Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 16: Smart Sleepers to Exploit and Lineup Advice (2024)

Every fantasy football manager wants to get the same thing this holiday season: a championship. Some will be another step closer by the time Week 16 of the NFL campaign culminates with Christmas Day action.

In most fantasy leagues, the playoffs got underway in Week 15, with the winners advancing to semifinal matchups that will occur in Week 16. That means this week's victors will punch a ticket to the championship tilt set for Week 17.

This deep into the season, it's easier to know which players to start and which others to sit. But there are still some tough decisions to make as the playoffs unfold.

Here's some early start/sit advice for the upcoming Week 16 action.

In Week 14, Ezekiel Elliott had one of his best showings of the season, as the 28-year-old Patriots running back racked up 140 total yards and had a receiving score vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers. He followed that up with one of his worst showings in Week 15, when he had 11 carries for 25 yards and five catches for 21 yards against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Which version of Elliott will show up in Week 16? There's a good chance it will be the one who was quite productive against Pittsburgh. The main reason for that is New England will be facing the Denver Broncos, who are allowing an NFL-high 146.9 rushing yards per game.

Elliott may not be having a huge season in his first year with the Pats, but he should be a factor in this great matchup for the team's ground game. So feel confident starting him against a Denver defense that has routinely struggled to stop the run.

Fantasy managers have rarely been able to trust Ravens running backs this season, as the team has often utilized multiple backs per game. However, Gus Edwards still typically has a good bit of upside, and he's coming off a Week 15 performance in which he had 16 carries for 58 yards and a touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

That doesn't mean fantasy managers should trust Edwards in Week 16, though. The 28-year-old could be much less of a factor when Baltimore takes on the San Francisco 49ers, who are 10-3 and among the top teams in the NFL.

Not only are the Niners tough, but their defense is stingy against the run, as they're allowing only 89.4 rushing yards per game (which ranks third best in the league). Because of that, leave Edwards on the bench this week unless you have no other RB options to turn to.

Need a sleeper wide receiver to take a flier on this week? Consider Tyler Boyd, who may be poised for a bigger showing now that he's built some rapport with Jake Browning, the Bengals quarterback filling in for the injured Joe Burrow.

Boyd had 53 receiving yards last week, which was his largest output since Week 10. Browning had been trying to get Boyd involved before that, though, as the 29-year-old wideout has been targeted at least five times in six of his past seven games.

Although Boyd hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 8, that drought could end Saturday, when Cincinnati will face the AFC North rival Pittsburgh Steelers. It's a good matchup for the Bengals' offense, so Boyd could play a sizable role (especially if Ja'Marr Chase is sidelined due to his shoulder injury).

Throughout the season, DeAndre Hopkins' fantasy output has been a bit inconsistent. Fantasy managers who started the Titans wide receiver in Week 15 ended up disappointed, as he had only two catches for 21 yards vs. the Houston Texans, despite receiving nine targets.

Hopkins has been targeted 33 times over the past three weeks, yet has only 14 catches over that span. That's part of the reason why the 31-year-old can't be trusted in Week 16, when Tennessee has a bit of a challenging matchup against the Seattle Seahawks.

The Titans' passing attack may struggle to move the ball vs. the Seahawks, who have some solid cornerbacks in their secondary. While Hopkins could still have a decent showing, it's best to try to find receivers who are safer plays for the fantasy playoffs.