Wide Receiver Start/Sit Advice | Week 16 of The SLANT PATTERN

Win Your Week 16

• Week 16 Sunday Preview for Start/Sit | THE FULL SLATE
• Positional Matchups | Week 16 CheatChart | Find the Best Fantasy Performers
• Quarterback Start/Sit Advice | Week 16 of THE AUDIBLE
• Running Back Start/Sit Advice | Week 16 of THE CUTBACK
• Wide Receiver Start/Sit Advice | Week 16 of The SLANT PATTERN
• Tight End Start/Sit Advice | Week 16 of THE 12 FORMATION
• IDP Fantasy Start/Sit Advice | Week 16 of THE BLINDSIDE

Nerds! The Dynasty Nerds writers are here to provide you with weekly start/sit advice all season long. We will be making our recommendations based on weekly consensus PPR rankings. Here is your Week 16 Wide Receiver Start/Sit advice from senior writer Tristan Cook.

One thing to keep in mind when making your Week 16 wide receiver start/sit decisions for the playoffs; sometimes you need to take a realistic look at your team and situation. If you are alive in the playoffs but hanging on by a thread, it might be time to swing for the fences. This time of year, one loss ends your season. A wide receiver that will get you 10 points may not be enough. Someone like Tank Dell, Christian Watson, or Xavier Worth might end up falling flat, but they could also end up being the reason you win. Here’s to hoping you win your fantasy championship this year! Now, let’s get to it…

NOTE: Rankings are sourced from FantasyPros expert consensus expert rankings (ECR) and our terminology is for a 12-team PPR league. So, saying WR2 means top 24, or WR1 means top 12, etc.

Win Your Week 16 | QB | RB | WR | TE | IDP | CHEATCHART | FULL SLATE

START | WEEK 16 WIDE RECEIVER Start/Sit

Khalil Shakir | Buffalo Bills | WR 15

Week 15 Stats | WR 24 | FPts 15.9 | Tgts 7 | Rec 6 | Yds 38 | TDs 1 | Confidence 90%

To kick off Week 16, I have a player that has been on the “start” portion of this list a handful of times in recent weeks. Each week, we look for players who have a significant opportunity for fantasy production. The biggest indicator of future fantasy success for wide receivers is targets. Khalil Shakir has been a target hog for Buffalo. In his last 9 games, Shakir has 67 targets and 51 receptions, which are the 14th and 8th-most in the NFL in each respective category.

This week, the Buffalo Bills face the division rival New England Patriots. New England has an average pass defense in terms of yards per game. Buffalo has the 7th most passing yards per game. So, while the matchup is neutral, I expect Buffalo to attack through the air. Khalil Shakir should once again be peppered with targets. Make sure he’s in your lineup. 

START | WEEK 16 Wide Receiver Start/Sit

Josh Downs | Indianapolis Colts | WR 27

Week 15 Stats | WR 57 | FPts 6.2 | Tgts 8 | Rec 3 | Yds 32 | Confidence 85%

Similar to Shakir, Josh Downs has been targeted early and often in the passing game. Despite missing a few games due to injury, Downs is the 15th-most targeted receiver and has the 18th-most receptions over the last 11 weeks. 

The Indianapolis Colts don’t have a particularly potent passing attack. However, Josh Downs has been able to provide a solid fantasy floor with the potential for a big performance in any week. The matchup with Tennessee seems like a difficult one, but they were just torched for 271 yards and 3 passing TDs. I’m playing Downs this week.

LOTTERY TICKET | WEEK 16 Wide Receiver Start/Sit

Tank Dell | Houston Texans | WR 36

Week 15 Stats | WR 58 | FPts 6.1 | Tgts 2 | Rec 2 | Yds 26 | Confidence 65%

If you’re in a position where you need to swing for the fences, I believe that Tank Dell can be just what you need. He faces off against the Kansas City Chiefs this week, who have a middling pass defense. While Tank Dell has not been a big contributor of late, we know he has the potential to score on any play and win you your week. 

If Houston is going to upset the Chiefs in Week 16, I expect they will need to rely on the arm of C.J. Stroud to put up points. Kansas City will likely focus on shutting down Nico Collins, so you could do a lot worse than Tank Dell. I wouldn’t rush to get him in your lineup, but his high-end potential is intriguing.

SIT | WEEK 16 Wide Receiver Start/Sit

Calvin Ridley | Tennessee Titans | WR 48

Week 15 Stats | WR 43 | FPts 9.0 | Tgts 5 | Rec 3 | Yds 41 | Confidence 10%

My “sits” this week have one thing in common: new quarterbacks under center. For Tennessee, the Titans are turning to veteran Mason Rudolph to command the offense. The problem for fantasy managers is that we know what a Mason Rudolph-led offense looks like. In a playoff week, I would much rather trust someone like the aforementioned Tank Dell than Calvin Ridley. Furthermore, the matchup with Indianapolis leans toward a rushing attack. The Colts are the 3rd-worst rush defense. Keep Ridley out of your lineup.

SIT | WEEK 16 Wide Receiver Start/Sit

Jerry Jeudy | Cleveland Browns | WR 49

Week 15 Stats | WR 11 | FPts 21.8 | Tgts 14 | Rec 11 | Yds 108 | Confidence 5%

If you see Browns fans wearing black clothing in Week 16, it’s not because they’re enduring another losing season, it’s because they (and all of the country) are mourning the end of the Jameis Winston Era in Cleveland. With Dorian Thompson-Robinson set to make his first start of 2025, that also marks the end of the “start Jerry Jeudy each week” era. 

The matchup with Cincinnati would have been something to target (pun intended). However, there’s no way that you’ll catch (also intended) me with Jerry Jeudy in a lineup. I expect the entire Cleveland offense to struggle in this one.

FADE | WEEK 16 Wide Receiver Start/Sit

Tyreek Hill | Miami Dolphins | WR 17

Week 15 Stats | WR 65 | FPts 5.6 | Tgts 7 | Rec 2 | Yds 36 | Confidence 15%

It might be hard to find the courage to “sit” Tyreek Hill, but that may end up being the right move in Week 16. I have him ranked at WR17, so I understand if you want to keep him in your lineup. However, per Data Nerd Brad Custer’s CheatChart, the Miami receivers have the 2nd-worst positional matchup at -32% this week. You may want to take a long look at your bench options.

The Miami offense hasn’t looked like what we’ve grown accustomed to, and this week they play San Francisco. The 49ers have allowed the 2nd-fewest passing yards per game at 181.0. Furthermore, Tyreek Hill found his name on the injury report, so it doesn’t seem that he’ll be playing at full speed. I’d look for other options this week.

That’s it for Week 16 wide receiver start/sit advice, feel free to reach out to me on Twitter (x) (@THEtristancook) if you have any specific questions about who I would start.

If your season hasn’t turned out as planned, take a look at my updated 2025 Rookie Wide Receiver Rankings for the players that will help you turn your team around for next year:

Win Your Week 16 | QB | RB | WR | TE | IDP | CHEATCHART | FULL SLATE

Week 16 Wide Receiver PPR Rankings

NOTE: These rankings are made prior to final injury designations. Players may be ranked higher or lower based on the perceived likelihood of them playing and/or their effectiveness if they do play. Finally, all rankings are based on PPR scoring.

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