 11. Jaylen Warren is battling some injury issues as well as an illness against Miami, and Gainwell took full advantage. Regardless, his role in the passing game alone has me full speed ahead for my flex spot. Especially against a Detroit defense that can’t stop a nosebleed right now. Michael Carter, Cardinals

D’Andre Swift. Bears

The schedule has looked daunting for weeks but all Swift has done is continue to produce big time numbers. Monangai will continue to get work but has not been as effective as Swift has been. Something to watch that could effect the ground game are the injuries to the passing weapons for Chicago. With both Burden and Odunze nursing injuries, it could make things easier for the Packer defense to key in on the few starts that the Bears still have out there. Regardless, Swift has been a player you can trust all season, I’m rolling with him in a must win scenario.

SIT

Breece Hall, Jets

I’m out on the Breece Hall experience this year. We’re fighting for each week now and his numbers have been awful for most of the season. Pair that with the lack of a pass game and the weekly QB changes and there just isn’t much space. He has been limited in practices the last few weeks with the knee so there very well could be something else going on. Isaiah Davis had no problem finding space against Jacksonville and I’d imagine he’ll eat into the workload just a little bit more over the next few weeks.

Ashton Jeanty, Raiders

It’s kind of the same story for Las Vegas running back Ashton Jeanty, except there isn’t anyone producing on this offense. There’s been no respect from opposing defenses for the Raiders passing game as Geno has led the league in interceptions for much of the season. It’ll be him or Kenny Pickett who just got blanked by Philly. The chances are that if you’re still worrying about Jeanty that you’ve been eliminated. But if you aren’t?! Then there’s still time to help yourself out and put him aside!

Quinshon Judkins, Browns

Volume is king but holy crap you’ve still gotta do something, anything, with it. The last two games have been awful. They have some young talent and they’re learning. But you’re not here because you’re a Browns fan, you’re here because you need a win now. I don’t think these guys can deliver it yet. The Bills should make lightwork of Cleveland much like Chicago did and there shouldn’t be much action here to get excited about. Judkins is a super inefficient runner that was relying on 20+ carry weeks. Those aren’t coming anymore.

---

Wide Receivers

START

Courtland Sutton vs Jaguars

The Jaguars may carry a top 10 defense this year but their weakness has been the passing game. They’ve been giving up big days to receivers in three of the last four weeks (exception Titans) and that includes AD Mitchell in Week 15 with a rookie QB making his debut. For all the negatives said about the Broncos offense, they’re starting to click and Sutton’s production is ramping back up at the perfect time.

DK Metcalf at Lions

DK has been money once again over the last few weeks and he gets a juicy matchup against the Lions at Ford Field. Detroit has been bleeding yards and points to everyone lately and it’s not going to stop now as they continue to rack up injuries on the defensive side of the ball. Metcalf is coming off just a 3 target game against Miami but he remains the main go to target for Rodgers when they look to throw the ball. This game should be back and forth enough with a Lions team fighting for their playoff lives to where there will be plenty of points to go around.

Emeka Egbuka at Panthers

Egbuka started off the season in a hot way and made everyone who drafted him look like a genius. Then he went through a bit of a tough stretch from week 6 onward, but that tough time coincided with Mike Evans going down to injury. Evans returned last week against Atlanta and Egbuka went back to making the most of his targets (though they were the lowest he’s received since week 6). The drop in targets doesn’t concern me as they were higher quality. However, we’ll want to watch Evan’s practice status going into week 16 as he came up with an injury once again.

Bonus (initially a sit): DJ Moore vs Packers

This play will be all about monitoring the injury situation for the Bears. Odunze was ruled out during pregame warm ups last week and Luther Burden was the one to step up in a big way while having a breakout game. However, it was DJ Moore who turned his four receptions into two touchdowns which gave him a massive day. DJM has a history of a big game followed by 5 straight duds. Luther Burden exited the game with an injury as well so if both he and Odunze are ruled out, I may be more inclined to roll the dice.

SIT

George Pickens vs Chargers

No, I get it. You’re probably going to start him, but we now have two straight weeks of Pickens disappearing when you needed him the most. The big games in September were fun, but if you survived round 1, I’m not sure you can just let him ride once again. The Chargers defense is no slouch and come in ranked 3rd in the league, allowing for less than 180 yards per game. If there’s a weakness, it’ll be attacked by the tight end slot as Bowers, Goedert and Kelce (the last three weeks) are the three that have been able to find the most success outside of AJB.

Zay Flowers vs Patriots

Nothing against Lamar, but I’ll always say that Zay Flowers would have been a super star had he been drafted anywhere other than Baltimore. He’s still a very successful and talented player, but you just see the juice he has. The Ravens have been struggling most weeks to get him the ball and it won’t get any easier taking on a Vrabel defense that’s been dominating. New England is coming off a game against the Bills where they blew the lead, I expect them to lockdown a shaky passing attack from Baltimore.

Jaylen Waddle vs Bengals

This feels obvious but he’s still ranked highly on many sites making this post very necessary. I’m not even sure the Tua benching is the most important factor for sending my Dolphins weapons to the bench. The playcalling has been awful, we have Quinn Ewers getting the start, everything around Miami just screams, “I can’t wait to go to Cancun.” He’s probably more of a flex choice for you at this point and I would probably go with the other guy. I’m so desperate, I’m riding nonexistent David Montgomery over him in the semi final.

---

Tight Ends

START

Kyle Pitts at Cardinals

Regardless of his team, Pitts has been able to climb himself up to the #3 TE in the league. Especially after his massive game against the Buccaneers, I’d have him starting no matter what.

Trey McBride vs Falcons

The Cardinals are currently one of the worst teams in the league, but despite their struggles, Trey McBride will continue what could be a record-breaking campaign when Arizona hosts Atlanta in week 16. McBride was another TE that had a massive game last week, despite his 2 TD’s, the Cardinals still lost to the Texans.

George Kittle at Colts

George Kittle has been one of the most productive TE’s in previous years, he has fallen short of keeping steady this year falling to rank 12. But after a strong game against the Titans, I would start him against the Colts heading into week 16.

SIT

Mike Gesicki at Dolphins

Mike has had an extremely week season with low projected and even lower scored, in 9/10 fantasy leagues, he will most likely be on FA. He’s coming off of 1 catch for 11 yards last game, Mike will show as unreliable against the Steelers this week.

Mark Andrews vs Patriots

Or any Raven, for that matter. Mark Andrews had just three targets in Baltimore’s blowout win in Week 15, which is notable given that Lamar Jackson attempted only 12 passes. Recently, Andrews usage has increased, totaling 14 targets in the last three games. However, this has resulted in only 74 yards, making him a touchdown-or-bust fantasy option, and in this situation, I’d bet on him as a bust. Additionally, Isaiah Likely was on the field for 50% of Baltimore’s offensive snaps in the Week 15 win over the Bengals but did not receive a target. Going into the game against the Patriots it could look the same as week 15 or very similar.

Hunter Henry at Bills

Henry struggled against Buffalo as expected in Week 15 with one catch for 18 yards on three targets, but almost every tight end had a down performance against the Bills. His matchup in Week 16 isn’t much easier since the Ravens are No. 6 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends. Baltimore has allowed one touchdown to a tight end since Week 6, and no tight end has scored double digits in PPR against the Ravens over that span. Henry is only worth starting in deeper leagues in Week 16.

Keith, Author

Keith runs youth flag football leagues by day, and by night he hosts the podcast and writes articles with the confidence of a man who’s been rushing quarterbacks since dial-up. A longtime flag football DE and lifelong Falcons fan, he’s no stranger to heartbreak and enjoys watching the bears get slaughtered each week. Equal parts coach, critic, and chaos, Keith calls it like he sees it… even if it hurts.