Fantasy Football Week 16 Rankings: Last-Minute Outlook for Flex Players

A week's worth of great fantasy preparation cannot save owners still alive in Week 16.

It is Sunday, and the NFL waits for nobody. The normal prep that includes injury reports, matchup-based analysis and more takes as much time as ever, but time is not a bountiful commodity this time of year for owners.

There are ways to stem the tide and turn things back in an owner's favor. One of the biggest Sunday-morning stresses is what do with flex situations.

With that in mind, below is a one-stop shop for flex rankings that concern the remaining games of the week.

Week 16 Flex Rankings

Rank	Player
1	Le'Veon Bell, Pit, RB
2	Jamaal Charles, KC, RB
3	Justin Forsett, Bal, RB
4	C.J. Anderson, Den, RB
5	Arian Foster, Hou, RB
6	DeMarco Murray, Dal, RB
7	Marshawn Lynch, Sea, RB
8	Dez Bryant, Dal, WR
9	Joique Bell, Det, RB
10	Calvin Johnson, Det, WR
11	Eddie Lacy, GB, RB
12	Demaryius Thomas, Den, WR
13	Antonio Brown, Pit, WR
14	Alshon Jeffery, Chi, WR
15	Emmanuel Sanders, Den, WR
16	Jonathan Stewart, Car, RB
17	Julio Jones, Atl, WR
18	Jordy Nelson, GB, WR
19	A.J. Green, Cin, WR
20	Mike Evans, TB, WR
21	Lamar Miller, Mia, RB
22	Andre Williams, NYG, RB
23	Steven Jackson, Atl, RB
24	Rob Gronkowski, NE, TE
25	Kenny Stills, NO, WR
26	DeAndre Hopkins, Hou, WR
27	Odell Beckham Jr., NYG, WR
28	Fred Jackson, Buf, RB
29	Mark Ingram, NO, RB
30	Tre Mason, StL, RB
31	Golden Tate, Det, WR
32	Matt Asiata, Min, RB
33	Matt Forte, Chi, RB
34	Jimmy Graham, NO, TE
35	Daniel Herron, Ind, RB
36	Doug Martin, TB, RB
37	Randall Cobb, GB, WR
38	Steve Smith, Bal, WR
39	T.Y. Hilton, Ind, WR
40	Jeremy Hill, Cin, RB
41	Julian Edelman, NE, WR
42	Sammy Watkins, Buf, WR
43	Isaiah Crowell, Cle, RB
44	Doug Baldwin, Sea, WR
45	Travis Kelce, KC, TE
46	Roddy White, Atl WR
47	Greg Olsen, Car TE
48	Torrey Smith, Bal, WR
49	Jonas Gray, NE, RB
50	Kelvin Benjamin, Car WR
51	Eric Decker, NYJ, WR
52	Brandon LaFell, NE, WR
53	Jason Witten, Dal, TE
54	Pierre Thomas, NO, RB
55	Dwayne Bowe, KC, WR
56	Kenny Britt, StL, WR
57	Mike Wallace, Mia, WR
58	Charles Johnson, Min, WR
59	Trent Richardson, Ind, RB
60	Jarvis Landry, Mia, WR
61	Dwayne Allen, Ind, TE
62	Davante Adams, GB, WR
63	Josh Gordon, Cle WR
64	Jared Cook, StL, TE
65	Martavis Bryant, Pit, WR
66	James Jones, Oak, WR
67	Mohamed Sanu, Cin WR
68	Scott Chandler, Buf, TE
69	Marques Colston, NO, WR
70	Stedman Bailey, StL, WR
71	Vincent Jackson, TB, WR
72	Chris Ivory, NYJ, RB
73	Chris Johnson, NYJ, RB
74	Harry Douglas, Atl, WR
75	Coby Fleener, Ind, TE

Notable Week 16 Flex Plays

Tre Mason, RB, St. Louis Rams (vs. NYG)

Owners still in the playoffs know how important it is not to hold grudges.

Case in point—St. Louis Rams running back Tre Mason.

Owned in 72.5 percent of leagues, Mason has scored just seven total points over the course of his last two games. While a rookie, that sort of drop-off would not hurt as much if he had not posted 33 points in Week 13 against the Oakland Raiders.

Mason is a lock for all flex spots though for a couple of reasons. For one, he averages almost five yards per carry at home. Two, he goes against a New York Giants defense that surrenders the most yards per carry in the league.

Those Giants allow the eighth most points to running backs this season. Five backfields have scored 20 or more points on the unit this season, with that number sure to rise to six if the Rams give their talented rookie enough play.

The matchup is too good to pass up.

Fred Jackson, RB, Buffalo Bills (at OAK) 

USA TODAY Sports

Keep in mind that slight hint earlier about just how awful the Raiders are against opposing running backs.

Now is Fred Jackson and his 76.2 percent of owners' time to shine (if they are still alive, of course). The veteran is not only valuable because of his health and talent as a rusher, but because of his versatility that makes him a threat through the air.

Since returning from injury in Week 12, Jackson is the most-targeted back in the NFL. He had six targets just last week against the Green Bay Packers. The usage helps to explain why, over the course of that four-game span, he has nine or more points three times.

The Raiders allow the second-most points to backs this season, with 12 runners reaching double digits. Even better, the defense has allowed the second-most touchdown catches to the position, which meshes great with Jackson's aerial game right now.

As far as flex players go, matchups rarely align better than this.

Kenny Stills, WR, New Orleans Saints (vs. ATL)

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

New Orleans Saints wideout Kenny Stills is not on the receiving end of praise at the moment for his eight total points in his last two games.

Things will turn for the better, though.

It is easy to forget that Stills averages almost 10 points a game since Week 12 and has seized the proverbial bull by the horns as a top-20 receiver since rookie Brandin Cooks went down for the year with an injury.

All that aside, any wideout that gets to go against the Atlanta Falcons is a strong flex play. Mike Smith's defense allows the fourth-most points to wideouts this season. All wideout corps have scored in double digits, with 13 of the team's 14 opponents scoring a minimum of 20.

Stills missed the first dance against the Falcons back in Week 1, but other Saints wideouts piled on 23 points despite eight catches for 82 yards by tight end Jimmy Graham.

All that should tell owners is that Stills is in for a huge day at home against a defense that simply cannot account for all of the weapons the Saints bring to the field for each snap.

All scoring info courtesy of ESPN standard leagues, as is points-against info and ownership stats as of December 20 at 3 p.m ET. Statistics courtesy of ESPN.