Fantasy Football Week 16 Rankings: Top Players, Sleepers and Positional Guide

Deep breaths, everyone.

For many of the most fortunate among us, this is championship week for the 2018 fantasy football season.

Conquer this challenge, and you'll have bragging rights for nearly a calendar year. Make a mistake now, though, and you're looking at months of what-if questions and a serious case of sleep deprivation.

No pressure or anything, folks.

We're here to help as best we can with top-10 rankings at each offensive position, plus a must-start option and sleeper—available in 50-plus percent of Yahoo Sports leagues—at every spot.

Quarterbacks

1. Patrick Mahomes, KC (at SEA)

2. Drew Brees, NO (vs. PIT)

3. Ben Roethlisberger, PIT (at NO)

4. Deshaun Watson, HOU (at PHI)

5. Andrew Luck, IND (vs. NYG)

6. Russell Wilson, SEA (vs. KC)

7. Baker Mayfield, CLE (vs. CIN)

8. Dak Prescott, DAL (vs. TB)

9. Aaron Rodgers, GB (at NYJ)

10. Matt Ryan, ATL (at CAR)

Must-Start: Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons (at Carolina Panthers)

Danny Karnik/Associated Press

Trusting the 2018 Falcons to get anything right has largely been an exercise in futility. Entrusting their quarterback, Matt Ryan, hasn't been as risky, although the former MVP has struggled at times with consistency.

This, however, should not be one of his down weeks.

Carolina's defense is a generous bunch to opposing quarterbacks, yielding them the seventh-most fantasy points. Ryan, himself, has taken advantage, shredding this unit for 272 yards on 82.1 percent passing and a couple scores back in Week 2, back when the now-free-falling Panthers were actually playing for something.

Ryan is also trending up after his Week 13 flop. He has six total touchdowns against just one interception over his last two outings.

Sleeper: Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills (at New England Patriots)

Running Backs

1. Todd Gurley, LAR (at ARI)

2. Christian McCaffrey, CAR (vs. ATL)

3. Ezekiel Elliott, DAL (vs. TB)

4. Saquon Barkley, NYG (at IND)

5. Melvin Gordon, LAC (vs. BAL)

6. Nick Chubb, CLE (vs. CIN)

7. Alvin Kamara, NO (vs. PIT)

8. Marlon Mack, IND (vs. NYG)

9. Dalvin Cook, MIN (at DET)

10. Joe Mixon, CIN (at CLE)

Must-Start: Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals (at Cleveland Browns)

Gary Landers/Associated Press

Google has become an essential tool to help get through a Bengals game. When the likes of A.J. Green, Andy Dalton, Tyler Eifert and perhaps Tyler Boyd are all out of the equation, Cincinnati's offense has almost morphed into an anonymous collection of fill-ins.

Except for Joe Mixon.

"Mixon is the only weapon left in the Bengals' offense and over the last two weeks he's carried the ball 52 times and been targeted nine times while playing 99 of the team's 147 offensive snaps," Dan Clasgens wrote for Pro Football Focus. "Only [Derrick] Henry has scored more fantasy points at running back during that span."

A workload like Mixon's is always worth noting. So, too, is a matchup with the Browns, who allow the sixth-most fantasy points to running backs and second-most rushing scores.

Sleeper: Elijah McGuire, New York Jets (vs. Green Bay Packers)

Wide Receivers

1. Julio Jones, ATL (at CAR)

2. DeAndre Hopkins, HOU (at PHI)

3. Davante Adams, GB (at NYJ)

4. Antonio Brown, PIT (at NO)

5. Michael Thomas, NO (vs. PIT)

6. Keenan Allen, LAC (vs. BAL)

7. Tyreek Hill, KC (at SEA)

8. Odell Beckham Jr., NYG (at IND)

9. JuJu Smith-Schuster, PIT (at NO)

10. T.Y. Hilton, IND (vs. NYG)

Must-Start: JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers (at New Orleans Saints)

Don Wright/Associated Press

Some owners might look at JuJu Smith-Schuster's recent game log and find disappointment. That's fair. It's hard to feel anything but bummed when a stud receiver has a pair of sub-50-yard receiving efforts in potential playoff weeks.

But more discerning observers might focus on different digits—like the 19 targets thrown his way over the seemingly forgettable Weeks 13 and 15.

The point is Smith-Schuster—ostensibly a big-play complement entering the season—is a focal point of Pittsburgh's offense. In fact, the nine targets he received in Week 13 were his fewest since Week 10. And it isn't often he wastes his opportunities. In Weeks 11, 12 and 14, he turned his 39 targets into 29 receptions for 423 yards and three touchdowns.

And now, he's getting what every receiver wants: a date with New Orleans' defense. The Saints allow the most fantasy points to the position and the fifth-most passing yards per game. Assuming this becomes an indoor track meet—the over/under is a robust 53.5 points, per OddsShark—Smith-Schuster should be looking at a monster performance.

Sleeper: DaeSean Hamilton, Denver Broncos (at Oakland Raiders)

Tight Ends

1. Travis Kelce, KC (at SEA)

2. Zach Ertz, PHI (vs. HOU)

3. George Kittle, SF (vs. CHI)

4. Eric Ebron, IND (vs. NYG)

5. Jared Cook, OAK (vs. DEN)

6. Rob Gronkowski, NE (vs. BUF)

7. Jimmy Graham, GB (at NYJ)

8. Austin Hooper, ATL (at CAR)

9. Evan Engram, NYG (at IND)

10. David Njoku, CLE (vs. CIN)

Must-Start: David Njoku, Cleveland Browns (vs. Cincinnati Bengals)

Ron Schwane/Associated Press

Like most non-elites at tight end, David Njoku has vacillated between moderate highs and problematic lows.

But if you can peg his peaks just right, you can get decent mileage out of the former first-rounder. He's hit double-digit production three times this season, recording at least four receptions, 52 yards and a touchdown in each of those contests.

It just so happens that one of those outings came against his Week 16 opponent, a Bengals defense allowing the fourth-most fantasy points to tight ends and fourth-most passing yards per game.

Eight different tight ends have found the end zone against Cincy this season. While Njoku can't join that group since he's already a member, he could be the first to have a second score against them.

Sleeper: Matt LaCosse, Denver Broncos (at Oakland Raiders)

Statistics used courtesy of NFL.com and ESPN.com. Fantasy scoring and ownership obtained via Yahoo Sports.