5 Start, 5 Sit for Week 16 of the 2023 NFL Season
The playoffs are here! Every decision now carries the weight of the season and one wrong move could be the end of a year’s worth of work. The knowledge I’m bringing you this week will keep you in the game just long enough to taste victory at the end of December. Just like always: 5 good, 5 bad.
Start:
Jared Goff vs Min – Start
Goff is coming off of potentially his career best game: 24/34 for 278 and 5 touchdowns! The Lions end the season playing Minnesota twice in three weeks and need wins to better their seeding. Goff’s play has been up and down all season, but I think he’s going to put up another spectacular performance against the Vikings.
James Cook vs LAC – Start
James Cook is also coming off of a career game. He put up 221 total yards on 28 touches and added 2 touchdowns, one in the air and one on the ground. Cook’s production has been increasing for the past five weeks and he is now a pivotal part of the Bills’ offense. Buffalo is going to have to be able to run the ball in order to survive the AFC postseason, so I think James Cook is going to get a heavy workload through the rest of December. Especially this week against a crumbling Chargers defense, play Cook at any cost.
Chris Godwin vs JAC – Start
Last week, for the first time this season, we saw Chris Godwin’s volume convert into production. 155 yards on 10 catches is more than his production from the previous three weeks combined. The Bucs still have a way to go before they can clinch the division, so Godwin should continue to be a big part of their offense. He might not repeat a 25-point performance but I think he’ll be more involved than he has been in weeks past.
Darren Waller vs PHI – Start
The biggest weakness to the Eagles’ defense for years has been tight ends. With as poorly as the defense has been playing as a whole this season, Waller should be in for a big game. His first game back from injury last week wasn’t the best, but no Giant had a good day against the Saints. This should be a great chance for him to get back to the domination he showed the past few years in Vegas.
Ty Chandler vs DET – Start
I’m fully on the wave here. Chandler is the first Vikings back all year to have over 100 yards on the ground and he did it against a pretty good run defense. If the Vikings hope to beat the Lions, they are going to have to keep that offense off the field. If Chandler can keep churning like he was last week, they should do alright. Chandler is a second year back who is just now getting his opportunity and I think he’s going to make the most of it.
Sit:
Gardner Minshew vs ATL – Sit
Minshew’s stock was 50% predicated on Michael Pittman always being open. With Pittman likely to miss this week due to being essentially hit by a cement truck (Kazee), Minshew is likely to become a handoff robot. He might still have some value as a very low end QB2, but for the most part I think you should roll with someone else this week.
Javonte Williams vs NE – Sit
This game is what I’m calling the irrelevant bowl. One team has a great defense and a horrible offense and the other has a good defense and a mediocre offense. I’m not expecting anything out of any players on either team, least of all from Javonte Williams. His volume and efficiency have been low all season and he doesn’t score nearly enough touchdowns to be playable most weeks. Pair that with the fact that New England has a top 3 rushing defense, and you get a player I’ll be keeping on my bench. The same goes for everyone else in this game.
Marquise Brown vs CHI – Sit
We All thought that Kyler Murray’s return would be a boon for the 5th year wideout. Unfortunately, it’s barely been noticeable in his stats. In his last five games combined, Brown has 9 catches for 134 yards and no touchdowns. Being truly honest, his stat lines were better before Kyler came back. Now that it’s crunch time in the playoffs, players’ names can’t guarantee them starting spots. I think you should do like Billy Joel and “Say Goodbye to Hollywood.”
Dalton Schultz vs CLE – Sit
Mid-season, Schultz put together a great stretch of games while the Texans were hot. Since he got hurt in week 12, the team has sort of disappeared around him. C.J. Stroud has a bad concussion, Tank Dell is out for the season, and Nico Collins is suffering from a calf injury. Now that he’s back, Schultz is the last man standing on a good roster, which means he gets a lot of defensive attention. Especially against a solid Browns defense, I think it won’t be hard to find a better option at tight end.
Gus Edwards vs SF – Sit
You might think that the loss of teammate Keaton Mitchell would mean a better situation for Gus Edwards. Normally you would be right, but this week he plays the 49ers. Edwards has been a touchdown merchant all season and without them, he’s barely worthy of being a flex play. I don’t see the Ravens getting up to the goal line very often against perhaps the league’s best defense, so I’m pining Edwards this week.
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