December 18, 2025
Green Bay Packers wide receiver
Matthew Golden was pressed into more duty following the injury to
Christian Watson (chest) in Week 15, and looks to carve out a meaningful role when the Packers head to Soldier Field to take on the Chicago Bears. Golden tied
Jayden Reed for the most receiving yards on the Packers in Week 15 against Denver, with 55. He also caught all three of his targets in the loss, but Golden was much more involved against the Broncos than in Week 14 against the Bears. This time around, against the Bears in Week 16, there is much more uncertainty with a couple of Packers donning a questionable tag, including Watson and
Dontayvion Wicks (ankle). For fantasy, there's too big a hill to climb for Golden to get the requisite workload that turns into fantasy value, so he's a recommended sit when the Packers face the Bears on Saturday in Week 16.
--Kevin TompkinsSource: RotoBaller
December 18, 2025
New Orleans Saints running back
Alvin Kamara (knee, ankle) was among the players ESPN's Katherine Terrell listed as absent from the team's practice on Thursday. The 30-year-old has not practiced or played since suffering a sprained MCL in Week 12, and he could be headed for his fourth straight missed game in Week 16 against the New York Jets. Saints rookie back
Devin Neal (hamstring) has been serving as the team's lead back in Kamara's absence, but Neal suffered a hamstring injury in Week 15 and has already been ruled out for Sunday against New York. If Kamara remains sidelined, it appears New Orleans will turn to the combination of
Audric Estime and
Evan Hull for backfield snaps in Week 16. Estime recorded 50 scrimmage yards on six touches in Week 15 and could be the best option from the Saints for fantasy managers to pick up on the waiver wire.
--Will BradySource: ESPN - Katherine Terrell
December 18, 2025
Green Bay Packers wide receiver
Jayden Reed (personal matter - not injury related) put in a full practice on Friday and is good to go for the Packers' Week 16 matchup against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Reed has seen his production climb over the last two weeks he's been active, and in Week 15 against the Denver Broncos, Reed led the team in targets (six), with five receptions for 55 yards. With
Christian Watson (chest) questionable after two limited practice sessions, both Reed and
Romeo Doubs could slide up in the pecking order for quarterback
Jordan Love. Reed has been targeted once on every five routes (21% targets per route run) in Weeks 14 and 15, and should see quite a bit of attention from Love in a game the Packers sorely need. Slot in Reed as a high-end flex for fantasy purposes in Week 16 against the Bears.
--Kevin TompkinsSource: RotoBaller
December 18, 2025
Green Bay Packers wide receiver
Romeo Doubs has hit a snag with his fantasy production in recent weeks, but looks to turn a corner with the Packers set to square off against division rival Chicago in Week 16. Doubs was left off the stat sheet in the last meeting with the Bears in Week 14, earning two catchless targets. Last week, he got back on the board against Denver with two receptions for 36 yards. That said, it's tough to trust Doubs, even with some of the injury-related issues for the Packers at the wide receiver position.
Christian Watson (chest) and
Dontayvion Wicks (ankle) are both questionable, so if Watson is out, that could provide Doubs an opportunity to get back into fantasy relevance. For Week 16 against Chicago, Doubs is a desperation flex option with a very low fantasy points floor.
--Kevin TompkinsSource: RotoBaller
December 18, 2025
Green Bay Packers running back
Emanuel Wilson could have a significant impact in Week 16 when the Packers travel to Soldier Field to take on the Chicago Bears. Starting running back
Josh Jacobs (knee/ankle) is listed as questionable on the team's final injury report heading into Saturday's divisional showdown. If Jacobs is out or limited, Wilson would likely have a massive role in line for Week 16. The last time Wilson saw a full rushing workload was just a few weeks ago in Week 12, where Wilson had 28 carries for 107 yards and two rushing touchdowns against the Minnesota Vikings. Chicago allows the 13th-fewest fantasy points to the running back position, but Jacobs had 86 yards and a touchdown against the Bears in their last meeting. If Jacobs misses this game, Wilson is a locked-in RB2 against the Bears. If Jacobs is active, Wilson is more of a low-end RB3 fantasy option.
--Kevin TompkinsSource: RotoBaller
December 18, 2025
Green Bay Packers quarterback
Jordan Love had a subpar outing in Week 15 against the Denver Broncos, but he will look to correct course when the Packers head to Soldier Field to take on the Chicago Bears. Love faced these Bears just two weeks ago and finished as QB11 for fantasy in Week 14, with three touchdown passes and 234 passing yards. It's fair to expect about the same for Love this week, with the matchup flipping to the Bears' home field. With
Josh Jacobs (knee/ankle) having a true questionable designation on Saturday, in addition to multiple wide receivers banged up, Love may be relied upon even more to help carry the Packers to a much-needed divisional win to put them ahead in the NFC North. For fantasy, Love is a fringe starting option this week, with a bit more upside as one of the healthier Packers' offensive players.
--Kevin TompkinsSource: Jordan Love
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
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