December 24, 2025
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback
Chris Oladokun will now be the starting quarterback for the team heading into the last two games of the season. Kansas City lost
Patrick Mahomes to an ACL tear in Week 15, and
Gardner Minshew was the next man up in the QB room. Minshew started the game in Week 16 against the Tennessee Titans but left with a knee injury of his own, passing the torch to Oladokun. Oladokun performed well given the hand he was dealt, completing 11 of 16 pass attempts (69%) for 111 yards and rushing twice for seven yards. Last week's contest was the first time Oladokun had ever thrown a pass in an NFL game, so expect there to be some growing pains as he faces one of the toughest defenses in the league on Christmas. The Denver Broncos have allowed the fourth-fewest yards per game and fifth-fewest points per game this season while leading the league in sacks, so Oladokun will have his work cut out for him. The Chiefs quarterback will also have to compete without
Rashee Rice and
Tyquan Thornton, who were both placed on IR on Wednesday afternoon. Oladokun is ranked QB34 in our RotoBaller rankings, placing him dead-last. Oladokun should not be considered a fantasy option for Week 17
--Joshua CostelloSource: ESPN.com
December 24, 2025
Denver Broncos kicker
Wil Lutz will look to replicate his Week 11 performance against the Kansas City Chiefs when traveling to face them again in Week 17. In that Week 11 performance, Lutz had 16 total points from making all five of his field goal attempts and converting his lone PAT attempt. While it's difficult to predict that type of performance again since this was an outlier in his season, Lutz is also coming off a game in which he missed one of the shortest tries out of his three field goal attempts against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Ranked as RotoBaller's 18th best kicker on the week, there are likely other options for managers to rely on in Week 17.
--Luke DeMarcusSource: ESPN
December 24, 2025
The Kansas City Chiefs placed wide receiver
Tyquan Thornton (concussion) on Injured Reserve on Wednesday, according to Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team. Both Thornton and fellow wideout
Rashee Rice (concussion) will miss the final two games of the regular season due to head injuries. The 25-year-old Thornton had some fantasy relevance earlier this season with
Xavier Worthy injured and Rice out due to a suspension, but once both pass-catchers returned, he fell down the depth chart as a hard-to-trust deep threat in KC's offense. The former second-rounder will finish his first year in Kansas City with 19 catches on 37 targets for a career-high 438 yards and three touchdowns in 14 games (four starts). Worthy and
Marquise Brown will have more opportunities to close out the year, but expectations must be tempered for fantasy managers with third-string quarterback
Chris Oladokun set to run KC's offense.
--Keith HernandezSource: The 33rd Team - Ari Meirov
December 24, 2025
Minnesota Vikings quarterback
Max Brosmer will start for the team in a Christmas Day meeting with the Detroit Lions, but the chance to play doesn't mean fantasy managers should go anywhere near this matchup. Vikings starter
J.J. McCarthy (hand) will miss another game, while backup
Carson Wentz (shoulder) is already out for the year, thrusting the undrafted rookie into the spotlight. Brosmer's first and only start in the NFL so far was a total disaster: he threw no touchdowns and four interceptions in a loss at Seattle, the first of which was a wild, ill-advised heave while being sacked that the Seahawks returned for a game-changing touchdown. Brosmer played admirably after McCarthy departed last week, and the Lions have allowed more air yards than any team in the NFL, which gives some hope. Even so, the odds are stacked against Brosmer, who has played only out of desperation and is facing a short week to boot. Fantasy managers still playing this weekend almost certainly can find a higher-rated option.
--Nick PiotrowiczSource: RotoBaller
December 24, 2025
Minnesota Vikings running back
Aaron Jones Sr. (ankle) has been a reliable, if unremarkable, fantasy option this year, but he finds himself in RB3 territory as Minnesota prepares to host the Detroit Lions on Christmas Day. Due to injuries to starting quarterback
J.J. McCarthy (hand) and backup
Carson Wentz (shoulder), the Vikings are down to third-stringer
Max Brosmer, an undrafted rookie. Already without left tackle Christian Darrisaw (knee), the Vikings also ruled out center Ryan Kelly (concussion) and tight end
T.J. Hockenson (shoulder), while right tackle Brian O'Neill (heel) is questionable. Jones figures to get most of the running back work with fellow running back
Jordan Mason (ankle) injured, but the Vikings' offense is a shell of what it was even two weeks ago. Detroit ranks 12th against half-PPR running backs, and the Lions surely will be keying on the run in an effort to put pressure on Brosmer. Managers will have to weigh whether Jones dominating the backfield is worth the risk of relying upon an offense counting on so many reserves.
--Nick PiotrowiczSource: RotoBaller
December 24, 2025
The Kansas City Chiefs placed wide receiver
Rashee Rice (concussion) on Injured Reserve on Wednesday, ending his 2025 season, according to Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team. Fellow wideout
Tyquan Thornton (concussion) also landed on IR. Both receivers will miss the final two games of the regular season with the Chiefs already eliminated from postseason contention. The 25-year-old Rice got a late start to the year after serving a suspension, but once he returned, he had a high weekly floor for fantasy managers with 53 receptions, 571 yards, and five touchdowns in eight games played. When healthy, it's clear that Rice has become quarterback
Patrick Mahomes' (knee) favorite weapon through the air. With both Rice and Thornton out for the last two games,
Xavier Worthy and
Marquise Brown will have more opportunities, but third-string quarterback
Chris Oladokun will be running the offense with Mahomes and
Gardner Minshew (knee) dealing with torn ACLs.
--Keith HernandezSource: The 33rd Team - Ari Meirov
December 24, 2025
For fantasy managers weighing whether to start Minnesota Vikings wide receiver
Justin Jefferson against the Detroit Lions on Christmas Day, the better question is how much they trust an offense led by an undrafted rookie quarterback. Vikings starter
J.J. McCarthy (hand) will miss his seventh game of the season, and backup
Carson Wentz (shoulder) is out for the year, leaving rookie
Max Brosmer to take the reins. To say Brosmer's first start went poorly would be putting it mildly: he threw four interceptions, one returned for a touchdown, and Jefferson finished with a paltry two catches for four yards. The superstar has routinely torched the Lions in his career, gaining more than 1,200 receiving yards and scoring five touchdowns in 11 games against them. Detroit ranks dead last in the NFL in air yards allowed, so the matchup is a good one for Jefferson, albeit with the significant risk of relying upon Brosmer. The offense likely will run through running back
Aaron Jones Sr. and Jefferson, the latter of whom should be considered a high-risk WR2.
--Nick PiotrowiczSource: RotoBaller
December 24, 2025
Denver Broncos running back
RJ Harvey gets to travel and face the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas in Week 17. Since the Week 12 bye, Harvey has produced RB1 consensus numbers in all but one game, averaging 17.25 touches for 87 yards and 1.25 touchdowns per game in that four-week stretch. Profiling as a potential league winner on the season, Harvey will look to carry the momentum from his Week 16 performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars, in which he had 121 yards and a touchdown on 11 touches. With RotoBaller ranking Harvey as the RB14 overall for Week 17, he should be relied upon as a high-end RB2 with upside.
--Luke DeMarcusSource: ESPN
December 24, 2025
Denver Broncos tight end
Evan Engram will face the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas in Week 17. Engram has been an underwhelming start this year in most weeks for fantasy managers, and that shouldn't be much different in Week 17. While Engram might get some more playing time with rookie wide receiver
Pat Bryant out due to a concussion suffered late in the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 16, it's unlikely that he will be reliable for production in the fantasy championship games. When Engram faced the Chiefs in Week 11, he turned in four catches for 33 yards and no touchdowns. As the TE26 overall in RotoBaller's rankings for Week 17, managers should look elsewhere for a healthier scoring floor.
--Luke DeMarcusSource: ESPN
December 24, 2025
Denver Broncos wide receiver
Troy Franklin travels to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 17 for a Christmas game matchup. Franklin has been thrown back into a relevant role after trending downward for two straight games following the Week 12 bye, after recording a 64% offensive snap share in Week 16. Rookie wide receiver
Pat Bryant will also be out for Week 17 with a concussion that was suffered in the final minute of the Week 16 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, which relegates the competition for snaps. After putting up 84 yards on four catches in the Week 11 matchup against the Chiefs, RotoBaller has Franklin ranked as the WR33 overall for Week 17.
--Luke DeMarcusSource: ESPN
December 24, 2025
Minnesota Vikings running back
Jordan Mason (ankle) has been ruled out for the Christmas Day game on Thursday versus the division-rival Detroit Lions after missing practice from Monday through Wednesday, per the team. Mason was always viewed as a long shot to play on a short week after injuring his ankle in the Week 16 win over the New York Giants on Sunday. The Vikings have nothing left to play for in 2025, so they were not going to push Mason to play. With the 26-year-old on the sidelines on Thursday,
Aaron Jones Sr. should be in line for more backfield touches against the Lions. However, his fantasy upside will be tempered with inexperienced backup quarterback
Max Brosmer set to start in place of the injured
J.J. McCarthy (hand). Jones should be considered more of a touchdown-dependent, high-end RB3/flex for the matchup against the Lions.
--Keith HernandezSource: Minnesota Vikings
December 24, 2025
Denver Broncos wide receiver
Courtland Sutton has been putting up solid numbers since the Week 12 bye and will look to continue that streak while traveling to face the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 17. Sutton has now posted two consecutive WR1 consensus weeks, combining for 199 receiving yards on 13 catches and two touchdowns in that span. While the Kansas City Chiefs are typically a stingy defense to face, the narrative has shifted for the Chiefs after losing quarterback
Patrick Mahomes to a season-ending ACL tear in Week 15. Coming off another solid performance in Week 16 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sutton should maintain his momentum against the Chiefs as RotoBaller ranks him at WR17 overall for Week 17.
--Luke DeMarcusSource: ESPN
December 24, 2025
Denver Broncos quarterback
Bo Nix travels to face the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas in Week 17. Last time Nix faced the Chiefs in Week 11, he put up 295 passing yards with no touchdowns, no interceptions, and added three carries for eight yards. This time around, Nix will be facing a very different Chiefs team that has been riddled with injuries and is coming off a 26-9 loss to the Tennessee Titans in Week 16, in which rookie quarterback
Cam Ward had a season-high pass completion percentage of 75%. Despite facing what is statistically considered a top-five defense in the NFL since the Chiefs are giving up the fourth fewest points per game on average at 19.6, Nix should be able to carry his passing momentum from Week 16 into this matchup. RotoBaller ranks Nix as the QB11 overall for Week 17 matchups.
--Luke DeMarcusSource: ESPN
December 24, 2025
Already not in the best form of his career, Minnesota Vikings wide receiver
Jordan Addison will see another downgrade on Thursday when his team plays host to the Detroit Lions. The third-year receiver hasn't finished among the top 30 PPR receivers since Week 7 and is coming off a week in which he dropped a touchdown. Now, he'll see another change at quarterback with
J.J. McCarthy (hand) ruled out for the game, leaving undrafted rookie
Max Brosmer to start. The Vikings didn't score a point in Brosmer's lone start this season, a four-interception debacle last month at Seattle. The quarterback played well in helping Minnesota earn a victory last week against the Giants, and the passing game will see a plus matchup against a Detroit defense that has allowed the most air yards in the NFL. Addison, however, comes with a lot of risk as a low-end WR4 option, given the less-than-ideal circumstances.
--Nick PiotrowiczSource: RotoBaller
December 24, 2025
Due to a litany of injuries around him, Minnesota Vikings wide receiver
Jalen Nailor is a lowly rated option when the Vikings play host to the Detroit Lions on Christmas Day. The Michigan State product has developed a solid chemistry with starter
J.J. McCarthy (hand), but the latter will miss Thursday's game, giving way to undrafted rookie
Max Brosmer. Detroit ranks a bottom-tier 31st against PPR receivers, though the Vikings are beaten up and on a short week. In addition to McCarthy, the Vikings will be without star left tackle Christian Darrisaw (knee), center Ryan Kelly (concussion), tight end
T.J. Hockenson (shoulder), running back
Jordan Mason (ankle), and could be without right tackle Brian O'Neill (heel) as well. Nailor's varied role in the offense is difficult to rely upon anyway, as the receiver has not caught a pass three times in the past five weeks, yet had one game with two touchdowns. Ranked as RotoBaller's No. 86 receiver this week, Nailor is avoidable in all formats.
--Nick PiotrowiczSource: RotoBaller
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