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Should I start Michael Carter, Audric Estime, or Evan Hull for Week 16? Fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em picks and recommendations for the 2025 NFL season.
Here we are, the fantasy football semi-finals. Win, and you'll be one game away from winning a fantasy title. Lose, and your fantasy season is over. You need to nail those start/sit decisions to win this crucial game.
Luckily for you, RotoBaller is here to help. Today, we will cover Evan Hull, Audric Estime, and Michael Carter. Hull played the most offensive snaps of his career in Week 15, while his teammate Estime had 50 yards from scrimmage. Michael Carter also had his best game of the season and will likely be the Cardinals' RB1 down the stretch.
Without further ado, let's look at the fantasy outlook for each player and determine whether they're worth starting in Week 16 of the 2025 season.
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Should I Start Michael Carter in Week 16?
The Cardinals entered the year hoping to have a solid rushing attack with the perennially underrated James Conner and the sophomore Trey Benson, but injuries to both players have led to them having one of the worst rushing offenses in the league.
Jacoby Brissett avoids a sack and then Michael Carter avoids a defender for a first down 😳
JAXvsAZ on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/1kfDfi1nj4
— NFL (@NFL) November 23, 2025
Led by Bam Knight, Michael Carter, and Emari Demercado, the Cardinals have averaged just 61.8 rushing yards per game over their last five games. Knight suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 15, and the team opted against activating Benson from the Injured Reserve list.
This leaves Carter and Demercado as the Cardinals' main rushing options, and Carter has more fantasy value due to his receiving ability, which is a huge plus in this pass-heavy Cardinals offense.
The Cardinals will play the Falcons in Week 16, who have allowed 100+ rushing yards in 10 of their 14 games this season. Jonathan Gannon said he is "very comfortable" with Carter as his RB1 to finish the season. He'll be a solid RB2 this week.
Should I Start Audric Estime in Week 16?
Sticking with the Saints, Audric Estime had a few more offensive snaps (25) compared to Hull's 22 offensive snaps against the Panthers, and despite receiving one fewer carry, he caught all three of his targets to finish the game with 50 scrimmage yards.
Audric Estime in crunch time today 🚂🚂🚂🚂🚂 pic.twitter.com/qyMalORCVz
— Terrence Fedé (@T_Fede) December 15, 2025
The Panthers had a great punt in the final minute of the game that pinned the Saints at their own nine-yard line, but it was Estime who came up clutch with two consecutive catches that helped New Orleans get to their 37.
"I thought they took advantage of their opportunities," Kellen Moore said. "Big-time plays in the run game and the pass game with a couple of screens in there."
Despite being drafted in 2023, you could make the case that Hull is less experienced than the sophomore Estime. Estime put up 106 rushing yards and scored two touchdowns in his last three games of the 2024 season, and many felt the Broncos unfairly cut him in the offseason.
If Alvin Kamara sits, Estime will likely serve as the team's RB1 and have some major involvement in their passing game. He looks to be an RB3/FLEX play this week.
Should I Start Evan Hull in Week 16?
Kansas Jayhawks legend Devin Neal got the opportunity of a lifetime in Week 13, as he took over as the Saints' RB1 due to Alvin Kamara's injury.
Neal put up 153 yards from scrimmage and ran for a score in his first two starts, and it seemed like the Saints had found their running back of the future.
Unfortunately, Neal suffered a hamstring injury in Week 15, which ended his season. With Kamara still sidelined, the Saints turned to Evan Hull and Audric Estime.
Hull had four carries for 12 yards and played in 22 offensive snaps, the most of his entire career. The Saints leaned on the passing game heavily near the end of the game, and Hull was not targeted on those passing plays.
Hull did manage to rack up 546 receiving yards in his last season at Northwestern, so maybe he can be more involved in the receiving game moving forward.
"Those guys did an awesome job of getting vertical and getting a bunch of yards out of those," said HC Kellen Moore when asked about Estime and Hull. "Those were critical."
Hull will face the horrid New York Jets defense next week. They have allowed 171.3 rushing yards per game over their last three games, which elevates the virtually unknown Hull to a risky FLEX play this week.
Who Should I Start Tool
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Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 16 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Michael Carter, Audric Estime, and Evan Hull. But not to worry, we are here to help 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.
Week 16 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Evan Hull, Audric Estime, Michael Carter. 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's name. In the second box, search for the second player's 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, enhanced search results with data to compare, and 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 circles), 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 Week 16 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Michael Carter, Audric Estime, Evan Hull compared to others:
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