December 16, 2025
New Orleans Saints wide receiver
Devaughn Vele (shoulder) avoided serious injury to his shoulder, according to Nick Underhill, but he is still considered week-to-week, leaving his availability for the rest of the season in question. Vele exited during the fourth quarter of a Week 15 win over the Panthers, having caught five of six targets to that point for 69 yards. He had formed a notable connection with rookie quarterback
Tyler Shough of late, averaging 5.3 catches for 67.3 yards over the past three games while adding a touchdown. With Vele likely unavailable or limited for the duration of the fantasy playoffs,
Chris Olave, who has quietly been the WR8 in Half-PPR scoring, should see an abundance of targets against the Jets and Titans, keeping him in must-start territory.
--Patrick McGrathSource: Nick Underhill
December 16, 2025
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback
Gardner Minshew is in line to start the rest of the season after
Patrick Mahomes (knee) suffered a torn ACL in the Week 15 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Minshew completed three of five passes for 22 yards and a game-ending interception in relief of Mahomes in the fourth quarter. The 29-year-old has been serviceable in the past as a starter, with his best season coming in 2023 with the Indianapolis Colts. He completed 62.3% of his passes for 3,305 yards, 15 touchdowns, and nine interceptions in 13 starts. Minshew most recently started for the Las Vegas Raiders last season, where he wasn't quite as effective in a worse offensive environment, throwing more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (nine) over nine starts. Minshew doesn't profile as a fantasy option in standard formats, but he has appeal in superflex leagues for a favorable Week 16 matchup against the Tennessee Titans.
--Kyle McCarthySource: Pro Football Reference
December 16, 2025
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver
Jalen McMillan made his season debut in Week 15 against the Atlanta Falcons, catching both of his two targets for 38 yards. McMillan spent the entire season up until that point on Injured Reserve after suffering multiple fractures and ligament damage in his neck during a preseason game, but he made a full recovery and will be a factor in the Bucs' passing game over the final few games. The second-year wideout's upside in fantasy football is limited with all of Tampa Bay's wide receivers healthy at the same time for the first time this season. McMillan's 47.5% route share last week ranked fourth on the team behind
Chris Godwin Jr.,
Mike Evans, and rookie
Emeka Egbuka. While McMillan ended his rookie season on a high note with seven touchdowns over the final five games, his opportunities will likely be too inconsistent to rely on in standard-sized leagues to end this season.
--Kyle McCarthySource: Pro Football Reference
December 16, 2025
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver
Cooper Kupp hauled in five of his seven targets for 46 yards in the Week 15 win over the Indianapolis Colts. It marked Kupp's most receptions in a game since Week 5, and his most receiving yards since Week 10. The former Los Angeles Rams wideout hadn't recorded more than three receptions in a game since Week 5 versus Tampa Bay, with Seattle's passing game flowing almost entirely through
Jaxon Smith-Njigba. With newcomer
Rashid Shaheed's role growing in Seattle's offense, Kupp feels like the clear third option in a low-volume passing game, which caps his upside in fantasy. The 32-year-old is still a tough player to trust in 12-team formats, but he'll be a decent flex option in deeper leagues on Thursday night against his former team.
--Kyle McCarthySource: Pro Football Reference
December 16, 2025
Houston Texans running back
Dare Ogunbowale has largely been a special-teamer during his nine-year career, but he has seen more work as a runner in the past two weeks. With
Nick Chubb (ribs) and
Woody Marks (knee) dealing with injuries, Ogunbowale scored his first touchdown of the season in Week 14. He handled a season-high eight touches in Week 15 against the Arizona Cardinals, with five carries for two yards and three receptions (four targets) for 32 yards as a receiver. The 31-year-old was in just a complementary role after Marks exited against the Cardinals, though, with second-year running back
Jawhar Jordan seeing the bulk of the carries. Jordan handled 15 carries for 101 yards, becoming the first Texans running back to go over the century mark in rushing yards this season. Ogunbowale profiles as the receiving back if Chubb and Marks remain unavailable in Week 16 against the Raiders, limiting his fantasy appeal to just deeper PPR leagues.
--Kyle McCarthySource: Pro Football Reference
December 16, 2025
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver
Rashid Shaheed had five catches for 74 yards on seven targets in the Week 15 win over the Indianapolis Colts. Shaheed hadn't been a big part of the offense in the first four games after being acquired from the New Orleans Saints at the trade deadline, playing 47.9% of the snaps and totalling just four receptions for 37 yards on 11 targets. His role has expanded in the past two games as he's gotten more acclimated in the offense, with nine catches for 141 yards on 12 targets. Notably, his snap share spiked to 68.3% in Week 15, his highest mark with Seattle by 12 percentage points. Shaheed's 18.2% target share in the past two weeks is second only to
Jaxon Smith-Njigba for Seattle, and his big-play ability makes him worth a look off the waiver wire, as he could be in for a nice finish to the season.
--Kyle McCarthySource: Pro Football Reference
December 16, 2025
Baltimore Ravens running back
Keaton Mitchell is emerging as an explosive backfield complement to lead back
Derrick Henry as the Ravens push for a playoff spot in 2025. Mitchell played a season-high 39% of the offensive snaps in Sunday's shutout victory over the Cincinnati Bengals and had a season-high eight carries for 66 yards (8.3 yards per carry). He was unable to haul in his only target in the passing game.
Rasheen Ali found the end zone on a 16-yard reception, but the 23-year-old Mitchell had only three fewer carries than Henry on the day, and he now has 173 scrimmage yards and a touchdown in the last three contests. Injuries have slowed Mitchell down early in his NFL career, but the third-year back has always been explosive (7.1 yards per carry in 23 games) and is definitely worth a waiver-wire pickup going into a Week 16 date against the Patriots on Sunday night. Mitchell is rostered in only 3% of Yahoo leagues at the moment.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com
December 16, 2025
Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said he doesn't expect wide receiver
Luke McCaffrey (collarbone) to be activated from Injured Reserve for the final three weeks of the season, according to Ben Standig. McCaffrey suffered a broken collarbone in the Week 9 loss to the Seattle Seahawks and won't be back in 2025. The 24-year-old former third-round pick in 2024 out of Rice will finish his second year in the NFL with 11 catches on 15 targets for 203 yards and three touchdowns in nine games. McCaffrey averaged a healthy 18.5 yards per reception as a deep threat down the field for quarterbacks
Jayden Daniels (elbow) and
Marcus Mariota, but for fantasy purposes, he was much too inconsistent to trust in starting lineups in most leagues. McCaffrey will be looking to become a more consistent part of Washington's offense in his third year in the league in 2026.
--Keith HernandezSource: Ben Standig
December 16, 2025
In 44-year-old quarterback
Philip Rivers' first NFL game in five years with the Indianapolis Colts in Sunday's 18-16 loss to the hosting Seattle Seahawks, wide receiver
Josh Downs caught his lone touchdown pass. Downs played a season-high 72% of the offensive snaps in Week 15 in Rivers' first game replacing
Daniel Jones, who is out for the year with a torn Achilles. The 24-year-old wideout was tied for second on the team with five targets, catching three of them for only 13 yards and his fourth touchdown of the year. All in all, it wasn't anything special for fantasy football production, but it was notable that Downs tied
Michael Pittman Jr. in targets, with
Alec Pierce seeing just one look from Rivers. With Rivers shotputting balls to his receivers, Downs could become a more attractive short-area target over Pierce to close out the season, making him worth a look off the waiver wire as WR depth. Downs is rostered in 43% of Yahoo leagues.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com
December 16, 2025
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver
Tre Tucker is still technically the team's top wideout, but he didn't record a single catch on three targets in the 31-0 beatdown at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. Tucker has been the Raiders' second leading receiver this year behind star tight end
Brock Bowers, catching 46 of his 75 targets for 574 yards and five touchdowns, but he's been in a funk lately. The 24-year-old doesn't have more than three catches or 28 receiving yards in any of the last four games. Fantasy managers in 12-team leagues are probably looking to drop him following his donut in Week 15, especially with a terrible upcoming matchup this weekend on the road against the Houston Texans and their No. 1 defense. However, with
Tyler Lockett (wrist) banged up and quarterback
Geno Smith (shoulder, back) potentially returning in Week 16, there's a glimmer of hope that Tucker can rebound in a tough matchup.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com
December 16, 2025
New York Giants running back
Devin Singletary was a popular waiver-wire addition following the team's Week 13 loss to the New England Patriots, when he recorded 102 scrimmage yards and a touchdown following
Tyrone Tracy Jr.'s hip injury on a Monday night. Tracy had the Week 14 bye to heal up, though, and he returned as New York's clear lead back in Sunday's 29-21 loss to the Washington Commanders, leading the backfield with 15 carries for 70 yards and a touchdown. Tracy also caught all three of his targets for 27 yards and a second score through the air. Singletary was quiet, carrying the ball five times for only 13 yards and catching his only target for a one-yard gain. The lackluster day ended a stretch of three straight games with at least 40 rushing yards for the 28-year-old Singletary. Tracy will be the RB1 again in Week 16 versus the Vikings, but Singletary is a high-end handcuff option for fantasy managers for the final three weeks of the 2025 season.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com
December 16, 2025
Baltimore Ravens quarterback
Lamar Jackson said last week that he was "feeling better" after battling through multiple lower-body injuries this season, according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN. Although Jackson's performance was pedestrian in the 24-0 shutout win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, the team snapped a two-game losing streak, and Jackson looked more like himself. He had the fewest completions of his eight-year career in a full game with eight, throwing for 150 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. The two-time MVP's 136 passing yards were his most in a first half this season, and he was back to producing touchdowns and stretching the field. Jackson ended a career-worst streak of five games without multiple TD passes. The 28-year-old's production has dipped recently in tandem with his reduced practice time, as he's missed at least one full practice in each of the last five games due to ankle, knee, and toe ailments. If Jackson is indeed putting his injuries in the rearview mirror, we could finally start to see the high-end QB1 version, although it might already be too late for fantasy managers.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Jamison Hensley
December 16, 2025
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay said tight end
Tyler Higbee (ankle) will remain sidelined for the team's Week 16 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, per Adam Grosbard of the Los Angeles Daily News. Higbee was placed on Injured Reserve following Week 11 due to an ankle injury. Across nine games before getting hurt, the 32-year-old had recorded 20 receptions for 190 yards and two touchdowns on 30 targets. The Rams operate with one of the deepest tight end rooms in the NFL, as all three of
Davis Allen,
Colby Parkinson, and
Terrance Ferguson have played at least 15 offensive snaps in every game since Higbee went down. Parkinson has stepped up as the leading receiver of the group, recording six touchdowns over his last five games. With Higbee sidelined and Rams wideout
Davante Adams (hamstring) potentially out as well, Parkinson could be a viable streaming option at the tight end position for fantasy managers in Week 16.
--Will BradySource: Los Angeles Daily News - Adam Grosbard
December 16, 2025
Cleveland Browns rookie wide receiver
Isaiah Bond notched his most receiving yards of the season in the Week 15 loss to the Chicago Bears, catching two of his four targets for 89 yards. Bond posted his highest route share (73.8%) since Week 6 and continues to be a dangerous deep threat for rookie quarterback
Shedeur Sanders. The undrafted rookie out of Alabama's two deep shots accounted for just over half of Sanders' 177 passing yards for the game. Bond has established himself as a big-play threat in Cleveland's offense and has a growing connection with Sanders, giving him upside as a deep-league boom/bust flex option for the Week 16 game against the Buffalo Bills.
--Kyle McCarthySource: Pro Football Reference
December 16, 2025
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay said that wide receiver
Davante Adams (hamstring) will not practice on Tuesday but has not yet been ruled out for the team's Week 16 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night, per ESPN's Sarah Bishop. Adams suffered a hamstring injury that forced him to exit early from the Rams' Week 15 win over the Detroit Lions. Given the short turnaround, Adams may be trending towards missing his team's crucial Week 16 matchup against Seattle that may decide which team gets the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. Across 14 games this season, the 32-year-old has hauled in 60 receptions for 789 yards and 14 touchdowns on 114 targets. If he is sidelined, Rams wideouts
Konata Mumpfield and
Tutu Atwell could see an increase in playing time. Star Los Angeles wide receiver
Puka Nacua would likely be in line for an even larger target share in Week 16.
UPDATE: Adams could end up being a game-time decision on Thursday.--Will BradySource: ESPN - Sarah Bishop
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