Which Fantasy Football Studs Have Cherry Matchups in Finals Week?

When it comes to fantasy football, it's always best to plan ahead.

A handful of fantasy studs will play against favorable opponents in Week 16, giving owners a much better chance of victory in the final round—or, in some cases, to reach the final round—of competition.

If your goal is to win your fantasy league, target these players.

Aaron Rodgers

Opponent: Tennessee Titans

If your team is bound for the playoffs, do everything you can to trade for Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

In Week 16, the Packers take on the Titans' 29th-ranked pass defense at home.

More importantly, Rodgers will in all likelihood have something to play for. At 3-3, the Packers must fight for a spot in the playoffs.

Week 16 could be one of the biggest weeks of his season. Expect Rodgers to absolutely dominate. He might not equal his 38-point performance in Week 6, but he will dominate nonetheless.

Jamaal Charles

Opponent: Indianapolis Colts

Jamaal Charles is among the top three fantasy running backs this season and will absolutely embarrass the Colts defense in Week 16.

This season, the 26th-ranked Colts rush defense has surrendered 18 points to Matt Forte, 28 points to Maurice Jones-Drew and 34 points to Shonn Greene.

It's almost impossible to contextualize how bad that is.

Prior to game against the New York Jets, Greene was averaging less than 3.0 yards per carry. He had more fantasy points in Week 6 against the Colts than he did in his previous five games combined.

Expect a 20-point-plus performance from Charles against what is a weak Colts defense.

Cam Newton

Opponent: Oakland Raiders

Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers take on Oakland's 27th-ranked pass defense and 24th-ranked rush defense in Week 16.

The Raiders have so far surrendered 31 fantasy points to Ben Roethlisberger, 25 to Peyton Manning and a boat-load of rushing yards.

So what's stopping Newton from carrying his team with both his arms and his legs?

At that point in the season, barring a miracle, Newton and the Panthers will have nothing to play for. Surprisingly, this could be a positive for fantasy owners.

He'll definitely play if he's healthy, and playing against a bad defense with no pressure to win could work miracles for his stats.

Michael Vick

Opponent: Washington Redskins

In Week 16, the Philadelphia Eagles will take on the Redskins at home.

At that point in the season, the Eagles will likely be in the midst of the playoff race, which means there's no chance that Vick will take this one off.

Furthermore, the Redskins have the 31st-ranked pass offense in the NFL. Expect a repeat of Vick's 335-yard, three-touchdown performance from his most recent game against Washington 

DeMarco Murray

Opponent: New Orleans Saints

The 1-4 Saints rank last in rush defense, allowing a horrendous 172.8 yards per game.

DeMarco Murray is a matchup nightmare for the this team, who haven't been able to stop anyone at all this year. 

The Dallas Cowboys are sure to be in the thick of the playoff race by Week 16. They do best when Murray runs the ball in heavy doses, so expect a big one out of the running back against the league's worst rush defense.