Fantasy Football Week 16: Start'em / Sit'em

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Last week: 26-11-6, Season: 286-167-35 (63%)

Week 15 Recap: It was a low scoring week all around with only 7 non-QBs cracking 20 fantasy points (.5 PPR) which made my Sit’em picks pretty easy (14-2) and helped me end up 26-11 overall for the week. Glad I could help after a mediocre week of picks for the first round of the playoffs. Congrats and good luck if you are playing for a fantasy title this week.

If you took my advice to start Jeremy Hill (+18), Romo (+10), Kelvin Benjamin (+8), and Marques Colston (+8) you probably did pretty well last week. If you started Jordan Matthews (-10), Donte Moncrief (-9), or Philip Rivers (-6), then you have my sincere apologies. Almost all of my Sit’em picks were right on with Johnny Manziel (-17), Mark Sanchez (-13), Tre Mason (-12) and Mohamed Sanu (-9) being my best sits of the week.

Here are a few other fantasy notes from week 15 before I get to this week’s picks:

– I called WR Odell Beckham a must-start regardless of match-up in last week’s column and he backed it up with a 37 point performance in PPR leagues. Giants QB Eli Manning seems to look Beckham’s way on every passing down and he might be the player I fear the most in championship match-ups this week.

– The Bengals finally let RB Jeremy Hill loose last week and the results were awesome (28 fantasy points) if you were patient enough to stick with Hill in your starting lineup. I don’t see how the Bengals can give Hill any less than 20 touches per game the next two weeks.

– Despite rumors that the Packers were going to a 50/50 split between RBs Eddie Lacy and James Starks, Lacy put up another solid fantasy line (18 points) and is still a must start moving forward. The Packers need to win out to secure a first round bye and they aren’t going to sit their most productive RB the last two games.

– Rookie WRs Donte Moncrief and Jordan Matthews both put up goose eggs last week, but don’t give up on either one. Colts WR T.Y. Hilton still hasn’t practiced (as of Thurs morning) and WR Reggie Wayne is banged up; If either guy doesn’t play (or ideally both) Moncrief could have a huge day against a suspect Cowboys secondary. Matthews missed some snaps with a knee injury and QB Mark Sanchez was awful, but this week’s matchup vs the pathetic Redskins should improve both of their fantasy lines this week. Both WRs are risky plays, but both have significant upside this week and I will have them each in a starting lineup or two.

Start’em

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Tony Romo, IND (57%, 18) – Playing as well as any QB in the league right now and should be able to account for at least 20 fantasy points this week in what could be a high scoring game.

Ben Roethlisberger, KC (44%, 18) – Zero TD passes last week so you may be a little upset with Ben, but the Steelers lead the NFL in total yards this year and have the 6th highest scoring offense. They have the weapons for Ben to have a big fantasy day in any matchup.

Russell Wilson, @AZ (43%, 15) – Facing a tough D in an underrated road stadium (The Nest!), but if the Cards D has a weakness it’s allowing passing yardage. They are currently 28th in the league in passing yards allowed and could struggle to stop Wilson if he can extend plays with his legs and give him mediocre receivers more time to get open.

Mark Sanchez, @WAS (31%, 17) – He’s sucked the last two weeks, but it doesn’t get much easier than facing the Redskins secondary. Sanchez is basically playing for a job next year and needs to perform well in this favorable match-up if he expects any starting offers. The Redskins run defense is surprisingly good, so Philly should be throwing the ball early and often in this one.

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Fantasy Football Week 16: Start’em / Sit’em

By Mike Flannery | Dec 18, 2014

Start’em