Week 16 of the NFL season has arrived, which means the second round of the fantasy playoffs are here! Thursday Night Football is always hit-or-miss from a fantasy perspective, you can either make or break your week in the first game of the slate.
Let’s highlight my start/sit fantasy football picks for Chargers vs. Broncos on TNF.
Start ‘Em: Ladd McConkey
The Broncos are a tough matchup for virtually any receiver, there’s no denying that.
However, I’m putting more stock in McConkey’s recent form, as the rookie has been stellar this season. The Georgia product has racked up at least 14 PPR points in four straight contests, emerging as Justin Herbert’s clear top target. It should also benefit Ladd that Pat Surtain — one of the game’s best corners — won’t be travelling to the slot much to line up against him.
With Surtain locking up the outside man, it will give Herbert even more reason to look at his top receiver early and often. I expect another strong outing for McConkey with a high target share.
Sit ‘Em: Bo Nix
After an incredibly hot stretch from Week 5-11, Nix has come back down to earth as of late.
The rookie has failed to score 20 fantasy points over his last three games, recording a TD-INT ratio of 6:5 over that stretch. Nix’s last outing against the Colts was particularly discouraging, as it took three passing touchdowns to salvage what would have otherwise been an atrocious day. I would recommending sitting him against a tough Chargers defense.
Check out my full Week 16 start/sit article with picks at each position here!
Start ‘Em: Courtland Sutton
It may seem counterintuitive to suggest sitting Bo Nix, only to turn around and recommend starting his top receiver.
That said, just because one player in the offense is productive doesn’t mean it’ll be a great all-around day for the guy throwing him the ball. I have concerns about Nix’s recent form, but those don’t carry over to Sutton.
The veteran wideout has been stellar in the second half of the season, racking up at least 16 fantasy points in six of his last seven outings. The 29-year-old has caught four touchdowns across Denver’s last five games, seeing at least nine targets in each contest. The Chargers pose a tough matchup, but Sutton has been too productive to leave on your bench Thursday night.
Those are my start ’em, sit ’em TNF fantasy football picks! Stay tuned for more fantasy advice later this week.
All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
