Week 16 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Highlighting Matchups to Exploit and Avoid

Fantasy football players can't let up during their title pursuit's final siege.

After trekking this far into the championship, some may feel the inclination to blindly roll with the guys who got them there. On some levels that makes sense, as it's foolish to bench Peyton Manning during the season's most important matchup.

On the other hand, managers must keep diligently researching the schedule for hidden opportunities. When it comes to mid-level talent tasked with a ferocious foe, now is not the time to exhibit unabashed loyalty.

Let's take a look at options to target and ignore heading into a pivotal Week 16.

Start

Position	Player	Opponent
QB	Tony Romo, DAL	vs. Indianapolis
RB	Fred Jackson, BUF	at Oakland
WR	Marques Colston, NO	vs. Atlanta
TE	Jason Witten, DAL	vs. Indianapolis
D/ST	Miami Dolphins	vs. Minnesota
K	Matt Bryant, ATL	at New Orleans

No matter how unfounded, Tony Romo has a reputation for falling short in the big moment. Ignore the narrative and ride with the Dallas Cowboys passer during the final fantasy weekend.

Following his Thanksgiving dud against the Philadelphia Eagles, he has rebounded for two consecutive three-touchdown games. Besides the first loss to the Eagles, he hasn't tossed a pick in any game since October 19.  

An efficiency savant in 2014, Romo has notched a 69.3 completion percentage with 8.37 yards per attempt. Unfortunately for fantasy owners, DeMarco Murray nearly has as many carries (351) as Romo has pass attempts (381). That balance should alter this weekend, with the workhorse wincing into Week 16 with a hand injury.

ESPN Stats & Info chronicles his monumental usage rate this season.

Head coach Jason Garrett would be irresponsible to replicate that percentage with an injured running back, so look for Romo to pass more on the Indianapolis Colts' No. 19 passing defense.

Gifted a great matchup against the Oakland Raiders, who allow the second-most ESPN.com fantasy points to running backs, Fred Jackson looked like a sure-fire No. 2 back or flex play. Then C.J. Spiller's theme music sounded in Buffalo for an unexpected return.

The electric running back hasn't played since Week 7, when he cruelly broke his clavicle on a 53-yard rush. Don't, however, expect the Bills to vault him back into a full workload after two months of inactivity, keeping Jackson relevant as a multipurpose back against a limp foe.

RotoExperts.com's Jake Ciely made the case for starting Marques Colston, who has revived his season once Brandin Cooks went down.

Facing the Atlanta Falcons' NFL-worst passing defense inside the Superdome, Drew Brees will move the ball more than enough to keep Colston and Kenny Stills happy.

Per ESPN.com, the Colts rank sixth-worst in fantasy points relinquished to tight ends. Looking around for alternatives at the stingy position, that's enough to make Jason Witten a starting play after receiving nine targets last week. 

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Getting shredded by the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots shouldn't relegate the Miami Dolphins to fantasy irrelevancy. Teddy Bridgewater has established some rhythm late in the season, but he's not imposing enough to fret firing up Miami's defense as a low-level streamer.

When the Falcons faced the New Orleans Saints in Week 1, Matt Bryant kicked three field goals (two 50-yarders) and four extra points. He'll avoid any impeding climate inside a dome for a surging Atlanta offense that should engage New Orleans in another shootout.

Sit

Position	Player	Opponent
QB	Ryan Tannehill	vs. Minnesota
RB	Latavius Murray	vs. Buffalo
WR	Anquan Boldin	vs. San Diego
TE	Mychal Rivera	vs. Buffalo
D/ST	Arizona Cardinals	vs. Seattle
K	Nick Novak	at San Francisco

A rough stretch dampened Miami's playoff chances, but Ryan Tannehill remains motivated to close out the season in style. Per the team's Twitter page:

Although he can take solace in leading fantasy gamers to titles, the 26-year-old simply hasn't performed as a starting fantasy gunslinger. Last week contrived his first 300-yard outing of the season, and even that was muddled by two picks.

With just 6.73 yards per attempt, there isn't enough upside to trust him against the Minnesota Vikings' No. 6 passing defense.

He couldn't live up to his breakout evening from three weeks ago, but Latavius Murray averaged 4.9 yards per carry in his rematch with the Kansas City Chiefs. Rotoworld's Adam Levitan notes the sophomore's new role as Oakland's primary rusher.

This is nothing against Murray, but Buffalo ranks No. 9 against the run, and Derek Carr isn't moving the ball against its No. 5 pass-prevention corps. The entire Oakland offense will struggle mightily on Sunday.

As the San Francisco 49ers continue to implode, fantasy owners are forced to jump ship from their entire offense. Typically a trustworthy No. 3 option, Anquan Boldin has been dragged down by the slumping unit, compiling 95 yards over the past three weeks.

Colin Kaepernick has thrown one passing touchdown over that stretch, so stay away from everyone in the team's in-state collision with the San Diego Chargers.

Brian Bahr/Getty Images

Remember that part a few sentences ago about Oakland's entire offense being in for a long day? The Bills allow the fewest ESPN points to tight ends, so the boom-or-bust Mychal Rivera deserves a seat on the bench. 

FantasyPros' expert consensus ranks the Arizona Cardinals as Week 16's No. 11 defensive play, probably anticipating a low-scoring bout with the Seattle Seahawks. But think about the field position Seattle will have with its No. 1 defense feasting on Ryan Lindley. 

Some leagues also penalize defenses for points allowed on an offensive giveaway, which puts Arizona at heavy risk against the Legion of Boom. Also, only the Green Bay Packers have turned the ball over less than the Seahawks (12) all season, so it'd take a shootout or touchdown for the Cardinals to pay any dividends.

Stay away from San Francisco vs. San Diego as much as possible, including the kickers. The Chargers won't get much going against the 49ers' No. 3 defensive, especially without Ryan Mathews and Keenan Allen. That won't leave many scoring chances for Nick Novak.