Fantasy Football Rankings - Quarterbacks (QB) Week 16 Early Updates

December 16, 2025

Fantasy football rankings - quarterbacks (QB) Week 16 rankings early edition for 2025. Read the top-accuracy fantasy football QB rankings.

Fantasy managers are one win away from the title game, so it's never been more important to use all the available resources to find the best quarterback to start. Use our Week 16 fantasy football quarterback rankings for 2025 to analyze the position. In the initial Week 16 QB rankings below, find out where key signal callers like Jacoby Brissett, Jaxson Dart, Caleb Williams, J.J. McCarthy, Bo Nix, Tyler Shough, and more stand, among all others. A QB spike week can win your matchup, so finding the top option to start is key.

Our quarterback fantasy football rankings for Week 16 are put together by Nick Mariano. Below the rankings, you will also find a summary of the important QB fantasy football news for this week. There are always key injuries and developments to keep track of, so check back throughout the week for updates.

Be sure to bookmark our fantasy football rankings portal and check back regularly for updates. Most importantly, our free mobile app is a must-have - download it and configure your push notifications. We deliver all the top NFL news, injuries, and fantasy analysis 24x7 with our free push notification alerts... all for free!

Week 16 Quarterback Rankings for Fantasy Football

Bookmark our PPR rankings, Half-PPR rankings, and standard (non-PPR) rankings 

Week 16 Quarterback Rankings Outlooks

C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud is coming off one of his most efficient performances of the season against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 15, completing 22 of 29 passes for three touchdowns. It marked his fourth game this season in which he completed more than 75% of his passes with at least two touchdown passes, tying for the second-most in the league.

The third-year signal-caller is emerging as a strong streaming option with the Texans' offense finding its best form and an ideal Week 16 matchup on deck against the Las Vegas Raiders. While he doesn't add much value as a runner, Stroud is showing the passing upside to be worth consideration as a plug-and-play starter this week.

J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy had a rough start to the season, with mistakes and injuries keeping him from being a fantasy option in almost all formats. In the last few weeks, though, the Michigan man has found a very nice groove while leading his team to wins over the Commanders and Cowboys.

On Sunday Night Football, he completed 15 of 24 pass attempts for 250 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 15 rushing yards and a third score on the ground. He has six total touchdowns and just one turnover in those two games, and he has a great matchup to keep his momentum going in Week 16 as the Vikings head to New York and face the Giants. If you're looking for a second QB or are desperate for a streaming option, McCarthy's rushing potential makes him a solid snatch and start option this week.

Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa completed 22 of 28 passes for 253 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in Monday night's 28-15 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The final line for Tagovailoa is not reflective of his overall performance, as Miami's offense struggled to move the ball all night. The 27-year-old signal-caller threw an ugly first-quarter interception and led the Dolphins to just 109 yards of offense on 21 plays in the first half.

Miami went backwards in the third quarter, totaling minus-20 yards on their two drives before making up for lost time in the fourth quarter in garbage time, when Tagovailoa found tight end Darren Waller for two touchdowns. The Alabama product ended up with his most passing yards in a game since Week 9, but it was an empty performance. Tagovailoa will look to get back on track next week in a favorable matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (knee) underwent successful ACL surgery in Dallas on Monday. Mahomes went under the knife with Dr. Dan Cooper to repair a torn left ACL that he suffered in Sunday's loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. He'll immediately begin the rehab process, and his timetable to return is unknown right now.

The 30-year-old is obviously out for the rest of this season and faces an uphill battle to be ready for the beginning of the 2026 campaign. In his absence, Gardner Minshew will take over under center for the final three games of the regular season with the Chiefs officially eliminated from playoff contention. With Mahomes out the rest of the way, KC's offensive weapons need to be downgraded in fantasy football.

Marcus Mariota, Washington Commanders

Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota will remain under center for the rest of the regular season after the team officially shut down Jayden Daniels (elbow) for the final three games. Mariota has started seven games this season and has posted top-10 fantasy value in three of them. The 32-year-old had a less-than-ideal outing versus the New York Giants on Sunday, throwing for 211 yards with a touchdown while rushing the ball 10 times for 43 yards on the ground.

He doesn't have the strongest arm, but his dual-threat ability gives Mariota streaming appeal the rest of the way. He'll head into a challenging matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 16. Mariota should still offer superflex value as a QB2 in a difficult home matchup.

Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett has quietly been putting together strong numbers since taking over as the starting QB in Week 6. Since he took over for the injured Kyler Murray (foot), Brissett has thrown at least two touchdowns in every game except one. The 33-year-old has surpassed 300 passing yards in three of his last five contests. Brissett is posting strong numbers in this pass-heavy Cardinals offense. It has helped that the Cardinals have been playing from behind quite often, forcing Brissett to pass frequently.

Fantasy managers in need of a streaming option for Week 16 should take a hard look at Brissett. He'll draw a plus matchup against the Atlanta Falcons' defense this weekend. Brissett has been posting nearly top-10 QB numbers every week since he took over under center, and he is a viable option for fantasy managers in need of help.

Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence is one of the hottest QBs in the league when it matters most for fantasy football managers. Lawrence took advantage of a great matchup against a bad New York Jets defense in Week 15 to go 20-for-32 passing for a season-high 330 yards and five passing touchdowns on Sunday. He added five carries for 51 yards on the ground and a sixth touchdown on the day. Since Week 12, Lawrence has thrown for 1,059 yards, 12 touchdowns, and three interceptions on 119 pass attempts while running for 121 yards and another TD on 17 attempts.

In the last five weeks, he's been the QB6 in overall fantasy points as he finally starts to click in head coach Liam Coen's offense. The addition of receiver Jakobi Meyers at the trade deadline has also helped Lawrence. The 26-year-old has become a popular waiver-wire pickup over this stretch. However, he could quickly come back down to Earth with a poor Week 16 matchup on the road in Denver against a strong Broncos defense.

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