Week 16 Fantasy Football Rankings: Positional Overview, Guide and Advice
We're firmly in the fantasy playoffs now, and Week 16 is likely to bring several tough lineup decisions.
Bye weeks are now a thing of the past, but injuries continue to create a tricky obstacle course to navigate. Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (ankle) and Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (concussion) were among the notable players to miss Week 15.
Below, we'll dive into some of the best and worst matchups of Week 16, run down our updated point-per-reception (PPR) rankings and offer a little advice for the upcoming slate.
As a reminder, this week features Saturday games once again, so don't forget to have your lineups set.
Quarterback
1 of 4
1. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
2. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
3. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
4. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
5. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
6. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
7. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
8. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
9. Justin Fields, Chicago Bears
10. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
11. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
12. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
For the most part, it's best to stick with the quarterbacks who have gotten you to the playoffs at this point in the season. The top signal-callers, like Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts, are likely to provide a solid floor if healthy.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is a possible exception here. While he certainly projects as a top-10 QB play in Week 16, it's worth noting that Prescott has been far less efficient on the road.
Against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, he passed for just 134 yards with an interception. That said, it's hard to pivot away from a viable MVP candidate unless you have a ton of QB depth on the roster.
If you're lacking QB depth, it's worth seeing if Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield is available. He threw four touchdowns in Week 15, and he's set to face a Jacksonville Jaguars defense that has surrendered an average of 20.0 fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks.
Mayfield is rostered in 54 percent of Yahoo leagues and 49 percent of ESPN leagues.
Running Back
2 of 4
1. Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers
2. Raheem Mostert, Miami Dolphins
3. Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions
4. Travis Etienne Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars
5. De'Von Achane, Miami Dolphins
6. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
7. Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons
8. Tony Pollard, Dallas Cowboys
9. Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers
10. Breece Hall, New York Jets
11. Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals
12. Saquon Barkley, New York Giants
13. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans
14. D'Andre Swift, Philadelphia Eagles
15. David Montgomery, Detroit Lions
16. Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams
17. James Cook, Buffalo Bills
18. Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers
19. Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers
20. James Conner, Arizona Cardinals
Managers should take a similar approach at running back, sticking with top stars like Christian McCaffrey and Raheem Moster while playing the matchups with second-tier RBs when possible.
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson, for example, could be a top Week 16 play against an Indianapolis Colts defense surrendering an average of 23.4 fantasy points to opposing RBs.
Look for high-volume backs among that second-tier, like surging Buffalo Bills standout James Cook, who topped 200 scrimmage yards in Week 15.
On the waiver front, it's worth seeing if Ty Chandler is available. The Minnesota Vikings back is rostered in 52 percent of Yahoo leagues and 46 percent of ESPN leagues. Filling in for Alexander Mattison, he tallied three catches, 23 carries, 157 scrimmage yards and a touchdown in Week 15.
Wide Receiver
3 of 4
1. A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles
2. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys
3. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
4. Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins
5. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams
6. Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers
7. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
8. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
9. Davante Adams, Las Vegas Raiders
10. Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers
11. D.J. Moore, Chicago Bears
12. Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams
13. DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks
14. Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints
15. Noah Brown, Houston Texans
16. Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins
17. Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals
18. Amari Cooper, Cleveland Browns
19. Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs
20. Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati Bengals
Our biggest tip for receivers is for Hill managers to track his ankle injury ahead of the weekend. The Cowboys have allowed an average of just 23.8 fantasy points to opposing receivers, but their defense has been less efficient on the road.
Given Hill's role in the Miami Dolphins offense, he's a high-floor play, regardless of the matchup, if healthy.
According to Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, Hill is likely to return to face Dallas this week. Per Florio's source, "it's currently likely that Hill will play."
"Likely" isn't the same as guaranteed, though, so track Hill's status throughout the week.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase is also expected to miss time with a separated shoulder, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. That should boost the value of teammates Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd.
With Stroud potentially returning in Week 16, Texans receiver Noah Brown has top-20 scoring potential. He had eight catches for 82 yards and a touchdown with Case Keenum under center in Week 15, and while the Cleveland Browns are a tough matchup, Brown should again see a high volume of targets.
Brown is rostered in 40 percent of both Yahoo and ESPN leagues.
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Tight End
4 of 4
1. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
2. T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings
3. David Njoku, Cleveland Browns
4. Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals
5. Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions
6. Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars
7. Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills
8. Darren Waller, New York Giants
9. Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys
10. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
11. Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens
12. Hunter Henry, New England Patriots
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce remains one of the safest plays in fantasy, but Minnesota's T.J. Hockenson isn't far behind. This week, Cleveland's David Njoku should enter the upper echelon.
Njoku has formed a strong rapport with quarterback Joe Flacco and has racked up 16 catches for 195 yards and three touchdowns over the past two weeks. This week, he'll face a Texans defense that has surrendered an average of 11.0 fantasy points to opposing tight ends.
Unfortunately, there aren't a ton of attractive waiver targets at the position this late in the season. Hunter Henry of the New England Patriots is perhaps the only must-add in Week 16.
Henry has caught 10 passes for 106 yards and three touchdowns over the past two weeks, and he's readily available in most leagues. The 29-year-old is rostered in 24 percent of Yahoo leagues and 18 percent of ESPN leagues.
*Fantasy roster and scoring information from FantasyPros.
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