Reviewing Week 16
Star Of Stars
QB: Tony Romo – The Cowboys were defeated by the Saints, but nevertheless Romo stepped it up for his most important constituents, his fantasy owners. Romo threw for 416 yards and four TDs, delivering a championship worthy performance on any level. Romo should remain a QB1 on your draft boards for next season.
RB not named Adrian Peterson: Reggie Bush – As may be expected when Bush's name finds its way on this list, his play as a receiver out of the backfield made the most noise. Bush had a modest 65 yards rushing and one TD on the ground on Sunday, but also had four catches for 42 yards and two TDs against the Bills. If Bush remains with Miami next season, he should be viewed as no worse than a solid RB2.
WR: Dez Bryant – Bryant has delivered the breakout season forecasted by many, and on Sunday, he was the primary recipient of Romo's passes. Bryant caught nine balls for 224 yards and 2 TDs against the Saints. If he can continue to keep his head on straight, he will be worthy of WR1 consideration next season.
TE: Antonio Gates – Quiet week for TEs, but we'll give Gates the nod here in appreciation for his years of standout TE performance. Gates caught two passes for 44 yards and one TD against the Jets. Not an overly dominant performance, but as mentioned, not much else to report for TEs in Week 16.
Unforeseen Explosions
As we are now in the final week of the season, there are not as many under the radar performances to report. Those who surprised us previously have by and large either made the leap into consistent performer or have fallen back into oblivion.
Final Playoff Note
Many fantasy seasons have already concluded, but if your league includes Week 17, our rankings are below. Important playoff positioning remains to be determined for several teams, so there shouldn't be too much concern with players sitting (at least with the teams in playoff contention or with playoff births clinched). Be wary of Atlanta sitting its starters half way through the game, and to a lesser extent, it's possible that the Colts and Bengals could do the same. On the flip side, teams eliminated from playoff contention may also choose to sit their key guys. Keep this in mind when deciding who to start for Week 17.
Week 17 Rankings
Quarterbacks
1. Cam Newton
2. Drew Brees
3. Aaron Rodgers
4. Robert Griffin III
5. Tom Brady
6. Tony Romo
7. Peyton Manning
8. Colin Kaepernick
9. Michael Vick
10. Matt Ryan
11. Russell Wilson
12. Ben Roethlisberger
13. Matthew Stafford
14. Andrew Luck
15. Josh Freeman
16. Philip Rivers
17. Eli Manning
18. Andy Dalton
19. Ryan Tannehill
20. Jay Cutler
Running Backs
1. Adrian Peterson
2. Marshawn Lynch
3. C.J. Spiller
4. Alfred Morris
5. Arian Foster
6. Ray Rice
7. Frank Gore
8. Knoshown Moreno
9. Doug Martin
10. Matt Forte
11. Jamaal Charles
12. DeMarco Murray
13. LeSean McCoy
14. Reggie Bush
15. Ahmad Bradshaw
16. Chris Johnson
17. BenJarvus Green-Ellis
18. Shonn Greene
19. Darren McFadden
20. Stevan Ridley
21. Mikel Leshoure
22. Montell Owens
23. Steven Jackson
24. Jackie Battle
25. Montario Hardesty
Wide Receivers
1. Calvin Johnson
2. Dez Bryant
3. Vincent Jackson
4. Brandon Marshall
5. A.J. Green
6. Andre Johnson
7. Wes Welker
8. Demaryius Thomas
9. Victor Cruz
10. Pierre Garcon
11. James Jones
12. Marques Colston
13. Steve Smith
14. Julio Jones
15. Miles Austin
16. Antonio Brown
17. Reggie Wayne
18. Danario Alexander
19. Justin Blackmon
20. Michael Crabtree
21. Mike Williams
22. Randall Cobb
23. Eric Decker
24. Steve Johnson
25. Kenny Britt
Tight Ends
1. Jimmy Graham
2. Jason Witten
3. Aaron Hernandez
4. Tony Gonzalez
5. Greg Olsen
6. Dennis Pitta
7. Rob Gronkowski
8. Jermaine Gresham
9. Antonio Gates
10. Owen Daniels
11. Jermichael Finley
12. Vernon Davis
13. Kyle Rudolph
14. Brent Celek
15. Martellus Bennett