Sneaky Starts, Pivot Plays, and Waiver Wire Streamers for Week 16 Fantasy Football (2025)

December 17, 2025

Michael Florio's fantasy football sneaky starts, pivot plays, and post-waiver waiver pickups for Week 16 of 2025. Start 'em as under-the-radar fantasy sleepers.

If you are reading this, congratulations, you have made it to your league's semi-finals. You are so close to the ultimate goal, but also extremely far away. The semi-finals historically are when some weird stuff tends to happen.

You could argue that weird stuff is already happening, with post-waiver injury news and QB changes. Oh - and there are Saturday games too! Managers are up against it this week.

Don’t worry, if you are in need of streaming or replacing an injured player, there are options to be had!

Sneaky Starts and Pivot Options for QB

Bryce Young is the top QB streaming option this week. I am using him as a Patrick Mahomes replacement in one league. He has run more in the last three weeks, which is clearly a boost for fantasy purposes. This is more so about the matchup, though. The Bucs are top-3 in yards and touchdown passes allowed since Week 10. Every QB to face them in that span has topped 18 fantasy points. Young, who had success against this defense last year, is in play.

Tyler Shough has averaged 23.5 rushing yards per game in the last four. He has scored 17-plus in four of his last five, and don’t look now, but he is fifth in completion percentage on passes of 10-plus yards. He has been playing good ball and not getting enough credit! Plus, the Jets' defense has really struggled since the trade deadline and just got tormented by Trevor Lawrence.

Tyler Shough finds Chris Olave for the TD!

📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/QS4Jhoddr5

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 15, 2025

Aaron Rodgers was once an auto-start against the Lions. He has been playing better as of late, averaging 19 fantasy PPG in the last two. This is all about the matchup, though. The Lions have allowed the third-most fantasy PPG to QBs in the last four weeks. In that span, they’ve allowed 329 passing yards per game; no other team has allowed more than 278. The matchup, paired with the fact that the Steelers could be chasing points, has Rodgers in play.

Kirk Cousins is coming off by far his best game of the season. He threw for 373 yards, three touchdowns, and scored 27 fantasy points. All of his best games as a Falcon have come against the Bucs. He will not do that again, but he gets a favorable matchup this week against the Cardinals, who have allowed the sixth-most fantasy PPG to QBs in the last month. If you have to dive deep at QB, he is an option.

Sneaky Starts and Pivot Options for RB

Michael Carter was the top option last week after Bam Knight was injured. He played 79 percent of the snaps, saw 14 carries, while no other RB had more than two, and his four targets were the third-most on the Cardinals. I get it, the Cards have been tough to trust wth their RB usage, but Emari Demercado seemingly has been in the doghouse all year. The Falcons are a middle-of-the-pack matchup, but volume wins out.

Jacoby Brissett avoids a sack and then Michael Carter avoids a defender for a first down 😳

JAXvsAZ on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/1kfDfi1nj4

— NFL (@NFL) November 23, 2025

Audric Estime may be the last man standing in New Orleans. Alvin Kamara and Devin Neal did not practice to open the week. Estime led the Saints RBs in snaps after Neal was injured last week. He and Evan Hull split carries, but Estime was more utilized in the passing attack. More than anything, the Jets have allowed the most touchdowns and fantasy PPG to RBs in the last month. The floor may be uncertain, but there is upside here.

Nick Chubb and Jawhar Jordan would be in play if Woody Marks, who did not practice ot open the week, does not play. I believe we would see a split if so. Chubb, if he plays as he was limited, would be a safer floor play. Jordan is the upside swing. The Raiders have allowed the fourth-most fantasy PPG to RBs in the last month, and game script is sure to be on the Texans' side.

Chuba Hubbard's floor is low as his volume has fluctuated. He also tends to be utilized in the passing game, despite last week, and that could come in handy this week. The Bucs have allowed the most receiving yards to backs this year and since Week 11. If the Panthers are trailing, we could see more Hubbard in that regard.

Sneaky Starts and Pivot Options for WR

Jayden Reed and Matthew Golden are options this week, with Christian Watson very much so up in the air. I prefer Reed of the two, as he led the Packers in targets (six), catches (five), and receiving yards (55). Golden did tie for the team lead with 55 receiving yards on four targets. Both could fare well as the Bears blitz and play man at a high rate, and Jordan Love leads the NFL in EPA against each.

Jalen Coker has scored a touchdown and gone over 16 fantasy points in each of his last two games. Not only that, but Tetairoa McMillan missed practice to start the week. The Bucs have been lit up by QBs as of late and are middle of the pack against receivers. Plus, when these teams get together, points tend to be scored.

Bryce Young with a DIME to Jalen Coker to extend the @Panthers lead!

CARvsNO on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXnxV pic.twitter.com/hNjCsR7fa9

— NFL (@NFL) December 14, 2025

Adonai Mitchell may have a low floor, but he brings a high ceiling. He gets volume, with at least six targets in each of his last five games. He has nine and 12 target games in the last three weeks. He topped 17 fantasy points in each of those games. The floor is low, but the ceiling is high. That has him in play as a flex option for those in need.

Sneaky Starts and Pivot Options for TE

Colby Parkinson has become a reliable fantasy option with the Rams featuring the tight end more. He has just one game with fewer than nine fantasy points since Week 10. He saw seven targets last week and could be the second target with Davante Adams out. Those valuable goal-line looks could go his way as well. Plus, Seattle has allowed the second-most yards and sixth-most fantasy PPG to the position.

Darren Waller is a bit riskier now with a QB change, but he is still in play as a streaming option because of the matchup. The Bengals have allowed the most catches, yards, touchdowns, and fantasy PPG to tight ends. They have allowed five more touchdowns to tight ends than any other team, and Waller is the clear top red/end zone target. That keeps him in play.

Sneaky Starts and Pivot Options for D/ST

If you need streaming defenses, this is a good week for you. First, the 49ers D/ST against Philip Rivers and the Colts is a strong option, and you get the benefit of having them play on Monday Night Football. Other options are the Chiefs D/ST against the Titans, the Giants D/ST vs the Vikings, and the Saints D/ST vs the Jets. This late in the season, streaming a defense is more about the offense on the other side. You can also check out our full article for Week 16 defense streamers and rankings.

Make sure to follow Michael on X, @MichaelFFlorio.

Who Should I Start Tool

Trying to decide who to start? Use our free Who Should I Start tool.

Week 16 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Michael Carter, Audric Estime, Nick Chubb, Jawhar Jordan, Chuba Hubbard, Jayden Reed, Jalen Coker, Adonai Mitchell, Colby Parkinson, and Darren Waller. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 16.

Using The Tool. This is a simple tool, but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.

Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, player news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!

How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.

Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circles), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.

Popular Week 16 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 16 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.

Popular Week 16 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons

Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 16 for Michael Carter, Audric Estime, Nick Chubb, Jawhar Jordan, Chuba Hubbard, Jayden Reed, Jalen Coker, Adonai Mitchell, Colby Parkinson, and Darren Waller:

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