December 19, 2025
Miami Dolphins running back
De'Von Achane is in an excellent matchup against the Bengals this week. Cincinnati has allowed the most fantasy points to running backs this season, allowing 18 RB touchdowns in 14 games, along with an average of 129.1 rushing yards and 45.6 receiving yards. Achane should be ready for a monster performance, although there is a little uncertainty in how the Dolphins' offense will look with
Quinn Ewers in place of
Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback. Achane has been pretty matchup-proof, scoring 11 touchdowns and averaging 84.7 rushing yards and 32.1 receiving yards per game. He had six catches for 67 yards and 60 rushing yards for a big game against the Steelers last week, even though he didn't get into the end zone. This week, he's in such a great matchup against the Bengals that he's the No. 4 RB in RotoBaller's rankings, despite the QB switch. Achane should be started with confidence in all formats this week against the Bengals.
--Zach ThompsonSource: NFL.com
December 19, 2025
Miami Dolphins quarterback
Quinn Ewers will be making his first NFL start this week, when his team hosts the Bengals on Sunday afternoon. Ewers was a seventh-round pick for the Dolphins out of Texas last season, and the 22-year-old will now get a chance to make his first NFL start. He played a few series in Cleveland earlier this season, completing five of his eight passes for 53 yards and taking a pair of sacks. He will have a favorable matchup against the Bengals, who have allowed the third-most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season. Ewers is likely playing for an increased opportunity next season, since the team seems ready to move on from
Tua Tagovailoa, even though he signed a four-year, $212.4 million contract only last summer. Ewers has a favorable matchup, but he's so unproven that he's still only the No. 27 QB in this week's rankings, making him not a good option in all but the very deepest formats.
--Zach ThompsonSource: NFL.com
December 19, 2025
The Kansas City Chiefs defense will take on the Tennessee Titans in Week 16. The Chiefs defense has struggled mightily over the last six games, losing five of six and allowing 20 or more points in five of six. The Kansas City defense was able to hold the Los Angeles Chargers to 16 points in Week 15, but they were unable to come away with the win. The Chiefs should have an easier time this week against the Tennessee Titans. The Titans are tied for the second-fewest points per game this season, averaging 16.1 points per game. The Chiefs have also gotten a takeaway in two of their last three games and have three or more sacks in back-to-back games. The Kansas City defensive unit is ranked as the third-best defense in our RotoBaller rankings, making them one of the best options at the position this week.
--Joshua CostelloSource: ESPN.com
December 19, 2025
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay said that wide receiver
Davante Adams (hamstring) likely won't play in Week 17's matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, per Adam Grosbard of the Los Angeles Daily News. The 33-year-old wideout missed Thursday night's matchup against the Seattle Seahawks after aggravating a hamstring injury during Week 15's win over the Detroit Lions. The star wideout has had an incredible first season in Los Angeles, hauling in 60 receptions for 789 yards and a league-leading 14 touchdowns on 114 targets in 14 games. Star receiver
Puka Nacua should continue to see a heavy dose of targets in Adams' absence, with
Konata Mumpfield,
Xavier Smith,
Tutu Atwell, and
Jordan Whittington vying for opportunities behind him.
--Kyle McCarthySource: Adam Grosbard
December 19, 2025
Kansas City Chiefs kicker
Harrison Butker was perfect in Week 15, cashing in on both of his field goal attempts and his only extra-point attempt. Butker has been serviceable this season, but he has not reached the level of upside he once had when the Chiefs were one of the highest-scoring offenses in the league. Butker's value could take yet another hit with the loss of
Patrick Mahomes in Week 15.
Gardner Minshew will now lead the Kansas City offense, which means more stalled drives and fewer scoring opportunities. Given the state of the offense and the fact that the team has already been eliminated from playoff contention, there is not much for the Chiefs to play for this season. Kansas City is not expected to push the pace of play and increase scoring now to end the season, which hurts Butker's chances to get more kicking opportunities. Butker is ranked K24 in our RotoBaller rankings, making him a very low-end option at the position this week.
--Joshua CostelloSource: ESPN.com
December 19, 2025
Kansas City Chiefs tight end
Travis Kelce was heavily involved in Week 15, catching seven passes for 70 yards, but it was not enough to pull out the win and save their playoff hopes. The 35-year-old will now face the Tennessee Titans in Week 16 with essentially nothing to play for since the team has been eliminated from playoff contention. That said, the Titans are middle-of-the-pack in fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends this season, making him a neutral matchup for Kelce. Kelce will likely be the first or second option in passing situations with
Rashee Rice and
Tyquan Thornton ruled out this week, so he could find success through sheer volume of opportunities. Kelce will now have to deal with
Gardner Minshew at quarterback, as
Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL in Week 15. Minshew and Kelce don't have the same established chemistry, but Kelce is talented enough to get it done. Kelce is ranked TE10 in our RotoBaller Half-PPR rankings, making him a low-end TE1 option this week.
--Joshua CostelloSource: ESPN.com
December 19, 2025
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll said quarterback
Geno Smith (shoulder, back) will start on Sunday against the Houston Texans, according to Ryan McFadden of ESPN. Smith practiced in full every day this week and will return in Week 16 after sitting out last week's blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles due to a right shoulder injury. The 35-year-old has struggled this season, with the second-most interceptions and tied for the most sacks taken, but he is an upgrade over
Kenny Pickett, who led the Raiders to the lowest total yards (75) in any NFL game this season last week against the Eagles. Smith will return for another brutal matchup in Week 16 against the vaunted Houston Texans defense, and profiles only as a desperation play in superflex leagues.
--Kyle McCarthySource: Ryan McFadden
December 19, 2025
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver
Marquise Brown missed Week 15 and was listed on this week's injury report with a personal issue, but practiced fully and does not have a designation for this week. Brown should step into a larger role with
Rashee Rice and
Tyquan Thornton ruled out with concussions this week. While
Xavier Worthy should be the featured player in the wide receiver room, Brown may still be able to find success against the Tennessee Titans in Week 16. The Titans have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season, so Brown is set up with an advantageous matchup. The veteran receiver has had some good fantasy performances this season, but now he will have to do it with
Gardner Minshew leading the offense. Brown is ranked WR54 in our RotoBaller Half-PPR rankings, making him a desperation flex option in the fantasy playoffs.
--Joshua CostelloSource: Chiefs.com
December 19, 2025
Miami Dolphins quarterback
Tua Tagovailoa was benched as the team's starting quarterback on Wednesday this week and has "in all likelihood played his final down in Miami," according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Rookie QB
Quinn Ewers is in line to start the rest of the season for the Dolphins as they prepare to move off of Tagovailoa in the future. The 2020 fifth overall pick has struggled this season, leading the league with 15 interceptions and posting the worst QBR of his career (36.7). Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212.4 million contract during the 2024 off-season and carries a total of nearly $100 million of dead cap that the Dolphins would have take on over the next two seasons if they decide to move on. The 27-year-old quarterback can safely be dropped in all redraft leagues.
--Kyle McCarthySource: Tom Pelissero
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
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
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
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
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