Start 'Em & Sit 'Em is the ultimate weekly look at NFL matchups and how they'll affect your fantasy football team. Fantasy superstars such as Patrick Mahomes and Christian McCaffrey will not be featured in this column. All player matchups are based on a PPR scoring system. For your final starting lineup decisions, check my weekly fantasy football lineup rankings.
Start 'Em
Start of the Week
Parker has been a stud for fantasy fans, scoring 15-plus points in each of his last four full games. He's also found the end zone four times in his last three games. So despite a matchup against a Bengals defense that can be tough on perimeter receivers, Parker remains a virtual must start in fantasy football's version of Super Bowl week.
Boyd is in a good spot to help fantasy fans this week, as a matchup in South Beach could be an early Christmas gift. The Dolphins have been among the worst teams in the league against the slot when it comes to touchdowns, allowing a league-high 13 on the season. With A.J. Green and Auden Tate out, Boyd should plenty of opportunities.
McLaurin is back in the good graces of fantasy owners after he put up a 24-point performance against the Eagles. Next up is another nice matchup, this time against the Giants, who have surrendered 11 scores and nearly 25 fantasy points per game to perimeter receivers. I like McLaurin as a flex option in your fantasy championship battles.
Perriman isn't what I would call a must start, but he's a damn good one with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin both out for the season. That makes Perriman, who has scored 50.6 points in his last two games, the top option for Jameis Winston in an offense that's tied for second in pass attempts per game (39.9). Perriman is a viable No. 2 wideout.
Williams has been on quite a hot streak, scoring 14-plus fantasy points in three straight weeks. I'd continue to flex him this week, as he'll face a Raiders defense that's allowed 13 touchdowns catches and the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing perimeter receivers. Their defense has also allowed the second-highest yards-per-catch rate in 2019.
Start 'Em:Robert Woods at San Francisco 49ers (Sat.), Courtland Sutton vs. Detroit Lions
Sleepers:Will Fuller at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Sat.), D.K. Metcalf vs. Arizona Cardinals
Sit 'Em
Sit of the Week
If you made it to the final week with Beckham Jr. on your roster, well, kudos to you. But my bet is that you made it with OBJ riding the pine. That's where we're at with the former stud wideout, who has put up fewer than six fantasy points in two of his last three games. This week's opponent, the Ravens, held him to just four points in Week 4.
Brown gave you a very respectable stat line based on last week's tough matchup in Pittsburgh, but can you trust him in New England and a matchup against CB Stephon Gilmore? Perimeter receivers have scored two touchdowns and averaged the fewest fantasy points against New England, so starting Brown is a very risky proposition.
Anderson has been hot in recent weeks, scoring nearly 74 fantasy points in his last four games. Still, a difficult matchup against the Steelers makes him a tough sell during championship week. Pittsburgh has been very tough on perimeter receivers, allowing an average of just 86.6 yards and sixth-fewest fantasy points this season.
Did you start Sanders last week? If you did, you're probably pretty soured on him after a two-catch stinker. Outside of his 34-pointer in Week 14, Sanders has failed to score more than 8.1 points in every other game since Week 10. So, regardless of if he gets the "Jalen Ramsey treatment" or not, Sanders is a hard fade for me in Week 16.
Cooks had eight targets in last week's loss to the Cowboys, and his 46 yards were the most he's had since Week 7. Still, his fantasy line left much to be desired ... so does his quarterback, Jared Goff, who has struggled in the vertical pass attack and is now dealing with an injured thumb on his throwing hand. Cooks needs to be sidelined.
Sit 'Em:Sammy Watkins at Chicago Bears, Tyrell Williams at Los Angeles Chargers
Busts:Julian Edelman vs. Buffalo Bills (Sat.), T.Y. Hilton vs. Carolina Panthers
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on NFL.com and NFL Network and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. You can follow Michael on **Twitter**, **Facebook**, **YouTube** and **Instagram** for all of the latest fantasy football news, notes and in-depth analysis!
