Fantasy Football Week 16 Cheat Sheet: Waiver, Rankings, Projections and More

A fantasy football championship is just one more win away for the few owners still in contention. However, if you're not in that category, fret not. You can still end your season on a high note by taking down an opposing owner in your league's consolation match.

Week 16 features plenty of divisional contests, which can be both a blessing and a curse for fantasy enthusiasts. On one hand, we'll be working with a point of reference in this scenario, as players have likely faced their impending opponents once already this season. Of course, with the NFL's playoffs just two weeks away, these intra-division contests can be highly intense and lead to low-scoring affairs.

Knowing which of these matchups to avoid and which to exploit is absolutely crucial for your late-season success. This is where a cheat sheet really comes in handy.

Below you'll find the top-10 rankings at each skill position, projections for some intriguing sleeper plays and some waiver-wire advice for those of you in keeper leagues. Also, keep in mind there are two games played on Saturday in Week 16. Don't get caught sleeping.

Skill-Position Rankings

Rank	QB	RB	WR	TE
1	Aaron Rodgers, GB	Le'Veon Bell, PIT	Jordy Nelson, GB	Rob Gronkowski, NE
2	Andrew Luck, IND	DeMarco Murray, DAL	Dez Bryant, DAL	Jimmy Graham, NO
3	Tom Brady, NE	LeSean McCoy, PHI	Calvin Johnson, DET	Greg Olsen, CAR
4	Drew Brees, NO	Eddie Lacy, GB	T.Y. Hilton, IND	Julius Thomas, DEN
5	Matt Ryan, ATL	Jamaal Charles, KC	Julio Jones, ATL	Travis Kelce, KC
6	Peyton Manning, DEN	Justin Forsett, BAL	Antonio Brown, PIT	Antonio Gates, SD
7	Tony Romo, DAL	C.J. Anderson, DEN	Demaryius Thomas, DEN	Delanie Walker, TEN
8	Joe Flacco, BAL	Joique Bell, DET	A.J. Green, CIN	Dwayne Allen, IND
9	Matthew Stafford, DET	Jonathan Stewart, CAR	Odell Beckham Jr., NYG	Jason Witten, DAL
10	Mark Sanchez, PHI	Matt Forte, CHI	Jeremy Maclin, PHI	Owen Daniels, BAL

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan has been on fire of late. The offense is clicking, and the signal-caller has now put up three consecutive 300-yard games, resulting in 20 or more fantasy points in each contest. Even without Julio Jones in the fold in Week 15, Ryan still passed for 310 yards and two touchdowns and looked extremely comfortable in the pocket.

Now, Ryan enters the most pivotal contest of the season against the New Orleans Saints. A win in Week 16, and the Falcons are just one victory away from earning the NFC South crown and a playoff berth. The Saints looked good against Jay Cutler on Monday night but did allow 25 and 35 fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks in their previous two games, respectively.

Just in case you need another reason to start Ryan in Week 16, take a look at this tweet from D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Detroit Lions running back Joique Bell may not have found the end zone in Week 15, but he still managed to accumulate double-digit fantasy points for the third consecutive game. He continues to get lead-back duties on the Lions offense and has a very favorable matchup in Week 16 against the hapless Chicago Bears.

Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press tweeted Bell's status following the team's Week 15 contest:

The last time Bell faced Chicago, he carried 23 times for 91 yards and two touchdowns on Thanksgiving Day. The Bears simply seem deflated recently, and Detroit has an NFC North title on the line. Expect the intensity brought by Bell and Co. to propel the running back to another big game against Chicago's defense.

There's plenty to like about Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jeremy Maclin in Week 16. He continues to be the team's most reliable wide receiver, even when quarterback Mark Sanchez struggles, and has a good chance to duplicate one of his strongest performances of the season in a rematch against the Washington Redskins.

The last time Maclin met Washington, he reeled in eight receptions for 154 yards and a touchdown for 21 fantasy points. Since then, the Redskins haven't been much better against opposing wide receivers, just recently allowing three touchdown grabs to New York Giants rookie Odell Beckham Jr. in Week 15.

You shouldn't really need to be told to start New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski any given week, but you definitely must be prepared for a big game from the big pass-catcher if you're against him in Week 16. After all, he's facing a New York Jets team that has allowed 12 touchdowns to the position this season and just gave up 93 receiving yards to Delanie Walker in Week 15.

While Gronkowski put up just 68 receiving yards the first time he played New York this season, he should be expected to do far better this time around. The tight end is on a roll right now, accumulating at least 71 yards in each game and scoring a total of seven touchdowns since that meeting.

Sleeper Projections

Pos.	Player	Team	Opp.	Projection
QB	Robert Griffin III	WAS	vs. PHI	260 pass yds, 2 TD, 44 rush yds.
RB	Doug Martin	TB	vs. GB	75 rush yds, TD
WR	Nate Washington	TEN	at JAX	88 rec. yds, TD
TE	Zach Ertz	PHI	at WAS	46 rec. yds, TD
D/ST	Carolina Panthers	CAR	vs. CLE	13 PA, 2 TO, 4 sacks

Don't look now, but Robert Griffin III is back under center for Washington. Colt McCoy's neck injury held him out against the Giants in Week 15, and Griffin put together a solid fantasy performance, throwing for 236 yards, one touchdown and rushing for 46 yards. According to John Keim of ESPN.com, Griffin will start again in Week 16 against the Eagles:

Philadelphia hasn't been fantastic against the pass of late, allowing at least 19 fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks in four of its last five games. Griffin should be treated as a last-ditch option for Week 16, but he has a decent ceiling if you have no other choice.

Doug Martin's workload increased in Week 15, and he came away with 96 yards on 14 carries. He faces the Packers in Week 16, and while the matchup isn't very favorable, Green Bay has allowed double-digit fantasy points to running backs in four of its last five games, and Martin is playing for his job going forward and will want to put on a show in front of the team's home crowd.

With Jake Locker now lost for the season, the Titans added Jordan Palmer to their roster, according to Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean. However, Charlie Whitehurst is Tennessee's best option at quarterback going forward and is expected to start Thursday against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Jaguars defense has been awful this season, and Nate Washington came away with six receptions on 10 targets for 102 yards against the Jets with Whitehurst in for most of the game. That bodes well for a fantasy owner who may be needy at the position for Week 16.

John Paulsen of 4for4.com tweeted his thoughts on the receiver and appeared to agree:

Eagles tight end Zach Ertz has seen his snap count increase lately, which is a great sign heading into a matchup against a Redskins team that has given up more than 20 fantasy points to opposing tight ends in two of its last three contests. Ertz hasn't been consistent this season, but this matchup is good enough to elevate him to sleeper status.

The Carolina Panthers have been playing some much-improved defense recently, holding the Saints to 10 points in Week 14 and the Buccaneers to 17 points in Week 15. Now, this team gets a Cleveland Browns offense that looked completely befuddled with rookie signal-caller Johnny Manziel at the helm, scoring zero points against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Waiver-Wire Targets

Player	Pos.	Team	Ownership
Eli Manning	QB	New York Giants	41.2%
Kerwynn Williams	RB	Arizona Cardinals	28.4%
Doug Martin	RB	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	45.1%
Latavius Murray	RB	Oakland Raiders	36.9%
Andre Williams	RB	New York Giants	35.3%
Charles Johnson	WR	Minnesota Vikings	17.4%
Stedman Bailey	WR	St. Louis Rams	21.9%
Dwayne Allen	TE	Indianapolis Colts	44.9%
Owen Daniels	TE	Baltimore Ravens	17.9%

Some of these players are better short-term fixes for fantasy owners in need. Eli Manning isn't really a keeper option but could help a fantasy team in need of a quarterback in Week 16 despite a difficult matchup against the St. Louis Rams. The same can be said for Stedman Bailey, Dwayne Allen, Doug Martin, Kerwynn Williams and Owen Daniels.

Other players are geared more toward keeper leagues. Oakland running back Latavius Murray is a perfect example. He has two very difficult matchups against the Bills and Broncos to end the season and thus really shouldn't be started. However, he's the team's best option out of the backfield and could continue to hold that title entering next season.

Andre Williams isn't as much of a sure thing as Murray due to the presence of Rashad Jennings in New York, but he's showed some nice flashes of the dominant running style he displayed at Boston College. Fantasy owners should consider stashing him for future use.

Although, don't sleep on Williams as a potential candidate to boost your running back situation this season. Here's what Giants coach Tom Coughlin had to say about Jennings' ankle injury, via Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News:

Charles Johnson has been a revelation on a Minnesota Vikings team in need of an offensive playmaker. He's really starting to come into his own down the final stretch of the season, and his future with the team looks bright. He could become a legitimate fantasy option once quarterback Teddy Bridgewater adjusts to playing in the NFL.

All fantasy statistics and ownership percentages courtesy of ESPN.com standard leagues and current as of December 16 at 12:30 a.m. ET.