Week 16 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Projections for Top 10 Players at Each Position

Fantasy owners on the hunt for the Week 16 top 10 players at each position are either overly dedicated or in a league's championship game.

Both are winners, really.

Many an owner tunes out once eliminated. Shame on them, as there is still something valuable to learn each week. The season-ending stretch always produces some strange point totals as teams out of contention play the spoiler, but it also provides some serious insight as to how staffs may use younger players next season.

For those still alive, well, optimal lineups rule the day. For those out, it is still important to pay close attention.

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player	Opponent	Projection
1	Drew Brees, NO	vs. ATL	25
2	Aaron Rodgers, GB	at TB	25
3	Peyton Manning, DEN	at CIN	23
4	Tom Brady, NE	at NYJ	20
5	Andrew Luck, IND	at DAL	19
6	Matthew Stafford, DET	at CHI	18
7	Matt Ryan, ATL	at NO	17
8	Tony Romo, DAL	vs. IND	15
9	Philip Rivers, SD	at SF	14
10	Ben Roethlisberger, PIT	vs. KC	12

Start 'Em: Robert Griffin III, WAS (vs. PHI)

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Robert Griffin III is the man of the hour once again in Washington. 

NFL Network's Albert Breer has the scoop: 

Griffin has burned owners more than a few times this season. Now, though, he is in a position to win fantasy championships outright.

A surprise entrance in last week's contest, RG3 found a season-high 15 points. Now he gets Philadelphia, a team that surrenders the third-most points to quarterbacks and let Washington quarterbacks score 27 back in Week 3.

Sit 'Em: Andy Dalton, CIN (vs. DEN)

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Those who prefer matchup-based plays surely love what Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton has in front of him.

After all, the Denver Broncos allow the seventh-most points to quarterbacks this year.

A word of caution, though. The game takes place Monday night, meaning it is a prime-time affair. Dalton cannot play in those, period. The TCU product scored 17 points back in Week 5 on prime time and then negative three in Week 10.

Dalton is a decent start based on matchups, but not when he does so in front of a national audience.

Running Backs

Rank	Player	Opponent	Projection
1	Le'Veon Bell, PIT	vs. KC	18
2	Jamaal Charles, KC	at PIT	17
3	C.J. Anderson, DEN	at CIN	17
4	Eddie Lacy, GB	at TB	16
5	Justin Forsett, BAL	at HOU	15
6	Marshawn Lynch, SEA	at ARI	14
7	Joique Bell, DET	at CHI	14
8	Matt Forte, CHI	vs. DET	14
9	Fred Jackson, BUF	at OAK	14
10	Arian Foster, HOU	vs. BAL	12

Start 'Em: Joique Bell, DET (at CHI)

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There seems to be no end in sight for Detroit Lions running back Joique Bell, who has 22, 25 and 10 points over the course of his last three outings.

Bell owns the starting gig at this point and will not go away. Sigmund Bloom of FootballGuys.com put it best:

That 22-point outburst above came against the Chicago Bears, a team Bell gets once again this week.

Too easy.

Sit 'Em: Doug Martin, TB (vs. GB)

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Try not to let Doug Martin hype ruin things. 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers committee back looks good as of late. A minimum of nine points in two of his last three suggests he is healthy once again, but it seems a case of too little, too late.

Martin lost seven carries to rookie Charles Sims last week, a trend that only figures to continue—if not get worse—as the Buccaneers attempt to figure things out for the future.

Only complicating the outlook is a game against the Green Bay Packers, a unit that ranks in the middle of the pack against backs and has only allowed four backfields all season to sneak past the 20-point mark.

Better options are bountiful at this point.

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player	Opponent	Projection
1	Dez Bryant, DAL	vs. IND	16
2	Odell Beckham, NYG	at STL	16
3	Calvin Johnson, DET	at CHI	16
4	Demaryius Thomas, DEN	at CIN	15
5	Jordy Nelson, GB	at TB	15
6	Antonio Brown, PIT	vs. KC	14
7	Mike Evans, TB	vs. GB	14
8	T.Y. Hilton, IND	at DAL	14
9	Alshon Jeffery, CHI	vs. DET	14
10	Roddy White, ATL	at NO	14

Start 'Em: Mike Evans, TB (vs. GB)

Martin's teammate is a different story.

This is a strange year for fantasy owners, as the stigma around rookie wideouts is 100 percent out the window. Look at Mike Evans, a top-10 scorer at the position to this point with seven double-digit outings to his name.

Things will only get better against Green Bay. The Packers allow the ninth-most points to the position and are just a few weeks removed from allowing 54 in a single week. In fact, only one team has failed to see its wideout corps reach double digits this season.

Evans will hit that mark and then some.

Sit 'Em: Larry Fitzgerald, ARI (vs. SEA)

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It is painfully obvious that a large portion of owners still believe in Arizona Cardinals wideout Larry Fitzgerald, hence his 73.1 ownership percentage.

The veteran wideout has just three double-digit outings on the year and has a maximum of three points in a contest over the course of the past five weeks.

Fitzgerald did not see the field against Seattle back in Week 12, but it likely would not have mattered if he did. The Seahawks allow the fewest points per game to the position this year and have held four of their last five opponents to single-digit production.

Remember, those numbers track all the wideouts on each team, not just one player. This time of year, only double digits will get wins. Fitzgerald will not be able to do it by himself, especially with Ryan Lindley under center.

Tight Ends

Rank	Player	Opponent	Projection
1	Rob Gronkowski, NE	at NYJ	14
2	Jimmy Graham, NO	vs. ATL	14
3	Greg Olsen, CAR	vs. CLE	13
4	Julius Thomas, DEN	at CIN	12
5	Martellus Bennett, CHI	vs. DET	12
6	Larry Donnell, NYG	at STL	10
7	Travis Kelce, KC	at PIT	9
8	Dwayne Allen, IND	at DAL	9
9	Jason Witten, DAL	vs. IND	8
10	Antonio Gates, SD	at SF	7

Start 'Em: Jason Witten, DAL (vs. IND)

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It is OK to be angry with Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten, although he has been listed on the "sit" portion for weeks for good reason.

Now is the time to buy back in, though.

Witten only has one double-digit outing on the season and little production to speak of over the course of the past month. That changes against the Indianapolis Colts. The team allows the fifth-most points to tight ends and this matchup figures to turn into a shootout.

Sit 'Em: Jared Cook, STL (vs. NYG)

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St. Louis Rams tight end Jared Cook is a must-avoid option. Week 14 was an 18-point outburst, but two points the week after show where this fantasy ride is going.

Cook next goes against the New York Giants, a team with a defense that ranks near the middle of the pack against tight ends.

The problem is, those Giants have allowed just five total points over the course of their last three games. In fact, the unit has surrendered six or fewer points in 10 games this year.

D/ST

Rank	Unit	Opponent	Projection
1	Buffalo Bills	OAK	16
2	Philadelphia Eagles	WAS	12
3	Green Bay Packers	TB	10
4	New England Patriots	NYJ	8
5	Seattle Seahawks	ARI	7
6	Arizona Cardinals	SEA	7
7	Baltimore Ravens	HOU	7
8	St. Louis Rams	NUG	7
9	Detroit Lions	CHI	7
10	New York Giants	STL	6

Start 'Em: Carolina Panthers (vs. CLE)

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The Carolina Panthers defense is not the force it was this time one year ago, but nine and 12 points over the past two weeks is an encouraging sign. 

Next up is a date with the Johnny Manziel-led Browns. The rookie led the team to no points last week and threw a pair of interceptions, which would have been three if not for a flag.

In a pinch, Carolina is a great start.

Sit 'Em: Cincinnati Bengals (vs. DEN)

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Cincinnati took advantage of Manziel in that game last week on the way to a season-high 15 points.

Just understand that the week before that the unit posted negative nine points. Cincinnati is in a bad spot against Denver, a team that allows the absolute fewest points to opposing defenses this season.

Cincinnati has a good reputation as a team defense, but steer clear in Week 16.

Kickers

Rank	Player	Opponent	Projection
1	Stephen Gostkowski, NE	at NYJ	14
2	Shaun Suisham, PIT	vs. KC	14
3	Steven Hauschka, SEA	at ARI	13
4	Dan Bailey, DAL	vs. IND	12
5	Justin Tucker, BAL	at HOU	12
6	Connor Barth, DEN	at CIN	11
7	Dan Carpenter, BUF	at OAK	11
8	Adam Vinatieri, IND	at DAL	11
9	Phil Dawson, SF	vs. SD	10
10	Garrett Hartley, CLE	at CAR	9

Start 'Em: Connor Barth, DEN (at CIN)

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Connor Barth is a fantasy powerhouse.

The man has 11 made field goals since signing on with the Broncos. He has a minimum of eight points in each of his past three games, with 17 and 18 points for good measure.

Cincinnati allows the 13th-most points to kickers, so feel safe with the matchup.

Sit 'Em: Chandler Catanzaro, ARI (vs. SEA)

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Look, the allure to start Chandler Catanzaro is strong.

The Cardinals kicker posted a season-high 16 points last week, but evidence says he will not sniff that total in Week 16. His opponent is Seattle, a team that held him to two points back in Week 12.

With the surefire struggles the Cardinals will have, Catanzaro is a name to avoid at all costs with so much at stake.

All scoring info courtesy of ESPN standard leagues, as is points-against info and ownership stats. Statistics courtesy of ESPN.