Fantasy Football Week 16 Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em: D.J. Moore vs. DeVonta Smith

Evaluating who to play in fantasy football in week 16 between Chicago Bears' WR D.J. Moore and Philadelphia Eagles' WR DeVonta Smith.

Nov 9, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver D.J. Moore (2) argues an offensive pass interference call against the Carolina Panthers during the third quarter at Soldier Field. | Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

Two once listed WR2s who have had some big games this season–D.J. Moore and DeVonta Smith– could be due to make some more noise in fantasy football in week 16. Here is a breakdown of who to start and sit between Smith and Moore this week in fantasy football.

D.J. Moore 

Nov 9, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver D.J. Moore (2) cannot make a diving catch against the Carolina Panthers during the first quarter at Soldier Field. | Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

WR2 for the Bears, D.J. Moore’s stock in fantasy football has gone up and down throughout the season. In week 14, he had negative receiving yards, and now in week 15, he is coming off a two-touchdown performance.

Last week against the Cleveland Browns, he had four receptions for 69 yards along with his two scores. This is the second game in Moore’s last four where he has over 60 receiving yards and two TDs.  He will try to keep this positive play going in week 16, when he and the rest of the Bears take on the Green Bay Packers on Saturday.

The week 14 game, in which Moore logged negative receiving yards, catching one pass for minus four yards, happened to be against the Packers. Green Bay this season has been one of the better passing defenses, giving up the seventh fewest passing yards per game. In their last three games, however, they have given up many big receiving performances. Last week, Troy Franklin of the Denver Broncos had six receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown, while Courland Sutton had seven receptions,  113 receiving yards, and a touchdown. In Week 13, WR2 for the Detroit Lions, with WR1 Amon-Ra St. Brown going out with an injury early, had seven receptions for 144 receiving yards and a touchdown against them.

Also WR1 for the Bears, Rome Odunze, will be out with a foot injury, which should help Moore get increased volume in this contest.

DeVonta Smith 

Nov 28, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith (6) warms up prior to the game against the Chicago Bears at Lincoln Financial Field. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

For three straight weeks, the fantasy production from DeVonta Smith has been lackluster. Over this stretch, he has not scored a TD and has not had a game over 60 receiving yards. This has led him to be ranked as WR48 in PPR fantasy formats from week 13-15. He will look to try to bounce back and get back to producing substantial numbers on Saturday when he takes on the Washington Commanders.

The Commanders this season are allowing the fourth-most passing yards per game in the NFL. In PPR fantasy football formats, they are currently giving up the eighth most fantasy points out of any team. However, recently WR2s have struggled against them. The most receiving yards a WR2 has had against the Commanders in their last three games was 62 yards, and none of the three scored a TD.

Final Verdict

When it comes to who should start and who should sit in fantasy football in week 16 between Smith and Moore, Smith should sit, and Moore should start. Moore, with the role of WR1, should be able to have a good game against the Packers, with them giving up a few notable big receiving games to opposing WRs recently. His window for success this week feels more open than Smith's, despite Washington not having the best defense.