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| Wednesday, December 20, 2023 |
| The narrative around Kenneth Walker has flipped a few times this season. In the preseason, there was some concern he might lose enough important reps to Zach Charbonnet to be a fringe Fantasy option, but that looked pretty silly when he averaged 17.4 PPR points per game through the first six weeks of the season. |
| At that point, Walker looked like a potential first-rounder for 2024 … only for the preseason concerns to materialize, with Walker seeing single-digit carries in four of his next six games – and he missed a couple with an injury during that stretch, too. As he enters Week 16, Walker looks like a pretty shaky start – he had 19 carries last week, but just eight the prior. |
| No worries, says Jamey Eisenberg, who has tabbed Walker as his Start of the Week for Week 16. The matchup against the Titans isn't an obviously beneficial one, but this isn't really about the Titans 14th-ranked defense against Fantasy running backs. It's about the expected game script, as the Seahawks are road favorites, a situation that should help Walker get the work he needs – Walker has 19 carries in two of the Seahawks three wins over his past six games. |
| The Titans aren't a pushover, but it's a game the Seahawks should win with Geno Smith expected back, and we're betting Walker will get enough carries ot be worth starting. And, if we're lucky, he'll break a big play or two and turn in a week-winning performance. It's very much within the realm of possibility. |
| You can check out Jamey's Start 'Em & Sit 'Em calls for Week 16 here to see what else he likes about Walker this week. And the rest of this evening's newsletter has his top plays and biggest fades at each position, plus sleepers, bust alerts, and more. Tomorrow morning, my preview of every game on the Week 16 schedule, including all of the latest injuries you need to know about before the first lineup lock of the week will be in your inbox, so keep an eye out for that. |
| For now, here are Jamey's top starts and sits: |
Week 16 Position Previews: QB | RB | WR | TEJamey, Dave, Heath's RankingsMy Week 16 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE
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| Quarterback Start 'Em and Sit 'Em |
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| Start 'Em: Justin Fields and Tua Tagovailoa |
| "Fields' stat line at Cleveland in Week 15 was bad with 19-of-40 completions for 166 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, and he only rushed for 30 yards. But he could have had a better day than just 11.6 Fantasy points. Both of his interceptions came on Hail Mary plays at the end of each half, and Darnell Mooney nearly caught the game-winning touchdown on the final throw. And Fields threw a beautiful pass down the field to a wide-open Robert Tonyan in the first quarter that would have been a 73-yard touchdown, but Tonyan had one of the worst drops of the season. This week, Fields should get back on track against the Cardinals, who allow the fifth-most Fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks at 22 per game. Two of the past three quarterbacks against Arizona have scored at least 31.4 Fantasy points." |
| Sit 'Em: Kyler Murray and Russell Wilson |
| "Murray has scored fewer than 16 Fantasy points in each of his past two starts at Pittsburgh and San Francisco, and he should have another down outing in Week 16 at Chicago. While the Bears allowed Joe Flacco to score 21.1 Fantasy points in Week 15, he still threw three interceptions, and Chicago has 12 interceptions compared to six passing touchdowns allowed in the past four games. It's too tough to trust Murray in Week 16 against this defense on the road." |
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| Running Back Start 'Em and Sit 'Em |
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| Start 'Em: Ezekiel Elliott and Derrick Henry |
| "I started the week not liking Henry after his terrible performance against the Texans in Week 15 when he had 16 carries for 9 yards and four catches for 1 yard on four targets. But this should be a bounce-back spot for him against Seattle at home. Henry is 116 rushing yards away from the fifth 1,000-yard season in his career, and I'm sure Mike Vrabel will want to get Henry that milestone at home. He also has just two home games left this year with Jacksonville in Week 18, and Henry might be done in Tennessee after this season since he'll be a free agent. The Seahawks are also playing on the road after a Monday night game, so we could see a tired defense, and a running back has scored at least 12.9 PPR points against Seattle in seven of the past eight games, with nine running backs hitting that mark over that span. I still like Henry as a No. 2 running back in all leagues with this matchup." |
| Sit 'Em: Austin Ekeler and Jerome Ford |
| "It's hard to bench Ekeler in the majority of leagues, but we saw the downside of this offense in Week 15 at Las Vegas in a 63-21 loss with Justin Herbert (finger) out, which could get worse in this matchup with Buffalo in Week 16. Keep in mind that Ekeler was awful in four of his past five games, with his one positive outing against the bad Broncos run defense in Week 14. Otherwise, he scored 9.4 PPR points or less in his other four games, including 7.8 PPR points against the Raiders. Buffalo just held Tony Pollard to 7.7 PPR points in Week 15, and the Bills should be able to contain Ekeler in this matchup." |
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| Wide Receiver Start 'Em and Sit 'Em |
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| Start 'Em: Drake London and Rashee Rice |
| "London loves playing at home. In his past five games in Atlanta, London has scored at least 14.1 PPR points in each outing, and he's averaging 19.7 PPR points per game over that span. We'll see how he does with Taylor Heinicke taking over for Desmond Ridder, and London missed Week 9 against Minnesota in Heinicke's first start. The Colts have allowed the opposing No. 1 receiver to score at least 14.4 PPR points in four of their past five games, and London is a borderline top-10 Fantasy receiver in all leagues for Week 16." |
| Sit 'Em: Zay Flowers and Brandin Cooks |
| "Flowers is dealing with a foot injury, which caused him to miss practice Wednesday, but coach John Harbaugh didn't seem concerned. Flowers is coming off a bad game in Week 15 at Jacksonville with one catch for 7 yards on two targets, and I would only consider him a low-end No. 3 Fantasy receiver in Week 16 at San Francisco. Prior to Week 15, Flowers scored at least 20 PPR points in each of his previous two games against the Chargers and Rams, but Flowers could struggle if he's matched up with San Francisco cornerback Charvarius Ward. This doesn't feel like a great spot to trust the rookie receiver." |
| Tight End Start 'Em and Sit 'Em |
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| Start 'Em: Jake Ferguson |
| "Ferguson has three games in a row with eight targets and at least five catches, and he scored at least 10.4 PPR points in each outing against Seattle, Philadelphia and Buffalo. Dak Prescott should continue to lean on Ferguson in Week 16 at Miami in what should be a shootout, and hopefully he gets at least seven targets. Three tight ends had at least seven targets against the Dolphins this season, and two of them have scored at least 16.6 PPR points." |
| Sit 'Em: Taysom Hill |
| "Hill was awful in Week 15 against the Giants, and we'll see if he can rebound in Week 16 at the Rams. Against New York, Hill failed to complete his lone passing attempt and had one carry for 1 yard while catching his only target for a 4-yard reception. I'm hopeful he was just rusty after sitting out Week 14 against Carolina with a foot injury, but Hill has now scored 8.1 PPR points or less in three of his past four games. Hill is only worth starting in deeper leagues against the Rams in Week 16." |
| DST Start 'Em and Sit 'Em |
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| Start 'Em: Broncos vs. Patriots |
| "The Broncos defense was embarrassed by the Lions in Week 15 when Detroit scored 42 points with no turnovers and just two sacks allowed. But that was a tough opponent on the road -- the third road game in a row for Denver -- and this week the Broncos are back home against the Patriots. New England has scored more than 17 points just three times this year, Bailey Zappe was sacked four times by Kansas City in Week 15, and Zappe has an interception in each of his past two games against the Steelers and Chiefs. Kareem Jackson 's four-game suspension is also over for Denver, and the Broncos DST has top-five upside in Week 16." |
Sit 'Em: Ravens at 49ers
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| "Baltimore has a solid defense, but the Ravens only have six sacks in their past three games against the Chargers, Rams and Jaguars, with one interception over that span. Now, Baltimore did allow 10 points or less in two of those outings, but this is a nightmare matchup at San Francisco in Week 15. The 49ers have scored at least 27 points in six games in a row, and they have only three turnovers in their past six games. This is a good week to bench the Ravens DST in the majority of leagues." |
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