There are tough decisions across the board for the fantasy football playoffs, including the quarterback position. And there will be tough calls to make for defense. Looking deeper, here is the start ‘em, sit ‘em advice for Week 16 of the 2025 NFL season.
It’s getting to the time of year when you may have to trust a defense that hasn’t proved trustworthy. But when the matchup is right, even bad defenses can make big plays.
Included in the mix are the Buffalo Bills. They’ve been all over the board this season, but delivered a No. 2 finish in Week 8 and repeated that in Week 13. And here’s the reason why they’re back in play.
Start ‘em — Bills' defense at Browns
The Bills can pick the football. They’ve proven that with 11 interceptions on the season. That ranks No. 13 in the NFL. Not great, but serviceable.
But they rank No. 9 overall, thanks to seven fumble recoveries. And now they get a shaky quarterback in Shedeur Sanders. The rookie threw three interceptions in his most recent game and went down via sack five times.
This is a super opportunity for the Bills to put together a top-five fantasy week, according to NBC Sports.
“The Bills haven’t been a great fantasy defense,” Gary Davenport wrote. “The team ranks outside the top-20 in fantasy points for the season, in part because Buffalo has struggled much of the season to stop the run. But this week brings the matchup that fixes all that ails a fantasy defense — the cacophony of crap that is the Cleveland Browns. Last week, the Browns managed to run for all of 50 yards. Shedeur Sanders threw three interceptions. And the Browns had less than 200 yards of offense and scored three points.”
Feast, Bills, feast!
Still, the Bills need to be better against the run, something head coach Sean McDermott certainly understands, according to atozsports.com.
“We were giving up some runs, and then because of that, they were a two-dimensional offense and keeping us off balance a little bit there,” McDermott said. “Run defense usually starts with gap integrity, so we’ll look at it and address it. We’ve got to be better, that’s for sure.”
And McDermott said not only the defense but the whole team needs to start faster.
“That’s something we have to work on, something we have to, you know, get into a rhythm sooner,” McDermott said. “But there’s also an ability to adjust during a game. Anybody can come up with a game plan, but it’s also what happens when they take certain things away, are you able to pivot and adjust, and I think that’s a sign of a great staff.”
Count on the Bills for at least four sacks and two turnovers.
Start ‘em — Eagles at Commanders
There may be some people who might shy away from the Eagles. That’s because the Commanders’ offense performed well against the Broncos and Giants. But the Commanders had a stinker against the Vikings in between those games.
This won’t be anything like the Eagles' dominance of the Raiders. But they should still be able to carry defensive momentum into the contest where they can wrap up the NFC East title.
And if you’re feeling the least bit uncomfortable about the Eagles’ defense this week, consider these numbers, according to a post on X by Jeff Kerr.
“The #Eagles defense — since Jaelan Phillips arrived
PPG allowed — 14.3 (1st in #NFL)
Takeaways — 10 (t-6th)
YPG allowed — 304.2 (10th)
Yards per play — 4.7 (7th)
Pressure rate — 43.0% (5th)
Sack rate — 8.8% (5th)
Sacks — 19.0 (4th)
Passer rating allowed — 67.2 (2nd)”
That’s an elite enough level to think the Eagles could get back to the Super Bowl again.
Start ‘em — Broncos vs. Jaguars
There are two parts to this. First, the Broncos either have the NFL’s best defense or the second-best, if you like the Texans better. They’re going to be a legitimate defense to use no matter who they face.
But the second part is that the Jaguars are due for a come-down. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence is coming off the game of his life. He threw for 330 yards with five touchdowns while adding another score on a run with 51 yards rushing. Of course, he was QB1.
However, Lawrence has only been in the top 12 of the QB ranks seven times in 14 games this season. He has thrown for over 250 yards only five times. And now he travels across the country to face that nasty Broncos’ defense. After a three-interception performance against the slacker Cardinals, Lawrence has gone three games without one. That should change this week.
Now, the Broncos did get clipped with safety Brandon Jones going on IR. He was the team’s third leading tackler and had been on the field for 93% of the team’s snaps. That will hurt, but the Broncos’ defense is safe this week against the Jaguars.
Sit ‘em — Packers at Bears
This just has problems written all over it. The Packers will have to reinvent their defense down the stretch. And facing an offensive mind like Ben Johnson in the first game without Micah Parsons will prove extremely difficult.
Pass the Packers by, and find a safer alternative.
Other starts: Chiefs (at Titans), Saints (at Jets)
Other sits: Patriots (at Ravens), Jaguars (at Broncos)
