Start 'Em, Sit 'Em QBs for Week 16 fantasy football

Precious few fantasy football managers remain in the hunt for their respective championships. Those who are will face some difficult decisions at quarterback in Week 16.

The reason? A week after Daniel Jones suffered a torn Achilles that knocked him out for the rest of the season, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes went down with a season-ending ACL tear.

Jones and Mahomes were both top-10 fantasy quarterbacks at the time of their injuries, per FantasyPros. As such, fantasy managers who remain alive in their respective playoff battles will be looking for replacements who can carry them to fantasy championships.

Luckily, there are plenty of matchup-based streamers fantasy managers can target to replace Mahomes. They won't have the same type of ceiling as the Chiefs star, but these options are plenty good enough to get fantasy managers wins down the stretch of the season.

Who can fantasy managers trust at quarterback in Week 16? Our crew at USA TODAY Sports breaks down the signal-callers to start and sit with trips to the fantasy championship on the line.

Fantasy football start 'em: Week 16 QBs

Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers (at Dallas Cowboys)

Herbert has been slumping lately. He has averaged just one passing touchdown per game over his last five starts and hasn't topped 250 passing yards since his 420-yard outburst in Week 7 against the Indianapolis Colts.

That said, Herbert has a great matchup against a Cowboys team that has allowed the most fantasy points per game (FPPG) to quarterbacks this season. Dallas just let J.J. McCarthy throw for 250 yards with three total touchdowns (two passing, one rushing); if Herbert can post similar numbers in Week 16, he should easily be a top-10 fantasy quarterback.

C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans (vs. Las Vegas Raiders)

Stroud is coming off one of his best games of the season against the Cardinals. He threw for 260 yards and three touchdowns against Arizona while showing strong connections with Nico Collins and Dalton Schultz.

Houston's offense has been humming in three games since Stroud returned from a concussion, and the 24-year-old quarterback is averaging 246.3 passing yards per game over those contests. Stroud has an easy matchup against a Raiders team that has allowed 28.6 points per game over its last five outings and just let a struggling Eagles offense drop 31 on it. Fire him up as one of the week's safest streamers.

Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals (vs. Atlanta Falcons)

As strange as it may sound, Brissett may be in must-start territory. The veteran has been prolific filling in for Kyler Murray, as he has attempted at least 31 passes in all nine of his starts to date. That includes six consecutive starts with at least 40 attempts, and a 57-attempt game during which he broke the NFL's single-game completions record.

Brissett's volume of opportunities has allowed him to average 300.9 passing yards per game while logging multiple passing touchdowns in all but one of his nine starts. The Falcons have been middle-of-the-pack against quarterbacks this year, so expect Brissett to post strong numbers once again.

Fantasy football sit 'em: Week 16 QBs

Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys (vs. Los Angeles Chargers)

Prescott has been racking up yards all season long, but he has gone through some touchdown droughts. He's mired in one now, as he has scored just once in his last two games, including a zero-TD output last week against the Vikings.

Prescott's scoring outlook doesn't figure to improve against the Chargers. Los Angeles has allowed a league-low 12 passing touchdowns to quarterbacks this season. It's hard to sit Prescott, but if you have another signal-caller in a good matchup on your bench, you may want to make the switch this week.

Jaxson Dart, New York Giants (vs. Minnesota Vikings)

Dart enjoyed a strong outing against the Commanders, posting 309 total yards (246 passing, 63 rushing) and two passing touchdowns in the Giants' loss. The rookie's matchup with the Vikings will prove much tougher, as Minnesota ranks No. 1 in the NFL in pressure rate, per the NFL's Next Gen Stats.

Why does that matter? Dart has a passer rating of just 69 when pressured this season, per Pro Football Focus, so he could struggle against Minnesota's pressure-heavy scheme. Dart's rushing ability still gives him a solid floor, but he's nonetheless a risky streamer in this unfavorable matchup.

Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars (at Denver Broncos)

Look, sitting Lawrence isn't an easy decision. After all, he just had the game of his life, racking up six total touchdowns against the Jets and leading many fantasy managers who trusted him to playoff victories.

So, what's the issue? The Broncos have allowed only 14 passing touchdowns, tied for the third-fewest in the NFL, and have surrendered multiple passing touchdowns in just four of their 14 games this season. The Broncos have also allowed the eighth-fewest rushing yards to quarterbacks this season, so Lawrence's streak of multi-touchdown games may come to an end at five.

Fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em, Week 16

Looking for more fantasy football advice? USA TODAY Sports has you covered:

→ A good running back makes all the difference. A bad running back can cost you a lot of points. Here's who to start and who to sit in Week 16.

→ The wide receiver position is one of the deepest each season. Set yourself up for success in Week 16 with start 'em, sit 'em advice for wideouts.

→ Tight ends can be the perfect X-factor for any fantasy team. Here's who you should start and sit in Week 16.