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<\/p>\nYou know the feeling, but now it\u2019s amplified. The safety net is gone. It\u2019s the fantasy playoffs, and that glorious, maddening weekly riddle has morphed into a do-or-die ultimatum: WHO DO I START?<\/p>\n
The stakes? No longer just a bad week – we’re talking season-ending, delete-the-app despair versus the intoxicating high of championship glory. You\u2019re looking for that edge, that reassurance amidst the chaos.<\/p>\n
Friends, I\u2019m here for you. To give you my two cents on who needs to be touching grass to keep your title hopes alive and who needs to be riding pine before they pack your bags for you.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Start: Joe Burrow (CIN @ MIA):<\/strong> I ain\u2019t scurred. He still loves football, and we\u2019ll see it this week. Vegas put this one in nuke territory, and Miami<\/a> has been a top-10 friendly matchup for QBs on the season. If this turns into a shootout, Burrow\u2019s volume and TD equity give you the kind of playoff-week ceiling that ends friendships.<\/p>\n Start: Brock Purdy (SF @ IND):<\/strong> The total is healthy, and Indy<\/a> is more \u201cmiddle-of-the-road\u201d than \u201cstay away\u201d for QB scoring. If the 49ers<\/a> offense is playing on schedule, Purdy can get there on efficiency and red-zone finishes alone.<\/p>\n Sit: Kirk Cousins (ATL @ ARI):<\/strong> Yes, the total is solid, but Arizona<\/a> isn\u2019t exactly a true QB ATM, and Cousins is the definition of fantasy \u201cboom-or-bust\u201d without legs. In the playoffs, you\u2019re not paying for a quarterback whose good day depends on everything going perfectly clean and scripted.<\/p>\n Sit: Aaron Rodgers (PIT @ DET):<\/strong> Yes, he\u2019s been serviceable, and yes, you may have just lost Patty Mahomes. So if you have to, I get it: Detroit<\/a> games can get loud (49.5 total), and the Lions have been generous to QBs. But that\u2019s exactly why this is a trap: the points come with chaos. If the plan breaks and it becomes a marathon, you\u2019re looking at a fantasy playoffs faceplant.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Start: De\u2019Von Achane (MIA v. CIN):<\/strong> With a big total, you want pieces of this game, and Cincinnati<\/a> has been the most generous defense to RB fantasy production. Achane\u2019s speed plus his receiving profile is how you turn this good matchup into dressing for the ship.<\/p>\n Start: David Montgomery (DET v. PIT):<\/strong> As I mentioned above, Vegas expects this game to be a big one, and Montgomery\u2019s whole job description is finish drives with tuddys. Pittsburgh<\/a> isn\u2019t a pushover vs RBs, but Monty doesn\u2019t need a perfect matchup when he\u2019s the kind of back who cashes red-zone trips like checks.<\/p>\n For more help in your fantasy football playoffs, check out our Week 16 Quarterback Rankings<\/a>!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Sit: Kareem Hunt (KC @ TEN):<\/strong> A tight total with a backup QB is a fantasy wet blanket, and that\u2019s how you end up begging for a touchdown that never comes. Tennessee<\/a> is basically neutral vs RBs, so if Hunt doesn\u2019t get the premium touches, you\u2019re staring at an ugly, low-ceiling grind.<\/p>\n Sit: Kyle Monangai (CHI v. GB):<\/strong> Green Bay<\/a> has been top-10 stingy against RB fantasy points, and the matchup doesn\u2019t do you any favors even with a decent line. In playoff week, save yourself the stress and look for safer volume.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Start: Nico Collins (HOU v. LV):<\/strong> The total is gross, but I\u2019m still smashing Collins this week. The Raiders<\/a> have been a top-tier WR1 matchup in fantasy. If Houston<\/a> controls the game, Collins can still get there on high-value targets and one or two big, strong chunk plays.<\/p>\n Start: Michael Wilson (ARI v. ATL):<\/strong> You have a long scoring runway here, and Atlanta<\/a> has been a friendly matchup for WR production this year. If Arizona is moving the ball, Wilson has been the kind of big-play\/red-zone profile that can pay off – volume targets, yards, and TDs (three in the last two weeks).<\/p>\n Sit: Emeka Egbuka (TB @ CAR):<\/strong> This game total is fine, but Carolina<\/a> has been closer to \u201cannoying\u201d than \u201cattack\u201d for WR fantasy scoring. His usage isn\u2019t locked in as a primary option with Godwin and Evans back, and you don\u2019t gamble on a \u201cmaybe\u201d option in playoff weeks.<\/p>\n Sit: Brian Thomas Jr. (JAC @ DEN):<\/strong> Denver<\/a> has been top-10 stingy vs WRs, and that\u2019s the kind of thing that turns talent into a mediocre fantasy day. In the playoffs, don\u2019t volunteer for the cornerback\/prison-yard experience unless you have to.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Start: Harold Fannin Jr. (CLE v. BUF):<\/strong> The total is modest, and Buffalo<\/a> is the toughest TE matchup in fantasy, but tight end is a wasteland, and sometimes you play the volume bet anyway. If Cleveland<\/a> has to live on short throws, the TE is the easiest \u201cmove the chains\u201d answer, and ugly points still count (see last week).<\/p>\n Start: Darren Waller (MIA v. CIN):<\/strong> Cincinnati has been the most generous defense to TEs, and this game\u2019s set to be an explosive one. When the matchup is this loud, you stop getting cute, and you just take the points.<\/p>\n Sit: Brenton Strange (JAC @ DEN):<\/strong> Denver is more meh than smash against TEs, and this is how you end up with five targets turning into 29 yards and elimination regret. In your playoffs, if you\u2019re playing a TE who needs a touchdown to matter, you\u2019re playing with playoff fire.<\/p>\n Sit: T.J. Hockenson (MIN @ NYG):<\/strong> The Giants<\/a> have been a top-10 stingy TE defense, and this game total doesn\u2019t scream ceiling. If Minnesota<\/a> can win without force-feeding the middle, Hockenson\u2019s path to a blowup week fades fast. I don\u2019t trust the chase. Not this week.<\/p>\nRUNNING BACKS<\/h3>\n
![\"David](\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2024\/07\/USATSI_22199951-1024x683.jpg\")
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\nWIDE RECEIVERS<\/h3>\n
![\"Michael](\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/12\/Michael-Wilson-Week-16-Start-and-Sit-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTIGHT ENDS<\/h3>\n
![\"Darren](\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/11\/Darren-Waller-Injury-Return-1024x683.jpg\")