Who Should I Start for Week 16? Fantasy Football outlooks for J.J. McCarthy, Caleb Williams, Jacoby Brissett, Joe Burrow, C.J. Stroud, Jalen Hurts, Dak Prescott, Bo Nix, Jordan Love, Tyler Shough.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 16 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like J.J. McCarthy, Caleb Williams, Jacoby Brissett, Joe Burrow, C.J. Stroud, Jalen Hurts, Dak Prescott, Bo Nix, Jordan Love, Tyler Shough. However, don't worry, we are here to help you make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 16. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 16 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
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Fantasy Football Matchup Outlooks
Below are some fantasy football outlooks written by our NFL team here at RotoBaller, bringing you their fantasy football analysis and advice on which players to consider starting in Week 16:
J.J. McCarthy, QB, Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy had a rough start to the season, with mistakes and injuries keeping him from being a fantasy option in almost all formats. In the last few weeks, though, the Michigan man has found a very nice groove while leading his team to wins over the Commanders and Cowboys. On Sunday Night Football, he completed 15 of 24 pass attempts for 250 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 15 rushing yards and a third score on the ground.
He has six total touchdowns and just one turnover in those two games, and he has a great matchup to keep his momentum going in Week 16 as the Vikings head to New York and face the Giants. If you're looking for a second QB or are desperate for a streaming option, McCarthy's rushing potential makes him a solid snatch and start option this week.
Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts turned the ball over five times in last week's Monday night loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, but he bounced back in a big way in a favorable Week 15 matchup on Sunday against the visiting Las Vegas Raiders. Hurts only attempted 15 passes in the 31-0 rout, but he completed 12 of them for 175 yards and three touchdown passes. The 27-year-old signal-caller added seven carries for 39 yards on the ground. He was sacked only once for a loss of four yards.
Two of Hurts' touchdown passes were short dump-offs to tight end Dallas Goedert, with his third passing TD coming to receiver A.J. Brown on a 27-yard hookup. It hasn't always been pretty in 2025, but Hurts now has 22 touchdown passes, eight rushing TDs, and six interceptions in 15 games. He has been a top-five fantasy QB and has another plus matchup for the fantasy semifinals in most leagues in Week 16 versus the division-rival Commanders.
Jacoby Brissett, QB, Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett has quietly been putting together strong numbers since taking over as the starting QB in Week 6. Since he took over for the injured Kyler Murray (foot), Brissett has thrown at least two touchdowns in every game except one. The 33-year-old has surpassed 300 passing yards in three of his last five contests. Brissett is posting strong numbers in this pass-heavy Cardinals offense. It has helped that the Cardinals have been playing from behind quite often, forcing Brissett to pass frequently.
Fantasy managers in need of a streaming option for Week 16 should take a hard look at Brissett. He'll draw a plus matchup against the Atlanta Falcons defense this weekend. Brissett has been posting nearly top-10 QB numbers every week since he took over under center, and he is a viable option for fantasy managers in need of help.
C.J. Stroud, QB, Houston Texans
Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud is coming off one of his most efficient performances of the season against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 15, completing 22 of 29 passes for three touchdowns. It marked his fourth game this season in which he completed more than 75% of his passes with at least two touchdown passes, tying for the second-most in the league. The third-year signal-caller is emerging as a strong streaming option with the Texans' offense finding its best form and an ideal Week 16 matchup on deck against the Las Vegas Raiders.
While he doesn't add much value as a runner, Stroud is showing the passing upside to be worth consideration as a plug-and-play starter this week.
Who Should I Start Tool
You can also see the Who Should I Start tool here.
Week 16 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - J.J. McCarthy, Caleb Williams, Jacoby Brissett, Joe Burrow, C.J. Stroud, Jalen Hurts, Dak Prescott, Bo Nix, Jordan Love, Tyler Shough. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 16.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, players news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do, is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 16 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 16 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 16 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 16 for J.J. McCarthy, Caleb Williams, Jacoby Brissett, Joe Burrow, C.J. Stroud, Jalen Hurts, Dak Prescott, Bo Nix, Jordan Love, Tyler Shough:
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