If you're still reading our 2012 fantasy football content, good for you. This means you're still playing games of consequence this season, and that's a good thing. (Or it means we're locked into some co-dependent relationship that's oddly functional. Okay, we can live with that, too.)
You want to fight for every last point in any fantasy game, and it's common for some sharp fantasy owners to play the one-week rental game with respect to defenses and kickers. These two positions always have good options floating around the waiver wire, in part because their week-to-week value is largely matchup-dependent. With that in mind, here is my 1.0 version of rankings at the rental spots in Week 16.
Disagree with what's here? You should, at least on some level. Disagreement is why we have a game in the first place. And given how well you've done to this point in the year, maybe you don't need any outside help. But if you're looking for a way to break a tie between options, allow me to flip the coin for you.
General defense and kicker methodology: Whenever possible, ride with someone tied to a team that's likely to win (the more lopsided, the better). Game flow is essential for these positions. Sure, sometimes the process seems good but the outcome is a Shark Sandwich (waving at you, Week 15 Lions), but over the long run this is a proven way to go about it. Seriously, it works.
Make the jump and the ranks will follow. I'll be tweaking this list as the week goes along, on the Yahoo! site and on Fantasy Pros as well.
Week 16 Defense Ranks
1. Chicago Bears (CHI at ARI )
2. Denver Broncos (DEN vs CLE )
3. Green Bay Packers (GB vs TEN )
4. New England Patriots (NE at JAC )
5. Houston Texans (HOU vs MIN )
6. Carolina Panthers (CAR vs OAK )
7. Indianapolis Colts (IND at KC )
8. Seattle Seahawks (SEA vs SF )
9. San Francisco 49ers (SF at SEA )
10. Washington Redskins (WAS at PHI )
11. Pittsburgh Steelers (PIT vs CIN )
12. New York Jets (NYJ vs SD )
13. San Diego Chargers (SD at NYJ )
14. Miami Dolphins (MIA vs BUF )
15. Atlanta Falcons (ATL at DET )
Week 16 Placekicker Ranks
1. Stephen Gostkowski (NE at JAC)
2. Matt Prater (DEN vs CLE)
3. Shayne Graham (HOU vs MIN)
4. Dan Bailey (DAL vs NO)
5. Kai Forbath (WAS at PHI)
6. Olindo Mare (CHI at ARI)
7. Graham Gano (CAR vs OAK)
8. Lawrence Tynes (NYG at BAL)
9. Steven Hauschka (SEA vs SF)
10. Matt Bryant (ATL at DET)
11. Connor Barth (TB vs STL)
12. Justin Tucker (BAL vs NYG)
13. Jason Hanson (DET vs ATL)
14. Sebastian Janikowski (OAK at CAR)
15. Adam Vinatieri (IND at KC)