Week 16 Flex Rankings for Fantasy Football

For most fantasy football managers, Week 16 means the playoff semifinals. There are also some leagues that may be beginning a two-week final this week. Either way, it is a pivotal week for all who are still alive. The good news is I am here to help by ranking nearly 250 players in my Week 16 Flex rankings.

The bad news is that there are a ton of injuries looming over us like rain clouds. That leaves a lot in the air, and my “subject to change” disclaimer feels extra prevalent this week. For example, I currently have Tee Higgins and Christian Watson well outside my top 100 overall. I will obviously rank them much higher if they are healthy by Sunday. These rankings are based on my Half-PPR projections as of late Tuesday night.

Running Back Notes

It seems like every time the Pittsburgh Steelers call upon Kenneth Gainwell, he produces stellar results. That is not to say that Jaylen Warren has been bad by any means. Warren enters Week 16 as the overall RB19 in Half-PPR formats. He has put up at least 10 fantasy points in nine of 13 games. But Gainwell is the overall RB23 for the year and RB8 since Week 11.

Gainwell has been particularly effective as a receiver out of the backfield. He has at least six receptions in six games, including four of his last five. That gives him a relatively high floor in leagues that reward receptions. Gainwell and Warren square off with the Detroit Lions this week. If I had to choose one Steeler running back, it would be Warren. However, I am not opposed to starting Gainwell in your Flex spot.

It has been a rough stretch run for Raiders rookie running back Ashton Jeanty. Jeanty has finished outside the top 30 fantasy running backs in four of the last five weeks. His disappointing results are not all his fault, of course. Las Vegas is a trainwreck, scoring just 64 points across its last six games.

I can’t imagine things getting much better this week when the Raiders face the Houston Texans. Houston is one of the top defenses in the NFL. Jeanty continues to get enough volume to keep him relevant. Because of that, I still think he can be an RB2 in 12-team leagues this week. If Michael Carter can do it, so can Jeanty. At least that is what I keep telling myself for now.

Speaking of Carter, he seems to have found a new path back to fantasy relevance. He and Emari Demercado may be the best options available with Trey Benson and Bam Knight out of the mix. Carter put up 94 yards from scrimmage last week and should get most of the work in Arizona’s backfield. An upcoming matchup with the Atlanta Falcons is slightly favorable from a fantasy standpoint.

The Falcons rank 24th in defensive DVOA versus the run. They are right around league average in defending running backs in the passing game, as well as total fantasy points allowed to opposing backs. I currently have Carter ranked 58th overall in my Week 16 Flex rankings. That puts him squarely in the Flex conversation, depending on your other options.

Wide Receiver Notes

I think I have a pretty good track record when it comes to ranking players. I feel like my process and results have been solid over the years. So please allow me to admit that I do not have the foggiest clue about how to value Justin Jefferson this week. J.J. McCarthy finally had a good game last week, and Minnesota scored 34 points.

Yet Jefferson caught just two of eight targets for 22 scoreless yards. He has 37 total yards in his last three games. This is a player who averaged over 100 yards per game from 2022 through 2024. Kevin O’Connell has publicly stated he is trying to ensure that Jefferson at least gets to 1,000 yards by the end of the season. So at least he should continue to get a fair amount of targets. Other than that, who knows?

I mentioned Tee Higgins and Christian Watson earlier, but they are certainly not the only wideouts whose Week 16 status is up in the air. I ranked Drake London 36th among wide receivers in my Week 16 Flex rankings. That is surely going to change in one direction or another in the coming days, depending on his status. I did not rank several prominent wide receivers, including Davante Adams, Rome Odunze, and Quentin Johnston. As of now, I do not expect any of them to play this week. None of them practiced on Tuesday. Adams is the least likely to play due to a short turnaround, as the Rams play on Thursday. Fantasy managers should not expect much from any of the aforementioned players this week.

Not only are there plenty of wideouts who are dealing with their own injuries. But others have had their ceilings lowered due to quarterback injuries and issues. One such team is the Indianapolis Colts. The return of Philip Rivers to the NFL appears to have dramatically hampered the fantasy prospects of the Colts’ top three wide receivers.

The combination of Michael Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce, and Josh Downs combined for just 55 receiving yards in the team’s last-second loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Downs did salvage his day with a touchdown, but that feels like more of a “right place, right time” scenario than anything sustainable. Pittman is the one I am most confident about, but this is a very uninspiring group with Rivers under center.

Things may not be quite as dire in Kansas City, but the season-ending injury to Patrick Mahomes is sure to dampen the prospects for their pass catchers. I still believe Rashee Rice is an auto-start in all formats. However, I am not sure whether Gardner Minshew can improve Xavier Worthy’s outlook.

To be fair, it is not as if Worthy was thriving even with Mahomes on the field. The second-year wideout has scored just one touchdown this year and has topped 60 scrimmage yards in just two of 12 games. Worthy has a solid matchup this week against a Tennessee Titans team that ranks 29th in DVOA against the pass and 28th in fantasy points allowed to wide receivers. But the decision of whether or not to start Worthy may depend on the status of some of the injured wide receivers mentioned above.

Tight End Notes

Most of the tight ends that I ranked in the 10-20 range are borderline top-100 players overall in my Week 16 Flex rankings. That means in most instances, you are not considering them for your Flex spot. But there are some interesting names in this group. Darren Waller scored two touchdowns last week (garbage time still counts!) and faces the Cincinnati Bengals this week.

Cincinnati has been terrible at defending tight ends all season long. Dalton Kincaid and Jake Ferguson have been very productive when healthy. However, they may be operating at less than full health. Colby Parkinson has been a beast over the past six weeks and should see increased volume with Davante Adams likely to miss Thursday’s showdown with the Seattle Seahawks.

Other players such as Juwan Johnson, Dalton Schultz, Hunter Henry, and Theo Johnson have been solid fantasy contributors for much of the year. Chargers tight end Oronde Gadsden II has fallen off in recent weeks, but still has the potential to make big plays, especially against a weak Dallas defense. My ranking of tight ends in this range is mostly based on my personal preference. There are only 15 overall spots between my TE10 (Waller) and TE19 (Brenton Strange). So if you have a strong lean towards a player or two in this group, go with your gut.

Check out all of our Week 16 Rankings: Flex Rankings | QB Rankings | RB Rankings | WR Rankings | TE Rankings