Where did you finish in your regular season fantasy football league standings?
Did you and your QB/WR Seattle stack — Sam Darnold and Jaxon Smith-Njigba — land the top spot?
Or were you parked at the bottom because your first-round pick, Vikes WR Justin Jefferson, had a brutal statistical season…but even Jerry Rice would have a brutal season if their QB1 was J.J. McCarthy.
Or, as was the case with This Guy, did your fourth-place finish (barely) earn you a trip to the playoffs, a trip that would’ve been a whole lot easier had your two stud TEs in your two-TE league not missed a combined total of 8.5 games?
Right now, playoff-wise, everybody starts at 0-0, so it could be argued that the Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em for NFL Week 16 will be the most crucial Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em, until Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em for NFL Week 17.
Which will be the most crucial Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em until Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em for 2026’s NFL Week 17. But until then, let’s rock the 2025 fantasy playoffs.
Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em, NFL Week 16
Here’s who to consider throwing into your lineup or leaving on the bench in your playoff semis.
Chiefs QB Gardner Minshew II: Start ‘Em
Chiefs @ Titans - 1:00 p.m. ET
In terms of Kansas City football fandom, I’m not anywhere close to Paul Rudd, but I’m super-bummed about the loss of Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes. But as they say, next man up.
And that next man is journeyman QB, Gardner Minshew II.
Minshew is on his fifth team in seven years, and to his credit, at every stop, he’s been a pro and, at times, a statistical machine. In Jacksonville in 2020, for instance, the East Carolina University product finished the season as fantasy’s QB15 — ahead of Drew Brees, Cam Newton, Joe Burrow, and Matthew Stafford — topping 20 fantasy points in three of his first four starts.
No stats behind this one, but there’s a chance that since the Chiefs are out of the playoff picture, head coach Andy Reid will open up the playbook and let Minshew and his Trevor Lawrence-esque hair let it rip.
Me, I’m grabbing him off the waiver wire, benching disgruntled Bengals QB Joe Burrow (more about him in about 200 words), and hope he gets me to my league finals.
Gardner Minshew PrizePicks Projection: 221.5 Pass Yards
Texans QB CJ Stroud: Start ‘Em
Texans vs. Raiders - 4:05 p.m. ET
Having taken seven of their last eight games, the Texans have become one of the NFL sexier stories, and with sexy football stories come theoretically sexy quarterbacks.
The key word there being theoretically.
Houston’s signal caller C.J. Stroud has delivered below-average fantasy numbers, currently sitting at QB22, behind — wait for it — Jets disappointment Justin Fields. That said, last week, the former Ohio State Buckeye delivered his second-best fantasy performance of the season, dropping 23.4 points on the Cardinals in a 40-20 smackdown.
Sunday, Stroud has the Raiders at home and, newsflash, Las Vegas is bad at football, allowing the 25th most points in the league. With his WR1 Nico Collins on a crazy fantasy heater — 16.3 points, WR1 over that stretch — Stroud could eat.
C.J. Stroud PrizePicks Projection: 231.5 Pass Yards
Giants QB Jaxson Dart: Sit ‘Em
Giants vs. Vikings - 1:00 p.m. ET
Speaking of heaters, say hello to Jaxson Dart, a stud rookie who’s topped 23 fantasy points in five of his last seven starts. So why should that streak end against a Vikings squad that’s playing out the string?
Welp, call it semi-recency bias, but two weeks ago, they shut out an admittedly lousy Washington team 31-0, so the possibility for a repeat is in the ozone. And in your fantasy playoffs, do you want to take a chance on an inexperienced QB facing a game plan created by sorta-kinda defensive mastermind, coordinator Brian Flores?
Yeah, me neither.
Jaxson Dart PrizePicks Projection: 196.5 Pass Yards
Bengals QB Joe Burrow: Sit ‘Em
Bengals @ Dolphins - 1:00 p.m. ET
In my Winners/Losers article from Monday, I wrote of Burrow, “Here, ladies and gentlemen, is your leading candidate for this season’s NFL DGAF Award. Last Tuesday — in an ideal example of checking yourself before wrecking yourself — Burrow told an assembled press gaggle, ‘If I want to keep doing this, I have to have fun doing it.’ He walked back the statement, but only after delivering a less-than-good performance that saw him chuck a pair of INTs and compile a lousy 21.4 QBR in an embarrassing 24-0 loss to an average-at-best Baltimore team. And his 7.5 fantasy point total (QB28) didn’t make him too many friends in FantasyLand.”
So, that.
Joe Burrow PrizePicks Projection: 255.5 Pass Yards
Titans RB Tony Pollard: Start ‘Em
Titans vs. Chiefs - 1:00 p.m. ET
Seems like whenever I list the Cowboy in the Sit ‘Em section of our program — which has been the case in each of the last two — dude goes off. Last week, he dropped 17.2 fantasy points on the 49ers, and the previous, it was 28.1 against the Browns.
Here in fantasy playoff week, his Titans clash with a Chiefs defense that, like their offense (see: Minshew, Gardner) could be looking to 2026.
Tony Pollard PrizePicks Projection: 52.5 Rush Yards
Jaguars RB Travis Etienne Jr.: Start ‘Em
Jaguars @ Denver - 1:00 p.m. ET
Throughout his career, the former Clemson standout has been the model of inconsistency, this season being the perfect snapshot.
Of his 14 games here in 2025, he’s topped 15 fantasy points on six occasions, while failing to hit 7 points four times.
But over the last two weeks, he’s been the league’s RB1, averaging 24.3 fantasy points, so at this point, he’s a plug-and-play.
Even when he’s playing the Broncos’ fifth-ranked D. In Denver.
But plug him, and play him, and hope for the best.
Travis Etienne PrizePicks Projection: 64.5 Rush Yards
Browns RB Quinson Judkins: Sit ‘Em
Browns vs. Bills - 1:00 p.m. ET
This is an eye-test situation.
Being a Chicago dude, I watched the Bears’ Week 15 31-3 destruction of the Browns, and man oh man oh man, did Judkins stink.
He wasn’t running hard, there wasn’t any shiftiness, and he looked disinterested. Granted, at least 75% of the Browns offense looked disinterested, but here we are.
The Bills boast the NFL’s third-worst run D, but they have a division title to play for, while the Browns are eyeballing the draft’s top pick. Just say no.
Quinshon Judkins PrizePicks Projection: 70.5 Rush Yards
Bears RB Kyle Monangai: Sit ‘Em
Bears vs. Packers - 8:20 p.m. ET (Saturday Night Football)
I love love love the Rutgers rookie. He’s a pain in the butt to tackle, he runs like he’s mad at the turf, and, as is the case with most seventh-round draft picks, he has a massive chip on his shoulder.
Thing is, the Bears backfield timeshare hasn’t been super-share-y over the last two weeks, with Monangai seeing his fewest snap percentage take a bit of a dive. Over the last couple of games, he’s been on the field for 41.5% of the snaps, as opposed to the previous two weeks, when he averaged 49.5%.
Over this stretch, his backfield mate D’Andre Swift has balled out, finishing RB5 or better in three of the last four outings. In arguably the Bears most crucial game in a decade, head coach Ben Johnson might choose experience over a shoulder chip.
Kyle Monangai PrizePicks Projection: 42.5 Rush Yards
Rams WR Konata Mumpfield: Start ‘Em
Rams @ Seahawks - 8:20 p.m. ET (Thursday Night Football)
As of this writing, it’s not known if injured Rams pass-catching deity Davante Adams will suit up for this key divisional matchup, so if he’s out, somebody has to take up the slack. And that somebody might be Mr. Mumpfield.
The seventh-round pick out of Pitt saw one target on Sunday in the Rams’ 41-34 win over Detroit, but he was on the field for 44% of L.A.’s snaps, and in fantasy, volume is everything. Well, so is catching passes, but you get the point.
In a 12- or 14-team league — or, for that matter, a sneaky DFS lineup — the rookie could get you across the finish line.
Saints WR Chris Olave: Start ‘Em
Saints vs. Jets - 1:00 p.m. ET
This is just me, but Olave has always been nearly as frustrating a fantasy option as Atlanta TE Kyle Pitts — great when on your bench, terrible when in your lineup — but facing an ambivalent Jets D that allows more points than 28 other NFL teams, the Ohio State product could equal or surpass last week’s impressive 14.5 fantasy point performance.
Chris Olave PrizePicks Projection: 61.5 Receiving Yards
Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr.: Sit ‘Em
Colts vs. 49ers - 8:15 p.m. ET (Monday Night Football)
Mr. Pittman gets some congratulations, as this is the second consecutive week he’s appeared in the Sit ‘Em section. Bully for you.
We can all agree that the Philip Rivers story is insanely inspirational, but the 44-year-old QB is, well, 44-years-old. Last week in his second debut as a Colt, Rivers managed just 120 passing yards, of which Pittman compiled 26.
On Sunday, Pittman and Rivers have the displeasure of taking on a Niners D that allows the second-fewest fantasy points to opposing WRs. So here in playoff week, I’m issuing an edict: No Colts allowed.
Buccaneers WR Emeka Egbuka: Sit ‘Em
Buccaneers @ Panthers - 1:00 p.m. ET
Once again, let’s revisit my Winners/Losers column, where I waxed poetic about Egbuka:
“Egbuka owners are likely, in a word, cheesed, as Mike Evans’ return could guarantee that the rookie’s streak of single-digit performance continues into their fantasy playoff run. With Evans, Chris Godwin, and Jalen McMillan healthy, Egbuka could be considered, at best, a low-end fantasy WR2 — but realistically, he’s a high-end WR3 both on the field and in the box score. This, Bucs fans, is a rough way to wrap up what once looked like a Rookie of the Year campaign.”
Mike Evans, yes. Chris Godwin, probably. Emeka Egbuka, no.
Emeka Egbuka PrizePicks Projection: 40.5 Receiving Yards
Rams TE Colby Parkinson: Start ‘Em
Rams @ Seahawks - 8:20 p.m. ET (Thursday Night Football)
Parkinson is currently fantasy’s TE22, not bad for a guy who shares a field with target monsters Puka Nacua (sixth in the league) and Davante Adams (11th). On Sunday, with Adams out for half of the game and Nacua a bit dinged up, the Stanford product hauled in 5 of his 7 targets, 2 of which went for tuddies.
I know, the Seahawks have a beastial defense, but they rank sixth in fantasy points allowed to opposing WRs, and if Parkinson gets the opportunity, he could well get the digits.
Colby Parkinson PrizePicks Projection: 34.5 Receiving Yards
Bears TE Colston Loveland: Start ‘Em
Bears vs. Packers - 8:20 p.m. ET (Saturday Night Football)
Over the last month, the first-round pick out of Michigan is on the precipice of living up to his lofty draft position (10), grabbing 15 of his 21 targets, and twice finding paydirt. In two of those four games, he landed in the fantasy top-five, and on Sunday, he gets a Packers D that suffered a couple of key losses in EDGE Micah Parsons (knee, out) and S Evan Williams (knee, questionable).
The Bears — who hate the Packers more than they do raw brussels sprouts — and undoubtedly try to take advantage of the areas in the field Parsons once patrolled, and that will likely be the second level, an area where quality tight ends love.
Guess what: Loveland is a quality tight end.
Commanders TE John Bates: Sit ‘Em
Commanders @ Eagles - 5:00 p.m. ET (Saturday Night Football)
You have to feel for the Commanders, as they lost two of their key offensive weapons in QB Jayden Daniels and TE Zach Ertz.
To their credit, on Sunday, they eked out a 29-21 dub over division rival Giants, but no thanks to any of their tight ends.
Bates, their ostensible TE1, was on the field for 67% of the team’s snaps, yet only saw 1 messy target, which doesn’t bode well for the rest of the season. And it certainly doesn’t bode well for this coming Saturday.
Unless you’re in, say, an 18-man league, take a pass.
Browns TE Harold Fannin Jr.: Sit ‘Em
Browns vs. Bills - 1:00 p.m. ET
Is the Harold Fannin Jr. Experience done? My Chicago/Cleveland eye test tells me, hells yean.
After a fantastic Week 14 fantasy performance (34.5 points, QB2), Browns rookie QB Shedeur Sanders fell back to Earth big-time, managing a piddly 6.5 fantasy points. And with a garbage QB performance comes many garbage pass-catching performances.
The rookie managed to catch exactly half of his 14 targets for 48 yards and 5.0 fantasy points (TE19).
As noted in the Quinshon Judkins capsule, the Browns have to deal with a revved up Buffalo squad, not the best chance for a get-right game.
Listen, Fannin had one helluva season — he’ll likely finish around TE15 — but this is the fantasy playoffs, and there are plenty of options. Not John Bates, granted, but plenty of others.
Harold Fannin Jr. PrizePicks Projection: 48.5 Receiving Yards
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