Key Fantasy Starters and Tough Calls - Lineup Spotlights and Emergency Options for Week 16

Scott Engel provides Week 16 fantasy football lineups analysis, spotlighting key NFL players to start and tougher lineup start/sit decisions to make. He also adds in some tips for emergency situations.

Below you will find some of my spotlight choices and players to go with when dealing with challenging lineup decisions in Week 16. These selections are based on my Premium Weekly Lineup Rankings, available as part of the RotoBaller NFL Premium Pass.

Enter promo code KING at checkout for a discount and get access to my ranks in all formats, plus a full roster of tools and analysis for the rest of the 2021 season. Skill position analysis here is based on my PPR rankings.

We also provide emergency lineup options for this week, for those fantasy leaguers needing to dig deeper for plug-ins because of COVID-19 related absences.

• 2025 fantasy football rankings (redraft)
• Dynasty fantasy football rankings
• 2025 NFL rookie fantasy football rankings
• Best ball fantasy football rankings
• Quarterback fantasy football rankings
• Running back fantasy football rankings
• Wide receiver fantasy football rankings
• Tight end fantasy football rankings

Running Backs

-Ronald Jones II had a season-high 71 scrimmage yards last week in relief of the injured Leonard Fournette. He had a career-high 192 rushing yards and a TD in his last meeting with the Panthers in Week 10 of 2020. Jones has a rushing TD in his last three games vs. Carolina. The Panthers are fourth-best in Fantasy Points Per Game allowed to RBs, but Jones will get a healthy amount of volume in what should be a rebound spot for the Tampa Bay offense, which will be fired up after getting shut out last week. Jones should be locked in as a Week 16 starter, as he may get more than one chance to score near the goal line.

-Justin Jackson had a season-high 99 scrimmage yards (86 rushing) in Week 15. He faces the Texans, who have allowed the most rushing yards to RBs this season. Houston’s defensive line gets pushed around up front and the tackling at the second levels is very shoddy. This is an obviously fine draw for Jackson and he is a strong RB2 start this week. But do keep in mind he could share some work with Joshua Kelley and as good as the matchup is, you should not start Jackson over a more proven RB who has delivered for you for most of the season so far. Jackson is a strong streamer, but not quite a Top 10 play. He must still show he can fully take advantage of the prime opportunity. He does crack the Top 15 at RB, though.

-Rashaad Penny has 60-plus scrimmage yards in two of his last three games. Fantasy players may feel less certain about starting Penny after he rushed for just 39 yards against the Rams last week and had to leave the game at one point with a back injury. But he gets a better matchup in Week 16 and should be started as a RB2. The Bears are 25^th in rushing yards allowed to RBs, and Penny can score from anywhere on the field when he is playing well. Penny is always a true injury concern, yet he does have upside for this week.

-Melvin Gordon had 73 scrimmage yards in his Week 6 meeting with Denver. He is only one of two NFL RBs (Ezekiel Elliott) with 900+ scrimmage yards in each of the past six seasons. Gordon is the sixth player ever with seven-plus TDs in six straight seasons. Of his seven this year, six have come in the red zone area. The Raiders are 24^th in rushing yards allowed to RBs and have given up 13 rushing scores to the position. Much of the Denver RB fantasy hype centers around Javonte Williams, but Gordon is a fine flex option for Week 16.

Wide Receivers

-DeVante Parker had four catches for 68 yards and a TD last week. He is aiming for his fifth game in a row with 60+ receiving yards. Jaylen Waddle will be back this week, and should be matched up often with Marshon Lattimore. Parker could benefit with a lot of significant targets from Tua Tagovailoa. The Saints are 25^th in Fantasy Points Per Game allowed to WRs.

-Russell Gage had eight receptions for 91 yards and a TD last week. He is aiming for his fifth game in a row with 60+ receiving yards. Gage has really stepped forward in the absence of Calvin Ridley and has also taken advantage of all the defensive attention being focused on Kyle Pitts and Cordarrelle Patterson. Gage should be locked in as a fantasy WR3, especially against the Lions. Detroit is 22^nd in receiving yards allowed to WRs.

-Ja'Marr Chase had a career-high 201 receiving yards and a TD catch in the  Week 7 meeting with the Ravens. He is the fifth rookie in the Super Bowl era with 1,000+ receiving yards (1,038) and 10 TDs. Chase has been frustrating fantasy leaguers in recent weeks. His recent outburst against Baltimore was the last time he topped 80 receiving yards in a game. But this is a good spot for a big Chase outing again, as Baltimore’s defense ranks 31^st against the pass. This is an obvious major AFC North matchup, and Joe Burrow is going to make sure he gets the ball to his most explosive playmaker as frequently as possible.

-Emmanuel Sanders is returning but has not reached the 30-yard mark in his last five games. But with Gabriel Davis and Cole Beasley out, and Dawson Knox facing a very tough matchup for TEs against the Patriots, Sanders could be headed for a good amount of targets this week. The New England pass defense will also be heavily focused on containing Stefon Diggs. If you are searching deeper for a Week 16 WR option, Sanders can help with a potentially significant role in the Buffalo passing game.

Quarterback and Tight End

-Joe Burrow passed for a career-high 416 yards and three TDs in the Week 7 meeting with the Ravens. Burrow has not passed for 300 yards in a game since the end of October. But as we noted, the Ravens have the second-worst pass defense in the NFL. Starting Burrow this week may not seem like the most comfortable move, but it could pay off nicely in a must-win game for Cincinnati.

-Gerald Everett led the Seahawks with 60 receiving yards last week. He also scored in two of the previous three games prior to Week 15. For many fantasy leaguers, getting adequate production from their TE spot can be a challenge. Everett is very capable of delivering double-figure PPR fantasy totals against any opponent. You can consider Everett a back-end fantasy TE1 in the final two weeks of the postseason.

Emergency Options by Position for Week 16

Players listed in order of preferred lineup usage

Running Backs: Jordan Howard, Joshua Kelley, Darrell Henderson, Tevin Coleman, Darrel Williams, Ameer Abdullah, Devontae Booker, Ke’Shawn Vaughn, Brandon Bolden, Samaje Perine, Royce Freeman, Mark Ingram, Kene Nwangwu.

Wide Receivers: Joshua Palmer, Tyler Boyd, Josh Reynolds, Marquez Callaway, Tim Patrick, Laquon Treadwell, Tyler Johnson, Braxton Berrios, Zay Jones, Kalif Raymond, Ben Skowronek, Adam Humphries

Tight Ends: Noah Gray (if Travis Kelce is out), Cole Kmet, James O'Shaughnessy, Albert Okwuegbunam

More Fantasy Football Analysis