Fantasy Football Start/Sit: Mike Gesicki, Josh Jacobs, Jaylen Waddle

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?

Mike Gesicki (TE – CIN)

“Mike Gesicki is in a good matchup against the Dolphins. Looking at his seasonal numbers with one top-10 tight end finish, you might dismiss him outright. You have to take into account that Jake Browning and Joe Flacco were the quarterbacks until Joe Burrow returned on Thanksgiving. Gesicki’s lone top-10 finish (TE3) came the very next week with Burrow under center. It all lines up well for Gesicki this week because the Dolphins allow the second-most fantasy points to tight ends this season, sixth-most in the last four weeks. The Vegas over/under is a lofty 50.5 for this game.”
– Richard Savill (Fantasy Six Pack)

Duds

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

Josh Jacobs (RB – GB)

“Josh Jacobs’ 2025 season resume is a bit baffling to me. How does a running back without a single 100-yard rushing game, fewer than 275 receiving yards, and 900 rushing yards rank 12th in the Week 15 rankings and seventh in fantasy points for running backs? Touchdowns. He averages almost a touchdown per week, tying him for the third-most amongst running backs. As the sample size grows and the numbers continue to be there, the ranking is more and more justified, but I can’t buy into it. Christian Watson may be out, the Chicago Bears’ defense is solid and this is a division game that could have an impact on the No. 1 seed and the division title. A ranking as high as 12th for a player who doesn’t catch the ball much and is guaranteed to not rush for 100 yards? His RB7 and 12th overall rankings are way too high for my blood. In the playoffs, I’m not a fan of high floor, low ceiling, which is what Jacobs is. I could see a 55-total yard, no touchdown game being a season killer for fantasy owners in this crucial playoff week.”
– Chris Mitchell (FantasyData)

Jaylen Waddle (WR – MIA)

“It’s going to be hard to trust Jaylen Waddle this week with the Dolphins making a quarterback change from Tua Tagovailoa to Quinn Ewers. It could work out well for Waddle and his fantasy investors. It could go terribly. And while the matchup against the Bengals seems appealing, Cincinnati has actually allowed the fifth-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros)

“Tua Tagovailoa has been benched in favor of rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers. Jaylen Waddle has been historically bad without his southpaw signal-caller, being held under 55 receiving yards in 10 out of 11 games without him since 2022. The Bengals’ defense has been stingy versus No. 1 WRs (top-five in fewest points per game allowed to wide receivers), and trusting in rookie quarterbacks to fuel fantasy success for wideouts is a fool’s errand. Cincinnati is best attacked through running backs and tight ends, putting Waddle in a tough spot. Not to mention, the recent lack of passing volume in Miami’s offense (and the addition of Darren Waller) has hurt Waddle, given that he has been outside of the top-45 fantasy receivers in two of the last three games.”
– Andrew Erickson (FantasyPros)