December 18, 2025
Philadelphia Eagles running back
Saquon Barkley (stinger) was a full practice participant on Thursday and will not carry an injury designation into his team's Week 16 matchup against the Washington Commanders on Saturday. Barkley suffered a stinger in the Eagles' Week 15 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, but the injury will not result in missed time. Across 14 games this season, the 28-year-old has recorded 1,213 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns on 277 touches. His average of 3.9 yards per carry is down nearly two full yards from the 5.8 yards per carry he averaged in his first season in Philadelphia in 2024. Still, Barkley has logged touchdowns in back-to-back games entering Week 16 and profiles as a must-start fantasy running back in a favorable matchup against Washington.
--Will BradySource: Philadelphia Eagles
December 18, 2025
Indianapolis Colts quarterback
Anthony Richardson Sr. (eye) returned to practice on a limited capacity on Thursday. The 23-year-old has been on Injured Reserve since Week 6, when he suffered an orbital fracture during pregame warmups. Richardson Sr. started the season as the backup quarterback in Indianapolis behind
Daniel Jones (Achilles), who went down in Week 14 with a season-ending torn Achilles tendon. The Colts have since turned to 44-year-old quarterback
Philip Rivers, who will make his second start in Week 16 against the San Francisco 49ers. However, if Rivers struggles and/or Richardson Sr. can regain full health, Richardson Sr. could conceivably reclaim starting duties in Indianapolis. While the former number four overall pick has struggled as a passer throughout his career, his rushing ability gives him fantasy upside. Across 17 career NFL games (15 starts), Richardson Sr. has rushed for 634 yards and 10 touchdowns.
--Will BradySource: Indianapolis Colts
December 18, 2025
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver
Alec Pierce (Achilles) is listed as a limited practice participant on Thursday's injury report due to an Achilles issue. Pierce played 100% of the Colts' offensive snaps in Week 15, so this could be more of an injury management situation than an acute injury. Still, Pierce will likely need to log a full practice on either Friday or Saturday to avoid being listed as questionable for his team's Week 16 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night. Across 12 games this season, Pierce has recorded 39 receptions for 785 yards and two touchdowns on 68 targets. However, he recorded just one catch on one target in Week 15, which was Indianapolis' first game with
Philip Rivers under center as its starting quarterback. If Pierce were to miss Week 16, Colts wideouts
Josh Downs (personal) and
Michael Pittman Jr. could each see an uptick in targets.
--Will BradySource: Indianapolis Colts
December 18, 2025
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said that wide receiver
Brandon Aiyuk (knee) has been "extremely distant" from the team since suffering a season-ending knee injury in Week 7 of the 2024 season, per Matt Barrows of The Athletic. The 27-year-old has not played a game since that point. The 49ers voided guarantees in his contract for 2026 and placed him on the reserve/left squad list on Saturday, officially ending his 2025 season. All signs seem to indicate that Aiyuk and the 49ers are likely to go their separate ways this offseason. In his last fully healthy season in 2023, Aiyuk recorded 75 receptions for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns on 105 targets. He has a chance to get back to his superstar heights if he can get fully healthy and find the right team. However, his health and the way his current situation in San Francisco has unfolded may bring about question marks for dynasty league fantasy managers.
--Will BradySource: The Athletic - Matt Barrows
December 18, 2025
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver
CeeDee Lamb (illness) missed practice for the second straight day on Thursday due to an illness, per ESPN's Todd Archer. Archer notes that Lamb was present for team meetings, but was not present on the practice field. At this point, Lamb will likely need to get back to practice on Friday to avoid entering the weekend with a questionable designation. Across 11 games this season, the 26-year-old has recorded 63 catches for 976 yards and three touchdowns on 99 targets. If Lamb were to miss his team's Week 16 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers, Cowboys wideout
George Pickens would take over as the team's WR1, while wide receivers
Ryan Flournoy and
KaVontae Turpin would likely see an increase in playing time. Fantasy managers should check back for Lamb's practice status on Friday.
--Will BradySource: ESPN - Todd Archer
December 18, 2025
Green Bay Packers wide receiver
Christian Watson (chest, shoulder) is officially questionable to play in Week 16 versus the division-rival Chicago Bears in the Windy City on Saturday night, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Watson injured his chest/shoulder on a hard fall in Sunday's loss to the Denver Broncos and was sent to the hospital as a precaution. The 26-year-old was cleared of a major injury and said he was "feeling pretty good" this week, but his status for Week 16 will come down to a medical decision on Saturday. Fantasy managers will need to check back on Saturday for Green Bay's inactives before putting Watson into starting lineups for the week. He has been quarterback
Jordan Love's go-to receiver in his eight games played, catching 28 passes for 481 yards and five touchdowns. If Watson isn't cleared,
Jayden Reed,
Romeo Doubs, and rookie
Matthew Golden would all have higher ceilings in Chicago.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN - Adam Schefter
December 18, 2025
Green Bay Packers running back
Josh Jacobs (knee, ankle) is officially listed as questionable to play on Saturday night against the division-rival Chicago Bears after missing practice all week, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. It's an injury that dates back to Week 11 for Jacobs. The 27-year-old was held out of Week 12, but he's played in each of the last three games and has maintained his workhorse role at less than 100%. Jacobs was also questionable going into last Sunday's loss to the Denver Broncos. He played through the knee injury on his way to 12 carries for 73 yards and a touchdown while adding two receptions for 19 yards and his first receiving TD of the year. Jacobs is expected to gut through his knee injury again versus Chicago, where he'll be a low-end RB1 for fantasy managers. He's found the end zone 14 total times in 2025 in 13 games played.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN - Adam Schefter
December 18, 2025
Pittsburgh Steelers star linebacker T.J. Watt (lung) didn't practice again on Thursday and appears unlikely to return for Sunday's game against the Detroit Lions in Week 16, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Watt needed surgery for a collapsed lung and was forced to sit out Monday night's win over the Miami Dolphins. The 31-year-old All-Pro linebacker is now headed for a second straight missed game, and it's unclear if he'll be ready to return for a Week 17 date against the division-rival Cleveland Browns. Pittsburgh's defense looked much-improved against the hapless Dolphins offense in Week 15, but fantasy managers alive in the playoffs should be looking to fade the Steelers' defense/special teams unit this weekend on the road against Detroit, especially without Watt in the fold.
--Keith HernandezSource: NFL Network - Tom Pelissero
December 18, 2025
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver
Puka Nacua apologized for his actions and comments on a recent social-media livestream in which he was asked to perform a specific movement that was antisemitic in nature. " I deeply apologize to anyone who was offended by my actions as I do not stand for any form of racism, bigotry, or hate of another group of people," Nacua wrote in a statement. It's not the only bad off-the-field publicity that Nacua has had recently, as his brother was arrested and accused of stealing a car belonging to a Lakers player. It's not a good look for the 24-year-old superstar, but it seems unlikely that he'll face a suspension for his actions. Nacua has back-to-back games with over 150 receiving yards and should be in for a third straight 100-yard performance on Thursday night versus the division-rival Seahawks, with
Davante Adams (hamstring) expected to be out. Off-field issues aside, Nacua is an elite, must-start WR1 for fantasy managers.
--Keith HernandezSource: NFL Network - Ian Rapoport
December 18, 2025
Chicago Bears tight end
Cole Kmet (ankle, knee) is officially listed as questionable to play in Week 16 against the division-rival Green Bay Packers on Saturday night. Kmet was limited in practice on Tuesday and Wednesday before upgrading to a full practice on Thursday, so he should be on the right side of questionable for the weekend. If the 26-year-old is active, he could be in line for more targets with both receivers
Rome Odunze (foot) and
Luther Burden III (ankle) being ruled out. However, even in that case, Kmet will be no more than a touchdown-dependent TE2 streamer in a bad matchup against Green Bay. Regardless of whether Kmet plays, rookie tight end
Colston Loveland will have clear TE1 upside in Week 16 with both Odunze and Burden sidelined. Kmet has taken a back seat to Loveland in 2025 and has 24 catches for 301 yards and only two touchdowns in 13 games played.
--Keith HernandezSource: Bears Communications
December 18, 2025
Chicago Bears running back
D'Andre Swift (groin) popped up on the Week 16 injury report on Wednesday and is now listed as questionable to play in another big divisional game against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night. Swift was limited on Wednesday and Thursday after not being listed at all on Tuesday. The 26-year-old should be on the right side of questionable this weekend, but if he ends up not playing, rookie
Kyle Monangai would be a must-start, plug-and-play option for fantasy football managers against Green Bay. If Swift does get the green light to play in Week 16, he'll be a more risky RB3/flex option and potentially give up valuable backfield touches to Monangai, who has been more involved in Chicago's backfield in the second half of the season. In the first game against the Packers on Dec. 7, Swift had 13 carries for 63 yards and caught three of his four targets for 19 yards. He's the RB13 on the year with 14.0 half-PPR points per game.
--Keith HernandezSource: Bears Communications
December 18, 2025
Chicago Bears wide receiver
Rome Odunze (foot) did not practice all week and has officially been ruled out for Saturday's divisional rematch against the visiting Green Bay Packers in Week 16, according to the team. Odunze will miss a third straight game while he deals with a stress fracture in his foot, and it's sounding like the Bears will hold him out through the end of the regular season so that they'll have him closer to 100% for the playoffs. In addition to Odunze, Chicago will be without rookie wideout
Luther Burden III (ankle). Running back
D'Andre Swift (groin) and tight end
Cole Kmet (ankle, knee) are also questionable. Quarterback
Caleb Williams will be missing some key weapons against a strong Packers defense, even if they're missing pass-rusher Micah Parsons (knee).
DJ Moore,
Olamide Zaccheaus, and
Devin Duvernay figure to be the Bears' top-three receivers on Saturday evening.
--Keith HernandezSource: Bears Communications
December 18, 2025
Chicago Bears rookie wide receiver
Luther Burden III (ankle) has officially been ruled out for Saturday's divisional matchup against the Green Bay Packers. The rookie second-rounder was unable to practice this week and will be forced to miss his second game of the season with an ankle injury. The Bears will be short-handed at receiver for a critical Week 16 game, with
Rome Odunze (foot) ruled out for the third straight week as he manages a stress fracture in his foot. Burden was surging in Odunze's absence, posting his two highest yardage totals since his 101-yard performance in Week 3. He led the Bears in receiving in both games, hauling in four of six targets for 67 yards in Week 14 versus the Packers, and six of seven targets for 84 yards last week against the Browns.
DJ Moore,
Olamide Zaccheaus, and
Devin Duvernay will likely see the bulk of the snaps at wide receiver, with rookie tight end
Colston Loveland also in line for more targets on Saturday.
--Kyle McCarthySource: Bears Communications
December 18, 2025
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver
Tee Higgins (concussion) was not spotted at the beginning of the team's practice on Thursday, according to Ben Baby of ESPN. Higgins suffered his second concussion in two weeks in Week 14 and was held out of the Week 15 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. He was able to practice on a limited basis on Wednesday, so a DNP on Thursday would be a downgrade and suggest a possible setback as he tries to make his way through the league's concussion protocol. The Bengals have been eliminated from postseason play, so Cincy will most likely err on the side of caution if Higgins is up in the air at all. Fantasy managers should have a better idea of Higgins' status for Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins by Friday. Higgins is a must-start in fantasy if he's active. If he's ruled out for a second straight game, though,
Andrei Iosivas and
Mitchell Tinsley would both have some deep-league flex appeal in a favorable matchup.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Ben Baby
December 18, 2025
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver
Ricky Pearsall (knee) won't practice on Thursday, but head coach Kyle Shanahan said he's feeling "much better" and that he still has a chance to play on Monday night against the Indianapolis Colts, per ESPN's Nick Wagoner. Pearsall aggravated the PCL injury that caused him to miss six games earlier this season and also sprained his ankle during the Week 15 win over the Titans. The 25-year-old will have an extra day to recover this week, but it still seems unlikely that he'll be able to suit up on Monday night. The second-year wideout produced his third game this season with 95 or more yards against the Titans, finishing with six catches for 96 yards on seven targets. If Pearsall ends up being ruled out,
Jauan Jennings would be in line for a larger role, with
Kendrick Bourne also becoming a viable flex option in deeper leagues.
--Kyle McCarthySource: Nick Wagoner
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