Week 16 and the semifinals of the Fantasy Football Playoffs are here. Congratulations on being just two victories away from winning a championship! Hopefully, you managed to dodge the injuries that struck numerous key players last week. As far as fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em at the running back position is concerned, some of the notable injuries that transpired will give a boost to the backfield cohorts of those players. Heck, Jahmyr Gibbs may deliver fantasy championships singlehandedly now in the absence of David Montgomery.
Naturally, players like Gibbs, Saquon Barkley and Bijan Robinson will be started in lineups weekly without question in the Fantasy Football Playoffs. As has been the case all season, the focus of this column will be the RB2 and FLEX spots. To help you feel more confident in making some of the tough decisions you may be facing, be sure to check out our weekly fantasy football rankings and read on for our Week 16 RB fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em analysis.
Wide Receivers — Week 16 Fantasy Football Start/Sit
Tight Ends — Week 16 Fantasy Football Start/Sit
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Fantasy Football Start ’em, Sit ’em: Week 16 RBs
Start: Brian Robinson Fantasy Outlook vs Eagles
Given Robinson’s steady effort throughout the season, managers should feel confident in deploying him as an RB2 in Week 16 matchups. Of course, the drawback is the fact that the Commanders will be facing off against the Philadelphia Eagles. However, Robinson had 16 carries against this stout Philly run defense back in Week 11. He was able to average nearly four yards per and found the end zone in defeat. While it looks like another week where Robinson will fail to “Boom” relative to fantasy expectations, he should once again turn in starter-caliber production.
RELATED | Week 16 RB Fantasy Football Rankings + Insights
Start: Rhamondre Stevenson Fantasy Outlook vs Bills
When it comes to Stevenson’s fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em outlook in Week 16, he nestles in right on the threshold of RB2 territory. The Patriots will be playing the Buffalo Bills for the first time this season (yes, it is already Week 16) and Stevenson could have some real upside in this matchup. The Bills are somewhat quietly allowing the second-most PPR points to opposing RBs of any team in the league while giving up nearly 118 yards per game on the ground. Buffalo is undersized defensively, so a steady ground game is actually the best way to attack them. Provided that the Patriots don’t fall way behind early, Stevenson could be in line for a major workhorse role on Sunday.
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Sit: Tyrone Tracy Jr. Fantasy Outlook vs Falcons
For the second week in a row, Tyrone Tracy Jr. winds up on the negative side of the fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em spectrum. Last week, our analysis was largely due to the fact that he and the New York Giants were going up against an elite Baltimore run defense. This week, the matchup is only a small part of the story, as the Atlanta Falcons are only situated in the middle of the pack defensively against RBs. The decision to fade Tracy really comes down to an inability to trust anyone wearing a New York Giants jersey at this point in the season.
The Giants’ horrendous O-line saps the fantasy value out of all of their players. Tracy was able to overcome that for a time, but his yards per carry have been steadily on the decline in recent weeks. What’s more, the former Purdue Boilermaker has actually tallied no more than 10 rushing attempts in three of the last four games. Whether it’s been his inefficiency, game script or something else, the decline in carries is notable. Devin Singletary is also still lingering around and has even managed to vulture a couple of TDs. It’s a bad situation all around for the Giants, and it makes Tracy difficult to trust in the win-or-go-home environment that is the Fantasy Football Playoffs.
Sit: Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren Fantasy Outlook vs Ravens
In the first meeting between these AFC North Division rivals, Harris did manage to score 13.3 PPR points. However, he uncharacteristically had four receptions in that game, a stat that seems highly unlikely to be replicated in the rematch. Warren also had four catches and snuck into a double-digit PPR point total. Given that he tends to be the primary pass-catching back, it makes sense as to why he is actually ranked just ahead of Harris in the expert consensus this week.
No one has been able to run the ball between the tackles with a great deal of success against Baltimore’s league-leading run defense this season. Expecting the Steelers to do so is foolish with all that is riding on the line in the fantasy playoffs. Avoid starting Harris and Warren unless absolutely necessary this week.
