Fantasy Football Start/Sit: Matthew Golden, Breece Hall, Zay Flowers

Week 16 fantasy football is here, which means the margin for error is thinner than your FAAB budget in October. Most leagues are deep into the second round of the fantasy playoffs, where one bold start or one ill-timed dud can be the difference between a championship run and aggressively pretending you “didn’t really care this year anyway.” There’s no room left for vibes-only lineup decisions. Now it’s about squeezing every last edge out of matchups, roles, and trends.

That’s where this list comes in. Below, you’ll find Week 16 sleepers and duds pulled directly from our Featured Pros, highlighting players they’re confident can swing matchups in either direction. Whether you’re chasing upside or just trying to avoid a catastrophic zero, these expert-backed start/sit insights are designed to help you survive another week — and keep the dream alive.

Fantasy Football Week 16 Start/Sit Advice

Sleepers

Which player outside of the top 100 in the FantasyPros Flex rankings is a good sleeper start, and why do you think he has upside this week?

Matthew Golden (WR – GB)

“Forget the rankings, Matthew Golden is your lottery ticket to a playoff final if Christian Watson is sidelined. Golden is set for an uptick in workload, jumping from his usual 52% snap share to a projected 70%+ dominant role. He’s a legit deep threat, ranking 21st in the league in average target distance, meaning he only needs one “Jordan Love special” to flip your matchup. In a must-win week, don’t play it safe, bet on the wide-open targets in a high-powered Packers offense to carry you to the final. Plus, the matchup is an early Christmas gift. Chicago is currently a top-five for fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers.”
– Luke Renton (The Franchise Tag UK)

Duds

Which player inside the top 40 in the FantasyPros Flex rankings is likely to disappoint fantasy managers this week?

Breece Hall (RB – NYJ)

“Breece Hall is tough to trust against the Saints this week. It’s a bad script to begin with, and the Jets are playing worse down the stretch. It doesn’t get better with Brady Cook, presumably the starting quarterback again, keeping your fantasy Jets off the field for sustained drives. You can’t score fantasy points from the sidelines. With the Saints playing better football lately, sit Breece Hall and all Jets, for that matter.”
– Richard Savill (Fantasy Six Pack)

“The lack of buoyancy in the Jets’ offense has finally taken down Breece Hall; he’s merely the fantasy RB31 over the last five weeks, and he was losing work to Isaiah Davis in the loss to Jacksonville. Hall is a backed-into-a-corner play this week, not a proactive pick.”
– Scott Pianowski (Yahoo! Sports)

Zay Flowers (WR – BAL)

“Zay Flowers draws a very tough matchup this week versus the New England Patriots. New England is currently 18th against wide receivers in 2025. While Flowers has been impressive over the past two weeks, he is still incredibly difficult to trust. In games where Zay Flowers has failed to score, all but two, he has only recorded double-digit half-PPR points five times. Flowers has to score to return any sort of value, and in a week with heavy playoff implications, that is simply too risky a start.”
– Ed Birdsall (Talking Points Sports)