Fantasy Football Week 16 Rankings: Projections and Matchups to Love

In most season-long fantasy leagues, Week 16 of the NFL season is championship week. Hopefully, many of you have made it this far, and best of luck to you if so. Of course, luck isn't going to bring home a trophy. Finding the right plays and the best matchups with a title on the line will.

The good news is that bye weeks are a distant memory, and many of the league's teams are still in the playoff mix and unlikely to rest starters. Many of the top options will be available this week, though injuries and tough matchups will still be obstacles.

Managers who drafted Carolina Panthers star running back Christian McCaffrey first overall, for example, will have to play without him this week.

"He's dying to play," Panthers coach Matt Rhule said, per ESPN's David Newton. "Just not quite there yet."

Here, we'll examine the top players who will be there for Week 16. We'll run down the top plays for each key position and dive into some of the top matchup-based plays with stat projections for each of them.

All rankings and picks are based on point-per-reception (PPR) scoring.

1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chief

2. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

3. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals

4. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles

5. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

6. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

7. Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans

8. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

9. Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

10. Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans

   

Matchup to Love: Patrick Mahomes vs. Atlanta Falcons

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is regularly a must-start in fantasy. However, he isn't always the top option, as dual-threat quarterbacks like Josh Allen and Kyler Murray often offer more upside.

However, Mahomes should be the top guy this week, as he has an outstanding matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. No team has allowed more fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks in 2020 than Atlanta.

Now, Mahomes will have some injuries to navigate—and we'll dive into those more shortly—but that shouldn't stop him from exploiting one of the most lackluster defenses in the NFL this season.

Regardless of who else you may have at the QB spot, now is the time to let Mahomes carry you to fantasy glory.

Projection: 395 passing yards, 4 TDs, 35 rushing yards

1. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans

2. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints

3. Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers

4. Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers

5. Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings

6. Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles

7. David Montgomery, Chicago Bears

8. Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns

9. Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders

10. David Johnson, Houston Texans

11. Jeff Wilson Jr., San Francisco 49ers

12. J.K. Dobbins, Baltimore Ravens

13. D'Andre Swift, Detroit Lions

14. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts

15. Chris Carson, Seattle Seahawks

                  

Matchup to Love: David Montgomery at Jacksonville Jaguars

The Chicago Bears are still clinging onto their playoff hopes, and they'll have plenty to fight for against the Jacksonville Jaguars this weekend. This is just one reason to love Bears running back David Montgomery in Week 16.

Another reason is that Montgomery has been going off since Mitchell Trubisky has re-entered the starting lineup and has been playing well. He has topped 100 rushing yards in three of his last four games, and all of his 100-yard outings have come with Trubisky under center.

Also, Montgomery has a tremendous matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jacksonville has allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season, and it's not likely to buck the trend against Chicago.

Montgomery is hitting his stride just in time for championship week. Trust in him to continue.

Projection: 118 rushing yards, 1 TD, 3 receptions, 35 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD

1. Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers

2. Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs

3. Calvin Ridley, Atlanta Falcons

4. Allen Robinson II, Chicago Bears

5. Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills

6. DeAndre Hopkins, Arizona Cardinals

7. A.J. Brown, Tennessee Titans

8. DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks

9. Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers

10. Robert Woods, Los Angeles Rams

11. Terry McLaurin, Washington Football Team

12. Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers

13. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings

14. Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings

15. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

16. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams

17. D.J. Moore, Carolina Panthers

18. Jarvis Landry, Cleveland Browns

19. Marvin Jones Jr., Detroit Lions

20. Brandin Cooks, Houston Texans

   

Matchup to Love: Davante Adams vs. Tennessee Titans

The Green Bay Packers will have their hands full with the Tennessee Titans this week. Derrick Henry, Ryan Tannehill and the Titans offense have been rolling in recent weeks. However, the Titans defense has not.

There's a tremendous amount of shootout potential in this game, which bodes extremely well for Packers wideout Davante Adams.

Adamas is a weekly must-start of course, but this game represents one of his best matchups of the season. Not only should the Packers be forced to stay in pass mode for much of the game, but Adams isn't likely to be contained.

The Titans have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season. Expect Adams to shine.

Projection: 9 receptions, 165 receiving yards, 1 TD

1. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

2. Darren Waller, Las Vegas Raiders

3. T.J. Hockenson, Detroit Lions

4. Robert Tonyan, Green Bay Packers

5. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens

6. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles

7. Logan Thomas, Washington Football Team

8. Noah Fant, Denver Broncos

9. Rob Gronkowski, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

10. Jonnu Smith, Tennessee Titans

   

Matchup to Love: Travis Kelce vs. Atlanta Falcons

Let's be honest. If Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is in your lineup, you're starting him against any opponent. However, he has a matchup this week that is likely to deliver many a fantasy championship.

This week, Kelce and the Chiefs will play host to the Falcons. The Falcons have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends this season. The Chiefs may also be forced to utilize a more pass-oriented approach than usual, as running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire is dealing with an ankle injury.

Wideout Tyreek Hill has also missed practice this week with a hamstring injury.

"The guys who didn’t practice today were Tyreek, Edwards-Helaire and Damien Wilson," Reid said, per Charles Goldman of Chiefs Wire. "They're all making progress."

Expect the Chiefs to go to Kelce early and often in this one and for the star tight end to feast.

Projection: 7 receptions, 115 receiving yards, 2 TDs, 15 rushing yards

   

*Fantasy points allowed from FantasyPros.