Chris Ryan tiers your fantasy players for Week 16.

For some owners the end of the playoffs is a satisfying culmination of a season's worth of good drafting, smart maneuvering, and a little bit of luck.  For other less fortunate owners this time of the season represents countless nights studying the free agent pool, reading more advice columns than is humanely tolerable, and scraping along week-by-week.  Those are the owners that I'm speaking to this week.  If you've found yourself feeling like MacGyver trying to turn waiver wire remains into a workable lineup, I've got you covered.  We'll be taking a look at some players that have been floating just along the fringe of startability that are ready to shine for a final time.  And don't fret deep league/incredibly desperate owners, I've also identified a deep sleeper at each position that you may find some use in.  Without further ado, let's do some tiering.

Chris Ryan tiers your fantasy players for Week 15

The first rule of playoff fantasy football is there are no rules.  The second rule of playoff fantasy football is THERE ARE NO RULES!  Obviously, I’m not talking about your individual league formats, but rather the rules that you’ve governed your team by throughout the year.  You know, things like avoiding bad matchups at all costs, never benching your studs, and bypassing seemingly “ugly” players for sexier name guys.  Well, now is the time to shed those tenets in favor of a Wild, Wild West, no holds barred approach.  To win a championship, you have to be willing to take risks.  To help you along, I’m giving you bad matchup/good play guys, some studs to contemplate benching, and a few toads that you’ll want to consider puckering up to, while banishing their sexier counterparts to the bench.  Oh and by the way, the third rule of playoff fantasy football is you do NOT talk about the playoffs…to owners that have already been eliminated.  It’s just rude.  

Chris Ryan tiers your fantasy players for Week 14.

You've heard about Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), right?  As the days get darker and the nights colder, people fall into a state of sleeping too much, exercising too little, snacking on sweets more frequently, and generally feeling depressed.  It's a nasty little condition that afflicts millions of Americans each year.  Less known to the general public, but perhaps more severe, is what happens to the millions of fantasy owners out there whose seasons come to a crashing halt over these next few weeks. To some it’s just a hobby, but to others, it’s a lifestyle.  And the end of the season can bring feelings of depression and sadness every bit as real as those suffered through with SAD.  Oh sure, there's fantasy basketball to mess around with, and maybe you're lucky enough to still have your real team in playoff contention, but it's just not the same.  So with that mind, let's take a look at some players who will keep you off the Prozac for a couple more weeks, and a few guys who will leave you sitting in a darkened room pants-less, eating peanut butter out of the jar and watching NFL Network on a continuous loop.

Chris Ryan tiers your fantasy players for Week 13

Normally I look to identify a few players at each position to highlight for your benefit on a weekly basis, but with many of you either already in the throes of your playoffs, or facing crucial matchups to keep your postseason hopes alive, I'm stepping up my game, expanding my analysis for Week 13.  No thanks are in order, but if you feel the need to reward me for all the brilliant insight I've provided, I'll be posting my address at the end of the year so that you can send me a portion of your winnings.  Just kidding (not really).  On to the tiers...