Fantasy Football Week 16 Start 'Em & Sit 'Em Quarterbacks: QBs to move in and out of your playoff lineups
Quarterbacks you want in Week 16 lineups, and those you should avoid
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Dak Prescott had a bad game in Week 15 against Minnesota, and he has another tough matchup in Week 16 against the Chargers. Can Fantasy managers trust him in the semifinals of the playoffs?
I'm still starting Prescott in the majority of leagues. While he only scored 11.9 Fantasy points against the Vikings, the only thing missing were touchdowns. He was still 23-of-38 passing for 294 yards, which is the most yards allowed by Minnesota since Week 7.
Prior to Week 15, Prescott had scored at least 20.4 Fantasy points in four games in a row. And he is averaging 25.3 Fantasy points in seven home games this season.
But now Prescott has to face the Chargers, who are No. 1 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. Only three quarterbacks all season have scored at least 20 Fantasy points against the Chargers, and none since Week 7, including Trevor Lawrence, Jalen Hurts, and Patrick Mahomes over that span.
It won't be easy, but I still have faith in Prescott to deliver a solid stat line at home. I'm still ranking him as a top-10 quarterback in all leagues, and Prescott should remain a starter in your lineup for the Fantasy semifinals.
QBs to Start
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Goff had a big game at the Rams in Week 15 with 338 passing yards and three touchdowns, and he scored 31.5 Fantasy points. He's reached at least 21.2 Fantasy points in three of his past four outings, and he should stay hot against the Steelers at home. Pittsburgh is No. 9 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, and three of the past four guys against the Steelers have scored at least 20.2 points, including two in a row.
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Purdy was a star in Week 15 against Tennessee as the Start of the Week with 32.2 Fantasy points, and he should stay hot in Week 16 at Indianapolis. The Colts held Sam Darnold in check in Week 15 with just 11.3 Fantasy points, but I expect Purdy to take advantage of this Indianapolis secondary, which is missing top cornerbacks in Sauce Gardner (calf) and Charvarius Ward (concussion). Trevor Lawrence had 23.4 Fantasy points against the Colts in Week 14, and I expect Purdy to be in that range in this matchup on Monday night.
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Burrow was atrocious in Week 15 against Baltimore with 25-of-39 passing for 225 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions, and he scored 5.5 Fantasy points. If you advanced in spite of Burrow, you might be reluctant to trust him in Week 16 at Miami, but I would start him again. The Dolphins just allowed 20.9 Fantasy points against Aaron Rodgers in Week 15, and the only quarterbacks who failed to score at least 20 points against Miami this season were Bryce Young in Week 5, Dillon Gabriel in Week 7, Kirk Cousins in Week 8, Marcus Mariota in Week 11, and Brady Cook in Week 14. All the quality quarterbacks against the Dolphins performed well, and I expect Burrow to rebound in a big way. He remains a top-10 Fantasy quarterback in Week 16.
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Nix was a huge surprise in Week 15 against Green Bay with 302 passing yards and four touchdowns, and he added 10 yards rushing. He scored 37.1 Fantasy points, and he snapped a four-game skid where he scored 18.4 points or less. He should stay hot in Week 16 against the Jaguars, who have allowed five of six quarterbacks away from Jacksonville to score at least 20.6 Fantasy points. The only one who failed to reach that mark was Cam Ward in Week 13. Nix has had mixed results at home this season, with four games of at least 29.7 Fantasy points and three outings of 12.6 or less, but I expect this to be one of his better performances in Denver. I like Nix as a borderline top-10 quarterback in all leagues.
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Sleepers (Start/Sit)
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It's been tough to trust Herbert lately behind his battered offensive line, and he's playing with a broken left hand. He has scored 16.8 Fantasy points or less in five games in a row, but he should get back on track in Week 16 at Dallas. The Cowboys are No. 1 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, and only Geno Smith in Week 11 and Jared Goff in Week 14 failed to score at least 23.7 Fantasy points against Dallas this year. It's risky, but I'm willing to trust Herbert as a No. 1 Fantasy quarterback in all leagues in Week 16.
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I expected Stroud to play well in Week 15 against Arizona, and he delivered a solid outing with 29.4 Fantasy points. He should have another quality performance in Week 16 against Las Vegas, and the Raiders just allowed Jalen Hurts to score 31.1 Fantasy points in Week 15. For the season, seven quarterbacks have scored at least 21.2 Fantasy points against Las Vegas, and I expect Stroud to add to that total. He should be considered a low-end starter in all leagues.
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Williams had a solid game at Green Bay in Week 14 with 18.9 Fantasy points, and I expect him to perform at that level or better in the rematch in Chicago. Micah Parsons (knee) is out for the Packers, and that should help Williams, who has scored at least 22.9 Fantasy points in three consecutive home games. The Packers just allowed Bo Nix to score 37.1 Fantasy points in Week 15 in the game Parsons was injured, and the past three quarterbacks against Green Bay (Jared Goff, Williams and Nix) are averaging 24.9 Fantasy points. Williams is worth using as a low-end starter in all leagues.
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QBs to Sit
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Dart is more of a Bust Alert than a must-sit quarterback, but he has a brutal matchup in Week 16 against Minnesota. The Vikings have not allowed a quarterback to score more than 18.6 Fantasy points in six games in a row, including matchups with Lamar Jackson, Caleb Williams, Jordan Love, Sam Darnold, Jayden Daniels, and Dak Prescott. During that stretch, Minnesota has allowed just one passing touchdown, and Prescott is the only quarterback to eclipse 200 passing yards. Along with that, the Vikings are No. 8 in fewest rushing yards allowed to quarterbacks for the season. In nine starts, Dart has failed to score at least 19.6 Fantasy points just once, which was Week 13 at New England. I'm expecting another down game for Dart against Minnesota in Week 16.
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Love had a down game at Denver in Week 15 with 15.9 Fantasy points, and I expect him to struggle again in Week 16 at Chicago. While he scored 25.3 Fantasy points against the Bears at home in Week 14, he comes into this game potentially without Christian Watson (chest). And the Bears have only allowed two quarterbacks and one since Week 1 to score more than 20 Fantasy points against them in Chicago in six games this season. Along with that, the Bears have allowed just six passing touchdowns and 11 interceptions at home this year. I would only start Love in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues in Week 16.
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Mariota will remain Washington's starter for the rest of the season with Jayden Daniels (elbow) out, but I would only use Mariota in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues in Week 16 against Philadelphia. The Eagles have allowed just one quarterback in their past six outings to score more than 14.2 Fantasy points, which was Dak Prescott in Week 12, and Philadelphia has limited Jordan Love, Jared Goff, Caleb Williams, and Justin Herbert over that span. Mariota scored just 16.7 Fantasy points at the Giants in Week 15, and he should struggle again in Week 16.
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Darnold faced the Rams in Week 11 in Los Angeles and had a disastrous game with four interceptions, and he scored just 4.3 Fantasy points. He also faced the Rams in the playoffs in 2024 with the Vikings and scored just 13.7 Fantasy points, so this is a bad matchup for him. Darnold has scored more than 11.3 Fantasy points just twice in his past six outings, and it's tough to trust him at this point in the season. He's barely worth starting in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues.
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Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
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Lawrence is on fire coming into Week 16 at Denver with at least 23.1 Fantasy points in four games in a row, including 54.3 points in Week 15 against the Jets. But he should cool off against the Broncos, who have allowed only four quarterbacks this season and one in the past seven games to score at least 20 Fantasy points. And only one quarterback accomplished that feat in Denver, which was Jaxson Dart in Week 7. During his hot streak, Lawrence has beaten up on the Cardinals, Titans, Colts, and Jets, but this is a much tougher matchup. I would only start him in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues in Week 16.
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