December 15, 2025
Denver Broncos running back
Jaleel McLaughlin played second fiddle to rookie running back
RJ Harvey in Week 15's 34-26 victory over the Green Bay Packers, as he only had two rushes for four yards and played 13 percent of the snaps in the game. At this time, McLaughlin, at best, is a handcuff to Harvey fantasy managers as over the past four games that Harvey has taken over as the lead back after
J.K. Dobbins (foot) was injured, McLaughlin has earned a total of 18 carries for 69 yards (3.83 YPC), and is playing only 15 percent of the snaps, which provides no standalone fantasy value outside of being a safety net for Harvey fantasy managers. If you do not own Harvey on your team, it makes no sense to roster McLaughlin for the final few weeks of the fantasy season.
--Nicho RoesslerSource: RotoBaller
December 15, 2025
Heading into Week 15, Houston Texans running back
Jawhar Jordan had yet to record his first NFL carry. However, the 26-year-old got his opportunity in Week 15 and delivered, logging 118 scrimmage yards on 17 touches against the Arizona Cardinals. The Texans entered the game without veteran running back
Nick Chubb (ribs) and lost RB1
Woody Marks (ankle) to an ankle injury, opening up the door for Jordan. Neither injury is expected to lead to a long-term absence, so Jordan's surge to the top of the depth chart may be short-lived. However, if Chubb and Marks are sidelined for Houston's Week 16 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders, Jordan could see another week of high-volume touches. Particularly in deeper fantasy leagues, Jordan may be worth targeting on the waiver wire and holding until more information is released around the status of Marks and Chubb for Week 16.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
December 15, 2025
Los Angeles Rams second-year back out of Michigan,
Blake Corum, continued to impress in Week 15, as he scored for a third straight week and had 11 carries for 71 yards (6.45 YPC) and one touchdown. Corum has now rushed for a ridiculous 280 yards and four touchdowns over the past three weeks. More impressively, he has done it on 30 carries, which is suitable for a 9.33 YPC. Corum is still the clear backup to
Kyren Williams, who had 15 carries for 78 yards and two touchdowns in Week 15. Still, the Rams offense, led by MVP candidate
Matthew Stafford, is potent enough to score so much that both running backs have fantasy value as we move into the final weeks of the season. At this point, Corum is the top handcuff option in fantasy football and has standalone RB3/flex value even with Williams taking a majority of the carries. The Rams will face stiff competition in Week 16 on Thursday Night Football against the Seattle Seahawks.
--Nicho RoesslerSource: RotoBaller
December 15, 2025
Washington Commanders rookie running back out of Arizona,
Jacory Croskey-Merritt, is officially back on the fantasy football radar as
Chris Rodriguez Jr. (groin) was a game-time decision in Week 15 and was eventually ruled out shortly before the game. Croskey-Merritt, aka Bill, earned 18 carries, which he turned into 98 yards (5.33 yards per tote) and a touchdown in the Commanders' 29-21 win over the New York Giants. JCM looked good running the football, and his score came from 16 yards out. All of a sudden, this Commanders backfield gets a bit shaky after it had finally cleared up for us the past few weeks, with Rodriguez being the only one worth rostering. After JCM's performance in Week 15, the Commanders may want to give JCM some more run after an impressive performance, so if Rodriguez Jr., who had been playing well, returns in Week 16, all of a sudden, we are back to the three-running-back committee of Rodriguez, JCM, and
Jeremy McNichols. All of which would become desperate plays in Week 16 of the fantasy football season. Regardless, JCM would be worth a waiver-wire pickup in case Rodriguez can't suit up in Week 16.
--Nicho RoesslerSource: RotoBaller
December 15, 2025
ESPN's senior NFL Insider Adam Schefter reported Monday morning, based on sources, that the belief is that Baltimore Ravens rookie linebacker Teddye Buchanan (knee), the team's second-leading tackler, tore his ACL during Sunday's 24-0 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Buchanan will undergo additional testing today to confirm the injury; however, it is not a great sign for the Ravens defense, which has been playing better of late since its Week 7 bye. Buchanan is a rookie who has played in all 14 games this season and has 85 tackles, 0.5 sacks, and one forced fumble. Trenton Simpson is his backup and is likely to see additional snaps moving forward. The Ravens (7-7) are sitting in second place in the AFC North and duking it out with the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6), who are currently sitting atop the division and play the Miami Dolphins (6-7) on Monday Night Football. Once confirmed, Buchanan will begin his rehab process and prepare for the 2026 season.
--Nicho RoesslerSource: Adam Schefter
December 15, 2025
The Arizona Cardinals' running back room got a little thinner after their 40-20 Week 15 loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday, as running back
Bam Knight (ankle) was carted off the field and did not return.
Michael Carter stepped up as the team's primary running back, and after Knight's departure, he had 78% of the backfield carry share, a 10% target share, and got the only carry inside the 10-yard line. He finished the contest with 14 carries for 56 yards (4.0 YPC) and hauled in all four of his targets for an additional 38 yards, and will have fantasy value moving forward, as he appears to be their No. 1 running back option if Knight misses any extra time and would become a must-add off the waiver wire. The Cardinals take on the Atlanta Falcons in Week 16 and the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17. It will be important to monitor Knight's status, as that will determine Carter's overall value moving forward. Still,
Trey Benson (knee) was not activated from the IR on December 10, and because of that, his season is over, leaving Carter as the only healthy option at this time.
--Nicho RoesslerSource: RotoBaller
December 15, 2025
Minnesota Vikings tight end
T.J. Hockenson caught four passes on five targets for 66 yards, which led the way for his team in a 34-26 victory against the Dallas Cowboys. The veteran tight end appears to be developing a rapport with young quarterback
J.J. McCarthy, with whom he connected for a touchdown the week prior. As the Vikings have struggled massively throughout portions of the season, Hockenson has been a fantasy disappointment who still ranks outside the top-20 PPR tight ends. But with Minnesota prioritizing its running game and tight ends in recent weeks, Hockenson will look to continue his strong finish in Week 16 at the New York Giants.
--Nick PiotrowiczSource: ESPN
December 15, 2025
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver
Jalen Nailor found the end zone twice to help his team score a 34-26 victory against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night. Nailor caught three of five targets for 47 yards and was on the receiving end of both of quarterback
J.J. McCarthy's passing touchdowns. The Michigan State product has developed a nice connection with his quarterback, with whom he also connected on a key fourth-down conversion that led to a touchdown later on the same drive. For fantasy purposes, however, Nailor remains a tough sell. The Vikings have raved about Nailor, but as a secondary pass catcher, he's still averaging fewer than two catches per game as Minnesota prepares to play the New York Giants in Week 16.
--Nick PiotrowiczSource: ESPN
December 15, 2025
For the second straight week, the Minnesota Vikings put together an excellent offensive day with modest output from wide receiver
Justin Jefferson, who was held to only two catches in his team's 34-26 victory against the Dallas Cowboys. The Vikings targeted Jefferson a team-high eight times, but the result was two catches for 22 yards. It was a hard-luck night for Jefferson, who caught a touchdown from quarterback
J.J. McCarthy that was negated by an illegal formation penalty in the first half, missed out on a would-have-been big play when McCarthy overthrew him in the fourth quarter, and then dropped a touchdown later on the same drive. Managers who survived into Week 16 will see Jefferson in a favorable setting against the New York Giants, yet with just six catches in the past three games, it's getting more and more difficult to trust Minnesota's offense to get Jefferson the ball.
--Nick PiotrowiczSource: ESPN
December 15, 2025
Minnesota Vikings quarterback
J.J. McCarthy delivered another encouraging outing in Sunday night's win over the Dallas Cowboys, completing 15 of 24 passes for 250 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception while adding four carries for 15 yards and another score on the ground. McCarthy threw an interception on his first pass of the game, but he settled in nicely afterwards and had arguably his best game as a pro. McCarthy has established a legitimate connection with
Jalen Nailor, as they connected for two scores, while he continues to struggle to get on the same page with top wideout
Justin Jefferson. The second-year quarterback has totaled 413 passing yards, 34 rushing yards, and six total touchdowns with one turnover over the past two weeks. McCarthy will look to build on his recent improvement in Week 16 in another great matchup against the New York Giants on the road.
--Kyle McCarthySource: ESPN.com
December 15, 2025
Houston Texans quarterback
C.J. Stroud was surgical in Sunday's win over the Arizona Cardinals, completing 22 of 29 passes for 260 yards and three touchdowns while adding six carries for 10 yards on the ground. Stroud threw a 57-yard touchdown to wide receiver
Nico Collins on his first throw of the game and continued to operate efficiently for the rest of the game. The 24-year-old signal-caller has played well since returning in Week 13 from a multi-game absence due to a concussion. He's totalled 738 passing yards, four touchdowns, and one interception over that time. Stroud will look to continue his strong stretch of production in a plus Week 16 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders.
--Kyle McCarthySource: ESPN.com
December 15, 2025
For the second straight week, Philadelphia Eagles tight end
Dallas Goedert made his fantasy managers smile. He caught six of his seven targets for a team-high 70 yards and two touchdowns in the 31-0 blowout win over the visiting Las Vegas Raiders in Week 15. The big performance comes less than a week after the 30-year-old veteran caught eight of 10 targets for 78 yards in Monday night's loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. This was Goedert's third two-touchdown performance in 2025 and his first time finding the end zone since he had two TDs on Oct. 26 against the New York Giants. Both of his trips to paydirt against Vegas came on short goal-line shovel passes from quarterback
Jalen Hurts. Like most TEs in the league, Goedert has had his moments of inconsistency, but he's trending up at the right time for fantasy managers, and he'll be a clear TE1 for a juicy Week 16 matchup versus the division-rival Commanders.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com
December 15, 2025
Houston Texans wide receiver
Nico Collins recorded three receptions (four targets) for 85 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's 40-20 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Collins got the scoring started early for the Texans, hauling in a 57-yard touchdown on the second play from scrimmage. The star wideout joins a crew of legendary wide receivers with three or more seasons recording at least 1,000 receiving yards with the Texans, alongside
DeAndre Hopkins and Andre Johnson. The 26-year-old was quiet for most of the game after his long touchdown, but he later connected with quarterback
C.J. Stroud for a four-yard touchdown with just over three minutes remaining in the game. Collins has been one of the best wide receivers in fantasy football over the second half of the season and will look to stay hot next week against the Las Vegas Raiders.
--Kyle McCarthySource: ESPN.com
December 15, 2025
The Chicago Bears continued to enforce their will on the ground in Sunday's 31-3 blowout win over the visiting Cleveland Browns on Sunday, and running back
D'Andre Swift was a big part of that. The 26-year-old had a team-high 18 rushing attempts for 98 yards while scoring twice on the ground. Swift added only one catch on one target for a loss of two yards. Rookie
Kyle Monangai continued to play a key role in Chicago's backfield next to Swift, but he averaged just 3.0 yards on his 11 carries. The Bears leaned on Swift late in the game with a big lead, as he had nine carries for 56 yards in frigid temperatures in Chicago. This was Swift's first multi-touchdown game of the year. He's been a must-start in fantasy lineups with at least 80 scrimmage yards in five of his last six games. However, it could be tough sledding for Swift in a Week 16 rematch with the division-rival Packers. He had 13 carries for 63 yards just last week in the loss to Green Bay.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com
December 15, 2025
Green Bay Packers running back
Josh Jacobs has been a touchdown machine this season, and that continued in Sunday's loss to the Denver Broncos. He handled 12 carries for 73 yards and a touchdown to go with two receptions (three targets) for 19 yards and his first receiving touchdown of the season. Jacobs entered the game as a game-time decision with a knee injury, but he showed no signs of being affected by it. He recorded just the second receiving touchdown of his career, and it came on an impressive contested catch in the corner of the end zone. The 27-year-old running back notched his fourth game with multiple touchdowns and seventh since joining the Packers last season. Jacobs remains one of the most steady workhorses in fantasy football and projects as a strong RB1 next week against the division-rival Chicago Bears.
--Kyle McCarthySource: ESPN.com
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