Very few fantasy football owners need or want to take chances at quarterback if they've reached their championship game, but with start 'em, sit 'em decisions under extreme scrutiny, bad matchups are tougher to stomach than usual. A few worrisome situations stand out in our Week 16 fantasy QB rankings, but chances are you won't need to rely on a sleeper if you've made it this far.
If you are looking for a streamer, you have a couple legit options in Jalen Hurts (@ Cowboys), Mitchell Trubisky (@ Jaguars), and Tua Tagovailoa (@ Raiders). The matchups are fantastic, and all three have enough running ability to pad their stats and raise their floors with their legs. Baker Mayfield (@ Jets) and Jared Goff (@ Seahawks) are two other borderline starting QBs who are worth using this week. (Update: Mayfield is much riskier after most of his receiving corps was placed on the COVID list.)
WEEK 16 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
But would you really play any of these guys over your regular starters in the fantasy championship? You probably would if you had been relying on Ben Roethlisberger (vs. Colts) all year, but it gets tougher when you compare them to superstars with bad matchups, such as Lamar Jackson (vs. Giants), Josh Allen (@ Patriots), and Russell Wilson (vs. Rams).
WEEK 16 PPR RANKINGS:
Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
These QBs have proven they can put up big stats against anyone, and you would be kicking yourself all offseason if you started, say, Trubisky over Josh Allen and lost your fantasy championship. We recommend sticking with Jackson ad Allen over the aforementioned sleepers, but we rank both Hurts and Mayfield ahead of Wilson, who's mostly disappointed over the past six games.
WEEK 16 DFS CASH LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel
Note: Check back throughout the week, as we'll continue to update our QB rankings up until kickoff based on the latest news and injury updates.
WEEK 16 DFS TOURNAMENT LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel
Week 16 Fantasy QB Rankings
These rankings are for four-point passing TD leagues.
WEEK 16 FANTASY: Sleepers | Busts | Start 'em, sit 'em
| Rank | Player |
| 1 | Patrick Mahomes, KC vs. ATL |
| 2 | Aaron Rodgers, GB vs. TEN |
| 3 | Deshaun Watson, HOU vs. CIN |
| 4 | Tom Brady, TB @ DET |
| 5 | Kyler Murray, ARI vs. SF |
| 6 | Justin Herbert, LAC vs. DEN |
| 7 | Josh Allen, BUF @ NE |
| 8 | Lamar Jackson, BAL vs. NYG |
| 9 | Drew Brees, NO vs. MIN |
| 10 | Jalen Hurts, PHI @ DAL. Hurts has had at least 60 rushing yards in each of his two starts, and that alone lets us know he has a high floor in any matchup. The fact he threw for 338 yards last week and faces a Cowboys defense that entered Week 15 tied for the most TD passes allowed is just a bonus. Hurts could always commit some turnovers, but given the matchup, he's a high-floor, high-ceiling option this week. |
| 11 | Ryan Tannehill, TEN @ GB. Tannehill remains a steady, high-floor producer, scoring at least two TDs in all but two games this year. He showed last week he can also put up a monster game with five TDs, and while this week's matchup isn't nearly as favorable, Tannehill should still post 250 yards and two TDs at a minimum. Green Bay hasn't allowed more than one QB touchdown in any of the past three games, but this contest has shootout potential, which should help Tannehill post QB1-caliber stats. |
| 12 | Russell Wilson, SEA vs. LAR. Since the start of Week 10, Wilson has averaged 210.8 passing yards and 1.5 passing TDs per game -- hardly QB1 numbers. He's helped his floor with 35 rushing yards per game in that span, but with seven turnovers, he's giving back points, too. It's tough to get excited about Wilson in this matchup, as the Rams limited him to 248 yards, zero TDs, and three turnovers back in Week 10, but it would be just as difficult to sit Wilson and watch him go off like we know he can in any matchup. |
| 13 | Mitchell Trubisky, CHI @ JAX. In four games since regaining the starter's role, Trubisky has averaged 244.5 passing yards, two passing TDs, and 18.3 rushing yards. Jacksonville has given up at least two QB touchdowns in eight straight games, so Trubisky will likely hit his established floor. He certainly has the upside for more, but it's tough to recommend starting him over players like Wilson and Tannehill given his history. Consider Trubisky the ultimate wild card this week. |
| 14 | Jared Goff, LAR @ SEA. Goff continued his maddening play last week with a just 209 yards and two TDs against the lowly Rams. It was the third straight game in which he accounted for two TDs, which gives him a decent floor, but the lack of big numbers limits his appeal. Seattle remains the worst pass defense in the NFL, so Goff could pop off for a big game, but you're taking a risk if you start him this week. |
| 15 | Tua Tagovailoa, MIA @ LV. Tagovailoa manged two rushing TDs to salvage his day last week, but he was clearly missing his top three receivers (DeVante Parker, Jakeem Grant, Mike Gesicki), as he threw for just 145 yards. The Raiders have allowed at least two QB touchdowns in five straight games, including a 314-yard, three-TD effort last week against rookie Justin Herbert. If even one of Parker (hamstring) or Gesicki (shoulder) is back this week, Tagovailoa, who had 314 passing yards and three total TDs against Kansas City in Week 14, would be a consideration, but his ceiling is still lower than the players in front of him. |
| 16 | Matthew Stafford, DET vs. TB. Stafford played through his rib injury last week and led a nearly perfect first drive that finished with a touchdown strike to Marvin Jones. After that, he was merely average, finishing with 252 yards and the one TD before exiting early because of a lopsided score. Tampa has been getting roasted through the air since Week 7, giving up multiple QB touchdowns in every game but one (Kirk Cousins) and allowing three-plus scores in five games in that span, including last week to Matt Ryan. Stafford, who has one or fewer TDs in four of the past five games, could go off here, but he just hasn't shown an ability to hit a consistently high ceiling this year, and his injury issues always make him a candidate to leave a game early. |
| 17 | Matt Ryan, ATL @ KC. This game could easily turn into a shootout, and it's tempting to play Ryan for that reason alone. However, he's been woefully inconsistent this year, which is shown by his past two games: 224 yards, TD, three INTs against the Chargers; 356 yards, three TDs, zero INTs against Tampa. Given Kansas City's generally solid pass defense and the fact this game is being played outdoors, it's tough to recommend Ryan in fantasy championship games. |
| 18 | Ben Roethlisberger, PIT vs. IND. The Colts pass defense has come back to the pack lately, allowing three straight 300-yard passers. To be fair, two of those were Deshaun Watson -- and Derek Carr only hit that mark because of garbage time -- but Roethlisberger aired it out 44.5 times per game from Week 7 to Week 14, so volume alone gives him the potential to post a decent amount of yards. Like the players above him on this list, Roethlisberger has a decent floor, but he's been struggling with turnovers lately, and his receivers have had trouble hanging onto the ball. He might be more reliable that Goff, Tua, Stafford, or Ryan, but his ceiling doesn't figure to be quite as high given the matchup. |
| 19 | Kirk Cousins, MIN @ NO |
| 20 | Baker Mayfield, CLE @ NYJ |
| 21 | Philip Rivers, IND @ PIT |
| 22 | Drew Lock, DEN @ LAC |
| 23 | Sam Darnold, NYJ vs. CLE |
| 24 | Derek Carr, LV vs. MIA |
| 25 | Brandon Allen, CIN @ HOU |
| 26 | Andy Dalton, DAL vs. PHI |
| 27 | Dwayne Haskins, WAS vs. CAR |
| 28 | Cam Newton, NE vs. BUF |
| 29 | Teddy Bridgewater, CAR @ WAS |
| 30 | C.J. Beathard, SF @ ARI |
| 31 | Daniel Jones, NYG @ BAL |
| 32 | Mike Glennon, JAX vs. CHI |
