December 21, 2025
The Minnesota Vikings ruled out running back
Jordan Mason (ankle) from returning to Sunday's game against the New York Giants. Mason sustained the injury on the opening drive of the game and was carted back to the locker room after returning to the sideline. He'll finish the day with two carries for five yards. Luckily for Minnesota, it received good news on its other injured running back.
Aaron Jones Sr. (ankle) also left the Vikings' first drive of the game, but was able to return later in the first half.
Zavier Scott will back up Jones with Mason unable to play.
--Nick PiotrowiczSource: Minnesota Vikings
December 21, 2025
Minnesota Vikings running back
Jordan Mason (ankle) departed Sunday's game against the New York Giants after sustaining an injury on Minnesota's first offensive series. The first-year Viking lay on the turf for a few moments, walked gingerly to the sideline, and was eventually carted back to the team's locker room, where the team deemed him questionable to return. Even worse for the Vikings, Mason's injury occurred after top option
Aaron Jones Sr. (ankle) had already sustained an injury of his own, left the game, and was given a questionable tag. If neither running back can return, that leaves
Zavier Scott to handle most of the rushing work.
--Nick PiotrowiczSource: Lindsey Young
December 21, 2025
The Minnesota Vikings classified running back
Aaron Jones Sr. (ankle) as questionable to return to the Vikings' game against the New York Giants on Sunday. The Vikings saw both of their top two running backs sustain injuries on their first offensive series. Jones departed the game first, then
Jordan Mason (ankle) took a shot, was carted to the locker room, and was also given a questionable tag. Jones was shown warming up again on the sideline, but if neither can return, Minnesota likely will lean on running back
Zavier Scott and fullback
C.J. Ham to handle the running game.
--Nick PiotrowiczSource: Ralph Vacchiano
December 21, 2025
Miami Dolphins quarterback
Tua Tagovailoa was demoted to the third-string role ahead of Week 16, and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Tagovailoa has likely played his final snap with the team. Barring something unexpected, Miami will finish the year with
Quinn Ewers and
Zach Wilson as its active quarterbacks before re-evaluating the position group sans Tagovailoa during the offseason. Specifically, Rapoport said on Sunday that the Dolphins hope to trade Tagovailoa within the upcoming months. With that said, it may be tough to find a suitor who wants to take on the former first-round pick and the approximate $175 million cap hit that he carries over the next three years, especially after a tumultuous campaign in which he tallied 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.
--Andersen PickardSource: Ian Rapoport
December 21, 2025
Houston Texans running back
Woody Marks (ankle) is expected to be inactive for Sunday's Week 16 contest against the Las Vegas Raiders, according to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport. He had been listed as questionable and missed two of the Texans' three practices this past week. Although it was previously reported that Marks planned to play, the Texans are ultimately deciding to hold him out. 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.
--Andersen PickardSource: Ian Rapoport
December 21, 2025
Tennessee Titans rookie tight end
Gunnar Helm (toe) is officially active for Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Helm entered Sunday listed as questionable due to a toe injury. He was limited in practice on Wednesday and Thursday before logging a full practice on Friday. The rookie fourth-rounder has been a bright spot for the Titans this season, recording the most receptions among rookie tight ends in franchise history. Helm leads the team in catches and receiving yards over the last four games. During these four games, Helm has tallied 131 yards on 17 receptions and has found the back of the end zone once. He profiles as an upside TE2 in Week 16 for managers in deeper leagues.
--Kyle McCarthySource: Jim Wyatt
December 21, 2025
The Washington Commanders are likely to retain head coach Dan Quinn and fire defensive coordinator Joe Whitt during the upcoming offseason, according to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com. Whitt is a longtime assistant who has worked with Quinn in Washington, Dallas, and Atlanta, but Rapoport and Pelissero write that he's "unlikely to return as defensive coordinator." The writing has been on the wall ever since Quinn took over play-calling duties from Whitt in early November. Quinn, on the other hand, is expected back in 2026 despite leading the Commanders to a 4-11 record so far. Washington has been gutted with injuries on both sides of the ball, which is likely enough justification to give Quinn a chance to get the team back on track next season. After all, Washington is less than a year removed from going 12-5 and making the NFC playoffs as the No. 6 seed in quarterback
Jayden Daniels' rookie campaign.
--Andersen PickardSource: Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero
December 21, 2025
The New York Giants are expected to target Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman in their offseason coaching search, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. It's unclear whether Freeman to New York is a realistic possibility, but Garafolo reports that the Notre Dame coach is the Giants' top candidate from the college ranks. Freeman is 43-12 in his time as the Fighting Irish head coach, leading his program to the College Football Championship last year. This season, Notre Dame went 10-2 under his guidance and just barely missed a spot in the College Football Playoff. They declined an offer to play in a bowl game. Freeman is reportedly being paid roughly $10 million per year at Notre Dame, so it would likely take a similarly significant financial commitment for him to shift from college to the pro ranks. Still, at just 39 years old, he could be tempted with a long-term contract that gives him an opportunity to kickstart a long career as an NFL head coach. With that said, the Giants will surely consider plenty of candidates already in the NFL, including prominent coordinators, so Freeman is far from the only target. Nevertheless, this will be an interesting storyline to monitor as the coaching carousel picks up steam in January.
--Andersen PickardSource: Mike Garafolo
December 21, 2025
Tennessee Titans wide receiver
Van Jefferson (back) is officially active for Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Jefferson was questionable heading into Sunday. He missed Wednesday's practice before eventually being upgraded to a full participant on Friday. The 29-year-old has played a full-time role for the Titans since Week 6 but has not been overly productive, collecting 20 catches for 256 yards and a touchdown on 43 targets in that span. In a struggling Titans offense, Jefferson doesn't profile as a trustworthy fantasy option in Week 16. He is projected to continue to operate as the WR3 behind rookies
Chimere Dike and
Elic Ayomanor.
--Kyle McCarthySource: Jim Wyatt
December 21, 2025
Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor is expected to return next season, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Taylor is under contract through 2027, and the organization doesn't anticipate making a head coaching change during the upcoming offseason. While the Bengals' 4-10 record is frustrating, quarterback
Joe Burrow missed nine games, creating an unexpected hiccup that prompted the team to start
Jake Browning and
Joe Flacco. There's an argument to be made that the Bengals could still be in playoff contention if Burrow hadn't missed time. Of course, Burrow's injury isn't the only reason for Cincinnati's shortcomings. The Bengals' defense has struggled all year long, allowing the most total points (437) and points per game (31.2). Cincinnati has plenty of areas to improve this upcoming offseason, and it appears that Taylor will be given another chance to turn the Bengals around.
--Andersen PickardSource: Tom Pelissero
December 21, 2025
Miami Dolphins wide receiver
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine will be a healthy inactive for Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Westbrook-Ikhine has played in all 14 games for Miami so far this season, totalling 11 catches for 89 yards on 20 targets, but won't play in Week 16 due to a coach's decision. The 28-year-old wideout hasn't recorded a catch in four straight weeks and has only seen one target over this stretch. With Westbrook-Ikhine out,
Malik Washington,
Dee Eskridge, and
Cedrick Wilson Jr. will be in the mix for more snaps and targets behind
Jaylen Waddle in Week 16.
--Kyle McCarthySource: Miami Dolphins
December 21, 2025
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll's future with the team is "in doubt," according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Carroll came out of retirement to accept the Raiders' head coaching staff earlier this year, and now, it appears that he could be one-and-done in Las Vegas. While the Raiders were expected to endure growing pains in 2025, their 2-12 record so far is a massive disappointment. Vegas had optimism for this season after signing
Geno Smith to a multi-year deal, drafting
Ashton Jeanty, and strengthening a defense that already featured Maxx Crosby. Carroll's Raiders have just one win over the last 14 weeks, and it came against the Titans. They also pulled off a Week 1 victory over the Patriots that now appears shocking. Rapoport notes that in addition to the Raiders' underwhelming performance, Carroll bears some responsibility for the two midseason coordinator firings. He reports that owner Al Davis will ultimately make the decision on Carroll's future within the next two weeks, and he'll listen to opinions from multiple people, including partial owner
Tom Brady.
--Andersen PickardSource: Ian Rapoport
December 21, 2025
Buffalo Bills wide receiver
Mecole Hardman (calf) is officially active for Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns. Hardman was activated off Injured Reserve on Saturday and will play in place of
Keon Coleman, who will serve as a healthy inactive for the third time this season. Hardman was upgraded to a full participant in practice on Thursday and Friday after being limited on Wednesday. The former Kansas City Chiefs wideout landed on IR after injuring his calf in his first game with the Bills in Week 11's win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Hardman is unlikely to play a major role in the Bills' spread-out passing attack and shouldn't be in any fantasy lineups in Week 16.
--Kyle McCarthySource: Cameron Wolfe
December 21, 2025
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver
Sterling Shepard (coach's decision) is a healthy scratch for Sunday's Week 16 contest against the Carolina Panthers. Shepard didn't log a snap in last week's loss to the Falcons, as he saw his role disappear with
Mike Evans and
Jalen McMillan returning from injured reserve. Now, with Tampa Bay carrying only five wide receivers into today's divisional battle with Carolina, Shepard is the odd man out, rather than fellow depth receiver
Tez Johnson. Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and
Emeka Egbuka continue to lead this receiver room, while McMillan and Johnson fill depth roles. Shepard can be dropped in most fantasy leagues.
--Andersen PickardSource: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
December 21, 2025
New York Jets quarterback
Justin Fields (knee) is officially inactive for Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints, while
Tyrod Taylor (groin, knee) will be active as the QB2 behind undrafted rookie
Brady Cook. Both quarterbacks were questionable heading into Sunday, with Fields' status more in doubt after being limited in practice this week. As a result, the 2021 first-round pick will at least serve as the emergency QB3 in Week 16. Taylor was expected to serve as the backup to Cook after logging a full practice on Friday. Cook shouldn't be considered as a fantasy option against a New Orleans Saints defense that has been stingy against the pass in recent weeks. In his NFL debut last weekend, Cook threw three interceptions with just one passing score and 176 passing yards.
--Kyle McCarthySource: Rich Cimini
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