Fantasy Football Week 16 Rankings: Top 50 Players from Consensus Experts

For many fantasy football owners, the stakes couldn't be much higher in Week 16.

This is championship week for a majority of leagues, so any edge you can gain on the competition will prove invaluable. Some fans still likely hold a special place in their hearts for the New Orleans Saints' Tim Hightower, who ran for 122 yards and two touchdowns in Week 16 last season.

As much as the likes of Aaron Rodgers, David Johnson and Ezekiel Elliott have been fantasy workhorses in 2016, it's often unsung heroes such as Hightower who can be the difference between winning and losing your championship.

Below are the top 50 players on FantasyPros' consensus rankings, followed by three players who should exceed their Week 16 projections.

Top 50 Players

Rank	Player	Position	Team	Opponent
1	Tom Brady	QB	New England Patriots	NYJ
2	Drew Brees	QB	New Orleans Saints	TB
3	Andrew Luck	QB	Indianapolis Colts	OAK
4	Aaron Rodgers	QB	Green Bay Packers	MIN
5	Kirk Cousins	QB	Washington Redskins	CHI
6	Ezekiel Elliott	RB	Dallas Cowboys	DET
7	Philip Rivers	QB	San Diego Chargers	CLE
8	Matt Ryan	QB	Atlanta Falcons	CAR
9	Le'Veon Bell	RB	Pittsburgh Steelers	BAL
10	Ben Roethlisberger	QB	Pittsburgh Steelers	BAL
11	Derek Carr	QB	Oakland Raiders	IND
12	Cam Newton	QB	Carolina Panthers	ATL
13	Jameis Winston	QB	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	NO
14	Russell Wilson	QB	Seattle Seahawks	ARI
15	Marcus Mariota	QB	Tennessee Titans	JAX
16	Antonio Brown	WR	Pittsburgh Steelers	BAL
17	Dak Prescott	QB	Dallas Cowboys	DET
18	Eli Manning	QB	New York Giants	PHI
19	Tyrod Taylor	QB	Buffalo Bills	MIA
20	Matthew Stafford	QB	Detroit Lions	IND
21	LeSean McCoy	RB	Buffalo Bills	MIA
22	Colin Kaepernick	QB	San Francisco 49ers	LA
23	Odell Beckham Jr.	WR	New York Giants	PHI
24	Joe Flacco	QB	Baltimore Ravens	PIT
25	Matt Barkley	QB	Chicago Bears	WAS
26	DeMarco Murray	RB	Tennessee Titans	JAX
27	Mike Evans	WR	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	NO
28	David Johnson	RB	Arizona Cardinals	SEA
29	Carson Palmer	QB	Arizona Cardinals	SEA
30	Matt Moore	QB	Miami Dolphins	BUF
31	Andy Dalton	QB	Cincinnati Bengals	HOU
32	Blake Bortles	QB	Jacksonville Jaguars	TEN
33	Sam Bradford	QB	Minnesota Vikings	GB
34	Jordan Howard	RB	Chicago Bears	WAS
35	Todd Gurley	RB	Los Angeles Rams	SF
36	Robert Griffin III	QB	Cleveland Browns	SD
37	T.Y. Hilton	WR	Indianapolis Colts	OAK
38	LeGarrette Blount	RB	New England Patriots	NYJ
39	Latavius Murray	RB	Oakland Raiders	IND
40	Jordy Nelson	WR	Green Bay Packers	MIN
41	Julio Jones	WR	Atlanta Falcons	CAR
42	Devonta Freeman	RB	Atlanta Falcons	CAR
43	Dez Bryant	WR	Dallas Cowboys	DET
44	Carlos Hyde	RB	San Francisco 49ers	LA
45	Trevor Siemian	QB	Denver Broncos	KC
46	Julian Edelman	WR	New England Patriots	NYJ
47	Michael Crabtree	WR	Oakland Raiders	IND
48	Amari Cooper	WR	Oakland Raiders	IND
49	Spencer Ware	RB	Kansas City Chiefs	DEN
50	Brandin Cooks	WR	New Orleans Saints	TB

Players to Watch

Philip Rivers, QB, San Diego Chargers

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

At this point, whoever is playing against the Cleveland Browns should be considered a must-start.

Although the Browns are 15th in passing yards allowed (245.1 yards per game), they're 32nd in opponent passer rating (104.0) and passing touchdowns allowed (31). Opposing quarterbacks are also completing 65.2 percent of their passes against Cleveland, 27th in the league.

Football Outsiders' Cian Fahey argued that inexperience is a problem for Cleveland's defense as a whole:

"

I hope the Browns front office understands that it'll be important to add some vets to the defense. They're too young.

— Cian Fahey (@Cianaf) December 19, 2016"

The Browns' struggles against the pass, coupled with Melvin Gordon's injury, make Philip Rivers a strong fantasy option for Week 16.

San Diego Chargers head coach Mike McCoy told reporters last week that Gordon is day-to-day with hip and knee injuries. He didn't play in Week 15, and until the second-year running back is cleared to return, you're better off assuming he won't be available.

Kenneth Farrow and Ronnie Hillman combined to rush for 73 yards on 22 carries on Sunday against the Oakland Raiders, so it's a safe bet that the passing game will be a significant part of the Chargers offense versus Cleveland.

Rivers is generally a consistent fantasy producer and should be one of the highest-scoring quarterbacks this week.

Spencer Ware, RB, Kansas City Chiefs

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

The Denver Broncos unquestionably own one of the NFL's best defenses but have been generous to opposing running backs. The Broncos are allowing 127.9 yards a game on the ground, 27th in the league, and 4.2 yards per carry, which ranks 16th.

Spencer Ware didn't have a huge game in the Kansas City Chiefs' Week 12 victory over the Broncos, running for 64 yards on 17 carries. Ware's numbers since that game don't inspire confidence, either. He has carried the ball 52 times for 155 yards and a touchdown.

As a result, fantasy owners may be souring on Ware. Given the importance of the final two weeks of the regular season, banking on Ware to deliver a big game is risky.

NFL Media's Mike Garafolo noted that the 25-year-old has a strong financial incentive to finish the regular season on a high note:

"

With 790 rushing yards on the season, Ware is only 60 yards away from triggering a $300,000 escalator on next year's salary. And if he picks up 150 more yards to get to 1,000, that number goes up to $600,000. (He can make it $900,000 by getting to 1,200 yards, though that seems unlikely.)

"

In eight career regular-season starts against the Broncos, Alex Smith has thrown for 1,740 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions. Considering the strength of Denver's secondary, Kansas City will likely give Ware a healthy dose of touches.

The emergence of Tyreek Hill could complicate matters, but Ware should be enough of a focal point in Kansas City's offense to reward fantasy owners who stick with him.

Chris Hogan, WR, New England Patriots

Rob Carr/Getty Images

Chris Hogan can personally attest to the strength of the Broncos' pass coverage after catching one pass for 18 yards in the New England Patriots' victory Sunday night. Hogan should have more luck against the New York Jets in Week 16.

In general, New York's secondary has been an issue. The Jets are allowing 251.6 yards a game through the air, 21st, and have had significant trouble guarding opposing teams' No. 2 wideouts.

Through Week 14, New York ranked 32nd in DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average) against No. 2 WRs, per Football Outsiders, and have allowed an average of 50.6 receiving yards on 6.4 passes per game.

Hogan has carved out a nice niche in the Patriots offense opposite Julian Edelman. Through 13 games, he has already registered a career high in receiving yards (631), and his 19.1 yards per reception are tops among qualified wide receivers.

According to CBSSports.com, Hogan is only owned in 40 percent and started in 10 percent of the site's fantasy leagues. If he's available on the waiver wire, he'd be a great addition for fantasy owners willing to take a leap of faith in Week 16.

Note: Stats are courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise noted.