December 19, 2025
Los Angeles Chargers running back
Kimani Vidal may still be a viable fantasy play in Week 16 if the team continues featuring him as they have, despite teammate
Omarion Hampton's return to the field. Hampton missed a massive chunk of the season with an ankle injury. While he's been back for a few weeks now and saw a modest increase in snaps during his second game, Vidal has handily out-snapped him 93-47 over that time frame. The actual touch distribution has been much closer, with the rookie leading 31-28, although it's possible LA will still lean on the former at times, considering he was an excellent stand-in while Hampton was shelved. Vidal should have some decent flex appeal for fantasy until (unless) he's phased out of the game plan in his backfield mate's favor. They'll get an improved Dallas rush defense on the road this Sunday.
--Alex CiullaSource: ESPN
December 19, 2025
Kansas City Chiefs second-year wide receiver
Xavier Worthy could be in store for an elevated target share in Week 16's road outing with the Tennessee Titans, depending on the health of his running mates. It's been a strange season for the former Texas Longhorn. Worthy essentially missed the first three weeks of the campaign with a shoulder injury, and before he could really get his year on track, teammate
Rashee Rice (concussion) returned from a suspension to act as KC's WR1. In the eight games together since, the 22-year-old has played a clear second fiddle. Still, there's some hope he'll see a substantial uptick in work this weekend, particularly with Rice and
Tyquan Thornton (concussion) in danger of missing the game. For now, the situation is worth monitoring, as Worthy,
Marquise Brown (personal), and
JuJu Smith-Schuster (rib) would operate in three-wide-receiver sets if the duo mentioned above is inactive.
--Alex CiullaSource: ESPN
December 19, 2025
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback
Gardner Minshew has spent most of 2025 serving as his team's backup QB behind star signal-caller
Patrick Mahomes (knee). However, with Mahomes suffering a season-ending knee injury in Week 15, Minshew is in line to finish the 2025 season as the starter in Kansas City. Across 62 career NFL games (46 starts), Minshew has completed 63.3% of his pass attempts for 11,972 yards, 68 touchdowns, and 35 interceptions. His most recent run as a starter came in 2024 for the Las Vegas Raiders, where he threw for 2,013 yards, nine touchdowns, and 10 interceptions across 10 games (nine starts). With a career average of 6.9 yards per pass attempt, Minshew carries limited upside. Still, he's had competent stretches of NFL quarterback play at various points in his career and will face a favorable matchup in Week 16 against the Tennessee Titans. Given his newfound playing time outlook, Minshew could be a low-end streaming option in two-quarterback fantasy formats.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
December 19, 2025
Minnesota Vikings quarterback
J.J. McCarthy's struggles this season have been well-publicized, as the 22-year-old has thrown 11 interceptions across eight starts. However, McCarthy has shown signs of improvement since returning from a concussion that forced him to miss a game in late November. Over his last two starts, McCarthy has completed 66% of his pass attempts for 413 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception. He also remains a threat with his legs, rushing for 34 yards and a score on 10 attempts over that stretch. McCarthy has had favorable matchups over the past two weeks against the Washington Commanders and Dallas Cowboys. However, his schedule remains on the lighter side over Minnesota's next two games, as they will face the New York Giants in Week 16 and the Detroit Lions in Week 17. If McCarthy can hold some of the gains he's made since returning from the concussion, he profiles as a solid fantasy QB2.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
December 19, 2025
Since taking over as his team's starting quarterback in Week 9, New Orleans Saints signal-caller
Tyler Shough has shown flashes of production upside. The 26-year-old is averaging 226 passing yards per start and is coming off a 272-yard performance in his team's Week 15 win over the Carolina Panthers. Shough has also shown a willingness to use his legs, as he's collected 127 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 28 attempts over his last four games. The Saints as a team have been far more competitive since he took over under center, posting a 3-3 record with Shough as the starter after opening the season by losing nine out of their first 10 games. New Orleans should have an opportunity to do more damage down the stretch of the season, as they will host the New York Jets in Week 16 before a trip to Tennessee to take on the Titans in Week 17. Shough profiles as a solid fantasy QB2 given the favorable matchups and his recent run of improved play.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
December 19, 2025
Atlanta Falcons quarterback
Kirk Cousins has struggled for much of the 2025 season, completing 62.6% of his pass attempts for 1,218 yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions across seven games (five starts). However, the 37-year-old posted a monster performance in his team's Week 15 upset of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, throwing for 373 yards and three scores. At this point in his career, Cousins should not be expected to post big numbers every week. Still, his showing against Tampa Bay proves that the veteran still carries some production upside in the right matchups. The Falcons will face another favorable opponent in Week 16 against the Arizona Cardinals, followed by a far more difficult test in Week 17 against the Los Angeles Rams. For fantasy managers in two-quarterback formats, Cousins could be a solid streamer at the position, particularly in Week 16.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
December 19, 2025
San Francisco 49ers quarterback
Brock Purdy's season-long numbers don't jump off the page, as he's completed 67.9% of his pass attempts for 1,442 yards, 12 touchdowns, and seven interceptions across six starts. However, the 25-year-old is coming off one of his best performances of the season, throwing for 295 yards and three touchdowns in a Week 15 win over the Tennessee Titans. Purdy also rushed for a season-high 44 yards against Tennessee, which may be an indication he's finally regaining full health after missing nearly two full months in the middle of the year with a lingering toe injury. The 49ers travel to Indianapolis to face the Colts in Week 16 before returning home to host the Chicago Bears in Week 17. Purdy has solid fantasy QB1 upside for the final weeks of the season, particularly if he continues to weaponize his rushing ability.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
December 19, 2025
Across 11 starts this season, Houston Texans quarterback
C.J. Stroud has completed 65.3% of his pass attempts for 2,441 yards, 15 touchdowns, and six interceptions. Since returning from a concussion that forced him to miss three games from Week 10 through Week 12, the 24-year-old has played some of his best football. Over his last three outings, Stroud is averaging 246.3 passing yards per game and has thrown four touchdowns to just one interception. The Houston offense as a whole is coming off one of its best performances in Week 15 against the Arizona Cardinals, putting up close to 400 yards of total offense and 40 points. The Texans host the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 16 before a more challenging matchup in Week 17 against the Los Angeles Chargers. Stroud could have an opportunity to extend his recent run of solid play and profiles as a borderline fantasy QB1 down the stretch of the season.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
December 19, 2025
Los Angeles Chargers rookie tight end
Oronde Gadsden has been a bit of a roller coaster for fantasy managers the past few weeks, scoring five or fewer fantasy points in four of his last five games after splashing onto the scene in Week 6 and looking like a top-five tight end in some fantasy rankings up until his recent cold stretch. However, in Week 15, he bounced back nicely, with four receptions for 61 yards.
Quentin Johnston was ruled out in that contest, opening some opportunities for Gadsden in the passing game, especially down the seams and in the middle of the field. In Week 16, he's got the Dallas Cowboys, who rank middle-of-the-pack against opposing tight ends, and the Chargers offense as a whole will look to get right after being fairly down the last handful of games.
Justin Herbert's hand injury, which he has been playing through, has also not helped the production of a lot of the receivers. Gadsden profiles as a low-end TE 1 for Week 16.
--Nicho RoesslerSource: RotoBaller
December 19, 2025
Chicago Bears wide receiver
Olamide Zaccheaus could be in line for an expanded role on Saturday as the Bears take on the Green Bay Packers in a pivotal NFC North showdown. The Bears have ruled out rookie
Luther Burden III and
Rome Odunze, leaving
DJ Moore operating as the team's WR1 and Zaccheaus as the WR2. Over the past two weeks, Zaccheaus has played 80% of the team's snaps; however, had only earned six targets over those two games.
Colston Loveland and Moore will likely be the two top pass-catching options for
Caleb Williams in this contest, but Zaccheaus could be a look in deeper 14-team leagues if your team is in a bind for the fantasy football playoffs. Zaccheauss has had some decent fantasy production a few times this year, scoring five or more fantasy points in six of his 14 games played. This will also be the first time all season the Bears are without both Odunze and Burden, opening the door for Zaccheaus in this matchup.
--Nicho RoesslerSource: RotoBaller
December 19, 2025
Green Bay Packers rookie wide receiver out of Texas, and first-round pick in 2025,
Matthew Golden, earned four targets and caught three of them for 55 yards in Week 15's loss to the Denver Broncos. The four targets were the most that Golden has seen since Week 7, and with the injury to
Christian Watson (chest, shoulder), Golden was thrust into duties and played more snaps than he has since the return of Watson's ACL injury and the return of
Jayden Reed from the Injured Reserve. Although Golden's fantasy value is on the rise due to the injury situation, he is still hard to trust in any format this week against the Chicago Bears. On the season, he has 27 receptions for 341 yards and no touchdowns, for a total of 52 fantasy points in 11 games played.
--Nicho RoesslerSource: RotoBaller
December 19, 2025
Dallas Cowboys running back
Malik Davis played 53 percent of the snaps in Week 15 and earned 11 touches (eight rushes and three receptions) for 37 yards and a touchdown in the Cowboys' loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday Night Football. As far as the 2025 season goes, that was season-highs for Davis in all categories: snaps, touches, yards, and fantasy points. The reason he played and got the volume is that
Javonte Williams (neck) missed most of the second quarter, allowing Davis to see the majority of the work. Important to note that rookie running back out of Texas,
Jaydon Blue, was a healthy scratch, so it's clear that the Cowboys view Davis as the top option behind Williams, which makes him a top handcuff option for the last few weeks of the fantasy football season. Davis does not have standalone fantasy value at this time, but if Williams were to miss time, he would immediately enter the rankings as a low-end RB2 based on projected volume.
--Nicho RoesslerSource: RotoBaller
December 19, 2025
New York Giants second-year running back out of Purdue, Tyron Tracy Jr., piled up 97 total yards (70 rushing and 27 receiving) in Week 15 and punched in two touchdowns, good for 23.20 points in half PPR formats. Since the injury to
Cam Skattebo (ankle) in Week 8, the backfield snaps have been relatively split between Tracy and
Devin Singletary. However, in Week 15 we saw Tracy take a majority of the snaps for the first time since Skattebo's injury (76% compared to Singletary's 24%), and out touch him 19 to six, which is an excellent sign for Tracy fantasy managers as we head into the semi-finals of the fantasy football playoffs, as he now provides managers with the confidence to start him as an RB2/flex option against the Minnesota Vikings due to his projected opportunities. The Vikings have been middle-of-the-pack against opposing running backs, allowing the 15th fewest points to the position; however, given Tracy's projected volume after what he earned in Week 15, he can be started in most 12-team or larger formats.
--Nicho RoesslerSource: RotoBaller
December 19, 2025
Seattle Seahawks running back
Zach Charbonnet had nine carries for 32 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown during Thursday's Week 16 win over the Los Angeles Rams in overtime. He also caught all four of his targets for an additional 22 receiving yards. Charbonnet was outperformed by
Kenneth Walker III in terms of touches, yards, and fantasy points, but he did still lead the backfield with his 56% snap share on Thursday night. Managers should expect the two backs to continue splitting work roughly 50/50 in this backfield from now on. That lowers the floor for both players, but if Seattle's offense plays well over the final two weeks, Charbonnet and Walker could each carve out standalone fantasy value as low-end RB2 or high-end RB3/flex options. Charbonnet should be a top-36 fantasy running back in Week 17, when he takes on a well-rounded Carolina Panthers squad.
--Andersen PickardSource: RotoBaller
December 19, 2025
Seattle Seahawks quarterback
Sam Darnold completed 22 of his 34 pass attempts for 270 passing yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions during Thursday's Week 16 comeback win over the Los Angeles Rams in overtime. He also rushed for seven yards and took four sacks in the victory. It wasn't exactly the cleanest game for Darnold, who has now been picked off by the Rams six times during two meetings in 2025. He was just 4-for-6 passing in the first half, but he cleaned things up in the second half and overtime, ultimately leading the Seahawks to a comeback victory that erased Los Angeles' 16-point lead. The 28-year-old is a borderline top-12 fantasy quarterback (with undeniable risk) heading into a Week 17 clash with his old team, the Carolina Panthers.
--Andersen PickardSource: RotoBaller
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