Fantasy Football Week 16: Start Em’ Sit Em’ for Falcons-Panthers
Which Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers players can help you win your fantasy football championship?
The Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers meet for the second time in three weeks, but forget about that for a moment. There are more important games going on this weekend, as it’s the fantasy football championship game for most of you. If you’ve got this far, congratulations!
But all of your hard work counts for nothing if you don’t win the big one this week. The Falcons and Panthers have a number of players you should consider. Here’s who you should start with confidence, be cautious about and keep well away from your lineup.
Start with confidence
It doesn’t matter who else you have on your roster. You can combine Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Carson Palmer into one and you should still play Newton. Newton is on fire right now and benefits from a favorable matchup here. Newton can be the man to carry your team to the title.
You have come this far with Jones, do you really want to drop him? He scored 9.80 two weeks ago against Carolina. Jones is a WR1, but lower your expectations slightly this week.
If Stewart returns from his foot injury, he is a low RB1 to high RB2. The question is if the Panthers will want to let him fully heal for the playoffs. See below for what to do in that case.
More falcons: Falcons fantasy outlook entering Week 16
Olsen had an injury scare of his own in the win over Atlanta two weeks ago, but he played in Week 15 and scored 13.90 fantasy points. Olsen is still Newton’s top target.
Gano is the No. 2 kicker in fantasy this season, and has been a reliable player all year. He’s scored 8.50 points each of the past two weeks.
Panthers D/ST
Despite scoring zero against the Giants last week, have confidence the Panthers D/ST will bounce back against the Falcons. They put up 23.00 points against the Falcons a couple of weeks ago. The Falcons offense is still turning it over too easily.
Be cautious
It’s hard to drop Freeman, but expectations need to be limited. His production has dropped considerably, and it feels a million years since he was putting up close to 30 fantasy points each week. Due to the amount of touches he will receive, it’s hard to drop him. Freeman is a low end RB2 this week, and a good flex play.
If Stewart misses another week (see above) with a foot injury, Artis-Payne is the player to plug in. He was the clear starter in Stewart’s absence last week and put up 9.30 fantasy points. If Stewart is out, trust Artis-Payne in your flex spot.
We all know what Ginn did to the Falcons a couple weeks back. He’s been a top target for Newton in recent weeks, but he remains a boom-or-bust play. His ceiling is sky high if you’re willing to roll the dice.
Sit
Dec 13, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) is hit by Carolina Panthers defensive end Charles Johnson (95) as defensive end Jared Allen (69) and defensive end Kony Ealy (94) help defend in the third quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Ryan has been a major fantasy disappointment this season. Even if you’re desperate, stay clear of Ryan this week.
Other Panthers RBs
If Stewart is out, opt for Artis-Payne. It’s tough to trust Fozzy Whittaker or Mike Tolbert at this stage. Neither did much against the Giants.
Falcons WRs outside Julio
Avoid Roddy White, Justin Hardy or any other Falcons wideout not named Julio Jones.
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Funchess has only hit double digit fantasy points twice this season and is too inconsistent to trust. If he breaks out a huge game, so be it. But do you trust him?
Coleman should be nothing more than a handcuff to Devonta Freeman. As long as Freeman is healthy, Coleman’s value is low.
Tamme has been good at times, but gone missing too often in games to be trusted in fantasy. This is a tough matchup.
Graham has connected all eight of his field goals since joining the Falcons after Matt Bryant got hurt. The only problem is, when the two teams played a couple of weeks ago, Graham didn’t get one kick opportunity and posted a blank. It’s the offenses fault, not his, but there are better streaming options.
Falcons D/ST
Stay clear. You are better off playing no defense than the Falcons D/ST this week. They could easily post negative points against the Panthers.