Fantasy Football Week 16: Quarterback rankings for 2-QB leagues

Its the championship in Fantasy Football Week 16, so no time to screw around. These are your go-to quarterback rankings for two-qb leagues.

Fantasy Football Week 16 is the fantasy football championship final in most league formats. There is no time for screwing around with quarterback production, though maybe it’s too late, and you were already screwed over by a stalwart crashing and burning.

Last week, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, and Jimmy Garoppolo brought up the very rear of the top 24. Rodgers and Brady were not expected to excel, but Jimmy G had finally cracked the top 12 last week. It took so much work to get there, and he fizzled against one of the weakest defenses in the game.

Garoppolo didn’t have it as bad as some though. Kyle Allen will move to the bench this week after another slew of turnovers. Drew Lock and Jacoby Brissett fell back to Earth after stellar Week 15s. None of the three ranked any higher than 23rd last week. We were properly cautious. There was no such caution with Philip Rivers, who didn’t reward owners and instead coughed up another multi-turnover game.

Where to turn for reliable production in this, the most important of fantasy showdowns? Who’s the best quarterback play in Fantasy Football Week 16? We’ve got your exclusive rankings right here.

Two brothers from New York, Dan Salem and Todd Salem, debate Fantasy Football Week 16 in today’s NFL Sports Debate.

Fantasy Football Week 16 – The Top 12

Lamar Jackson (Dan’s Ranking: 1, Todd’s Ranking: 1), Deshaun Watson (Dan: 2, Todd: 3), Jameis Winston (TIE – Dan: 4, Todd: 4), Drew Brees (TIE – Dan: 6, Todd: 2), Patrick Mahomes (Dan: 3, Todd: 6), Russell Wilson (Dan: 5, Todd: 7), Dak Prescott (Dan: 8, Todd: 5), Matt Ryan (Dan: 7, Todd: 8), Ryan Tannehill (Dan: 9, Todd: 9), Ryan Fitzpatrick (Dan: 10, Todd: 10), Carson Wentz (Dan: 12, Todd: 11), Kirk Cousins (TIE – Dan: 11, Todd: 15), Kyler Murray (TIE – Dan: 14, Todd: 12)

Todd Salem on Kirk Cousins at 15: In a matchup with Rodgers, Cousins has become the more reliable fantasy option. He has produced steadier results than Rodgers, faces an easier defense in this showdown, and arguably has more on the line in this game, though perhaps that final point could be a knock against taking Cousins.
Dan Salem on Kyler Murray at 14: I don’t love the matchup, but Murray has been consistently good this season. Seattle poses a challenge that I believe the rookie can overcome.

14. Philip Rivers (Dan: 13, Todd: 14)

Dan Salem: Rivers is on an every other week trajectory and seems to excel against his division rivals. I trust him versus Oakland, especially as his time on the Chargers likely winds down.
Todd Salem: Every quarterback is playable when facing Oakland, the worst non-Miami defense in football. This is the reprieve Rivers desperately needs after falling victim to another string of turnovers.

15. Mitchell Trubisky (Dan: 15, Todd: 13)

Dan Salem: I’m still nervous, but Trubisky has proven he’s a valuable starter. Kansas City is playing very good defense of late, so I’m cautiously optimistic.
Todd Salem: What a turnaround for Trubisky. He has been incredibly reliable over the past month of football. Of course, this week poses the toughest pass defense he’s faced since before that streak started.

16. TIE – Daniel Jones (Dan: 16, Todd: 18)

Dan Salem: Its unclear how great Jones will be in his return, but the Giants will do very well against Washington. Consistency is key in the fantasy championship.
Todd Salem: The rookie quarterback was downright solid prior to his injury. He gets another good situation here against Washington and should be utilized in two-QB leagues of all kinds.

16. TIE – Aaron Rodgers (Dan: 18, Todd: 16)

Dan Salem: Rodgers continues to underwhelm and Minnesota will be tough. He’s still got a lot of upside, which ranks him higher than several other players right now.
Todd Salem: Rodgers continues to underwhelm. He doesn’t even have a high floor like we would expect out of this offense. Minnesota is a top-10 unit defensively, which doesn’t help matters if forced to turn to Rodgers this week.

18. Jared Goff (Dan: 17, Todd: 20)

Dan Salem: This is a must-win game for the Rams, so I would think Goff plays very well. But he gets the 49ers, so buyer beware.
Todd Salem: During a year of bad outings, San Francisco in Week 6 was the site of rock bottom for Goff. I actually like that Los Angeles has to make the changes here, and San Fran will be forced to react on the fly to counteract whatever will be different than the first time out. I don’t like it enough to move Goff very high in my rankings though.

19. Jimmy Garoppolo (Dan: 19, Todd: 19)

Dan Salem: Boy has his season been annoying, but Garoppolo could do well against a questionable Rams defense. He could also stink, so there’s that.
Todd Salem: I’m back to not quite trusting Garoppolo after the aforementioned disappointment. The Rams have a good defense, though it’s better against the run. So perhaps that opens the door more for Garoppolo to shine.

20. TIE – Josh Allen (Dan: 21, Todd: 21)

Dan Salem: What will Allen be able to do against the Patriots on Saturday? It’s quite unclear to me, but at least he has that running upside.
Todd Salem: The heights of the Josh Allen experience haven’t materialized since his schedule turned dark, but he has continued to survive. This is another deathly matchup. I still prefer Allen to his quarterback peer in this game.

20. TIE – Gardner Minshew (Dan: N/A, Todd: 17)

Todd Salem: Minshew isn’t all the way back to where he was earlier in the year. He finished with a good day against Oakland last week but more was expected. This is another good matchup here, so hopefully the trend of improvement continues.

22. TIE – Sam Darnold (Dan: 20, Todd: N/A)

Dan Salem: Some might have written Darnold off, but he’s consistently scoring touchdowns. I realize Pittsburgh is solid, but I simply trust Darnold in this spot more than the remaining quarterbacks.

22. TIE – Derek Carr (Dan: 23, Todd: 22)

Dan Salem: If anyone needs a big game, it’s Carr. He wants/needs to cement his future.
Todd Salem: The Chargers are overrated in terms of defense. They are not an above-average group in either department. Carr feels like a safer play down here than some of the other options, even as Oakland’s season took a sharp turn off a cliff.

24. Jacoby Brissett (Dan: 22, Todd: 24)

Dan Salem: This is a nice matchup for Brissett, but he hasn’t produced much recently.
Todd Salem: This could be an important spot in the rankings for some fantasy players, and it’s a tough spot to be in. Brissett has been shaky. He gets an easier defense in front of him this week, but the Carolina weakness will allow Indy to run the ball all day. I hope that leaves wide open play-action for Brissett.

25. Tom Brady (Dan: 24, Todd: 23)

Dan Salem: Brady knows his opponent very well, so he’s got that going for him. Otherwise, there’s little upside to expect from Brady.
Todd Salem: Brady didn’t even have a good fantasy day against Cincinnati. What hope does he have against Buffalo? If you need Brady in your championship matchup, you feel good about it in name only.