Week 16 Fantasy Football Rankings: Stars That Will Deliver Playoff Success

With many leagues likely in the championship round, it's important to identify who will be Week 16's star performers.

If you're lucky enough to have any of these players, it could mean the difference between winning and losing. That one huge showing can swing the entire week in your favor.

Conversely, should you be facing one of these players, you may want to plan accordingly, whether it's preparing for the worst or trying to scrounge for whatever extra points you can find on the waiver wire.

These five players at each position look poised to put up massive fantasy totals. They've been successful this season and have very favorable matchups.

Quarterback Rankings

Pos.	Player	Opponent	Proj. Score
1	Peyton Manning, DEN	Houston Texans	28
2	Philip Rivers, SD	Oakland Raiders	24
3	Andy Dalton, CIN	Minnesota Vikings	21
4	Nick Foles, PHI	Chicago Bears	20
5	Drew Brees, NO	Carolina Panthers	19

Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals

Although Andy Dalton has had his fair share of infuriating weekends in terms of actual performance, he's never slumped too far as a fantasy performer. He's already matched his touchdown numbers from last year and is only 20 passing yards short of his 2012 total, as well.

With the Cincinnati Bengals welcoming in the Minnesota Vikings, Dalton should wriggle himself into the top five quarterbacks this week.

The third-year QB has to atone for last Sunday night, when he went 25-of-44 for 230 yards with two touchdowns. It wasn't a great performance, and Dalton acknowledged that he couldn't execute the deeper throws, per the Cincinnati Enquirer's Joe Reedy:

"

We had some good looks for the underneath throws, so we kept going after them. I think it was one of the things that the defense wasn’t letting us get down the field. That’s just how it was.

"

Things should come easier against the Vikings, who have consistently been kind to opposing quarterbacks.

Running Back Rankings

Pos.	Player	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	LeSean McCoy, PHI	Chicago Bears	25
2	DeMarco Murray, DAL	Washington Redskins	23
3	Jamaal Charles, KC	Indianapolis Colts	20
4	Alfred Morris, WAS	Dallas Cowboys	18
5	Le'Veon Bell, PIT	Green Bay Packers	17

Le'Veon Bell, Pittsburgh Steelers

Although Le'Veon Bell hasn't broken the century mark rushing in one game this season, he's become a steady fantasy producer because of his receiving skills.

Last week was the kind of performance we've come to expect from Bell. He had 57 yards and a touchdown on the ground as well as 50 yards receiving. The rookie didn't do either one great, but he did each one very well.

The Green Bay Packers' defense is one of the worst in the league. Bell figures to be an impact player in both the running and passing games.

Although he won't put up a crazy fantasy game this week, Bell should crack the top five.

Wide Receiver Rankings

Pos.	Player	Opponent	Proj. Score
1	AJ Green, CIN	Minnesota Vikings	24
2	Josh Gordon, CLE	New York Jets	22
3	Calvin Johnson, DET	New York Giants	21
4	Dez Bryant, DAL	Washington Redskins	17
5	Brandon Marshall, CHI	Philadelphia Eagles	16

Brandon Marshall, Chicago Bears

You saw last week how porous the Philadelphia Eagles can be, and they've given up the most fantasy points on average to opposing wide receivers, per ESPN.com's fantasy points against. In addition, Philly ranks 20th, according to Football Outsiders, against a team's No. 1 wideout.

If Brandon Marshall is wearing a smile for most of this week, it's probably because he knows what lies ahead on Sunday night.

Jay Cutler was solid in his return last week, and Marshall had 95 yards and a touchdown receiving.

Considering how poor the Eagles defense is, Marshall shouldn't have any problems eclipsing 100 yards and notching at least a touchdown.

Tight End Rankings

Pos.	Player	Opponent	Proj. Score
1	Jimmy Graham, NO	Carolina Panthers	15
2	Julius Thomas, DEN	Houston Texans	12
3	Jordan Cameron, CLE	New York Jets	10
4	Jason Witten, DAL	Washington Redskins	9
5	Vernon Davis, SF	Atlanta Falcons	8

Jordan Cameron

Between Jordan Cameron and Josh Gordon, the Cleveland Browns have something to build around for the future. Although Cameron's form dropped off as the season went on, he played very well against the New England Patriots two weeks ago and he should find that zone again this week.

The New York Jets defense isn't the intimidating force it was earlier in the year, and tight ends are having some success.

Cameron should get plenty of targets, so it's a matter of him getting open and making the most of his opportunities.