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Here's a holiday present for every fantasy football player who is competing for a championship: You have one less stressful day to ruminate over Week 16 lineup decisions.
Instead of spending Saturday studying every trend and injury report, gamers must make their choices early to accommodate the adjusted schedule. Having more time to fixate over a dilemma sometimes leads to diminished results, and nobody enjoys waiting in purgatory for the year's biggest fantasy slate.
Forget about the usual Saturday morning errands; the time now belongs to crafting an optimal Week 16 lineup. Before you lock in those starters, let's dissect some fringe choices with unfavorable matchups on the horizon. Some of those players are worth starting anyway, while others who are going up against a strong adversary should take a seat this weekend.
Start: Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. BAL)
Winners of five straight, the Pittsburgh Steelers are rolling. One more victory over their archnemesis Baltimore Ravens Sunday will award them the AFC North crown. Yet despite the team's recent success, Ben Roethlisberger's fantasy luster has dwindled.
During Pittsburgh's winning streak, Big Ben has averaged 236.6 yards per game with six touchdowns and four interceptions. He is ESPN.com's No. 10-ranked fantasy passer and may fall below Andy Dalton and Tyrod Taylor in leagues with a harsher penalty for interceptions.
In Week 9's matchup against Baltimore, the 34-year-old went 23-of-45 for 264 yards, accounting for one passing and rushing touchdown apiece along with a pick. While Baltimore is stronger against the run, it ranks No. 10 in passing defense.
Start Roethlisberger with confidence anyway. The rematch shifts venues to Heinz Field, where he boasts a 70.5 completion percentage, 17 touchdowns and three interceptions in five 2016 contests. During Pittsburgh's last home game, he amassed 289 passing yards, two touchdowns and an interception against the New York Giants, who have allowed the second-fewest ESPN.com fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks.
This game would be worth avoiding if it were at Baltimore, but home cooking makes Big Gen a top-10 quarterback despite Pittsburgh's recent reliance on star running back Le'Veon Bell, who had a season-low 32 rushing yards against the Ravens in Week 9.
Sit: Carson Palmer, Arizona Cardinals (at SEA)
Carson Palmer is another veteran quarterback who performs much better at home. Unfortunately for him, his Arizona Cardinals will travel to play the Seattle Seahawks Saturday.
A fantasy star last season, the 36-year-old now needs a favorable home matchup for owners to feel confident in him. He gets the opposite in an away bout at Seattle, which ranks No. 7 against the pass. The most location-dependent team in football, the Seahawks are 7-0 with 14.6 points allowed per game at CenturyLink Field.
Palmer, meanwhile, has a 58.5 completion percentage and 6.05 yards per pass attempt away from University of Phoenix Stadium. He has thrown 10 of his 13 interceptions on the road, surrendering at least one pick in all five away games.
Despite those splits and a pending trip to one of the NFL's loudest stadiums, Palmer expressed excitement for Arizona's upcoming voyage, per Sports Radio KJR's Curtis Crabtree:
He must remember last year when he recorded 363 passing yards and three touchdowns during a 39-32 victory. That, however, was back when he and the Cardinals were playing well. Don't touch him this time around.
Start: Bilal Powell, New York Jets (at NE)
If given the right matchup, Bilal Powell would enter Week 16 as a top-10 running back. Instead, investors must decide if he can sustain his hot streak in adverse conditions.
It will be tough to sit him after he has exploded for 341 combined total yards over the last two weeks. After demolishing the hapless San Francisco 49ers on the ground in Week 14, he collected 11 receptions in Week 15's 34-13 blowout loss to the Miami Dolphins.
His ability to flourish while the New York Jets trail should encourage anyone who is on the fence about starting him. Expect Gang Green to get crushed at Foxborough against the New England Patriots, who are looking to maintain control of the AFC's top seed.
Powell won't run much. New England has limited opponents to the fourth-fewest rushing yards per game (87.9) and just six scores on the ground. Per ESPN.com, the Pats have also relinquished the second-most receptions (94) to running backs.
Although playing the Pats is usually a poor situation for running backs, Yahoo Sports' Brad Evans sees Powell benefiting from a lopsided loss:
Don't think twice about starting him in points-per-reception leagues. Forced to throw often, young quarterback Bryce Petty will dump the ball off to his blossoming back enough to make up for a tame rushing line. He's less of a lock in standard formats, but Powell should pick up plenty of yards to justify everyone's trust.
Sit: Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon, Minnesota Vikings (at GB)
Adrian Peterson returned sooner than expected, but fantasy gamers who chased the star name watched him record 23 yards and a fumble on seven touches last week. A playoff long shot following Week 15's loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Minnesota ruled him out for Saturday's must-win game against the Green Bay Packers, per its Twitter page:
That spares Peterson owners from making the difficult but necessary choice to bench him. Sitting Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon, on the other hand, is a far easier decision.
Asiata is a touchdown-or-bust option who is averaging a measly 3.3 yards per rush. He has yet to accrue more than 55 rushing yards in a game this year, and that's unlikely to change on the road against the No. 10-ranked rushing defense.
Besides, there's no guarantee Minnesota's second-worst offense ever reaches the red zone at Lambeau Field.
Playing from way behind, McKinnon set season highs with nine catches and 59 receiving yards against the Colts. Having secured 20 of his 35 catches over the last three games, he could help as a flex play in deeper PPR leagues.
Mustering 3.0 yards per rush and two total touchdowns this year, though, he's not a recommended option anywhere else.
Start: Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals (at SEA)
Wait, what about that whole section advising to sit Palmer because of Seattle's tough defense? Shouldn't those concerns extend to Larry Fitzgerald? Somewhat but not to as high a degree.
Despite Palmer's subpar season, his top wide receiver has corralled an NFL-high 98 catches. However, he has not scored a touchdown since Week 5. Nevertheless, he's ESPN.com's No. 19 fantasy wideout under standard scoring.
So the veteran can deliver even if his quarterback can't. Dating back to last year, Fitzgerald has kept busy against the Seahawks:
Here lies the fault in simplifying decisions to start or sit. In touchdown-driven scoring leagues that are frugal on yardage bonuses, he's not an appealing starter. Let's hope owners in those systems bothered to read the actual text beyond the bold headers.
Yet in a PPR format that also grants a point for every 10 yards gained, Fitzgerald remains a valuable No. 2 wideout who likely wields a considerably higher floor than anyone's Plan B. Don't expect him to finally find the end zone, so decide accordingly.
Sit: Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs (at DEN)
Tyreek Hill made his one Week 15 touch count, taking an early handoff to the house for a 68-yard touchdown run. As he proved yet again with his 10th score of the season, the rookie playmaker can change a game every time the Kansas City Chiefs give him the football.
But they gave him the football only once last week. Banking on one huge play leaves a minuscule margin for error, especially against the Denver Broncos' NFL-best passing defense.
Hill had one of his busiest games of the year when these teams first met four weeks ago. He caught nine of 10 targets for 52 yards and a receiving touchdown, and he also scored on a three-yard touchdown run. A healthy Jeremy Maclin, however, regained his role as Kansas City's most targeted wideout in his second game back from a groin injury.
While Hill is talented enough to engineer big plays against any defense, he's not worth the high risk with a fantasy championship on the line.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
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