👉 TAP TO SAVE 50% WITH CODE SPRING
X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Compare Any Players
24x7 News and Alerts

Fantasy Mads Libs: Starts and Sits for Week 16

As I write my last "Fantasy Mad Libs" of the season, I wanted to, in lieu of writing funny Christmas song parodies related to fantasy or going over my best and worst picks of the year (one of those will be my post-season column) thank the RotoBaller team. I was thrilled to write at least once a week for the team, and next year will be excited to write even more articles.

I've also enjoyed every single one of you: the writers who I've befriended through the internet while doing this column, the random dudes who tweet at me for an hour before game time kicks off, and the people who text me saying "Your column is bad, your advice is bad, etc." God bless you all. As I go home to visit my family this week and because no one of any value still plays fantasy football in Week 17, this will be my last column for the season. But there will be more to come, with probably worse advice! See y'all on Twitter, where you can find me at @cliffclinton.

Editor's Note: New users that sign up on FantasyAces, make a $20 deposit, and enter any game will receive BOTH our full season NFL and NBA Premium Passes for free, a $119.99 value. Just email [email protected] with your new FantasyAces username - and boom, that's it! We will email you with your Premium Passes.

Featured Promo: Looking for some more fantasy football action? Adopt a dynasty orphan team over at FFPC. Sign up today and get $25 off any FFPC league. Sign Up Now!

 

Running Back

LeGarrette Blount will either be on my bench or will ruin my week.

If you are in the championships and you went zero RB, you probably have some shares of LeGarrette Blount. Blount is a top-10 RB, and faces a decent matchup against the New York Jets, but Blount is problematic thanks to two words: Dion Lewis. I don't think Lewis takes over as RB1 until the actual playoffs, but there's a decent chance that Blount is a less-than-favorable option in a week where you need really great options. He's a flex at best, and a bench player if you happen to have two better options. Then again, if you went zero RB, you probably have zero options.

Dear Jordan Howard, do you like like me? I like like you this week.

When you read the articles at the end of the year that list which fantasy players were on the teams that made or won the playoffs most frequently, Howard has a very decent chance of being on that list. Howard has been very reliable in matchups, both good and bad, since Week 10. In a favorable matchup vs the Redskins front-seven, Jordan Howard will be started in confidence.

Am I going to really start Paul Perkins in Week 16? (less than 20% of leagues)

It can't be stated enough that this is a bad week to get cute, but Perkins has a decent match-up vs a Philly team giving up at least one touchdown to a lead back in the last few weeks, and Perkins may be this week's lead back with Shane Vereen back on IR.

 

Wide Receiver

Don't hand me my money back, I'm going double-or-nothing on Golden Tate

Tate is another name destined for the "Here's who all the fantasy winners had" column. Tate has been flighty during the season, but an incredibly bankable WR2 in the playoffs. Detroit will be locked in a shootout with the Cowboys this weekend, and the Cowboys secondary will not be able to shut Tate down completely. Start him with a drink in hand and a smile on your face.

I will be discarding my Terrelle Pryor Sr. and replacing him with two cards from the deck

Terrelle Pryor may have gotten you to the playoffs, but with a torn ligament in his finger and two straight subpar performances, I would move on from the young receiver. He's not only not startable for this week, he's droppable for the rest of the season in non-keeper leagues.

 

Tight End

Parachute? I don't need no parachute, I have Cameron Brate

It's another rare double down. If you danced with Cameron Brate and he got you this far, you've gotta stick with him. Brate will be a big part of Tampa Bay's shootout with New Orleans, and considering the Saints will be focused on keeping Mike Evans out of the game, Brate is good for an end zone target or two.

Don't cry kids! We will bury Jordan Reed in the yard

He's moving slowly, he's making poor decisions in play (and, you know, not in play), and he's primarily on the field as a decoy. Any scoring opportunity for him is more of a dumb luck happening then the Redskins' strategy, and he is also droppable in all non-keeper leagues.




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Compare Any Players
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Giancarlo Stanton

Heading to Injured List With Calf Strain
NFL

Mike Vrabel Returns to the Patriots on Monday
Tyree Wilson

Heading into Contract Year With New Team
Calijah Kancey

Buccaneers Pick Up Fifth-Year Option on Calijah Kancey
Jalen Carter

Eagles Exercise Fifth-Year Option on Jalen Carter
Philadelphia Eagles

Eagles Pick Up Nolan Smith's Fifth-Year Option
Keon Coleman

Bills Aren't Giving Up on Keon Coleman
Aaron Rodgers

Former Steelers Coach Thinks Aaron Rodgers Will Return to Pittsburgh
Chris Gotterup

Looks to Continue Big-Game Hunting at Cadillac Championship
George Pickens

hasn't Signed his Franchise Tag With Dallas
Jason Day

Looks to Bring Experience Back to the Blue Monster
Nikola Jović

Nikola Jovic Remains Highly Rated by Heat
Aaron Gordon

Won't Play Monday Night
Tyler Herro

to Undergo "Preemptive Procedure" on Foot
Cameron Young

Returns to Action For Cadillac Championship
Travis Bazzana

Guardians Calling Up Former First Overall Pick Travis Bazzana
Bam Adebayo

Remains Untouchable for Heat
Sam Burns

Looks to Have Big Impact at PGA Tour's Return to Doral
Anthony Edwards

Officially Listed as Week-to-Week
Jordan Goodwin

Still Out Monday
Cooper Flagg

Wins Rookie of the Year Award
Kevin Huerter

is Available to Play in Game 4
Joel Embiid

is Probable for Game 5
Austin Reaves

Could Return for Game 5
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic Officially Won't Play During First-Round Series
Jonathan Isaac

to Remain Out for Game 4
Will Smith

Back in Action in Series Opener Against Marlins
Josh Naylor

Back in Starting Lineup on Monday
Jason Zucker

Probable for Game 5 Against Bruins
Josh Norris

Could Return to Action Tuesday
Nikita Zadorov

Questionable for Game 5
Viktor Arvidsson

Considered Questionable for Tuesday
Nils Lundkvist

Won't Play Tuesday
Yakov Trenin

Could Be an Option Tuesday
Mats Zuccarello

Questionable for Game 5
Carson Hocevar

Scores his First Career NASCAR Cup Series Victory at Talladega
Chris Buescher

Misses out on Winning at Talladega by Finishing Second
Alex Bowman

Earns First Top-Five Finish at Talladega Since Returning From Injury
Chase Elliott

Scores A Fourth-Place Finish at Talladega
Zane Smith

Nabs First Top-Five Finish of the 2026 Season at Talladega
Marvin Harrison Jr.

Does Marvin Harrison Jr. Still Carry High-End Dynasty Upside?
Marquise Brown

Sliding Down Eagles' Depth Chart Following 2026 Draft
Darnell Mooney

Carries Deep-League Buy-Low Upside into 2026
Christian Kirk

Role in San Francisco in Question Following NFL Draft?
CFB

Texas Tech Quarterback Brendan Sorsby Enters Rehab
Youssef Zalal

Suffers Unanimous-Decision Loss
Brashard Smith

Facing an Uphill Battle for Playing Time in Kansas City
Aljamain Sterling

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Rashee Rice

Can Rashee Rice Put Together a Full Season of Production in 2026?
Norma Dumont

Drops Decision At UFC Vegas 116
Joselyne Edwards

Scores Upset Win
Alexander Hernandez

Gets Dominated
Alexander Hernandez

Rafa Garcia Dominates Alexander Hernandez
Adrian Luna Martinetti

Unsuccessful In His UFC Debut
Davey Grant

Gets Back In The Win Column
Manny Machado

Clubs Two Homers, Starting to Turn Things Around?
Kyren Williams

Becoming a Better Dynasty Value by the Day
Ben Sinnott

Is it Time to Move on From Ben Sinnott?
Sam Darnold

Still a Reliable Dynasty Hold
Brandon Hagel

Pops Up With Two Goals in Sunday's Win
Justin Fields

Could Dynasty Managers See One More Sell Window for Justin Fields?
Nathan MacKinnon

Records Three Points in Series-Clincher
Dallas Goedert

a Dynasty Bargain After Flurry of Eagles' Moves
Bowen Byram

Extends Goal Streak to Three Games
John Carlson

Delivers Two Assists in Game 4 Victory
Connor McDavid

Bags Pair of Power-Play Assists in 100th Playoff Game
Jason Zucker

Makes Early Exit in Blowout Win
De'Aaron Fox

Notches Game-High 28 Points Sunday
Joel Embiid

Returns With Double-Double
Jayson Tatum

Logs 30-Point Double-Double in Sunday's Win
LeBron James

Quiet in Game 4 Loss to Rockets
Julius Randle

Handed $35K Fine for His Part in Game 4 Altercation
Nikola Jokić

Nikola Jokic Fined $50K for Game 4 Incident
Collin Murray-Boyles

Continues to Shine for Raptors
Deni Avdija

Returns to Form Sunday
Victor Wembanyama

Stuffs Stat Sheet in His Return
Emil Andrae

Expected to Rejoin Flyers Lineup Monday
Matvei Michkov

Set to Be Scratched for Game 5
Radko Gudas

Remains Sidelined Sunday
Jason Dickinson

a Game-Time Decision Sunday
Maxwell Crozier

to Replace Declan Carlile Sunday
Alexander Nikishin

Diagnosed With Concussion
Viktor Arvidsson

Exits Early Sunday
Theo Johnson

a Dynasty Faller After Busy Giants Offseason
Kyle Monangai

Remains a Dynasty Hold
Logan O'Hoppe

Placed on 10-Day Injured List Due to Left-Wrist Fracture
Denny Hamlin

Is Denny Hamlin Worth Rostering for Talladega?
NASCAR

Is Bubba Wallace Playable in Talladega DFS Lineups?
Josh Naylor

Absent on Sunday With Quad Tightness
Ryan Helsley

Returns From Bereavement List on Sunday
Steven Kwan

Back in Sunday's Lineup
Brent Rooker

Activated and Starting on Sunday Against Rangers
Roman Anthony

Returns as DH on Sunday
Tyler Reddick

Stay Away From Tyler Reddick at Talladega
Ryan Blaney

Can Ryan Blaney Shake Off The Bad Luck at Talladega?
Austin Cindric

Could Contend For Another Talladega Win
Kyle Busch

an Easy DFS Pick at Talladega
Ricky Stenhouse Jr

. a High-Risk, High-Reward Pick at Talladega
Todd Gilliland

a Sleeper to Watch at Talladega
Brad Keselowski

Is Brad Keselowski Worth Rostering for Talladega Lineups?
Chase Briscoe

Could Chase Briscoe be A Sneaky Tournament Play for Talladega Lineups?
Christopher Bell

Should DFS Managers Trust Christopher Bell at Talladega?
Ty Gibbs

Is A DFS Risk for Talladega Lineups
Arturs Silovs

Steps in and Saves Pittsburgh on Saturday
Boston Red Sox

Red Sox Fire Manager Alex Cora and Other Coaches
Steven Kwan

Scratched With Neck Stiffness
Trey Yesavage

Returning From Injured List on Tuesday
Eugenio Suárez

Eugenio Suarez Heading to the Injured List With Oblique Strain
MLB

Saturday's Mets-Rockies Game Postponed Due to Weather
Giancarlo Stanton

Exits With Leg Tightness on Friday
Eugenio Suárez

Eugenio Suarez Scratched on Friday With Mid-Back Pain
Jackson Holliday

Receives Positive Test Results, Will be Shut Down for a Week
Jeff Hoffman

Out as Blue Jays Closer
Youssef Zalal

Set For UFC Vegas 116 Main Event
Aljamain Sterling

An Underdog At UFC Vegas 116
Joselyne Edwards

Set For UFC Vegas 116 Co-Main Event
Norma Dumont

Looks To Extend Her Win Streak
Alexander Hernandez

A Favorite At UFC Vegas 116
Rafa Garcia

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Adrian Luna Martinetti

Set For His UFC Debut
Davey Grant

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Francisco Lindor

Expected to Miss "Significant Time"
CFB

Beau Pribula Leading Virginia Quarterback Competition
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF