Week 16 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Fantasy Football Stars to Play and Bench

If you're losing sleep deciding what to do with your fantasy championship lineup, don't worry because that's completely normal.

The fantasy football season comes to an end for most leagues in Week 16, meaning this is the most important weekend of the year for many people. One wrong move can have you thinking about it for the next six months.

No pressure or anything.

On the plus side, you can put yourself at ease by simply examining the matchups and making the smartest decision possible at each position.

Here is a look at some tough calls many will have to make around the league with whether to start or sit the stars.

Player	Pos.	Team	Opponent
Matt Ryan	QB	Atlanta Falcons	New Orleans Saints
Tre Mason	RB	St. Louis Rams	New York Giants
Latavius Murray	RB	Oakland Raiders	Buffalo Bills
Golden Tate	WR	Detroit Lions	Chicago Bears
DeAndre Hopkins	WR	Houston Texans	Baltimore Ravens
Jason Witten	TE	Dallas Cowboys	Indianapolis Colts

Matt Ryan is a quarterback who tends to run hot or cold, but this is a time to ride the hot hand as the Atlanta Falcons passer has at least 20 fantasy points in each of the last three games.

The last of the current stretch of games came without star receiver Julio Jones, but head coach Mike Smith believes he will be back in Week 16, via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Against a New Orleans Saints defense that he torched for 448 yards and three touchdowns in Week 1, Ryan should be able to have some more success.

Tre Mason doesn't have the advantage of a hot streak going after scoring just seven fantasy points in the last two weeks combined. However, things get much easier in Week 16 against the New York Giants, a team that allows a league-worst 4.9 yards per carry this season.

The St. Louis Rams will want to establish the run early and should be playing with a lead against a struggling opponent. Mason will be the beneficiary with a strong day on the ground.

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Latavius Murray could also have a big game for fantasy owners who have the intestinal fortitude to put him in their lineup. While he has been held back so far, the young running back has shown plenty of potential, which has impressed Scott Bair of CSN California:

As good as the Buffalo Bills have been defensively, they have allowed Eddie Lacy and C.J. Anderson to be productive over the past two games.

If Murray gets the opportunity, he can break a few long runs and help out fantasy owners. 

It seems to be just as big of a risk to play Golden Tate lately, as the once-elite fantasy receiver hasn't scored more than 10 points in a game since Week 8. The return of Calvin Johnson has relegated the former Seattle Seahawks player to secondary status.

However, Tate did get into the end zone last week and also caught seven passes. He also remains a major part of a pass-heavy offense with 32 targets in the past four games.

Against a poor Chicago Bears secondary, he could have one of his best games of the year.

There is a similar hope for DeAndre Hopkins, although there are more factors at play. The primary problem is the Houston Texans' lack of options at quarterback. On the other hand, whoever is under center will probably be quite reliant on the second-year wideout, just as the team was last game.

Mike Clay of Pro Football Focus provided the one-sided breakdown:

Against a team allowing the most fantasy points to opposing receivers (Baltimore Ravens), Hopkins should get enough chances to have a productive day.

Jason Witten has fallen out of favor for many fantasy players this season due to inconsistent play, but the Dallas Cowboys tight end will be more important in this game thanks to the injury to DeMarco Murray. ESPN.com's Todd Archer reported that Murray took part in individual drills on Wednesday. 

Even if the star running back plays, the team will want to limit his touches in the game. This means that short passes will be the way to go, allowing Witten to thrive against an Indianapolis Colts defense that has struggled to defend tight ends this season.

Player	Pos.	Team	Opponent
Ben Roethlisberger	QB	Pittsburgh Steelers	Kansas City Chiefs
Andre Williams	RB	New York Giants	St. Louis Rams
Alfred Morris	RB	Washington Redskins	Philadelphia Eagles
Josh Gordon	WR	Cleveland Browns	Carolina Panthers
Nate Washington	WR	Tennessee Titans	Jacksonville Jaguars
Owen Daniels	TE	Baltimore Ravens	Houston Texans

There have been few players as infuriating for fantasy owners this season as Ben Roethlisberger. The veteran has two six-touchdown games while many people had him on their bench, but then he often struggles against inferior competition.

Considering how hit-or-miss he has been this season, it makes sense to put him on the bench against a team that simply doesn't allow big games through the air.

The Kansas City Chiefs have allowed just two quarterbacks to score 20 fantasy points against them: Peyton Manning and Russell Wilson. The latter was able to rack up the stats on 71 rushing yards.

As well as he has played at times this year, it's hard to imagine Roethlisberger succeeding where so many others have failed.

Andre Williams could also end up struggling despite apparently earning the starting role in the Giants' backfield. The St. Louis Rams have one of the more talented defensive lines in the NFL and the group is likely to win the battle in the trenches against a below-average Giants front.

Alfred Morris doesn't face as difficult of a matchup in the Philadelphia Eagles, but it will be a team that will do whatever it takes to shut down the run.

Head coach Chip Kelly explained the thought process in a recent press conference:

"

Alfred is obviously one of the more talented running backs in the league. I think they’ve had some injuries across the front and at the quarterback position that leads to some inconsistencies, but when they’re rolling and they’ve got their running game rolling, they’re a very hard team to defend, and obviously it starts with Alfred.

"

If the Washington Redskins had any sort of passing threat, this wouldn't be a problem. However, it's hard to imagine Morris seeing much running room after averaging just 3.1 yards per carry over the past three weeks with no scores.

Another player limited by quarterback play is Josh Gordon, who was held back by Brian Hoyer but was just as bad with Johnny Manziel throwing passes.

There are also questions about how hard Gordon works from play to play, via Pro Football Talk:

Manziel should be able to improve from game to game, but you can't trust a player in his second start in your fantasy championship, and you shouldn't trust his top receiver either.

The same problem can hold back Nate Washington despite totaling 102 receiving yards last week. Charlie Whitehurst gets the start at quarterback after completing just 10 of his 24 pass attempts against the New York Jets.

There are a lot of options in the Tennessee Titans' receiving corps, but it's hard to trust any of them at this point with so much inconsistency at the sport's most important position.

Meanwhile, those desperate at the tight end position might look toward Owen Daniels after one of his best games of the year and a team-high nine targets. However, last game's 12 fantasy points was his first double-digit effort since Week 7.

The Texans allow the fifth-fewest fantasy points to opposing tight ends this year, and you could do better for a Hail Mary play than Daniels.

Fantasy information courtesy of ESPN.com.

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