Week 16 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Top 10 Players, Stat Projections for Every Position

Week 16 is underway, folks. If you're still participating in meaningful fantasy football matchups, then you're either in the championship game or right on the cusp.

Or, you know, you're participating in more of a short-term format.

Either way, you want to select the right guys to lead you to victory this week. Well, we're here to help you identify the best players at each position. We'll run down the top 10 players at each position, along with some guys you might want to avoid. 

We will also examine some risers and fallers at each skill position. Our choices are based on points-per-reception scoring and on factors such as past performances, projected roles, matchups and health.

Good luck!

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player	Proj. Stats	Start/Sit
1	Drew Brees, NO	375 YDS, 3 TDs, INT	Start
2	Matt Ryan, ATL	350 YDS, 3 TDs	Start
3	Tom Brady, NE	325 YDS, 3 TDs	Start
4	Jameis Winston, TB	300 YDS, 3 TDs, INT	Start
5	Cam Newton, CAR	275 YDS, 30 RUSH YDS, 2 TDs	Start
6	Derek Carr, Oak	275 YDS, 3 TDs	Start
7	Matthew Stafford, DET	350 YDS, 2 TDs	Start
8	Philip Rivers, SD	275 YDS, 2 TDs	Start
9	Andrew Luck, IND	275 YDS, 2 TDs, INT	Start
10	Kirk Cousins, WAS	275 YDS, 2 TDs, INT	Start
*	Blake Bortles, JAX	250 YDS, TD, 2 INT	Sit
*	Andy Dalton, CIN	225 YDS, TD, 2 INT	Sit
*	Robert Griffin III, CLE	105 YDS, 2 INTs	Sit

Start 'Em: Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts

At 7-7, the Indianapolis Colts are still technically alive in the postseason race. This should give them the incentive to fight hard against the Oakland Raiders on Saturday, but this isn't the reason we like quarterback Andrew Luck this week.

We like Luck because of the way he and the Colts have played on the road this season. Something about being away from Lucas Oil Stadium has the team playing a dangerous brand of football, and Luck owners have been some of the biggest benefactors.

Last week against the Minnesota Vikings, for example, Luck passed for 250 yards and two touchdowns.

The Vikings rank third in passing yards allowed (205.6 per game), while the Raiders rank 25th (259.0). Expect Luck to match last week's production at the very least.

Sit 'Em: Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals appear set to get star receiver A.J. Green back on the field this week, per Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer: 

However, we don't think Green's return is enough to make quarterback Andy Dalton a viable fantasy starter this week. Dalton's up-and-down nature makes him a bit of a fantasy risk to begin with—he had 332 yards and two scores three weeks ago compared with 157 yards and a pick last week.

Plus, Dalton and the Bengals are traveling to face a Houston Texans team that is hungry for another playoff opportunity. The Texans defense is rated sixth in pass coverage and 10th overall by Pro Football Focus for the season.

Expect a hostile environment and a physical defense to make life miserable for Dalton this weekend.

Running Backs

Rank	Player	Proj. Stats	Start/Sit
1	Le'Veon Bell, PIT	65 YDS, 6 REC, 50 YDS, TD	Start
2	David Johnson, ARI	70 YDS, 4 REC, 40 YDS, TD	Start
3	LeSean McCoy, BUF	110 YDS, 2 REC, 20 YDS, TD	Start
4	Ezekiel Elliott, DAL	126 YDS, TD	Start
5	DeMarco Murray, TEN	69 YDS, 2 REC, 15 YDS, TD	Start
6	Todd Gurley, LA	101 YDS, TD	Start
7	Jordan Howard, CHI	55 YDS, 2 REC, 25 YDS, TD	Start
8	Latavius Murray, OAK	70 YDS, 4 REC, 50 YDS	Start
9	Lamar Miller, HOU	80 YDS, 3 REC, 40 YDS	Start
10	LeGarrette Blount, NE	90 YDS, TD	Start
*	Chris Ivory, JAX	40 YDS, 2 REC, 20 YDS	Sit
*	James White, NE	3 REC, 35 YDS	Sit
*	Justin Forsett, DEN	35 YDS, 1 REC, 12 YDS	Sit

Start 'Em: LeSean McCoy, Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills are another 7-7 team that is still technically alive in the postseason race. They're also looking to get revenge on the rival Miami Dolphins for a loss earlier this season. In addition, the Bills seem to want to get back at the Dolphins for a block from receiver Jarvis Landry that sent Bills safety Aaron Williams to the hospital.

“We know what happened, we know it was a dirty hit, but if we win the game, I think that’ll hurt them more than doing anything out of the ordinary,” cornerback Stephon Gilmore said, per Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.

We expect the Bills to come out swinging against the Dolphins and to use Pro Bowl running back LeSean McCoy as their main power punch. Against a Miami team that allows the third-most rushing yards in the league (132.5 per game), this could lead to some big-time production.

Sit 'Em: Chris Ivory, Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Chris Ivory returned from a hamstring injury to play against the Houston Texans last week. He finished with 10 carries but amassed just 44 yards for his efforts.

While an average of 4.4 yards per carry is commendable, Ivory doesn't have a big enough role in Jacksonville's backfield to warrant regular fantasy attention. According to Pro Football Focus, he saw just 14 snaps last week compared with 39 offensive snaps for T.J. Yeldon.

Even if Ivory gets a bigger chunk of the backfield work in Week 16, we don't like him as a fantasy option. In fact, we don't like either Jaguars back against a Tennessee Titans team that allows an average of just 91.6 yards rushing per game.

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player	Proj. Stats	Start/Sit
1	Mike Evans, TB	7 REC, 105 YDS, TD	Start
2	Antonio Brown, PIT	9 REC, 115 YDS	Start
3	T.Y. Hilton, IND	7 REC, 70 YDS, TD	Start
4	Julian Edelman, NE	7 REC, 65 YDS, TD	Start
5	Julio Jones, ATL	8 REC, 105 YDS	Start
6	Jordy Nelson, GB	5 REC, 60 YDS, TD	Start
7	Larry Fitzgerald, ARI	7 REC, 80 YDS	Start
8	Jordan Matthews, PHI	6 REC, 88 YDS	Start
9	Golden Tate, DET	7 REC, 76 YDS	Start
10	A.J. Green, CIN	7 REC, 70 YDS	Start
*	Tyler Boyd, CIN	3 REC, 40 YDS	Sit
*	Robert Woods, BUF	2 REC, 45 YDS	Sit
*	Terrelle Pryor, CLE	3 REC, 30 YDS	Sit

Start 'Em: Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

If you haven't realized by now that Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans is one of the top wideouts in fantasy, then you probably have been playing the wrong game. The guy has already racked up 84 receptions for 1,159 yards and 10 touchdowns.

This week, Evans and the Buccaneers travel to take on the New Orleans Saints. If you haven't realized that the Saints represent one of the most favorable fantasy matchups for receivers, again, you're probably playing the wrong game.

New Orleans is rated dead last in pass coverage by Pro Football Focus and allows the second-most passing yards per game (271.2).

What we end up with here is a great receiver in a great matchup—enough said.

Sit 'Em: Robert Woods, Buffalo Bills

Bills receiver Robert Woods has the kind of deep-threat ability that makes him a viable fantasy starter when he's healthy. Unfortunately, he has been dealing with a knee issue that has limited his production. 

Woods has just two receptions and 34 yards in his past two starts. Bills coach Rex Ryan seems to believe that the speedy wideout is on the mend, though. 

"He's probably better now than he even was last week," Ryan said, per Matthew Fairburn of NewYorkUpstate.com. "But you know as I remember, looked at him last week, you know he had that '70s knee brace on. Looking at him like he's one tough dude. But I think right now he looks good to me."

Even if he's healthier, we're not convinced Woods is back to 100 percent or that he will have a major impact on the game.

Tight Ends

Rank	Player	Proj. Stats	Start/Sit
1	Kyle Rudolph, MIN	6 REC, 75 YDS, TD	Start
2	Cameron Brate, TB	6 REC, 70 YDS, TD	Start
3	Greg Olsen, CAR	5 REC, 60 YDS, TD	Start
4	Travis Kelce, KC	8 REC, 88 YDS	Start
5	Eric Ebron, DET	4 REC, 45 YDS, TD	Start
6	Jason Witten, DAL	4 REC, 38 YDS, TD	Start
7	Dennis Pitta, BAL	6 REC, 65 YDS	Start
8	Ladarius Green, PIT	5 REC, 60 YDS	Start
9	Delanie Walker, TEN	5 REC, 59 YDS	Start
10	C.J. Fiedorowicz, HOU	5 REC, 50 YDS	Start
*	Gary Barnidge, CLE	3 REC, 33 YDS	Sit
*	Jack Doyle, IND	3 REC, 31 YDS	Sit
*	Jared Cook, GB	2 REC, 30 YDS	Sit

Start 'Em: Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers

Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen is a fantasy must-start when healthy. However, he did suffer an elbow injury last week against the Washington Redskins and has been missing practice.

The good news is that the Panthers don't seem overly concerned with the injury, at least according to Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer:

The Saints and the Panthers are the only teams that allow more passing yards per game than the 267.4 allowed by the Atlanta Falcons. We expect Olsen to start and to have a quality day against Atlanta this week.

Sit 'Em: Gary Barnidge, Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns tight end Gary Barnidge was a Pro Bower and a fantasy stud in 2015. Unfortunately, shaky (to say the least) quarterback play has caused his value to dip this season. With Robert Griffin III again under center this week for Cleveland, Barnidge comes with low value.

While Barnidge still represents one of the most reliable pass-catchers the Browns have, Griffin is about as reliable as a mesh umbrella. A handful of receptions and 20 yards is probably Barnidge's ceiling against the San Diego Chargers. 

Kickers

Rank	Player	Proj. Points	Start/Sit
1	Sebastian Janikowski, OAK	13	Start
2	Matt Bryant, ATL	12	Start
3	Dustin Hopkins, WAS	12	Start
4	Caleb Sturgis, PHI	11	Start
5	Stephen Gostkowski, NE	11	Start
6	Dan Bailey, DAL	10	Start
7	Matt Prater, DET	10	Start
8	Josh Lambo, SD	10	Start
9	Nick Novak, HOU	10	Start
10	Ryan Succop, TEN	9	Start
*	Dan Carpenter, BUF	7	Sit
*	Randy Bullock, CIN	7	Sit
*	Cody Parkey, CLE	6	Sit