Joshua Palmer or Terry McLaurin: Who should I start in Fantasy Football Week 16?

Joshua Palmer and Terry McLaurin are two of the most curious WR options for Week 16 of fantasy football. Both these receivers could go big this week, but they also have enough questions hanging over them to warrant extra analysis.

Given that both these players are taking the WR1 role this week, there is room for optimism that good days could be coming. However, neither the Washington Commanders nor LA Chargers have been inspiring this season and both Palmer and McLaurin are boom-bust options in Week 16.

Let's take a look at the fantasy football outlooks of these two receivers and how likely they are to go big, starting with Joshua Palmer:

Is Joshua Palmer a good fantasy pick in Week 16?

With Keenan Allen and Mike Williams out, in normal times Joshua Palmer would be a must-start. However, as Chargers fans can attest to, these are not normal times.

After being blown to pieces in a 63-21 rout by the Las Vegas Raiders (which was 49-0 at one stage), LA parted ways with HC Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco the next day.

Joshua Palmer had a great fantasy outing in the defeat, as thanks largely to a defensive mix-up, he escaped the secondary and recorded a 79-yard receiving TD. This helped him escape the drubbing with 19.30 points in fantasy football (HPPR leagues), which was a huge relief for those who started him.

In a season marred by injuries and a team in trouble, Palmer has recorded 27 receptions for 490 yards and 2 TDs, good for 72.50 points in fantasy football.

Week 16 sees the Chargers face the Buffalo Bills' defense, which is a game LA fans are likely dreading. The Bills are running hot and if the Chargers come out as flat as last week we could see a similar scoreline.

The Bills defense is No. 10 against receivers in fantasy football and LA will be starting QB Easton Stick, who is likely more than a little nervous after last week. Joshua Palmer will be the WR1 and backed up by Quentin Johnston, who is not having a terrific rookie campaign.

The warning signs are all there, so while Palmer might have a big game in a new-look Chargers team, there is a decent chance they will take a pounding here.

Sportskeeda's Start/Sit tool projects Palmer to record 7.6 points, which means he is a very risky pick. Given that 14.4 of Palmer's Week 15 points came from one busted coverage play, the odds of him hitting that number again are long.

Start Palmer only if you have an injury crisis or truly believe the Chargers are going to raise their game versus a Bills team that just manhandled the Dallas Cowboys.

Is Terry McLaurin a good fantasy pick in Week 16?

Terry McLaurin is the WR1 in Washington, but he doesn't get enough of the ball to unlock his undisputable fantasy potential. McLaurin is an exceptionally talented receiver and many hold the opinion that he deserves a lot better than he receives.

While Eric Bienemy has unlocked the potential of gutsy QB Sam Howell, the Commanders spread the ball about a lot to a host of WRs. This hurts McLaurin's targets and fantasy football is a game of volume.

On the season, Terry McLaurin has recorded 66 receptions for 835 yards and 3 TDs, good for 140.50 points and the WR 30 rank in fantasy football.

In Week 16, the Commanders face the New York Jets, a team that will be without Zach Wilson at QB. While their offense is doubtless questionable, the Jets D is beyond reproach. They are number-one against WRs in fantasy football, so McLaurin is facing an elite secondary.

While McLaurin had his best day of the 2023 season in Week 15 (141 yards, 1 TD, 23.10 points), it doesn't seem likely that he will hit those numbers against New York.

Sportskeeda's Start/Sit tool projects Terry McLaurin to record 8.9 points in Week 16, which shows how tough this matchup is. Compound that with the Commanders' hitting up Curtis Samuel and Jahan Dotson regularly and you have a risky start in fantasy football. There may be better options out there this week than McLaurin.

Joshua Palmer or Terry McLaurin: Who should I start in fantasy football Week 16?

Looking at the numbers, neither of these receivers are safe starts. If you have no other option than these two, McLaurin probably has the better ceiling and is a better pick. There are simply too many issues in LA to warrant starting Joshua Palmer and while he could have a huge day against the Bills, it feels unlikely.

The below breakdown shows what to expect from both receivers in Week 16:

Given the above numbers, if you are set on choosing one of these two, they at least have low projections and a TD will mean they've already exceeded expectations.

Unless you have a bizarrely easy matchup in fantasy football, you need to shoot for the stars here and neither should be started given their matchups.