The fantasy football championship is here for Week 16 and anyone that has Peyton Manning is terrified that he could sit at any point Monday night against the Bengals, so here is some start or sit advice for anyone that is close in their matchup: pickup Andy Dalton and start him over Peyton, because the Bengals are not in the playoffs officially yet and no matter what happens, Dalton will not be sitting on MNF.
Manning likely will play since the Broncos spot is not totally determined either, but it is far more likely that he sits at some point than Dalton. The Bengals have not clinched a spot yet, while the Broncos have won their division and are in position to get a first round bye. Manning comes in with 4143 yards on the season and 37 touchdowns and another thing to consider is how much the Broncos have rushed the ball in recent weeks.
The Broncos know that Manning can't throw the ball 50 times a game and that could be a factor even if he doesn't come out of the matchup at any point. Manning comes in after passing for 233 yards and one TD against the Chargers and now hasn't had over 200 yards in a game since Week 11. Fantasy owners that have no other options should obviously leave Peyton in and while he is still a strong matchup, no one wants to get ANDREW Luck-ED. For example, a person is going to lose their fantasy matchup for one reason only: because Luck was taken out on Sunday during a terrible game for the Colts.
Luck finished with negative points after behind the best fantasy player this season and it would be extremely frustrating if that happens with Manning at any point Monday night. The Colts literally had nothing to play for so it's a bit different, as the Broncos want to lock in their spot, but the frustration is NOT worth feeling. Trust us.
Dalton and the Bengals are playing to get into the playoffs officially and they have AJ Green in the lineup, meaning Dalton could put up some numbers. Dalton has been up and down this season and while the Broncos D has been better, he will have to put up some numbers to get the win on Monday night. Dalton has 3008 yards this season with 15 TDs and he is expected to play the full game no matter what, so at the very least apart from an injury, fantasy owners should get some points in the final matchup of the week.