December 19, 2025
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver
Xavier Worthy caught two passes for 35 yards in last week's loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, but he should step into the lead role for the Chiefs this week. With fellow receivers
Rashee Rice and
Tyquan Thornton ruled out with concussions, there should be plenty of opportunities for Worthy to shine against the Tennessee Titans in Week 16. The Titans have given up the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season, which means this could be a smash spot for Worthy if he hits. Worthy has had an up-and-down season, but he should be able to produce with the runway cleared for him. That said, he does have a quarterback downgrade, going from
Patrick Mahomes to
Gardner Minshew this week. Minshew has proven capable in the past and should be able to deliver the ball to Worthy. Worthy is ranked WR39 in our RotoBaller Half-PPR rankings, making him a low-end WR3/flex option this week.
--Joshua CostelloSource: ESPN.com
December 19, 2025
Las Vegas Raiders rookie running back
Ashton Jeanty faces another uphill battle in Week 16 on the road against the potent Houston Texans defense, which is likely to hinder his fantasy production and upside. Over the last two weeks, Jeanty has failed to score double-digit fantasy points and eked out just 65 total rushing yards from 19 attempts against the Denver Broncos and Philadelphia Eagles. Even more troubling than this inefficiency, Jeanty saw only 41.7% of third downs in Week 15, his lowest since Week 7, with running back
Raheem Mostert subbing in more frequently. Jeanty is still running an average of 24 routes and seeing roughly six targets per game since Week 9, which provides a glimmer of hope for fantasy managers in PPR formats. However, even with quarterback
Geno Smith (back, shoulder) to start in Week 16, the Raiders are struggling to gain momentum on offense, and Jeanty is a low-end RB2/Flex option this week with higher-than-normal bust potential despite his weekly double-digit touches.
--Matt McCauleySource: ESPN
December 19, 2025
The NFL has fined Los Angeles Rams wide receiver
Puka Nacua $25,000 for his comments about officiating, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. Nacua compared NFL officials to lawyers and said they make calls to be on TV during a recent social media livestream. The star wide receiver also tweeted about the officials directly after the Rams' loss to the Seahawks on Thursday night. Nacua's off-field antics have somewhat overshadowed how dominant he's been on the field lately, posting a career day with 12 catches for 225 yards and two touchdowns on 16 targets against Seattle. The 24-year-old wideout is in the midst of a ridiculous three-game span, recording 28 catches (38 targets) for 573 yards and four touchdowns. The only other wide receivers to tally 573 yards or more over a three-game span are
Josh Gordon, Calvin Johnson, and Chad Johnson, according to Stathead.
--Kyle McCarthySource: Mike Garafolo
December 19, 2025
Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end
Cade Otton (knee) doesn't carry an injury designation into Sunday's Week 16 matchup against the Carolina Panthers. Otton is set to return after missing last week's loss to the Atlanta Falcons due to a knee injury. Otton hasn't been much of a factor with fewer than 30 receiving yards in four straight games. His fantasy value is unlikely to be consistent with
Mike Evans and
Jalen McMillan returning from lengthy absences last week. Otton is going to fall in the pecking order to the point where he'll probably only be a touchdown-dependent option. Fantasy managers should probably look elsewhere as Otton is mainly an option in deep leagues for the fantasy playoffs.
--Andy WebbSource: Pro Football Reference
December 19, 2025
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver
Jalen McMillan made his season debut during last week's loss to the Atlanta Falcons. He missed almost all of the regular season due to a neck injury he suffered in August. The 24-year-old hauled in both his targets for 38 yards in Thursday’s loss to the Falcons. McMillan has long-term upside in dynasty formats, but isn't a viable option outside of that right now. The Bucs have too many mouths to feed with
Mike Evans,
Emeka Egbuka, and
Chris Godwin Jr. all healthy right now. McMillan might be worth a look in deep leagues against the Carolina Panthers. Outside of that, McMillan should be on the bench in 12-team standard leagues in Week 16.
--Andy WebbSource: Pro Football Reference
December 19, 2025
Cleveland Browns rookie running back
Quinshon Judkins is coming off two disappointing games, but faces a struggling Buffalo Bills run defense in Week 16, which gives up an average of 143 rushing yards per game. Judkins will continue his workhorse role with rookie running back
Dylan Sampson (hand) ruled out for Week 16, but is likely to cede the majority of third downs again to running back
Trayveon Williams. In Week 15 against the Chicago Bears, Judkins only played 28% of third downs, but ran a season-high 23 routes and saw four targets, his most targets since Week 4. The Browns are likely to face a negative game script against the Bills, which should help Judkins' floor in PPR formats, given his recent increased involvement in the passing game. Though the Bills' run defense is vulnerable overall, they have managed to hit running backs behind the line of scrimmage at the 6th-highest rate in the NFL at 49.3%. This is particularly troublesome for Judkins, who has been hit behind the line of scrimmage on 54.1% of his carries this season, the 2nd-highest among running backs, according to Next Gen Stats. Heading into Week 16, Judkins profiles as a risky low-end RB2 with a favorable matchup.
--Matt McCauleySource: NFL.com
December 19, 2025
Kansas City Chiefs running back
Isiah Pacheco led the backfield in the Week 15 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Pacheco handled 11 carries for 21 yards and did not earn a single target. The 26-year-old supplanted
Kareem Hunt as the back with the most opportunities, but Pacheco only averaged 1.9 yards per carry with those opportunities. That said, he should retain the lead role in Week 16 against the Tennessee Titans. The Titans have allowed the 11th-most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season, so Pacheco should have an easier time finding success on the ground. The Chiefs could also lean on the run game more with
Patrick Mahomes out for the season. Minshew will step into the lead role at quarterback, which could decrease the overall efficiency of the offense. So, Pacheco may end up getting more work, but the scoring opportunities could be less frequent. Pacheco is ranked RB40 in our RotoBaller Half-PPR rankings, making him a low-end flex option this week.
--Joshua CostelloSource: ESPN.com
December 19, 2025
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver
Marvin Harrison Jr. (heel) is listed as questionable for Week 16's matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. Harrison was a limited participant every day in practice this week and should have a solid chance of returning on Sunday after missing the last two games and four of the past five games. Head coach Jonathan Gannon said that the second-year wideout has "looked pretty good" in practice this week and that the team "will have a plan for him" when asked if there was any concern about his conditioning for a potential return on Sunday against the Falcons. The Ohio State product has averaged 4.0 receptions for 59.4 yards on 6.9 targets with four touchdowns in 10 games this season, ranking as the WR28 in PPR points per game (12.3). If he's active, Harrison will compete with
Michael Wilson and
Trey McBride for targets and profiles as a WR3 for the second round of the fantasy playoffs.
--Kyle McCarthySource: Jonathan Jones
December 19, 2025
Cleveland Browns rookie tight end
Harold Fannin Jr. is the lone bright spot in the Browns' offense heading into their Week 16 matchup against the Buffalo Bills at home. Over the last two games, the versatile tight end has 15 receptions for 162 yards and a touchdown on 25 targets. For the season, Fannin Jr. leads all Browns pass catchers in targets, receptions, yards, and touchdowns. With fellow tight end
David Njoku (knee) ruled out for Week 16 and wide receiver
Jerry Jeudy struggling to gain rapport with rookie quarterback
Shedeur Sanders, Fannin Jr. will probably continue to dominate targets and see outsized opportunities. Fannin Jr. is going to need volume going up against the Bills' defense, which routinely limits opposing tight ends to single-digit fantasy points and is the hardest matchup for tight ends in the league. Despite this brutal matchup and unreliable quarterback play from Sanders, Fannin Jr. is a TE1 and top-five tight end in Week 16, even with a precariously low ceiling.
--Matt McCauleySource: ESPN
December 19, 2025
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver
Chris Godwin Jr. has been playing a significant role in this offense since returning from injury in Week 12. Godwin was limited during his first game back, but has seen steady involvement since then. Over the last three games, Godwin has seen five or more targets with 55 receiving yards or more in two of those contests. Last week, Godwin was held to 20 yards, but salvaged his fantasy value with a touchdown during the loss to the Atlanta Falcons. The return of
Mike Evans and
Jalen McMillan could impact Godwin's target share going forward. It doesn't appear to be impacting his playing time with Godwin seeing 96 percent of the offensive snaps last week. He's a viable option in the slot and has good chemistry with quarterback
Baker Mayfield. Godwin should be able to offer WR3 value against a middle-of-the-road defense in the Carolina Panthers this weekend.
--Andy WebbSource: Pro Football Reference
December 19, 2025
For fantasy managers still playing into the money weeks of the season, the decision to start or sit Minnesota Vikings wide receiver
Justin Jefferson against the New York Giants might come with a bit of heartburn. A prolonged slump has Jefferson in risky WR2 territory, which sounds baffling, given his past production. The former LSU Tiger has just six catches for 37 yards in the past three weeks, has not scored a touchdown since Week 9, hasn't eclipsed 80 yards since Week 5, and missed out on two touchdowns last week -- one called back because of a penalty and one he dropped. Overall, however, the Vikings and quarterback
J.J. McCarthy have played significantly better during the past two weeks with back-to-back wins in which the offense scored more than 30 points. Additionally, the matchup is great, as the Giants have surrendered the fourth-most air yards and rank 30th against half-PPR receivers. Managers have surely been burned, but Jefferson still has an ever-present week-winning potential that figures to eventually make an appearance again.
--Nick PiotrowiczSource: RotoBaller
December 19, 2025
Kansas City Chiefs running back
Kareem Hunt took a backseat to
Isiah Pacheco in last week's loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, and his value should also decrease without
Patrick Mahomes leading the offense. Hunt rushed six times for 12 yards and caught one pass for eight yards in Week 15. Hunt handled five fewer carries than Pacheco, but neither back was able to average more than 2.0 yards per carry in the contest.
Gardner Minshew is now set to be the starting quarterback for the Chiefs for the rest of the season, which could decrease the number of scoring opportunities in this offense. Since most of his value is tied to finding the endzone, Hunt will be very difficult to trust this week. That said, Hunt will have a softer matchup in Week 16 against the Tennessee Titans. The Titans have given up the 11th-most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season. Hunt is ranked RB33 in our RotoBaller Half-PPR rankings, making him an RB3/Flex option this week. Given his reduced role last week and fewer expected scoring opportunities moving forward, Hunt is a tough player to project.
--Joshua CostelloSource: ESPN.com
December 19, 2025
In the midst of the best stretch of his young career, Minnesota Vikings quarterback
J.J. McCarthy can be considered a high-potential QB2 option for managers in Superflex leagues as the Vikings look to continue their winning streak in Week 16 at the New York Giants. He'll see another good matchup against the 2-12 Giants, who rank 27th in scoring percentage and 30th in turnover percentage, but could see a patchwork Minnesota offensive line. The Vikings will be without left tackle Christian Darrisaw (knee) and could also be missing right tackle Brian O'Neill (heel), who is questionable. McCarthy, who has been limited to eight starts in two years due to injuries, looked significantly improved during the past two games, in which he completed 66% of passes, accounted for six touchdowns, committed only one turnover, and finished among the top 10 fantasy quarterbacks both times. McCarthy is still raw and prone to volatility, but the past two weeks vindicated managers who kept the faith, giving them a quality option with a favorable matchup deep in the fantasy playoffs.
--Nick PiotrowiczSource: RotoBaller
December 19, 2025
In four games since returning from Injured Reserve, Jacksonville Jaguars tight end
Brenton Strange has totaled 12 catches for 191 yards and a touchdown on 18 targets. Over that stretch, the 24-year-old ranks second on the team in targets, yards, and receptions, trailing only
Jakobi Meyers. The third-year tight end has established himself as a reliable target for
Trevor Lawrence and remains a higher-floor tight end option heading into Week 16. The Jaguars' offense has been rolling lately, but faces a tough matchup on Sunday against the vaunted Denver Broncos defense. Strange is coming off his lowest yardage output since Week 2, with one catch for 26 yards on three targets last week against the Jets, and could be in line for another down week given the opponent.
--Kyle McCarthySource: Pro Football Reference
December 19, 2025
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver
Emeka Egbuka was finally able to give fantasy managers a decent performance during last week's loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Before that game, Egbuka had been held to under 50 receiving yards in four straight contests. Egbuka hauled in four of his seven targets for 64 yards during the Thursday’s loss. The Bucs are getting healthy with
Mike Evans and
Jalen McMillan both returning from injury last week. Egbuka only played 64 percent of the offensive snaps last week. The Bucs have a lot of mouths to feed so that Egbuka might get lost in the shuffle. The fact that he saw seven targets is a good sign heading into the Week 16 matchup against the Carolina Panthers. There's big-play potential here, but Egbuka hasn't been reliable over the last month or so. Fantasy managers shouldn't trust him as anything more than a WR3.
--Andy WebbSource: Pro Football Reference
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