For many across fantasy football, this was championship week. That time when you metaphorically ask your fantasy players to give it their all and deliver their best performances of the year. For some fantasy owners, those performances came and it was more than enough for you to win the title, but for others they were on the other side.
Week 16 of the NFL season offered us plenty of performances that shaped fantasy football matchups. It was a week filled with some names you never would have expected to even be on the fantasy radar before the season, but there they were in the fantasy championship putting up big numbers.
So let's take a look at the top-10 performances from Week 16.
1. Arizona Cardinals D/ST
Stats: Nine sacks, one interception, four fumble recoveries and two defensive touchdowns
Points: 35
It feels strange to put a defense at the top, but the Cardinals' defense was the top fantasy producer in Week 16. Not many saw it coming against the Green Bay Packers when Arizona would be without Tyrann Mathieu, but Arizona's defense put up an incredible performance.
Arizona generated plenty of pressure on Aaron Rodgers, resulting in eight sacks on Green Bay's star quarterback and stripping him twice and returning it for a touchdown. Green Bay could never get anything going as the Cardinals utterly dominated them and delivered the defensive performance that could win fantasy leagues on its own.
2. Kirk Cousins, Quarterback, Washington
Stats: 31/46, 365 passing yards and four passing touchdowns
Points: 32.2
We must face the facts, Cousins has been playing at a top-seven quarterback level for more than a month now. Cousins has been given time to throw and is delivering passes all over the field, working deep with DeSean Jackson relying on tight end Jordan Reed and mixing in some looks to Pierre Garcon. Cousins has thrived this year and no one saw it coming.
3. Blake Bortles, Quartebarck, Jacksonville Jaguars
Stats: 27/35, 368 passing yards, four passing touchdowns and two interceptons
Points: 29.22
Garbage time may not mean much for the NFL, but it is a fantasy wonderland. Bortles and the Jaguars fell down early to New Orleans, two interceptions and a big deficit meant the Jaguars would have to abandon the running game and just throw for the rest of the game. It worked out for fantasy owners, Bortles surpassed 350 passing yards and had four touchdowns, helping him finish with nearly 30 fantasy points. Bortles has shown improvement in his second season, but has been a much better fantasy quarterback than real life quarterback.
4. Tim Hightower, Running Back, New Orleans Saints
Stats: 27 carries, 122 rushing yards, three receptions, 47 receiving yards and two touchdowns
Points: 28.9
Hightower hadn't played in the NFL since 2011, having been kept out by a torn ACL followed by an infection in the knee. After being repeatedly released and re-signed by the Saints, Hightower was given a major opportunity after season-ending injuries to Mark Ingram and Khiry Robinson. He has taken full grasp of the lead back role and delivered his best performance against the Jaguars, toasting them for 169 total yards and two touchdowns. It will be most interesting to see where Hightower is next year and if this was a fluke or if the old Hightower is back.
5. Drew Brees, Quarterback, New Orleans Saints
Stats: 25/36, 412 passing yards and three passing touchdowns
Points: 28.18
It seems Brees only needed one foot and one arm to put up ridiculous numbers. Against the Jaguars, Brees had a nice walk in the park as he delivered one precision strike after another, finding open zones in the Jaguars' secondary and leading to big plays. Brees had three touchdowns before the half was even over, it was New Orleans taking its foot off the gas that kept Brees to a modest 400-yard, three-touchdown game.
6. DeAngelo Williams, Running Back, Pittsburgh Steelers
Stats: 17 carries, 100 rushing yards, six receptions, 53 receiving yards and two touchdowns
Points: 27.30
Gameflow can always be a deciding factor in fantasy football and it prevented Williams from having an even bigger game. Pittsburgh was stunned by the Baltimore Ravens and trailed all game, having to rely more on the passing game to try and make up for the 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Williams was still able to finish with 153 total yards and two touchdowns, further establishing himself as a top-10 fantasy back with Le'Veon Bell out.
7. Jordan Reed, Tight End, Washington
Stats: Nine receptions, 129 receiving yards and two touchdowns
Points: 24.9
A big reason why Cousins has been so successful in the second half of the season is because of Reed. It's rare to see Reed healthy but he has been for much of the year and we've seen an extremely athletic tight end run some of the crispest routes you'll see across the NFL. Reed's athleticism and route running combination make him a nightmare to cover as he finds new ways to get separation. He torched the Eagles on Saturday and has established himself as the second-best tight end in fantasy football.
8. Julio Jones, Wide Receiver, Atlanta Falcons
Stats: Nine receptions, 178 receiving yards and one touchdown
Points: 23.8
A matchup against Josh Norman certainly scared fantasy owners, but Jones is a star and you just can't bench them in the championship. It's a good thing to because Jones torched the Carolina Panthers, both in the slot and against Norman. While Jones' biggest play, a leaping 70-yard touchdown, came in the slot, he was able to find great success versus Norman. Jones has been phenomenal this year, despite some poor quarterback play, making him a first-round fantasy pick in 2016.
9. Brandon Marshall, Wide Receiver, New York Jets
Stats: Eight receptions, 115 receiving yards and two touchdowns
Points: 23.5
The trade to the Jets was a blessing for Marshall, unleashing the veteran wide receiver in a new home where he could complement Eric Decker and be a major piece of the Jets' passing game. Marshall became the first player in NFL history to have 1,000-plus receiving yards in a season with four different teams. This will also go down as the best season in Marshall's career and shows the 31-year-old has plenty left in the tank for 2016.
10. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Quarterback, New York Jets
Stats: 26/41, 296 passing yards and three passing touchdowns
Points: 23.14
Fitzpatrick won't get enough credit with the headlines focused on Cam Newton, Carson Palmer and Russell Wilson, but Fitzpatrick delivered in a big way for the Jets this season. The weapons were put around him with Decker and Marshall, New York established a running game and had a defense that provided them turnovers and defensive stops. Fitzpatrick is only 276 passing yards and one touchdown away from a 4,000-yard, 30-touchdown season. With a matchup against the Buffalo Bills on tap with a playoff berth on the line, Fitzpatrick should deliver once again.