Fantasy football advice, Week 16: Who to start/sit for Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. New Orleans Saints

Fantasy owners know what’s at stake at this point of the season, and when the Buccaneers take on the Saints, there are lots of volatile options that won’t sit well in the nervous stomachs of those competing for fantasy league championships. Let’s take a look at the options for one of Saturday’s games:

Twenty-seven combined points from these two teams in Week 14 is not what many expected, but fantasy owners can take more comfort in the Buccaneers now doing battle with the Saints in the Superdome. Should the Buccaneers’ much-improved defense revert in a tough environment, it could potentially mean great things for an offense that would need to play catch-up. Mike Evans, who has been kept in check in recent weeks, remains a receiver with WR1 upside. He and Cameron Brate have kept Jameis Winston on the QB1 radar most of the season and do so again in a favorable Week 16 matchup.

Doug Martin continues to be a shell of himself since coming off of a hamstring injury, but offers touchdown upside against a defense that has surrendered 17 of them on the ground. Martin can be considered a touchdown-or-bust flex option, and has even more risk with Charles Sims back in the fold.

Adam Humphries, Freddie Martino, and Sims aren’t advisable starts in championship week, even in a potential shootout.

Due to their constant boom-or-bust weeks, fantasy owners are left wondering if the ensuing week will hold a “Cooks game” or a “Thomas game,” and in Week 15, the answer happened to be “both.” Either way, with the exception of two dismal games in Weeks 13 and 14, Brandin Cooks and Michael Thomas have kept Drew Brees in an elite tier of fantasy quarterbacks, which should house Brees once again even amid a tough matchup — but a matchup he has at home. Thomas and Cooks have their usual volatility, but fantasy owners have to stomach their downside if it means cashing in on the massive upside for either. Mark Ingram can also be penned into lineups as a RB2 against the Buccaneers’ 24th-ranked run defense.

Though Tim Hightower vultured a pair of touchdowns away from Ingram in Week 15, it remains unlikely that fantasy value will trickle down to him like that once again. Despite being in the wake of a 48-point outburst, the Saints’ complementary players such as Travaris Cadet, Coby Fleener, and Willie Snead can resume their spots on fantasy benches.