Fantasy Football Week 16: Updated Rankings for Sunday's Action

The Chicago Bears just made a rookie mistake that fantasy football players competing for a championship are too smart to commit.

After an ugly three-interception showing on Monday night, Jay Cutler will get jettisoned to the bench in favor of Jimmy Clausen. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the shocking news.

The beleaguered quarterback shared a similar reaction to fans and fantasy owners across the world, per the team's Twitter page.

In benching Cutler, Marc Trestman committed the cardinal sin of overreacting, letting recency bias cloud his judgment before thinking through his bold decision. Despite his 18 interceptions, Cutler also sports a 66.1 completion percentage and 6.93 yards per attempt this season.

Over his uneventful career, Clausen has completed 51.9 percent of his passes with 5.20 yards per attempt. Desperate to make a statement and locate a scapegoat, the Bears will suffer a severe downgrade under center this weekend.

There's a valuable lesson to learn here: Don't become a prisoner of the moment. Balance recent results with the full picture while remembering that future production is all that matters now. Just because an established player failed to contribute last week doesn't mean he'll fall short again during the colossal Week 16.

With a fantasy title dangling, it'd sure be a shame to lose with the more proven option watching from the bench.

Quarterback

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Aaron Rodgers	at Tampa Bay
2	Drew Brees	Atlanta
3	Andrew Luck	at Dallas
4	Tom Brady	at NY Jets
5	Peyton Manning	at Cincinnati
6	Matt Ryan	at New Orleans
7	Matthew Stafford	at Chicago
8	Russell Wilson	at Arizona
9	Tony Romo	Indianapolis
10	Mark Sanchez	at Washington
11	Ben Roethlisberger	Kansas City
12	Joe Flacco	at Houston
13	Alex Smith	at Pittsburgh
14	Eli Manning	at St. Louis
15	Philip Rivers	at San Francisco

Luckily for fantasy gamers, the Detroit Lions are not benching Matthew Stafford after undergoing an ordinary day against the Minnesota Vikings. Playing the unaccustomed game-manager role, he compiled 153 yards and one touchdown on a season-low 28 passes.

It was good enough to propel Detroit to victory, but those numbers won't fly in fantasy formats. Have no fear, as a rematch with the hibernating Bears places him back on the path to his usual plethora of points.

When the NFC North foes met on Thanksgiving, Stafford pummeled Chicago for 390 yards and two touchdowns. Benching the entire secondary wouldn't have orchestrated the same fuss as burning Cutler at the stake, but the NFL's second-worst pass defense deserves more blame for the team's 5-9 record.

Football Outsiders' Scott Kacsmar proves that poor display was far from a one-time occurrence.

Stafford isn't the steadiest quarterback in town, but he's easily a top-10 play this week.

Running Back

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Le'Veon Bell	Kansas City
2	C.J. Anderson	at Cincinnati
3	Eddie Lacy	at Tampa Bay
4	Jamaal Charles	at Pittsburgh
5	Matt Forte	Detroit
6	Mark Ingram	Atlanta
7	Marshawn Lynch	at Arizona
8	Arian Foster	Baltimore
9	LeSean McCoy	at Washington
10	Joique Bell	at Chicago
11	Justin Forsett	at Houston
12	Alfred Morris	Philadelphia
13	Lamar Miller	Minnesota
14	Tre Mason	NY Giants
15	DeMarco Murray	Indianapolis
16	Jeremy Hill	Denver
17	Fred Jackson	at Oakland
18	Steven Jackson	at New Orleans
19	Isaiah Crowell	at Carolina
20	Jonathan Stewart	Cleveland
21	Daniel Herron	at Dallas
22	Doug Martin	Green Bay
23	Andre Williams	at St. Louis
24	Matt Asiata	at Miami
25	Joseph Randle	Indianapolis

Since shining as Week 13's brightest star, Tre Mason floundered for everyone banking on a maintained breakout. Before freaking out on the rookie, realize his results have veered proportionally to the matchups.

Against a bottom-10 rushing defense, Mason registered 164 total yards and three touchdowns. In the following two weeks, he delivered 66 rushing yards against Washington and 33 versus the Arizona Cardinals, two top-10 rush-prevention units.

Back to the bottom we go for his upcoming matchup with the New York Giants, who rank third-last in rushing defense while tying for a league-worst 4.9 yards surrendered per carry. 

Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images

Not only does Mason get a weak opponent, but he's one of the few rushers comfortably entrenched as his team's primary rusher. Over the last seven games, the Auburn alum has averaged 17.8 rushes for the St. Louis Rams, which would prorate to handoffs over 16 games.

Mike Clay of Pro Football Focus detailed his full role in St. Louis' offense.

If those averages hold up, he's in line for 80-90 rushing yards with the potential for goal-line looks. The 89-yard touchdown run against Oakland padded his stats, but Mason will serve just fine as a No. 2 running back or flex play.

Wide Receiver

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Calvin Johnson	at Chicago
2	Odell Beckham Jr.	at St. Louis
3	Antonio Brown	Kansas City
4	Jordy Nelson	at Tampa Bay
5	Demaryius Thomas	at Cincinnati
6	Dez Bryant	Indianapolis
7	Jeremy Maclin	at Washington
8	Randall Cobb	at Tampa Bay
9	A.J. Green	Denver
10	Julio Jones	at New Orleans
11	Mike Evans	Green Bay
12	Alshon Jeffery	Detroit
13	Julian Edelman	at NY Jets
14	Emmanuel Sanders	at Cincinnati
15	T.Y. Hilton	at Dallas
16	Roddy White	at New Orleans
17	Golden Tate	at Chicago
18	Kelvin Benjamin	Cleveland
19	Mike Wallace	Minnesota
20	DeAndre Hopkins	Baltimore
21	Josh Gordon	at Carolina
22	Kenny Stills	Atlanta
23	Marques Colston	Atlanta
24	Vincent Jackson	Green Bay
25	Jarvis Landry	Minnesota

Wow, the Josh Gordon excitement sure died down fast.

Owners patiently stashed him for 11 weeks, waiting for the star wide receiver's suspension to end. At first, he appeared well worth it, opening his season with eight catches and 120 yards against the Atlanta Falcons.

After a solid second showing (seven catches, 75 yards) against the Buffalo Bills, last year's superstar has since underwhelmed. The 23-year-old has combined for five catches and 63 yards on just 11 targets.

Someone in essentially every active league stored Gordon as a weapon to unleash in postseason play, and now he's a shaky start entering Week 16. 

Last year's 117.6 receiving yards per game has to count for something, but can anyone trust him on championship weekend against the Carolina Panthers' No. 12 passing defense? As often the case, it depends.

He's certainly no longer a must-start, especially after Johnny Manziel's dud of an NFL debut. Yet his monumental 2013 season makes him tough to bench over a standard No. 3 wide receiver, maintaining him as a worthwhile gamble for teams not blessed with wideout depth.

Tight End

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Rob Gronkowski	at NY Jets
2	Jimmy Graham	Atlanta
3	Greg Olsen	Cleveland
4	Julius Thomas	at Cincinnati
5	Martellus Bennett	Detroit
6	Travis Kelce	at Pittsburgh
7	Antonio Gates	at San Diego
8	Dwayne Allen	at Dallas
9	Jason Witten	Indianapolis
10	Coby Fleener	at Dallas
11	Jared Cook	NY Giants
12	Mychal Rivera	Buffalo
13	Jordan Reed	Philadelphia
14	Kyle Rudolph	at Miami
15	Heath Miller	Kansas City

Take out Delanie Walker, probably Thursday's night only offensive participant started in standard leagues, and there aren't 12 tight ends to comfortably trot out. 

Because of the position's wasteland, Martellus Bennett remains a dependable option despite Clausen's presence. Last week's four-catch, 36-yard performance resembles his floor, as he has netted at least five targets in every game, ranking third behind Rob Gronkowski and Greg Olsen.

David Banks/Getty Images

The 27-year-old is tied with Olsen with 81 receptions, making him a checkdown clutch for Clausen against a stout Detroit defense. Even if he doesn't light up the box score, he can record six catches for 60 yards, even if everyone must wait until garbage time.

Hardly incredible, but it's better than praying Larry Donnell or Jordan Reed pick this weekend to flourish. 

Defense/Special Teams

Rank	Team	Opponent
1	Seattle Seahawks	at Arizona
2	Buffalo Bills	at Oakland
3	Detroit Lions	at Chicago
4	New England Patriots	at NY Jets
5	Philadelphia Eagles	at Washington
6	Baltimore Ravens	at Houston
7	Green Bay Packers	at Tampa Bay
8	Miami Dolphins	Minnesota
9	St. Louis Rams	NY Giants
10	Carolina Panthers	Cleveland

So many bad quarterbacks, so many chances for defenses to dominate this Sunday.

Clausen makes Detroit an elite play. With Ryan Lindley at quarterback, the Arizona Cardinals are unlikely to score an offensive touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks' No. 1 defense. The Houston Texans are down to Case Keenum or Thad Lewis, which is great news for the Baltimore Ravens.

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Yet, ESPN.com's No. 2 defense this year, the Buffalo Bills, are an elite unit that just flustered Aaron Rodgers. After limiting the MVP favorite to 4.41 yards per attempt with two picks, the Bills now get the Raiders.

Derek Carr averages 5.48 yards per attempt, and it turns out he also isn't Rodgers or Peyton Manning. Owners had to shy away from Buffalo after two brutal matchups it aptly handled, but it is now poised for a massive performance on Sunday.

Kicker

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Stephen Gostkowski	at NY Jets
2	Mason Crosby	at Tampa Bay
3	Adam Vinatieri	at Dallas
4	Dan Bailey	Indianapolis
5	Justin Tucker	at Houston
6	Connor Barth	at Cincinnati
7	Matt Bryant	at New Orleans
8	Cody Parkey	at Washington
9	Shayne Graham	Atlanta
10	Matt Prater	at Chicago

Connor Barth sent several semifinal competitors into the finals with five goals against the San Diego Chargers. Expecting the same result is greedy, but the Denver Broncos' new kicker is worth the start.

If John Fox ever remembers that he has Manning at quarterback, Barth's value could take a hit. With perhaps the greatest quarterback ever to play the game at his disposal, Fox instead decided to let C.J. Anderson average a robust 2.9 yards per carry on 29 handoffs.

Harry How/Getty Images

After a pass-heavy approach failed against the St. Louis Rams, the Broncos have won four straight with a run-dominant attack. It's not the most efficient use of this prolific offense's resources, which is good news for Barth's fantasy owners, and Denver won't change its ways during a winning streak.

Rather than scoring touchdowns, they're settling for field goals. Incredibly enough, a kicker out of a job until Week 13 will shape the outcome of many leagues.