Fantasy Football Week 16 Rankings: Flex and PPR Outlook for Each Position

It's time for a holiday edition of NFL football. Our gift is an extra day of action, with games being played on Saturday, Sunday and Monday this week.

This means an extra day of fun for most football fans. It means an extra day of stress for those lucky enough to be participating in their fantasy championships and late playoff matchups. Watching one of your bench players score 30 is going to be excruciating if you have to wait two more days to see if the guy you actually picked can have similar success.

Well, we're here to help you avoid such scenarios with our Week 16 positional rankings. We'll be running down the top players at each position in both standard and PPR scoring formats. We'll be ranking them based on projected production value and examining some players to watch over the next three days.

All of our choices are based on factors like past performances, projected roles, matchups and health.

Good luck and happy holidays!

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player
1	Drew Brees, NO
2	Tom Brady, NE
3	Matt Ryan, ATL
4	Jameis Winston, TB
5	Cam Newton, CAR
6	Aaron Rodgers, GB
7	Matthew Stafford, DET
8	Andrew Luck, IND
9	Philip Rivers, SD
10	Kirk Cousins, WAS

Aside from the usual performers at quarterback—like Drew Brees, Tom Brady and Matt Ryan—keep an eye on some of the signal-callers with quality matchups.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston, for example, is up against the New Orleans Saints defense. That defense is rated last in pass coverage by Pro Football Focus and surrenders an average of 271.2 yards passing per game, second-most in the NFL.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has a similar matchup this week against the Atlanta Falcons. While Atlanta is rated 14th in pass coverage by Pro Football Focus, the Falcons' high-powered offense often forces opponents to go pass-heavy in order to keep up on the scoreboard.

As a result, the Falcons give up the third-most passing yards in the league, an average of 267.4 yards per game.

One player with a decidedly unfavorable matchup this week is Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton. He and the Bengals are visiting the Houston Texans, who allow the second-fewest passing yards per game with an average of 203.5.

In addition, NFL Media's Ian Rapoport suggests the Bengals might not have star receiver A.J. Green back on the field, as the team had originally hoped:

Don't view Dalton as a viable starting option.

Running Backs

Rank	Standard	PPR
1`	Le'Veon Bell, PIT	Le'Veon Bell, PIT
2	LeSean McCoy, BUF	David Johnson, ARI
3	David Johnson, ARI	LeSean McCoy, BUF
4	Ezekiel Elliott, DAL	Ezekiel Elliott, DAL
5	DeMarco Murray, TEN	DeMarco Murray, TEN
6	Todd Gurley, LA	Todd Gurley, LA
7	Spencer Ware, KC	Jordan Howard, CHI
8	Devonta Freeman, ATL	Bilal Powell, NYJ
9	Latavius Murray, OAK	Latavius Murray, OAK
10	Jordan Howard, CHI	Devonta Freeman, ATL
11	Jay Ajayi, MIA	Lamar Miller, HOU
12	Robert Kelley, WAS	Spencer Ware, KC
13	Lamar Miller, HOU	Jay Ajayi, MIA
14	Ty Montgomery, GB	Jeremy Hill, CIN
15	Jonathan Stewart, CAR	Kenneth Farrow, SD
16	Jeremy Hill, CIN	Robert Kelley, WAS
17	Bilal Powell, NYJ	Ty Montgomery, GB
18	Thomas Rawls, SEA	Jonathan Stewart, CAR
19	Frank Gore, IND	Thomas Rawls, SEA
20	Kenneth Farrow, SD	Frank Gore, IND

For running backs this week, lean on guys who are expected to have substantial roles before those with enticing matchups. Guys like Ezekiel Elliott, Le'Veon Bell, David Johnson and DeMarco Murray should be at the top of the workhorse list.

Right behind the top-tier of volume backs, though, are some intriguing options. Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley might finally have a strong fantasy outing against a San Francisco 49ers defense that is rated last in run defense by Pro Football Focus and allows a league-high 176.3 yards rushing per game.

San Diego Chargers running back Kenneth Farrow faces a Cleveland Browns defense that ranks only slightly higher against the run. The Browns allow an average of 155.7 yards per game on the ground. Farrow should see a decent volume of work with starter Melvin Gordon ruled out for a second consecutive week, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Ronnie Hillman should have some value for the Chargers as well.

One interesting name to note this week is Green Bay Packers running back Ty Montgomery. The converted receiver exploded in Week 15 with 162 yards rushing, two receptions and two touchdowns. He faces a Minnesota Vikings defense that is rated 15th by Pro Football Focus, but it appears the Packers are ready to again ride him early and often.

"We feel there's more to do with Ty," Packers coach Mike McCarthy recently said, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.

Wide Receivers

Rank	Standard	PPR
1	Mike Evans, TB	Mike Evans, TB
2	Antonip Brown, PIT	Antonio Brown, PIT
3	Ty Montgomery, GB	Demaryius Thomas, DEN
4	T.Y. Hilton, IND	Julian Edelman, NE
5	Jordy Nelson, GB	Emmanuel Sanders, DEN
6	Demaryius Thomas, DEN	T.Y. Hilton, IND
7	Emmanuel Sanders, DEN	Golden Tate, DET
8	Julian Edelman, NE	Jordy Nelson, GB
9	Julio Jones, ATL	Julio Jones, ATL
10	Tyrell Williams, SD	Ty Montgomery, GB
11	Golden Tate, DET	Larry Fitzgerald, ARI
12	Dez Bryant, DAL	Jamison Crowder, WAS
13	Brandin Cooks, NO	Dez Bryant, DAL
14	Amari Cooper, OAK	Michael Thomas, NO
15	DeAndre Hopkins, HOU	Tyrell Williams, SD
16	Kenny Britt, LA	Pierre Garcon, WAS
17	Pierre Garcon, WAS	DeAndre Hopkins, HOU
18	Michael Thomas, NO	Doug Baldwin, SEA
19	Michael Crabtree, OAK	Michael Crabtree, OAK
20	Jamison Crowder, WAS	Amari Cooper, OAK

Bengals wideout A.J. Green might not be making his return from injury this week, but it's looking like Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones will. NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reported earlier this week that the Falcons plan to have Jones back against the Carolina Panthers:

If you own Jones, don't hesitate to put him back in the starting lineup. The Panthers are allowing a league-high 274.8 yards passing per game.

We already mentioned Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston is a quality play this week against that suspect Saints defense. Well, the same is true for top target and fantasy stud Mike Evans, who has already racked up 84 receptions, 1,159 yards and 10 touchdowns this season.

Keep an eye on Indianapolis Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton this week as he tries to make a claim for the league receiving title. Hilton has already amassed 1,248 yards and will be going against a Raiders secondary that allows 259.0 yards passing per game, eighth-most in the NFL.

Ty Montgomery is also in play at receiver, as most fantasy leagues allow him to be played in either the RB or WR slot. Be sure to adjust your lineup accordingly if you're a Montgomery owner in order to maximize scoring potential.

If you're looking for sneaky sleeper action, consider some of the New England Patriots' secondary receivers like Chris Hogan or Malcolm Mitchell. While Julian Edelman is going to get most of the fantasy attention, Mitchell and Hogan could be quality plays in Week 16.

The New York Jets are rated just 31st in pass coverage by Pro Football Focus and allow an average of 251.8 yards per game through the air.

Tight Ends

Rank	Standard	PPR
1	Greg Olsen, CAR	Greg Olsen, CAR
2	Cameron Brate, TB	Kyle Rudolph, MIN
3	Kyle Rudolph, MIN	Cameron Brate, TB
4	Eric Ebron, DET	Travis Kelce, KC
5	Delanie Walker, TEN	C.J. Fiedorowicz, HOU
6	Travis Kelce, KC	Delanie Walker, TEN
7	Antonio Gates, SD	Vernon Davis, WAS
8	Vernon Davis, WAS	Eric Ebron, DET
9	Jimmy Graham, SEA	Jimmy Graham, SEA
10	C.J. Fiedorowicz, HOU	Antonio Gates, SD
11	Jason Witten, DAL	Jason Witten, DAL
12	Hunter Henry, SD	Hunter Henry, SD

Panthers tight end Greg Olsen is dealing with an elbow injury he suffered last week against the Washington Redskins. However, Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer believes Olsen will be in the lineup this week against the Falcons:

Don't hesitate to play Olsen if you have him.

On the other hand, you might want to think twice about playing Redskins tight end Jordan Reed. While Reed has been playing with his injured shoulder, he hasn't been especially productive in recent weeks. In fact, he has just two receptions for 16 yards in his past two games combined.

Reed and the Redskins play a Chicago Bears team that allows the sixth-fewest passing yards per game, an average of 219.9.

As is the case with Winston and Evans, Buccaneers tight end Cameron Brate should be a top play against that Saints defense. Expect tight ends Antonio Gates and Hunter Henry to both find success against the Browns, who are rated 28th in pass coverage by Pro Football Focus.

Kickers

Rank	Player
1	Sebastian Janikowski, OAK
2	Matt Bryant, ATL
3	Stephen Gostkowski, NE
4	Dustin Hopkins, WAS
5	Dan Bailey, DAL
6	Matt Prater, DET
7	Nick Novak, HOU
8	Ryan Succop, TEN
9	Wil Lutz, NO
10	Mason Crosby, GB