Fantasy football advice, Week 16: who to start/sit for Miami Dolphins vs. Buffalo Bills

Fantasy owners know what’s at stake at this point of the season, and when the Bills take on the Dolphins, 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:

Though Jay Ajayi put his name on the fantasy radar with back-to-back 200-yard efforts, he hasn’t done much in wake of a battered offensive line that just put Mike Pouncey on injured reserve. Though it was in the distant past, it will comfort fantasy owners to know that one of Ajayi’s 200-yard outbursts came against the Bills, who remain at 27th in the league in run defense. Ajayi has just two touchdowns since the Dolphins’ Week 8 bye, and has eclipsed the century mark in yardage just once in that span. Despite his cold streak, Ajayi remains an RB2 in a favorable matchup.

While Matt Moore lit up the hapless Jets for four touchdowns in his lone start of the season, concerns with volume emerge for fantasy owners who have the Dolphins’ wide receivers in lineups. No receiver had more than five targets in Moore’s dismantling of the Jets, and despite cashing in on big plays, that outcome is far less likely against the Bills’ top-eight pass defense. Only four teams have surrendered fewer than the 15 passing touchdowns allowed by the Bills, which leaves fantasy owners chasing boom-or-bust options in the Dolphins receiving corps. Jarvis Landry remains the preferred option, but is a risky flex.

Dion Sims, Kenny Stills, and DeVante Parker could easily be victimized by Buffalo’s tough secondary, and fantasy owners shouldn’t be eager to pen any of them, or their quarterback, into fantasy lineups for championship week.

LeSean McCoy was just the latest running back to go hog wild on the Browns’ pathetic run defense in Week 15, and another great matchup presents itself on Saturday. The Dolphins rank just ahead of the Browns in run defense, and it doesn’t help their case considering that McCoy has been on fire. McCoy has totaled 100 yards or more in four straight games and has five touchdowns in that span. As a result, McCoy makes for a no-brainer RB1 for Week 16 that fantasy owners can lock into lineups, sit back, and enjoy.

In back-to-back weeks, fantasy owners have seen Sammy Watkins’ upside and downside, respectively. Watkins found the end zone in Week 14 against the Steelers, but was held to just one catch against the Browns. Watkins’ owners know the drill with him; he is an excellent playmaker who is getting healthier each week, but will be hindered by Buffalo’s low-volume passing offense. He remains a WR3 with upside, but an obvious downside as well.

Tyrod Taylor, Robert Woods, and Charles Clay don’t make for inspiring options in a week that fantasy owners simply cannot lose. The low volume just doesn’t have much appeal.