“Shore Thing Sleepers” isn’t your ordinary fantasy football Week 16 start/sit article. Instead, our analyst duo of Seth Woolcock and Eric Romoff highlight lower-valued players that can provide starting-caliber production for a specific week. These are usually players near the end of your bench or even on the waiver wire/free agency. You can catch an additional sleeper pick live at the end of our weekly in-season Friday podcast episode.
Rostership percentages are based on ESPN Points Per Reception (PPR) redraft fantasy football leagues.
Week 16 Start/Sit Consideration: Shore Thing Sleepers
Joe Flacco (QB, Cleveland Browns) | 12.8% Rostered
Joe Flacco has been surprisingly efficient since taking over for the Cleveland Browns, finishing as the QB13, QB10 and QB9 in recent weeks. His QB9 performance came against a tough Chicago defense in Cleveland. Now, he heads to a controlled environment in Houston with likely no C.J. Stroud on the opposite side, which would extend more drives.
The Texans’ defense is significantly banged up, with several key players questionable, including DE Will Anderson Jr., DT Maliek Collins, MLB Denzel Perryman, OLB Blake Cashman and S Jimmie Ward. This is likely what’s led to them becoming a top-nine matchup over the past four weeks, allowing an average of 262.5 passing yards per game. Notably, Zach Wilson had a successful outing against them in Week 14 (QB13), as did Trevor Lawrence in Week 12 (QB6).
Flacco has demonstrated a strong connection with Amari Cooper and David Njoku, making him a high-end QB2 with low-end QB1 upside in Week 16. Fantasy managers in need of a quarterback streamer should consider Flacco for a favorable matchup against the Texans. – Woolcock
Jonathan Mingo (WR, Carolina Panthers) | 13.7% Rostered
Jonathan Mingo of the Carolina Panthers had a challenging performance last week in a rainy slog-fest against the Falcons, finishing with 7.2 PPR points. However, he still maintained a mid-20% target share in that game and saw 19 targets across the prior two weeks.
As the Panthers aim to evaluate their talent, especially with Mingo being a second-round pick (39th overall), they might expand his route tree. Mingo is expected to see coverage against the Packers this week from the likes of Carrington Valentine or Corey Ballentine if Jaire Alexander can’t go. Alexander has played just five games this season, with his last appearance in Week 9.
With the potential for increased opportunities and favorable matchups, Mingo could be a sneaky start for fantasy managers in Week 16. Considering his target share and the Panthers’ desire to assess their young talent, Mingo presents an intriguing option as a Week 16 start/sit consideration. – Romoff
Thanks for reading our “Shore Thing Sleepers” to consider in your Week 16 start/sit decisions. Check out more of our fantasy football and other written content here at In-Between Media, or head over to our YouTube channel to get your fix via video.
*Photo Credit: Bob Donnan – USA TODAY Sports*