Your complete fantasy football guide to Week 16

If you play fantasy football, this week is the reason why you put in so much effort. Most leagues have their championship games in Week 16, so these are the lineups that will carry you to a title or leave you wallowing in disappointment. 

Do you start your studs? Or do you play the matchups? Only you can answer that question, but at least we have all the tools you need to make the best decisions.

Let's begin our weekly roundup by answering the question's you're probably thinking ...

Who should I start?

The most basic question of them all. The best thing to do is check our updated Week 16 rankings, courtesy of FantasySharks.com.

Who’s in?

-- Julio Jones. No foolin' this time. Jones has managed to make it through consecutive practices successfully and he's no longer on the injury report for his turf toe. Just in time for fantasy owners, the NFL's leading receiver at 104.4 yards per game will start Saturday against the Panthers.

-- Tom Savage. The Houston Texans offense has struggled all season long with Brock Osweiler at the helm, but it showed some signs of life last week when Savage took over. Perhaps even more important than engineering a comeback win over the Jaguars, Savage was able to connect with wideout DeAndre Hopkins eight times for 87 yards. A productive Hopkins could be huge for fantasy owners this week vs. Cincinnati.

Who’s out?

– Adrian Peterson. Out since injuring his knee in Week 2, Peterson tried to come back last week, but was ineffective as the Vikings fell behind early. He tweaked his knee and also hurt his groin after carrying the ball six times for 22 yards. Jerick McKinnon and Matt Asiata go back to splitting backfield touches.

-- Tyler Eifert and A.J. Green. A back injury will rob the Bengals of their top red-zone threat. Eifert had four touchdowns in three games before the injury limited him to just one catch for nine yards last week. To add to the offensive woes, Green is still not healthy enough to play on his injured hamstring. He participated in practice on a limited basis, but was ruled out early Saturday morning. Look for a heavy dose of Brandon LaFell and Tyler Boyd.

Who’s questionable?

-- Lamar Miller. The Texans workhorse has missed a couple of practices already this week with a bum ankle, and a Saturday game vs. the Bengals will test his ability to ramp up his preparation. His iffy status could be another reason for Savage to throw the ball more frequently.

-- Matt Forte. Actually the Jets running back is officially listed as doubtful, so look for another heavy dose of Bilal Powell, who torched the Dolphins for 162 total yards last week. The New England Patriots defense may be a bit tougher to dissect, but Powell should get another heavy workload.

Every week, we highlight the top injury concerns fantasy owners are facing. But remember, everything is subject to change, so be sure to make one final check before kickoff.

The best thing to do is keep an eye on Paste BN Sports' NFL home page and follow Paste BN Fantasy Sports on Twitter.

Where’s the extra edge?

– Still torn over which borderline players to sit or start? Marc Caviglia of Bruno Boys Fantasy Football examines some of this week’s tough calls.

– For The Win's Steven Ruiz has this week’s fantasy studs, duds and sleepers. 

-- If you're looking for some players who could emerge unexpectedly this week and be worth starting in deep leagues ... or who could put you over the top in daily fantasy, check out these deep sleepers from TheFantasyGreek.com.

-- We'll also answer your questions on Sunday morning before the games start in our weekly chat.

How's the weather? 

The conditions can have a major impact on how each game unfolds, especially with bitter cold temperatures expected for Packers-Bears in Chicago and Titans-Chiefs in Kansas City. Keep up-to-date in real time with NFLWeather.com.

What about the matchups?

Here are the NFL rankings in average yards gained and allowed through the first 15 weeks of the season.