The second week of the 2025 fantasy football playoffs have arrived for most leagues! Countless fantasy managers are in must-win territory yet again, making this my most important round of picks yet. After 15 weeks, workloads, target shares, and other general trends have been established across the league. With all of that in mind, let’s break down my start/sit Week 16 fantasy football picks.
Check out my start/sit wide receiver picks for Week 16 here!
Quarterbacks
Start ‘Em: Jacoby Brissett (Arizona Cardinals) vs. Atlanta Falcons
Some players are just matchup proof. Apparently, Jacoby Brissett is one of them.
Since taking over as the Cardinals’ QB1 in Week 6, Brissett has amassed at least 18 fantasy points in every single start. Over that stretch, he has ranked as the QB3 in points per game and total points scored. At 33 years old fresh off an underwhelming campaign with the Patriots, this outcome seemed nearly unfathomable.
Heading into last week, Brissett drew the toughest matchup in football in the Texans. Houston had been smothering opposing quarterbacks all year long. Naturally, Brissett racked up 21.6 fantasy points. That type of performance solidifies what the veteran has been trying to tell us for weeks: he’s a real-deal fantasy QB1. Fire him up with confidence.
Sit ‘Em: Jaxson Dart (New York Giants) vs. Minnesota Vikings
Dart was unable to pull off a late comeback push against Washington, but the rookie still impressed. The Ole Miss product recorded north of 300 total yards, finishing with 23.1 fantasy points. Dart’s reckless abandon may not boost his career longevity, but it certainly helps his fantasy outlook.
All of that said, he draws an incredibly tough matchup this week in Minnesota. Brian Flores sends constant pressure and employs a multitude of confusing schemes to wreak havoc. That strategy was just extremely effective in the Vikings’ upset win over the Cowboys, as Dak Prescott was held under 12 points.
Minnesota has surrendered the third-fewest fantasy points per contest this year. With a lack of elite weapons to work with, I’m expecting an underwhelming outing from Dart.
Running Backs
Start ‘Em: Michael Carter (Arizona Cardinals) vs. Atlanta Falcons
The Michael Carter fantasy experience has been quite the whirlwind this year. He emerged out of nowhere as an elite option, then was cut, then re-signed, benched, etc. Yet, throughout all the chaos, Carter has remained ready to contribute.
That’s why, when Bam Knight suffered a bad ankle sprain against Houston, Carter stepped in seamlessly. The 26-year-old played 80% of snaps, rushing 14 times for 56 yards and catching four balls for 38 yards. It was an impressive outing against an elite defense.
Now, with Knight almost certainly sidelined this week and Trey Benson officially done for the year, opportunity will come knocking for Carter again. Emari Demercado could also see an expanded role, but it should be Carter who takes on a bellcow’s workload.
I wasn’t expecting two Arizona Cardinals to be my starts of the week at QB and RB, but here we are.
Sit ‘Em: Kenneth Walker III (Seattle Seahawks) vs. Los Angeles Rams
Just when it looked like Walker III was putting all the pieces together again, we get back-to-back dud weeks.
After a frustrating day against the Falcons, fantasy managers were eager to see how Walker III would bounce back in a huge matchup with Indy. The answer? A complete letdown, as the fourth-year back only managed 19 yards on 10 total touches. Meanwhile his backfield mate Zach Charbonnet couldn’t get anything going either, but did finish with 31 yards on eight touches.
This isn’t the type of momentum we wanted to see from the 25-year-old heading into a tough tilt with the Rams. L.A. is allowing the third-fewest fantasy points to RBs per game, setting the stage for a third consecutive disappointing outing for Walker III.
Check out the rest of my RB start/sit picks for this week here!
Wide Receivers
Start ‘Em: Jakobi Meyers (Jacksonville Jaguars) at Denver Broncos
Meyers’ recent TD streak finally came to a close last week, but he still managed to eclipse the double-digit fantasy point mark for a fifth straight time.
Trevor Lawrence has turned into a legitimate QB1 during the second half of the 2025 campaign, with the addition of Meyers playing a large role in his spike in form. Meyers is firmly locked in as one of Lawrence’s top two receiving options alongside Brian Thomas Jr.
The 29-year-old saw a team-high seven targets against the Jets, hauling in five of them for 71 yards. This week, the Jaguars draw a tough matchup in Denver, but that could actually be good news for the route technician. With reigning DPOY Pat Surtain II likely honing in on Thomas Jr., Meyers should see plenty of looks from Lawrence throughout this duel. Fire him up as a solid WR2.
Sit ‘Em: Justin Jefferson (Minnesota Vikings) at New York Giants
Sigh.
It’s been unbearable watching Justin Jefferson attempt to catch passes from J.J. McCarthy. Genuinely upsetting.
What’s even more frustrating is that when targeting anyone else besides his generationally elite receiver, McCarthy has been dialed in. But when he looks at Jefferson, suddenly the redshirt rookie can’t figure out how to throw the football. McCarthy was 2/8 throwing to Jefferson in Sunday’s upset over the Cowboys, throwing a pick and recording a passer rating of 0.0. Of course, the one time they actually connected in the end zone, the Vikings were flagged for illegal formation.
Incredibly inaccurate and unnecessarily fast throws describe McCarthy’s efforts when targeting Jefferson as of late. It’s the superstar’s third straight outing in which he was held under five fantasy points, rendering him virtually unstartable in fantasy leagues until further notice.
Click here for the rest of my WR start/sit picks for this week!
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Tight Ends
Start ‘Em: Dawson Knox (Buffalo Bills) at Cleveland Browns
Dawson Knox has clearly woken up the last few weeks under the impression it’s 2021. The 29-year-old has suddenly broken out, recording at least 17 fantasy points in back-to-back outings.
First, it was a team-high six catches for 93 yards against the Bengals. Then, it was a pair of scores in Buffalo’s improbable comeback against the Patriots. Something has unlocked the former touchdown machine down the stretch of his seventh pro season, and it’s safe to assume the Bills are going to continue utilizing him.
In a matchup against a tough Browns run defense, Josh Allen will certainly look to the air early and often. Knox should be a main beneficiary of that, providing low-end TE1 value.
Sit ‘Em: Hunter Henry (New England Patriots) at Baltimore Ravens
After two weeks of TE1 production, Henry came back down to earth against the Bills. The 31-year-old was targeted just three times, bringing in one of them for 18 yards.
It’s worth noting that Buffalo has allowed the fewest fantasy points per game, but the Ravens don’t rank too far behind with the fifth-least. Drake Maye utilizes a bunch of different playmakers on a weekly basis, giving the veteran a volatile fantasy floor.
If Henry doesn’t find the end zone, he’s likely not hitting double-digit points. That’s not a game I want to play in the fantasy semifinals.
Those are my start/sit Week 16 fantasy football picks! Stay tuned for more start/sit Week 16 positional analysis over the coming days.
