Week 16 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Final Review of Most Difficult Fantasy Matchups

Fantasy football championship games are already in full swing heading into Sunday after three contests took place on Thursday and Saturday. Were you one of the unfortunate fantasy owners to get burned by the likes of Riley Cooper, Darrel Young or Jordan Todman?

If the answer is yes, have no fear—there are plenty of fantasy points to go around on Sunday and Monday. You simply need to ensure your best possible lineup is in play. Not all of us are blessed with a fantasy stud at each position, so taking advantage of favorable matchups should be your top priority to determine which fringe starters to activate.

These decisions are already difficult enough, but with the pressure of a potential league championship on the line, they can be downright nerve-wracking. This is when a simple start 'em, sit 'em guide really comes in handy.

In an effort to help put your mind at ease prior to Sunday's action, here's an example of a player to start and one to sit at fantasy football's four major positions.

Quarterback

Start 'Em: Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons (at NO)

Ryan is on a three-week hot streak, and his fantasy owners would be wise to ride his ongoing momentum into a Week 16 clash with the New Orleans Saints.

Atlanta's offensive line has really begun to come around, allowing Ryan to progress through his reads due to increased time in the pocket. The quarterback's increased level of comfort has led to three consecutive 300-yard passing performances and at least a pair of touchdowns in each of those contests.

According to the Falcons' official Twitter account, we should expect a focused quarterback in New Orleans:

Ryan has a fantasy-friendly matchup in Week 16 against a Saints defense that's struggled against the pass this season. New Orleans is allowing an average of 18.5 fantasy points to opposing signal-callers—the fourth most in the league—and has allowed seven passing touchdowns over its last three games.

Unfortunately, we'll need to wait to see if Ryan will have wide receiver Julio Jones at his disposal against the Saints. Jones will be a game-time decision, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. However, even if Jones can't go, Ryan should still be considered a QB1, as he was able to put up 20 fantasy points without the wide receiver in Week 15 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Sit 'Em: Eli Manning, New York Giants (at STL)

If it weren't for wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., Manning would be completely useless from a fantasy football perspective. Beckham has caught Manning's last four touchdown passes and has accounted for at least half of the quarterback's passing yards in each of his last two contests.

This week, Manning is up against a St. Louis Rams team that has been playing extremely well against opposing quarterbacks lately, allowing fewer than 250 passing yards, zero touchdowns and five fantasy points or less in each of its last three games. That's not a good sign for a Giants offense that has limited options.

Wide receivers Rueben Randle and Preston Parker haven't been reliable options for Manning of late, and a smart Rams defense should be expected to blanket Beckham and force Manning to throw in their directions more frequently.

Of course, we should also expect Beckham to get his, but another monster performance from the rookie that keeps Manning in position to be a viable fantasy starter isn't likely with this difficult matchup. New York's signal-caller shouldn't be considered more of a low-end QB2 this week.

Running Back

Start 'Em: Jonathan Stewart, Carolina Panthers (vs. CLE)

Let's get the obligatory Stewart comment out of the way: Stewart is way too inconsistent to start in my league's championship game! All right, now let's talk about why any fantasy owner who thinks that way will regret benching this running back in short order.

Over the past two games, Stewart has received at least 20 carries, and yes, he has produced mixed results with 21 fantasy points against the Saints and just five against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Although, there are three more major factors to consider when deciding whether to play Stewart in Week 16.

First off, quarterback Cam Newton will start Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, according to David Newton of ESPN.com. Having Newton under center should open things up in the middle of the field for the bruising Stewart due to the quarterback's ability to utilize the read option and rush around the edge.

Next, and possibly the most important, is the fact Stewart's workload will continue to be heavy. Running back DeAngelo Williams won't see much action at all, according to Mike Clay of Pro Football Focus:

Finally, the Browns are just terrible against the run. They are allowing an average of 18.0 fantasy points to opposing ball-carriers this season and are coming off a performance against the Cincinnati Bengals in which they gave up 241 yards, three touchdowns and 42 fantasy points to the team's running backs. Stewart is a high-end RB1 in Week 16 against this defense.

Sit 'Em: All New England Patriots Running Backs (at NYJ)

USA TODAY Sports

Do yourself a favor and don't start any of New England's running backs in Week 16. Bill Belichick continues to hate on fantasy football, giving the largest workload to a different running back almost every single week. Will it be LeGarrette Blount or Jonas Gray against the New York Jets? Only the coach knows.

After Blount carried 20 times in Week 14 against the San Diego Chargers, Gray took the reins in Week 15 against the Miami Dolphins, carrying a team-high 11 times. Although, both Blount and Shane Vereen both vultured rushing touchdowns.

NFL Fantasy Football tweeted a hashtag that sums up New England's coach perfectly:

Facing the Jets in Week 16 only makes matters worse for this group of ball-carriers. New York is only allowing an average of 12.9 fantasy points per game to the position—the seventh fewest in the league. On a roll lately, the Jets haven't allowed more than 78 rushing yards in their last three contests and haven't given up a rushing touchdown in their last two.

Taking this terrible matchup and an uncertainty of the backfield's pecking order into consideration, there's no way any of New England's running backs can even be warranted as a viable flex option in Week 16.

Wide Receiver

Start 'Em: Torrey Smith, Baltimore Ravens (at HOU)

Nick Wass/Associated Press

Smith started the season slowly, but he really came into his own beginning in Week 6, putting up at least 12 fantasy points in five of his next seven contests and scoring seven touchdowns in that span. Unfortunately, a knee injury virtually took him out of commission in Weeks 14 and 15.

This week, Smith finally appears completely healthy, as he didn't show up on Baltimore's injury report. That's perfect timing against a Houston Texans pass defense that is allowing an average of 25.6 fantasy points to opposing wide receivers per game—the third most in the league.

Just how bad have the Texans been against wideouts this year? Well, they've allowed at least one touchdown to opposing wide receivers in every game following Week 1 and are currently allowing an average of 190 yards per game to the position. That's pretty bad.

Houston has been repeatedly torched by quicker receivers, so expect quarterback Joe Flacco to look in Smith's direction often as the Ravens go for the knockout punch. Consider Smith a high-upside WR2 option in Week 16.

Sit 'Em: Martavis Bryant, Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. KC)

Bryant went on a tear, scoring double-digit fantasy points in every game from Week 7 through Week 10; however, he's repeated that feat just once since. In the three games he failed to reach that mark, he scored three fantasy points or less. While Bryant features a bevy of big-play ability, he remains a boom-or-bust option for his fantasy owners.

Unfortunately, he's trending more toward the bust side in Week 16 in a tough matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs have been solid against the pass this season and have allowed an average of 19.0 fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers—the 11th fewest in the league. In fact, Kansas City hasn't yielded more than one touchdown to the position in any game this year.

What makes this a very difficult matchup for Bryant is Kansas City's ability to limit big plays. The Chiefs are ranked fifth in the league, allowing 36 passing plays of 20 or more yards this season and only five of 40 or more. This is not a secondary that allows plays over the top.

Expect the Steelers to pick their way down the field against the Chiefs, utilizing the talents of Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown often, leaving Bryant with few opportunities to break a big one. A gambling fantasy owner could risk putting this receiver in the flex position this week, but it's not recommended.

Tight End

Start 'Em: Jared Cook, St. Louis Rams (vs. NYG)

Nick Wass/Associated Press

Cook hasn't been a reliable fantasy option for the most part this season, recording just two double-digit fantasy performances and only one game with more than four receptions. However, his big-play ability continues to make him an intriguing play.

Earlier this season, fantasy owners were rewarded in Weeks 10 and 14, as Cook put up 14 and 18 fantasy points against the Arizona Cardinals and Washington Redskins, respectively. Here's the thing about that: Entering Week 16, Arizona allows the seventh—most fantasy points to tight ends, and Washington allows the second most.

What do those statistics mean? They mean Cook takes advantage of defenses that tend to struggle against tight ends, and that's great news for his upcoming matchup against the Giants. New York is giving up the 13th—most fantasy points to tight ends this season, routinely allowing big games to teams with above-average players at the position.

Cook may not be a solid TE1 play in Week 16, but he has the upside and a favorable-enough matchup for needy fantasy owners to consider starting him.

Sit 'Em: Mychal Rivera, Oakland Raiders (vs. BUF)

Ben Margot/Associated Press

Rivera continues to be one of the league's most enigmatic tight ends this season. He went on a big tear, scoring double-digit fantasy points in Weeks 9 and 10, but he followed that up with a three-game stretch of four fantasy points or fewer only to score 16 in Week 14 and then just three in Week 15.

Here's where things get complicated with Rivera. While he scored far more fantasy points in Week 14 than Week 15, he caught exactly seven passes in both games. His inconsistent play isn't due to his targets, just how well he's defended.

Well, since that's the case, don't expect much from him in Week 16 against the Buffalo Bills. Buffalo has been fantasy football's stingiest defense to opposing tight ends this season, allowing an average of just 3.9 fantasy points per game. The Bills haven't allowed more than 51 receiving yards or a touchdown to the position in each of their last eight games.

Rivera most definitely has plenty of talent, but he just won't find room to maneuver against a very good Buffalo defense. He's a very risk play in Week 16 and shouldn't be considered more than a low-end TE2.

All fantasy statistics and rankings courtesy of ESPN.com standard scoring leagues and current as of December 20.