Week 16 Fantasy Football Rankings: Top 20 Players at Every Position

It's Week 16 of the 2012 NFL season, and that means that in the vast majority of fantasy-football leagues, this is it.

Championship Week!

This week, two teams enter, but only one will leave, and that team will hoist the trophy as the league champions, earning the right to spend the next several months talking smack to his or her league-mates.

Since talking a little junk is something that just about everyone enjoys from time to time, let's get you set up to do just that with a look at the top-20 players at every position in point-per-reception (PPR) fantasy-football leagues.

Peyton Manning and the Top 20 Quarterbacks

It's pretty safe to say that Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning answered the questions about his 2012 comeback in emphatic fashion, as the four-time NFL MVP has topped 4,000 passing yards and ranks among the top-five fantasy options at his position this year.

The Broncos have to keep winning to hang on to the second seed in the AFC, which means that Denver will come out firing this week in a top-10 fantasy matchup against the Cleveland Browns.

1. Peyton Manning - DEN vs. CLE

2. Drew Brees - NO at DAL

3. Aaron Rodgers - GB vs. TEN

4. Tom Brady - NE at JAX

5. Cam Newton - CAR vs. OAK

6. Matt Ryan - ATL at DET

7. Tony Romo - DAL vs. NO

8. Matthew Stafford - DET vs. ATL

9. Andrew Luck - IND at KC

10. Ben Roethlisberger - PIT vs. CIN

11. Eli Manning - NYG at BAL

12. Robert Griffin III - WAS at PHI

13. Colin Kaepernick - SF at SEA

14. Josh Freeman - TB vs. STL

15. Andy Dalton - CIN at PIT

16. Joe Flacco - BAL vs. NYG

17. Russell Wilson - SEA vs. SF

18. Matt Schaub - HOU vs. MIN

19. Sam Bradford - STL at TB

20. Carson Palmer - OAK at CAR

Adrian Peterson and the Top 20 Running Backs

Much like Peyton Manning, Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson entered the 2012 season amid questions about his health, and much like Manning, Peterson beat those questions senseless with a hammer.

The sixth-year pro leads the NFL in rushing, is averaging a gaudy 6.3 yards a carry and is within striking distance of both 2,000 rushing yards and the single-season rushing record.

Screw the matchup. The way Peterson's playing right now, I'd start him against the 1985 Chicago Bears.

1. Adrian Peterson - MIN at HOU

2. Arian Foster - HOU vs. MIN

3. DeMarco Murray - DAL vs. NO

4. Ray Rice - BAL vs. NYG

5. Doug Martin - TB vs. STL

6. C.J. Spiller - BUF at MIA

7. Matt Forte - CHI at ARI

8. Jamaal Charles - KC vs. IND

9. Trent Richardson - CLE at DEN

10. Chris Johnson - TEN at GB

11. Alfred Morris - WAS at PHI

12. Darren McFadden - OAK at CAR

13. Stevan Ridley - NE at JAX

14. Steven Jackson - STL at TB

15. Marshawn Lynch - SEA vs. SF

16. Frank Gore - SF at SEA

17. DeAngelo Williams - CAR vs. OAK

18. Knowshon Moreno - DEN vs. CLE

19. Darren Sproles - NO at DAL

20. BenJarvus Green-Ellis - CIN at PIT

Calvin Johnson and the Top 20 Wide Receivers

The Detroit Lions have been a massive disappointment in 2012, but the blame for the team's current six-game losing streak can hardly be laid on wide receiver Calvin Johnson.

The 27-year-old is the first player in NFL history with over 1,600 receiving yards in successive seasons, tied an NFL mark a week ago with his seventh straight 100-yard game, and Johnson is on a pace that would set a new single-season record for receiving yards.

1. Calvin Johnson - DET vs. ATL

2. Brandon Marshall - CHI at ARI

3. A.J. Green - CIN at PIT

4. Julio Jones - ATL at DET

5. Reggie Wayne - IND at KC

6. Andre Johnson - HOU vs. MIN

7. Victor Cruz - NYG at BAL

8. Demaryius Thomas - DEN vs. CLE

9. Wes Welker - NE at JAX

10. Roddy White - ATL at DET

11. Vincent Jackson - TB vs. STL

12. Dez Bryant - DAL vs. NO

13. Eric Decker - DEN vs. CLE

14. Cecil Shorts - JAX vs. NE

15. Randall Cobb - GB vs. TEN

16. Marques Colston - NO at DAL

17. Mike Wallace - PIT vs. CIN

18. Steve Smith - CAR vs. OAK

19. Brian Hartline - MIA vs. BUF

20. Danny Amendola - STL at TB

Tony Gonzalez and the Top 20 Tight Ends

Before this season, Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez dropped in many fantasy drafts, as many predicted that Gonzo's advanced age would lead to a decline in his productivity.

Um, oops.

Not only has the 16th-year veteran's production not declined, but Gonzalez is on pace for the fifth 1,000-yard season of his illustrious career, and this week, Gonzalez draws a favorable Saturday-night matchup with the Detroit Lions.

1. Tony Gonzalez - ATL at DET

2. Aaron Hernandez - NE at JAX

3. Jimmy Graham - NO at DAL

4. Jason Witten - DAL vs. NO

5. Owen Daniels - HOU vs. MIN

6. Heath Miller - PIT vs. CIN

7. Greg Olsen - CAR vs. OAK

8. Martellus Bennett - NYG at BAL

9. Jermaine Gresham - CIN at PIT

10. Brandon Myers - OAK at CAR

11. Dennis Pitta - BAL vs. NYG

12. Antonio Gates - SD at NYJ

13. Jermichael Finley - GB vs. TEN

14. Brandon Pettigrew - DET vs. ATL

15. Kyle Rudolph - MIN at HOU

16. Marcedes Lewis - JAX vs. NE

17. Vernon Davis - SF at SEA

18. Dallas Clark - TB vs. STL

19. Scott Chandler - BUF at MIA

20. Brent Celek - PHI vs. WAS

Stephen Gostkowski and the Top 20 Kickers

There are a great many things that I will miss as fantasy-football season comes to a close.

Ranking kickers is not one of them.

It has to be done, though, and in championship week, Stephen Gostkowski of the New England Patriots, who is fantasy's top-scoring kicker and faces a Jacksonville Jaguars team allowing the most fantasy points to the position, gets the nod as fantasy's top foot.

1. Stephen Gostkowski - NE at JAX

2. Matt Bryant - ATL at DET

3. Matt Prater - DEN vs. CLE

4. Shayne Graham - HOU vs. MIN

5. Dan Bailey - DAL vs. NO

6. Lawrence Tynes - NYG at BAL

7. Mason Crosby - GB vs. TEN

8. Garrett Hartley - NO at DAL

9. Jason Hanson - DET vs. ATL

10. Justin Tucker - BAL vs. NYG

11. Connor Barth - TB vs. STL

12. Josh Brown - CIN at PIT

13. Kai Forbath - WAS at PHI

14. Graham Gano - CAR vs. OAK

15. Shaun Suisham - PIT vs. CIN

16. Blair Walsh - MIN at HOU

17. Adam Vinatieri - IND at KC

18. Greg Zuerlein - STL at TB

19. Sebastian Janikowski - OAK at CAR

20. David Akers - SF at SEA

Chicago Bears and the Top 20 Defenses

In fantasy football, picking a team defense can be as much about the matchup as anything, but in Week 16, we have a perfect storm of solid defense meets great matchup.

That solid defense belongs to cornerback Charles Tillman and the Chicago Bears, and fantasy football's top-scoring defense should have a field day against the anemic Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

Good luck this week, and have a merry Christmas everybody!

1. Chicago Bears - CHI at ARI

2. New England Patriots - NE at JAX

3. Denver Broncos - DEN vs. CLE

4. Green Bay Packers - GB vs. TEN

5. Seattle Seahawks - SEA vs. SF

6. Washington Redskins - WAS at PHI

7. San Diego Chargers - SD at NYJ

8. Cincinnati Bengals - CIN at PIT

9. San Francisco 49ers - SF at SEA

10. Houston Texans - HOU vs. MIN

11. Carolina Panthers - CAR vs. OAK

12. Atlanta Falcons - ATL at DET

13. Miami Dolphins - MIA vs. BUF

14. Pittsburgh Steelers - PIT vs. CIN

15. New York Giants - NYG at BAL

16. New York Jets - NYJ vs. SD

17. Dallas Cowboys - DAL vs. NO

18. Indianapolis Colts - IND at KC

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - TB vs. STL

20. Arizona Cardinals - ARI vs. CHI