Wells will make you Jolly after Week 16. (Icon SMI)

Fantasy Football Start Sit

FREE weekly fantasy football who to start & sit advice

Our weekly "Who to Start and Sit" column is part of FootballDocs In-season content. All of FootballDocs In-season content is 100% free.

After starting your studs (typically players ranked after week 5 in the top ~15 RBs, top ~ 10 WRs, top ~ 10 QBs, top ~3 TEs, top ~5 Defenses, and top...wait, no kicker is a fantasy football stud), the Docs will help you decide who to start and sit as we recommend players in our fantasy football start sit column that are not clear studs and can step in with a big game for your team this week. Consequently, we will not recommend who to start and sit with the top few players at each position in our weekly fantasy football start sit advice (given starts every week); however, we may occasionally recommend players ranked 15 - 25 overall due to some teams out there that will have multiple players at one position in this range but can only start one.  If we recommend such a player it does not mean we think they are not a stud, we are just trying to help those folks out there that may be in such a situation. We also recommend players to bench, so our fantasy football start sit column is sometimes referred to as fantasy football start bench column. Additionally, we offer Fantasy Football Weekly Rankings to help even further with some of those more difficult start sit decisions. Last, be sure to check us out every Tuesday as we do a Wrap-up on our advice - both good and bad.  In fact, every wrap-up is kept and posted as a permanent, public record of what we called and how good or bad the calls were. Why?

Three reasons: 
1.  Accountability.
2.  Confidence in our analysis and recommendations.
3.  Because the Docs take winning every bit as seriously as you do.

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Chris Wells, RB, ARI - In case you haven't been paying attention, Wells is red hot. He has looked like a one-man wrecking crew over the past few weeks. The Cardinals are going to beat up on the Rams this week and Wells should look like the 1st round draft pick that he is.

LaDainian Tomlinson, RB, SD - Tomlinson has been up and down in 2009, but he has been solid over the past few weeks. This week he should deliver on his draft value with a great fantasy game. The Titans aren't the same defense they used to be, and that bodes well for Tomlinson's chances at a good game.

Jerome Harrison, RB, CLE - Jump on the bandwagon, there's plenty of room! While there won't be any record setting performances this week, Harrison should still carve out a decent game facing the wet-tissue paper run defense of the Raiders. The Raiders lead the league in rushing TDs allowed, and they are among the leaders in long runs allowed.

Frank Gore, RB, SF - Nothing will jump start a player like playing Detroit. While the Lions run defense isn't the worst, it is one of the worst. They are tied for second in the NFL for giving up runs of 20+ yards. Sprinkle in a bad pass defense, Gore's ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, and the fact Gore has popped a 100 yard rushing performance in consecutive weeks, and everything is coming up roses for Gore owners.

Ryan Grant, RB, GB - The Packers have something to fight for in week 16. The Packers will be explosive against the Seahawks. The Seahawks look like they have just thrown in the towel on the 2009 season. For heaven's sake, the Seahawks lost to the Buccaneers last week! The Bucs! Oh yeah, Grant will run wild in week 16.

Pierre Thomas, RB, NO - Call us crazy, but we are looking for a resurgence this week from Thomas. The Saints lost their perfect season, but they will be looking to reestablish their mojo this week. Thomas should be featured in a more balanced attack this week when the Saints look to get physical with the Bucs.

Greg Jennings, WR, GB - Jennings has been one of the biggest disappointments of the 2009 season. However, this week he could build on his solid week 15 performance. The Seahawks are just the type of team that will allow big plays in the passing game.

Michael Crabtree, WR, SF - Crabtree has averaged nearly 10 targets over his last three games. In PPR leagues, he has been a fairly stable option. While he had a down week last week, nothing is more tasty than seeing Lions on the menu. Crabtree stands a very good chance at nailing a nice game.

Vincent Jackson, WR, SD - There was a stretch from Week 9 - 13 that Jackson was horrid and crushed many fantasy teams out there starting him every week. However, he has turned it back on when you needed him most having been on fire over the last two weeks. That fire isn't going to be put out anytime soon facing the very porous secondary of the Titans in Week 16. Enjoy unleashing Jackson on your opponent this week.

Matt Ryan, QB, ATL - Ryan returned last week and he managed to get a win for the Falcons. If the Falcons can win their remaining 2 games, they will break the streak of never having back-to-back winning seasons in franchise history. The Bills have been tough on opposing fantasy quarterbacks. We also feel like the Falcons won't be pushing their franchise QB too hard this week. Look for a fantasy performance that ranges from unimpressive to terrible from Ryan in week 16.

Ben Roethlisberger, QB, PIT - Big Ben had an outstanding week last week, but this week will be a much different story. The Ravens defense is starting to click on all cylinders, and key players are slowly returning to this defensive unit from injury. It is always a battle when the Ravens and Steelers meet, and Sunday will be no different. If you have no other decent options at QB, go ahead and stick with Roethlisberger, but if you a decent alternative, use him.

Steve Smith, WR, NYG - The Panthers have a great pass defense that is able to put serious pressure on opposing QBs. Steve Smith will have a down game in non-PPR leagues. The Giants will likely lean on their ground game for this critical week 16 battle. Thus, Smith just won't have the opportunity for a big game.

Reggie Wayne, WR, IND - Normally, we recommend that you never bench your studs. However, Week 16 is approaching far from normal. The Colts have locked up their position with home-field advantage for the playoffs, and there is a constant threat from Head Coach Jim Caldwell of pulling starters early and resting them. He is starting to back-off on that a little, but the threat is still there. Now sprinkle in the fact Wayne had his first good game in several weeks and more importantly, he is facing the absolutely brutal corners of the Jets (hands down the best in football), and he doesn't make a compelling start. If you have no other decent options at WR, go ahead and stick with Wayne, but if you have another decent option, we would strongly consider it. Go ahead and dig back through the Jets season for yourself. You will see they have shutdown good WR after good WR all year long.

Chaz Schilens, WR, OAK - Schilens turned heads in the preseason, but no thank to injuries, he was M.I.A. for most of the season. Last week he pulled in 5 receptions and made a key TD in the win over the Broncos. He has a favorable match-up with the Browns, but don't fall for this tempting elixir. They don't come much more unstable than the Raiders' offense with exception to the unpredictable Browns defense. Way too much volatility here to be rolling the dice with your fantasy championship on the line.

Julius Jones, RB, SEA - Not only does Jones have to deal with Justin Forsett taking touches away, but now he has to deal with the extremely stingy run defense of the Packers. The Hawks look like they have given up, and so should you if you have them on your roster.

Quinton Ganther, RB, WAS - Ganther's day in the sun is over. A TD saved him from an absolute nightmare fantasy performance last week, and there will be no TDs coming to his rescue this week facing a Cowboys defense that has their back against the wall trying to carry them to the playoffs.

For an expanded list of players to help with weekly fantasy football start sit line-up decisions, be sure to check our our Fantasy Football Weekly Rankings, which are released every Thursday during the regular season.