Fantasy Football 2017: Start or Sit for Week 16

With championship week finally upon us, who are the players fantasy football owners should want to start and sit in Week 16?

Well, this is it. The final week of the fantasy football season is here and at this point, you don’t need me to tell you how important this matchup is. The only real “suggestion” I’m going to give owners is to go with your gut and make decisions you can live with. If you don’t feel comfortable with a player in your starting lineup but you’re only starting him because some fantasy analyst prefers him over a player on you like, don’t start him.

Start the lineup YOU think is best and let it play out.

Here are some players who I believe can and cannot help owners win their fantasy football championship.

Quarterbacks

Start

Blake Bortles, Jacksonville Jaguars vs. San Francisco 49ers – Over the last four weeks only one quarterback (Ben Roethlisberger) has been a better fantasy quarterback than Blake Bortles. He has over 22 points in three out of the last four games and in the one game he didn’t, he finished with 18.5. Given the fact he has the awful 49ers defense up next, this is a situation where owners need to ignore the name on the back of the jersey and go with the hot-hand.

Case Keenum, Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers – At this point I shouldn’t have to convince owners to start Keenum but right now he’s only being started in 40.7 percent of ESPN leagues so I guess I have to. Since Week 8, Keenum has averaged 20.2 fantasy points per game which is seventh-best in fantasy. Three of the players ahead of him on that list (Deshaun Watson, Aaron Rodgers and Carson Wentz) are out for the season so there aren’t many quarterbacks who are playing better than Keenum right now.

Sit

Kirk Cousins, Washington Redskins vs. Denver Broncos – Since Week 12, Cousins has only averaged 13.3 fantasy points per game and now he faces a Broncos defense who on average, has only given up one touchdown pass per game over the last four weeks.

Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints – The 16th-ranked fantasy football quarterback has to go on the road and face a Saints defense who picked him off three times in Week 14. Do I think Ryan will throw three interceptions this time around? Absolutely not. However, I don’t think he’ll reach 16 fantasy points either.