Week 16 of the fantasy football season is here, and we’re back with another crop of start/sit options. We’ll pick quarterbacks who should exceed expectations in Week 16, along with three you should probably sit.
Fantasy football start/sit advice, Week 16 Quarterbacks
We break down the top starting options at quarterback this week, along with some players who should be avoided.
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Start
Big Ben owners in championship games are faced with the biggest decision of their season: Can I play Roethlisberger despite his historic road struggles and without the best wide receiver on the planet? Yes. Yes you can. Antonio Brown’s absence does not make the Texans’ pass defense any better. Houston is allowing the second-most fantasy points to quarterbacks and the second-most passing touchdowns. Le’Veon Bell should see an increase in receiving duties, and Martavis Bryant has been coming on lately. Don’t shy away from Ben in a critical game for the Steelers.
The Bengals are absolutely decimated on defense with injuries at linebacker and in the secondary. The team has also checked out mentally, based on their performance last Sunday. Stafford appears recovered from his hand injury, throwing for a pair of touchdowns last week against the Bears. He should have his way with the Bengals on Sunday.
Bortles had a smash matchup last week, and sure enough, he smashed, even without Marqise Lee. Bortles gets another cake matchup this week against the 49ers, who allow the sixth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks. The 49ers have been much more competitive since Jimmy Garoppolo took over, which bodes well for Bortles’ chances of throwing deep into the fourth quarter.
Sit
Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers vs. Jaguars
As mentioned, the 49ers are now 3-0 with Jimmy G under center. But the good times are probably coming to end this week and next. The Jaguars have the best pass defense in the league, and the 49ers are basically just Carlos Hyde, Marquise Goodwin, and a little Garrett Celek. The Jags should be able to take all three out of the game, leaving Garoppolo few avenues to accumulate points.
Taylor had a nice game last week against Miami, but now he takes on the Patriots on the road, where he has struggled in his career. Despite the shootout nature of last week’s game in Pittsburgh, the Patriots have been much tougher on quarterbacks in the second half of the season and have a chance to lock down the No. 1 seed in the AFC. This is not the week to gamble on Taylor having a breakthrough against his division nemesis.
This season has been a disaster for Mariota, with injuries and inefficiency being his hallmarks. The Rams are rolling and made Russell Wilson look bad last week. Mariota has almost no chance to put up a big number this week.
