As the first post on this thread, I feel something fantasy football related is appropriate. Now, I’m no Matthew Berry, but I enjoy a good start/sit or love/hate post as much as the next person. I don’t have any savvy anecdote to add to this article like Mr. Berry would, but I’m a firm believer that those will come in due time.

As we approach Week 16 of the NFL season, whether it’s week two of your first playoff matchup or your second postseason bout in as many weeks, you probably have some tough decisions to make. Eventually there will be full rankings by position on here every week, but for now, this will be it.

YAY Quarterbacks for Week 16:

Jared Goff-Detroit Lions: vs Pittsburgh Steelers

Not many people saw the Lions needing to claw their way to a potential playoff birth this late in the year, but here we are. Goff is well on his way to another season with 30 passing touchdowns (he currently has 29), and will most likely surpass the mark on Sunday in a pivotal game for Dan Campbell’s squad. The Steelers defense has allowed the eighth-most fantasy points per game to opposing QBs, so look for Goff to keep his great fantasy play rolling this week.

Tyler Shough-New Orleans Saints: vs New York Jets

Shough has taken over as the Saints starting QB and has looked significantly more comfortable with each passing start. He has surpassed 16 fantasy points each of the last three weeks including 87 yards and two TDs on the ground in the last two, and gets a soft matchup at home with the New York Jets. If you are in need of a fill-in for a Patrick Mahomes, Daniel Jones, or Jayden Daniels injury, look no further.

NAY Quarterbacks for Week 16:

Trevor Lawrence-Jacksonville Jaguars: @ Denver Broncos

No quarterback has been hotter in recent weeks than Lawrence, who has accounted for 13 touchdowns over his last four games. However, he matches up with the Broncos stingy pass defense in week 16. Denver has gotten home for seven sacks to pair with two interceptions in the last two weeks, and has been consistently a problem for opposing quarterbacks (both in real-life and fantasy) this season. There are better options out there this week.

Dak Prescott-Dallas Cowboys: vs Los Angeles Chargers

Dak has played admirably throughout most of the season, but a few games have left a lot to be desired from a fantasy perspective. Last week, Javonte Williams and Malik Davis poached two redzone touchdowns away from the air attack, and things don’t get any easier against the Chargers secondary: they have only allowed 12 passing touchdowns through 14 games (fewest in the NFL). Prescott could work some magic against a top defense, but it wouldn’t be wise to bet on that if you have other options available.

YAY Running backs for Week 16:

TreVeyon Henderson-New England Patriots: @ Baltimore Ravens

The home-run halfback for the first-place Patriots continues to show why he’s better than Rhamondre Stevenson. He torched the Buffalo Bills last week to the tune of 14 totes for 148 yards and two scores (10.5 yards per carry). He lines up in Baltimore in week 16, and despite the Ravens defense playing better as of late, they still are susceptible to big plays, which is the rookie’s specialty. He also has multiple receptions in six of his last seven games. Roll Henderson out with confidence this weekend.

Kenneth Gainwell-Pittsburgh Steelers: @ Detroit Lions

Gainwell has found himself as a go-to target for veteran gunslinger Aaron Rodgers all season, especially in recent weeks. He has a whopping 57 receptions out of the backfield this season, despite sharing it with Jaylen Warren for all but one matchup (Week 4 vs Vikings). His ground work remains inconsistent, but he has six or more receptions in four of his last five games, and projects as a fine PPR RB2 in what could be a high-scoring affair in Motor City.

Audric Estime-New Orleans Saints: vs. New York Jets

Two Saints players on here?! You’re reading that correctly. Estime wasn’t even on the Saints roster a month ago, but now he finds himself potentially leading their backfield on Sunday, with rookie Devin Neal getting placed on season-ending IR and veteran Alvin Kamara not back at practice. Estime took six touches for 50 yards last week against the Panthers, and with a porous Jets run defense on tap, he might be a great FLEX target if you need a spot start.

NAY Running backs for Week 16:

Derrick Henry-Baltimore Ravens: vs. New England Patriots

King Henry racked up another 100+ yards from scrimmage in last week’s shutout against the Joe Burrow-led Bengals, but he has failed to reach the end zone in back to back weeks for just the second time all year. Things get murkier in week 16, as the Ravens flock to Foxboro to face the second-seed Pats. New England is fourth in the league in both rushing yards allowed and rushing touchdowns allowed to opposing running backs, so this paltry matchup puts Henry firmly in the RB2 tier, a knock down from his usual “top back” status.

Kareem Hunt-Kansas City Chiefs: @ Tennessee Titans

The entire Chiefs offense needs to have tempered expectations for the rest of the season after Patrick Mahomes suffered a torn ACL against the Chargers last week. Hunt is no exception, as there is a real chance the team struggles to move the ball against a Titans squad that held Travis Etienne, Quinshon Judkins, and Christian McCaffrey to a combined 127 rushing yards over the past three weeks. The veteran tailback is a touchdown-dependent FLEX option, despite leading the backfield in recent weeks.

Kyle Monangai-Chicago Bears: vs. Green Bay Packers

The standout rookie from Rutgers has established himself as a key cog in Ben Johnson’s offense this season, and he’s racked up double-digit touches in seven of his last nine games. However, DeAndre Swift looked the full part of a lead back last week against Cleveland, putting up an 18/98/2 line compared to Monangai’s 11/33/0. The Packers did just lose DPOY candidate Micah Parsons for the year, but the unit has still clocked in at eighth in PPG allowed to opposing backs. If there are other options on your bench this week, consider them.

YAY Wide Receivers for Week 16:

Jauan Jennings-San Francisco 49ers: @ Indianapolis Colts

Jennings has scored a touchdown in five of his last six games for the red and gold, while also racking up five or more targets in every game since week 6 against Tampa Bay. Perhaps the biggest green flag for Jennings is the fact that the return of oft-injured sophomore Ricky Pearsall didn’t seem to damper the former’s production. The Colts present an inviting matchup, having allowed 23.1 PPG to opposing wideouts. Look for Jennings to continue his scoring tirade in week 16.

Jayden Reed-Green Bay Packers: @ Chicago Bears

Coming off back-to-back respectable showings after a 10-week absence, Reed lines up with a tantalizing matchup against the Bears. We all know about “Toyotathon” Jordan Love, and someone has to be on the receiving end of his production. Deep threat Christian Watson is banged up, and even if he plays on Saturday, there’s no guarantee he will be free of limitations. Week 16 has all the makings to be a breakout game for Reed, so start him with confidence.

Hollywood Brown-Kansas City Chiefs: @ Tennessee Titans

As mentioned earlier, star QB Patrick Mahomes went down with a torn ACL in week 15’s loss to the Chargers, paving the way for a Gardner Minshew-led offense the rest of the way. De-facto WR1 Rashee Rice and deep threat Tyquan Thornton have both been ruled out of Sunday’s game due to concussions, so that leaves a lot of receiving work up for grabs. Xavier Worthy steps into the top spot on the depth chart, but Brown has showed he still has plenty left in the tank with a couple 20-point performances earlier in the year. The Oklahoma standout isn’t the deep ball tracker he used to be, but volume alone could propel him into deep-league FLEX status on Sunday, with room for a higher ceiling.

NAY Wide Receivers for Week 16

Deebo Samuel-Washington Commanders: vs Philadelphia Eagles

Samuel was hot out of the gates this season, racking up four games with at least 17.4 PPR fantasy points in the first five matchups. Since then, however, he has cleared that mark just once. Things don’t look promising in week 16 when the Commanders host the defending Super Bowl champs. Franchise quarterback Jayden Daniels has already been shut down for the remainder of the season, and while Marcus Mariota has performed fine in his stead, he doesn’t provide the same floor for his wideouts from a fantasy standpoint. Terry McLaurin is also back to full health as the team’s top downfield option. Combine that with an Eagles defense that allows under 200 passing yards per game, and Samuel is a risky play in week 16.

Jaylen Waddle-Miami Dolphins: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Waddle has been a steady contributor most of the year, but with a changing of the guard at quarterback in week 16, his outlook looks bleaker than normal. No shade to rookie Quinn Ewers, but we haven’t seen anything from him yet to solidify his pass catchers as viable fantasy options for the playoffs. The Bengals also present a surprisingly tough matchup for opposing wide receivers, so Waddle is knocked down to the WR3/FLEX tier for this matchup.

Michael Pittman Jr-Indianapolis Colts: vs. San Francisco 49ers

At times this year, Pittman has looked the part of a clear-cut WR1 on an offense that has surprised a lot of people this season, as he eclipsed 15 PPR points in seven different games. That production ahs also come with quote a bit of inconsistency, as the USC product has scored under six points on four occasions. Phillip Rivers taking over last week for Daniel Jones definitely left a sour taste in Pittman’s fantasy owner’s mouths, as he caught just three passes for 26 yards. Things aren’t necessarily bad versus the 49ers this week. They are about as average as a defense can be against opposing wideouts this year, but that isn’t enough to move the needle for Pittman and his inconsistent play. Temper your expectations in week 16 for Pittman the rest of the Colts receiving corps.

YAY Tight Ends for Week 16

Oronde Gadsden II-Los Angeles Chargers: @ Dallas Cowboys

The rookie tight end hit a wall of sorts in the middle of the season, as he accrued only seven receptions and no touchdowns from week 10 to week 14. He found his footing last week against the Chiefs with four catches for 61 yards, and he gets a solid matchup against the Dallas Cowboys this weekend. The Cowboys are middle-of-the-pack against tight ends this season, and are a susceptible unit to allowing big games to any skill position group. Look for Gadsden to continue to right the ship in week 16.

Kyle Pitts Sr.-Atlanta Falcons: @ Arizona Cardinals

The Kyle Pitts legacy game finally occurred last Thursday, as the former fourth overall pick notches 11 receptions for 166 yards and a hat trick of scores against the Buccaneers. There’s a good chance that Pitts keeps the good times rolling against a subpar Cardinals squad that is bottom-five in PPG allowed to tight ends. Star WR Drake London is returning this week, which should take some defensive attention off Pitts, and allow him to break free for a few chunk plays. Lock him in as potentially the top option at the position this week, outside of Trey McBride and George Kittle.

NAY Tight Ends for Week 16:

Brock Bowers-Las Vegas Raiders: @ Houston Texans

Kenny Pickett, Geno Smith, Terrelle Pryor, it doesn’t matter. Every week the Raiders look slow on offense, and despite Bowers being maybe the most talented tight end in football, his numbers haven’t shown that week in and week out. In week 16, the standout sophomore gets lined up against the Texans defense, which rank top 10 in pretty much every possible category against every possible skill position group this season. Whoever is under center for the Raiders is going to have to deal with a lot of pressure from Will Anderson and company, while the Houston secondary patrols the field and fends off whatever the underperforming QB throws. You always want to start your studs, but don’t expect a boom game from Bowers this week.

Hunter Henry-New England Patriots: @ Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens are coming off a shutout of Joe Burrow and the Bengals, and while New England has been red-hot all year, this might be a lower scoring affair than first glance may show. Henry had just one catch last week against the Bills, and while he had produced in the prior few weeks leading up until then, this weekend’s matchup doesn’t solidify that. Baltimore is top five in the league against tight ends in terms of touchdowns and fantasy points allowed, so look for a better option if you can.