Fantasy Football Week 16 Rankings: Top Players, Sleepers and Positional Guide
With Week 16 set to kick off on Thursday night, most season-long fantasy leagues are deep into their postseasons.
If you've managed to make your playoffs, congratulations. Getting into the dance is the first step toward winning a championship. However, that doesn't mean that the hard work is over. Winning is still a priority, and unfortunately, injuries could make that difficult.
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, for example, was placed in the concussion protocol after Sunday night's game against the Baltimore Ravens. Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase is expected to miss time with a separated shoulder.
Managers may have to focus heavily on the matchups and play the waiver in Week 16 to advance. Below, we'll run down our top plays of Week 16 and examine some potential sleepers to consider targeting on the wire.
All rankings and picks are based on point-per-reception (PPR) scoring.
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. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams.
While Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen didn't do a ton as a passer in Week 15—he was an efficient 7-of-15 for 94 yards and a touchdown—he did add 24 yards and a score on the ground.
Allen also represents our favorite play of Week 16, as Buffalo is set to visit the Los Angeles Chargers. Los Angeles has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield tops our waiver-wire list, following a 381-yard, four-touchdown performance against the Green Bay Packers. The Buccaneers will host the Jaguars, who have allowed the third-most fantasy points to QBs.
Mayfield is rostered in 54 percent of Yahoo leagues and 49 percent of ESPN leagues. If he's unavailable, Bengals quarterback Jake Browning is worth a look—though Chase's injury limits his floor.
Browning is rostered in 47 percent of Yahoo leagues and 37 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. De'Von Achane, Miami Dolphins
5. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
6. Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons
7. Travis Etienne Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars
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
There's no reason to pivot away from Christian McCaffrey as the top RB in Week 16. The San Francisco 49ers will host a terrific Baltimore Ravens defense on Monday night, but McCaffrey is likely to have an extremely high workload.
The Ravens rank first in net yards per pass play allowed but only 21st in yards per carry allowed. Kyle Shanahan's plan should involve using McCaffrey early and often.
On the waiver front, Minnesota Vikings running back Ty Chandler should draw plenty of attention this week. He saw a high-volume role in Week 15, finishing with three catches, 23 carries, 157 scrimmage yards and a touchdown.
Chandler is rostered in is rostered in 53 percent of Yahoo leagues and 46 percent of ESPN leagues.
Chicago Bears running back Roschon Johnson is a viable sleeper this week against a poor Arizona Cardinals defense. Johnson tallied four receptions and 60 scrimmage yards last week, while the Cardinals have surrendered the most fantasy points to opposing RBs.
Johnson is rostered in 21 percent of Yahoo leagues and 23 percent of ESPN leagues.
Wide Receiver
3 of 4
1. A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles
2. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys
3. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
4. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams
5. Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins
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. Noah Brown, Houston Texans
15. Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins
16. Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals
17. Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints
18. Amari Cooper, Cleveland Browns
19. Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs
20. Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati Bengals
Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill is expected to return after missing Week 15 with an ankle injury. However, his status uncertainty knocks him down the rankings a bit. Philadelphia Eagles wideout A.J. Brown takes our top spot, given his matchup with the New York Giants.
The Giants have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing receivers.
Houston's Noah Brown is a strong waiver target after catching eight passes for 82 yards and a touchdown in Week 15. However, he isn't the strongest Week 16 play against a Cleveland Browns defense that has surrendered the second-fewest fantasy points to receivers.
Brown is rostered in 41 percent of Yahoo leagues and 40 percent of ESPN leagues.
Managers looking for a Week 16 sleeper should consider Cincinnati's Tyler Boyd. He'll likely serve a large role with Chase out, and the Pittsburgh Steelers defense represents a middling matchup.
Pittsburgh has allowed the 18th-most fantasy points to WRs, and it won't have standout safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (knee) this week. Boyd is rostered in 49 percent of Yahoo leagues and 43 percent of 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. Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys
9. Darren Waller, New York Giants
10. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
It's impossible to move off of Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, even against a vastly improved Las Vegas Raiders defense. Kelce remains the highest-floor tight end in football, and he caught six passes for 91 yards the last time these two AFC West rivals faced off.
New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry should be a top waiver claim this week, as he's found a rapport with quarterback Bailey Zappe. He has 10 passes for 106 yards and three touchdowns over the past two weeks, and he's rostered in only 24 percent of Yahoo leagues and 18 percent of ESPN leagues.
While the Denver Broncos defense has improved in-season, it has still allowed the most fantasy points to tight ends over the course of the year.
If Henry isn't available, Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton can be considered a deep sleeper. He caught two passes for 44 yards last week and is set to face a Jaguars defense that has allowed the third-most fantasy points to tight ends.
Otton is rostered in 34 percent of Yahoo leagues and 25 percent of ESPN leagues.
**Fantasy roster and scoring information from FantasyPros.
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