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The fantasy football championships are now just one week away, leaving only four teams in the running ahead of NFL Week 16. Everybody has league-winning rosters at this point, allowing the entire fantasy football season to come down to setting lineups, with no position more variant than wide receiver.
Even the most consistent players are due for at least a few bad performances per year, and an untimely Week 16 dud could end a fantasy football season. Players like Ladd McConkey and Emeka Egbuka looked like league winners early on, but have frustrated managers with their recent slumps, making them difficult to trust at this point in the year.
Sometimes, a few of the league’s biggest stars feel unplayable in the fantasy football playoffs. But at the same time, it can feel even more difficult to justify benching them. Every decision means much more in December, and making the wrong call can be the difference between taking home gold and pulling out hair on Sunday afternoon.
Before the NFL Week 16 matchups begin, take a close look at which players to start and which to sit based on our weekly fantasy football wide receiver rankings.
Honorable mention starts: Ladd McConkey (LAC at DAL), Ricky Pearsall (SF at IND), Jaylen Waddle (MIA vs. CIN), Tetairoa McMillan (CAR vs. TB), Chris Olave (NO vs. NYJ)
Honorable mention sits: Brian Thomas Jr. (JAX at DEN), Terry McLaurin (WAS vs. PHI), Stefon Diggs (NE at BAL), Michael Wilson (ARI vs. ATL), Alec Pierce (IND vs. SF)
Even with Joe Burrow back in the lineup, Ja’Marr Chase has been frustratingly inconsistent in 2025. Those who took him in the first round of fantasy football drafts back in August might be feeling some buyer’s remorse, but Chase will be worth trusting in Week 16.
A matchup with the Miami Dolphins is concerning on paper, with the Dolphins being surprisingly effective at limiting wideouts. Anthony Weaver’s defense allows the ninth-fewest fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers. However, those numbers come with a grain of salt.
The Dolphins’ defensive numbers have improved over the last two months, during which they have gone 5-2 as a team. Three of the last seven quarterbacks they have faced were backups, including two — Kirk Cousins and Brady Cook — who started their first game of the season.
This secondary, which is missing arguably its three best cornerbacks, will still be the worst passing defense Burrow has faced all year. There is not a single cornerback on Miami’s active roster capable of even slowing Chase, and star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick is now also in danger of missing the game.
Amon-Ra St. Brown might not necessarily be a sit candidate, but fantasy football managers certainly need to temper their expectations. St. Brown is arguably the best receiver in the league and has been matchup-proof all season, but he faces an underrated test in Week 16.
While it seemed...
