December 21, 2025
Cleveland Browns rookie running back
Raheim Sanders led the Browns' backfield after rookie running back
Quinshon Judkins (ankle, leg) left the game early due to an injury during Sunday's Week 16 loss against the Buffalo Bills. Sanders substituted in as the early downs back and turned his 11 rushing attempts into 42 yards. He also brought in one reception for four yards, but running back
Trayveon Williams saw the majority of the backfield's passing opportunities. The Cleveland Browns will host the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 17, who are a tough matchup for opposing running backs. With rookie running back
Dylan Sampson (hand) still managing an injury and Judkins at risk of missing the rest of the season, Sanders may emerge as the starter against the Steelers.
--Matt McCauleySource: ESPN
December 21, 2025
Cleveland Browns running back
Trayveon Williams came in after rookie running back
Quinshon Judkins (ankle, leg) exited early with a dislocated ankle and fractured fibula during Sunday's Week 16 loss against the Buffalo Bills. The veteran back caught all four of his targets for 38 yards and ran the ball three times for 17 yards, but saw fewer rush attempts than rookie running back
Raheim Sanders. The Cleveland Browns will host the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 17, who are a tough matchup for opposing running backs. With rookie running back
Dylan Sampson (hand) still managing an injury and Judkins almost certainly missing the rest of the season, Williams should profile as the primary passing-down back in the upcoming gritty AFC North matchup.
--Matt McCauleySource: ESPN
December 21, 2025
Cleveland Browns rookie tight end
Harold Fannin Jr. hauled in four of his six targets for 34 yards and scored two total touchdowns during Sunday's Week 16 loss against the Buffalo Bills. Fannin Jr. set a franchise record for most receptions by a rookie in a season and, for the third straight week, he led the team in receptions and targets. The Browns offense continued to manufacture touches for Fannin Jr., as evidenced by his rushing touchdown after lining up as a fullback and receiving an inside handoff. Fannin Jr. has a great matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers' defense in Week 17, which has allowed the second-most points to tight ends this season. With tight end
David Njoku (knee) still on the mend and rookie running back
Quinshon Judkins (knee, leg) suffering a serious injury in Week 16, Fannin Jr. is postured to remain a focal point in an offense that is looking for ways to get him the ball.
--Matt McCauleySource: ESPN
December 21, 2025
Washington Commanders quarterback
Marcus Mariota (right hand, quad) is day-to-day ahead of Thursday's Week 17 contest against the Dallas Cowboys, head coach Dan Quinn told the media. Mariota's right hand injury, which forced him out of Saturday's Week 16 loss to the Eagles, required stitches. He is also dealing with a quad ailment.
Josh Johnson relieved Mariota on Saturday and finished the game. Now, it appears that the veteran journeyman has a chance to become the Commanders' third different quarterback to start a game this season. Managers invested in Mariota's availability should closely monitor the Commanders' injury reports from Monday through Wednesday.
--Andersen PickardSource: Zach Selby
December 21, 2025
Cleveland Browns running back
Quinshon Judkins (leg, knee) has been diagnosed with a broken leg and will miss the remainder of the 2025 season, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. He is also being evaluated for a knee injury. It's a devastating end to a promising rookie campaign for the second-round pick out of Ohio State. He finishes the season with 827 rushing yards, 171 receiving yards, and seven touchdowns through 15 games. Judkins will now begin recovering in hopes of making a full recovery ahead of the 2026 season. If healthy, he'll rank as a fringe top-12 running back in next summer's fantasy drafts. As for the Browns' short-term outlook,
Dylan Sampson (hand) has a chance to return in Week 17 and lead Cleveland's backfield the rest of the way.
Raheim Sanders should also earn more touches out of the backfield.
--Andersen PickardSource: Ian Rapoport
December 21, 2025
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback
Gardner Minshew (left knee) likely tore his ACL during Sunday's Week 16 contest against the Tennessee Titans, according to Matt Derrick of Chiefs Digest. The veteran signal-caller exited in the first half after completing just three of his eight pass attempts for 15 passing yards, zero touchdowns, and zero turnovers. He also had eight rushing yards. This is deflating news for the Chiefs, who have now lost both
Patrick Mahomes (knee) and Minshew to torn ACLs in back-to-back weeks. This crushing sequence of injuries will leave third-string quarterback
Chris Oladokun in line to start on Thursday against the Denver Broncos. Outside of Oladokun, Kansas City has no healthy quarterbacks on its active roster or practice squad, so they'll likely make an addition or two within the next few days. In the meantime, Minshew will undergo additional testing to confirm his initial diagnosis.
--Andersen PickardSource: Matt Derrick
December 21, 2025
Los Angeles Chargers running back
Kimani Vidal (neck) exited during the fourth quarter of Sunday's Week 16 contest against the Dallas Cowboys. He is officially listed as questionable to return. At the time of his departure, he had just five carries for 11 rushing yards. After a couple of weeks splitting touches with
Omarion Hampton, Vidal took on a smaller role this weekend while Hampton got more involved. Even if Vidal returns Sunday, he'll likely remain in a change-of-pace role. While he's sidelined,
Hassan Haskins will operate as Los Angeles' No. 2 option out of the backfield.
--Andersen PickardSource: Adam Schefter
December 21, 2025
Pittsburgh Steelers running back
Kaleb Johnson (coach's decision) and wide receiver
Roman Wilson (coach's decision) are both healthy scratches for Sunday's Week 16 contest against the Detroit Lions. Johnson is inactive for the very first time in his rookie campaign. The 22-year-old played just 3% of the snaps last Monday versus Miami, and he has just 28 carries, 69 rushing yards, one catch, and nine receiving yards so far this year.
Jaylen Warren and
Kenneth Gainwell are the Steelers' only active running backs on Sunday. Meanwhile, Wilson is inactive for the third game in a row. He has 12 catches, 166 yards, and two touchdowns in his second NFL campaign, and he hasn't caught a pass since Week 11. At the wide receiver position,
Scotty Miller and
Ben Skowronek are active, offering additional depth behind
DK Metcalf,
Calvin Austin III, and
Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
--Andersen PickardSource: Pittsburgh Steelers
December 21, 2025
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver
Ryan Flournoy (knee) won't return to Sunday's Week 16 contest against the Los Angeles Chargers. He exited in the second quarter and was initially listed as questionable before being downgraded to out. Despite being behind
CeeDee Lamb and
George Pickens on the depth chart, the 26-year-old carved out a role for himself before departing. He finishes the game with two catches, 18 yards, and a touchdown. He'll now have just four days to get healthy before the Cowboys return to action on Christmas Day against the Washington Commanders. Look for KaVonte Turpin and
Jonathan Mingo to earn more snaps in his absence.
--Andersen PickardSource: Patrik Walker
December 21, 2025
Houston Texans wide receiver
Christian Kirk (illness) is officially active for Sunday's Week 16 contest against the Las Vegas Raiders. He had been listed as questionable after missing Friday's practice. The veteran receiver is healthy enough to suit up this weekend, but he'll likely continue to operate in a depth role behind wide receivers
Nico Collins and
Jayden Higgins. He could also be out-targeted and out-produced by tight end
Dalton Schultz once again. As it stands, he ranks as RotoBaller's WR80 and can be benched or dropped to waivers in fantasy football.
--Andersen PickardSource: Aaron Wilson
December 21, 2025
Houston Texans running back
Nick Chubb (ribs) is officially active for Sunday's Week 16 contest against the Las Vegas Raiders. He had been listed as questionable but was trending in the right direction after practicing in full. The veteran will be tasked with leading Houston's backfield on Sunday after
Woody Marks (ankle) was ruled out. Chubb has previously shown that he's capable of handling a lead-back workload both in Cleveland and Houston. However, he'll likely share plenty of opportunities this week with
Jawhar Jordan and
Dare Ogunbowale. Chubb ranks as a high-end RB3, and Jordan has the potential to sneak into the low-end RB3/flex tier.
--Andersen PickardSource: Aaron Wilson
December 21, 2025
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback
Gardner Minshew (knee) won't return to Sunday's Week 16 contest against the Tennessee Titans. He was initially listed as questionable before being downgraded to out. The veteran signal-caller finishes this week having completed just three of his eight pass attempts for 15 passing yards, zero touchdowns, and zero turnovers. He also had eight rushing yards. With
Patrick Mahomes (knee) done for the year, Minshew was replaced by third-string quarterback
Chris Oladokun. Depending on the severity of Minshew's injury, we could see Oladokun earn the start on Thursday Night Football against the Denver Broncos in Week 17.
--Andersen PickardSource: Ari Meirov
December 21, 2025
Houston Texans running back
Woody Marks (ankle) is officially inactive for Sunday's Week 16 contest against the Las Vegas Raiders. He had been listed as questionable but was trending in the wrong direction after missing two of the Texans' three practices this past week. Houston is exercising caution by holding the rookie out of Sunday's game. Not only do they want to keep him fresh for the playoff push, but they can also feel comfortable about their chances with a slightly short-staffed backfield against a porous Las Vegas Raiders run defense that has allowed the second-most rushing touchdowns to running backs in 2025.
Nick Chubb (ribs) should lead the way against Vegas, but we also expect to see a mix of
Jawhar Jordan and
Dare Ogunbowale, especially if the Texans jump out to an early lead. Chubb ranks as a high-end RB3. We could also see Jordan, who totaled 118 scrimmage yards last week, sneak into the RB3/flex range.
--Andersen PickardSource: Aaron Wilson
December 21, 2025
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver
Drake London (knee) is officially active for his team's Week 16 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. The 24-year-old has been sidelined since Week 11 with a knee injury. Across nine games before getting hurt, London recorded 60 receptions for 810 yards and five touchdowns on 94 targets. He's earned double-digit targets in five out of nine outings this season and had recorded at least 100 receiving yards in five out of his last six games before going down in Week 11. Atlanta could choose to work him back into the lineup slowly, but London should immediately take over as his team's top pass-catcher. He profiles as a must-start wide receiver for fantasy managers in Week 16.
--Will BradySource: Atlanta Falcons
December 21, 2025
Minnesota Vikings quarterback
J.J. McCarthy (hand) has been ruled out for the remainder of his team's Week 16 matchup against the New York Giants with a hand injury. The 22-year-old took a big shot to his right hand and wrist area from Giants edge rusher Brian Burns right before halftime. It's been an injury-ravaged season for McCarthy, who has also missed time in 2025 with an ankle injury and a concussion. He will finish Week 16 with nine completions on 14 pass attempts for 108 yards, zero touchdowns, one interception, and one fumble. McCarthy also recorded two rush attempts for 20 yards and a touchdown. In his absence, Minnesota will turn to
Max Brosmer at quarterback for the remainder of Week 16. Brosmer has made one start this season and struggled, throwing four interceptions in Week 13 against the Seattle Seahawks.
--Will BradySource: NFL Network - Ian Rapoport
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