Fantasy Football Week 16: Key Inactives and Their Impact on Your Lineup

Fantasy Football Week 16: Who to Start and Who to Sit

Hey there, fantasy football enthusiasts! It’s that time of the week again when we dive into the nitty-gritty of who you should start and who you should sit in your fantasy football lineups. As always, we’re here to help you avoid the dreaded mistake of starting a player who won’t even see the field. So, grab your coffee, settle in, and let’s get into the latest updates and analysis as NFL teams release their official inactives lists.

Remember, any rankings mentioned in this column are straight from our ESPN Fantasy staff ranks. So, you know you’re getting the best advice out there.

Official Sunday inactives should start rolling in about 90 minutes before the scheduled kickoff times: around 11:30 a.m. ET for the early games and 2:30 p.m. ET for the late-afternoon games.

Keep refreshing this page for the latest information.

1 p.m. ET Games

• Matt Prater, K, ARI: Knee — OUT/IR
  Impact: Prater is not yet ready to return. Chad Ryland takes center stage again.
• Trey Benson, RB, ARI: Ankle — OUT
  Impact: James Conner is the only fully healthy RB option on the Cardinals.
• DeeJay Dallas, RB, ARI: Illness — Questionable
  Impact: He might see some carries if he can play. Either way, Michael Carter was elevated from the practice squad and might get some snaps.
• Drake London, WR, ATL: Knee — Questionable
  Impact: He’s fully expected to play, but the late add to the injury report is concerning.
• Younghoe Koo, K, ATL: Hip — OUT/IR
  Impact: Riley Patterson will step into Koo’s kicking shoes.
• Xavier Legette, WR, CAR: Hip — OUT
  Impact: Adam Thielen will be the clear-cut WR1 for the Panthers.
• Jalen Coker, WR, CAR: Quad — Questionable
  Impact: David Moore (concussion) is also questionable. There’s not a ton of WR depth on this team, so both will likely try to play through their injuries.
• Travis Homer, RB, CHI: Hamstring — Doubtful
  Impact: Roschon Johnson (concussion) was removed from the injury report and will back up D’Andre Swift.
• Charlie Jones, WR, CIN: Groin — Questionable
  Impact: Tee Higgins (knee) is said to be “good to go.”
• Jameis Winston, QB, CLE: Shoulder — Questionable
  Impact: Dorian Thompson-Robinson will start for the Browns, but Winston might still be able to back him up.
• David Njoku, TE, CLE: Hamstring — Questionable
  Impact: He only practiced once this week, but may still take the field.
• Cedric Tillman, WR, CLE: Concussion — OUT
  Impact: Jerry Jeudy and Elijah Moore will lead the Browns’ WR corps.
• David Montgomery, RB, DET: Knee — OUT
  Impact: Jahmyr Gibbs will see the majority of RB touches as Montgomery endeavors to return sometime in the NFL playoffs.
• Matt Gay, K, IND: Neck — Questionable
  Impact: Expect him to play as the team made no “just in case” roster moves.
• Alec Pierce, WR, IND: Concussion — OUT
  Impact: Adonai Mitchell gets a huge uptick in fantasy value. Ashton Dulin (ankle) remains questionable to play.
• Tyrone Tracy Jr., RB, NYG: Ankle — Questionable
  Impact: Devin Singletary will almost assuredly eat into Tracy’s fantasy value, even though Tracy is expected to play.
• Braelon Allen, RB, NYJ: Back — Questionable
  Impact: Breece Hall is expected to start. Allen may see some touches, but Isaiah Davis (back) will also be in the backup mix.
• Nick Folk, K, TEN: Abdomen — Questionable
  Impact: This will be a last-minute decision. Brayden Narveson would kick if Folk can’t play.
• Will Levis, QB, TEN: Shoulder — Questionable
  Impact: Injury issues or not for Levis, Mason Rudolph has been named the starter for this week.
• Tony Pollard, RB, TEN: Ankle — Questionable
  Impact: Tyjae Spears would become a must-start if Pollard can’t suit up, but he is currently expected to play.
• Zach Ertz, TE, WAS: Concussion — Questionable
  Impact: John Bates might get the call if Ertz is unable to clear protocol, but the news on that front is promising.

4 p.m. ET Games

• Curtis Samuel, WR, BUF: Ribs — Questionable
  Impact: Limited all week and, quite frankly, limited in terms of fantasy impact all season.
• Tyreek Hill, WR, MIA: Wrist — Questionable
  Impact: There’s some concern here that Malik Washington might have to be called upon to be the No. 1 Miami WR, so Hill is looking likely to be active.
• Jaylen Waddle, WR, MIA: Knee — Doubtful
  Impact: Tua Tagovailoa (hip) will play, but who can we trust to be around for him to throw to?
• Isaac Guerendo, RB, SF: Foot — OUT
  Impact: Patrick Taylor Jr. and, to a lesser extent, Israel Abanikanda will be involved in the ground game.

Sunday Night Game

• Cade Otton, TE, TB: Knee — OUT
  Impact: Either Payne Durham or Ko Kieft will be called upon to fill in.
• Kameron Johnson, WR, TB: Ankle — OUT/IR
  Impact: Sterling Shepard (foot) was removed from the injury report and should see action in 3-WR sets.