Week 16 Fantasy Football Sneaky Starts & Sleepers
All but the luckiest fantasy owners at some point need to find the proverbial diamond in the rough—a waiver wire or bench player capable of putting up some points in a pinch. This weekly feature is dedicated to that part of fantasy football. It's not pretty, but it's part of the game.
As of Week 4, we’ve been using 2025 data for our Hot Spots reports and aFPA rankings. It will continue to update as the season progresses, and we started using a rolling 10-week window in Week 12. Remember, the higher the number, the better the matchup.
Quarterbacks
Jacoby Brissett (vs. ATL, 26) is the fantasy QB3 since taking over in Week 6 and can once again be deployed in a nice matchup against the Falcons.
Justin Herbert, Chargers (@ DAL, 32)
Justin Herbert hasn’t surpassed 15.0 fantasy points in five straight starts, but there’s reason for optimism this week. The Cowboys just gave up 23.5 fantasy points to J.J. McCarthy and are allowing the position to score an average of 24.1 points per game on the season. This includes an average of 271 yards, 2.21 touchdowns, and 8.05 YPA. Herbert should be productive this week despite his recent struggles.
C.J. Stroud, Texans (vs. LV, 13)
After a rough stretch from Week 9 to Week 14, including a three-week injury hiatus, I was brave enough to write up C.J. Stroud as a Sneaky Start last week against the Cardinals, and he delivered 260/3, or 23.4 fantasy points. He has scored at least 15.0 fantasy points in all four of his healthy home games, and this week’s game is also in Houston. He may not have to throw much against the Raiders, but the Texans’ implied total of 26.3 indicates that Houston will score a few touchdowns, so Stroud should get one or two.
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