Week 16 Wide Receiver and Tight End Starts & Sits: A Look At Drake London, Dallas Goedert & More!
In case you’re new to the column, here’s a quick explainer of what we’re trying to do here (skip down if you’ve been here before). We’re here to wrestle with the decisions that are keeping us up at night. Do you bench a struggling player you took in the second round? Do you take a chance on the guy who has seemingly been playing over his head? Do you sit the high-floor/low-ceiling player for the low-floor/high-ceiling player? We won’t know the “correct” answers until the games are over. But we’re going to do our best to talk through it.
With quarterbacks and running backs done, let’s dig into the Week 16 wide receiver and tight end start/sit decisions that are keeping us up at night.
Check out the top legal online sportsbook offers and promotions in the United States!
Wide Receiver
Start ‘Em
START OF THE WEEK: Drake London, Atlanta Falcons
Without looking, how many targets does Drake London have over his last two games? If you guessed 23, you are right! That’s a lot! The rookie started slow, but he’s finishing the season in style and has 13 catches for 165 receiving yards in his last two games combined. There’s really no one else for the Falcons to throw the ball to at this point and London should again see double-digit targets (or close to it). Fire him up against a Ravens defense that has given up fantasy points to opposing receivers this year.
Jahan Dotson, Washington Commanders
Dotson has been plagued by injuries this season, but the rookie is finishing strong. He’s scored in each of his last two games and has seen 15 total targets in those two games. Coming off the first 100 receiving yard game of his career last week, Dotson will look to build upon his success against a tough 49ers defense. I don’t love the matchup, but I think the 49ers giving Terry McLaurin some extra attention should free up Dotson to make some plays.
Demarcus Robinson, Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens just signed Sammy Watkins. That’s how bad things have gotten for them at wide receiver. They literally have no one else to throw to besides Mark Andrews and, surprisingly, Demarcus Robinson. While Robinson hasn’t put up eye-popping stat lines, he’s seen 20 targets over his last three games and has put up 18 catches for 122 receiving yards during those three games. That’s not exactly league-winning production, but Robinson is a viable flex play if you’re absolutely desperate this week.
Sit ‘Em
SIT OF THE WEEK: Allen Lazard, Green Bay Packers
Lazard has taken a backseat to Christian Watson in the Packers offense and his stats are starting to show it. He’s seen just nine total targets over his last three games and hasn’t topped 67 receiving yards in any of those games. To make things worse, Lazard only has one game with over 100 receiving yards this season (all the way back in Week 4) and hasn’t found the end zone since Week 9. Look elsewhere as Lazard also faces a good Dolphins secondary this week.
Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati Bengals
With the weather looking like it’s going to be disgusting in New England this weekend, I really don’t love any of the Bengals receivers in regard to their weekly ranking. I wouldn’t recommend sitting Ja’Marr Chase or Tee Higgins, but I don’t think I can bring myself to start Boyd this week. He’s third in Joe Burrow’s pecking order and hasn’t seen more than five targets in any of his last four games. I’d look for other options this week if you have them.
Michael Gallup, Dallas Cowboys
I really thought Gallup would break out this year, and man was I wrong. While he had a great Week 13, he hasn’t done a whole lot otherwise and is just way too risky to start this week. Coming off a game in which he caught one ball on two targets for two yards, Gallup belong on your bench against a strong Eagles defense.
Learn more about our fantasy football tools and products!
Tight End
Start ‘Em
START OF THE WEEK: Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles
Goedert is super risky coming off injured reserve, but he’s seemingly healthy and doesn’t look to have a snap count this weekend. While he’s got a tough matchup against the Cowboys, Goedert likely would’ve been a top-5 tight end on the season if he’d stayed healthy and should see enough targets to be viable this week. Gardner Minshew isn’t that much of a downgrade from Jalen Hurts in terms of throwing the ball so I don’t think we have much to worry about in that regard. Fire up Goedert!
Dawson Knox, Buffalo Bills
I was very much off the Knox train two weeks ago, but I’m firmly back on. He’s seen 15 targets over his last two games and has put up 10 catches for 139 yards and a touchdown in those two games. With the Bills still searching for a reliable weapon not named Stefon Diggs, Knox seems to have somewhat filled the void and has a very good chance at finishing as a TE1 against the Bears this week.
Sit ‘Em
SIT OF THE WEEK: Chigoziem Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans
This isn’t at all about Okonkwo (he’s been good lately!) and is much more about Malik Willis. Simply put, the rookie has struggled in his limited action this season and hasn’t thrown for more than 80 yards in a game all year. While Willis should be able to top 100 passing yards against the Texans this week, I expect the Titans to rely upon Derrick Henry (who eats the Texans for lunch) and limit Willis’ pass attempts. Sadly, that’s not good news for Okonkwo, and I think we need to look elsewhere this week.
Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears
Kmet has been more than serviceable this year after a slow start and currently sits at TE14 in PPR leagues. However, he has a really tough matchup against the Bills this weekend and is a definite bench candidate. He hasn’t found the end zone since Week 10 and is coming off a game where he only put up 25 receiving yards on four catches. That’s not horrible, but we need more from the position in such an important week.
Fantasy SP has worked diligently to bring you next-level sports betting analytics, prop betting tools, public betting splits, and so much more! Become an Edge+ member today!
#startsit
