December 18, 2025
Carolina Panthers rookie first-round wide receiver
Tetairoa McMillan (ankle, foot) is back at practice on Thursday, according to Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer. A pair of injuries kept McMillan out of the first practice of the week on Wednesday, but a return on Thursday puts him on track to be available for a Week 16 clash with the division-rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The 22-year-old may have been injured in Sunday's upset loss to the New Orleans Saints, as he had the worst game of his young NFL career with only two catches for 25 yards on four targets. Fantasy managers will be hoping for a bounce-back performance this weekend against Tampa if he's active. Before McMillan's Week 15 dud, he had scored four touchdowns in the previous three games. If active this weekend, McMillan profiles as a high-end WR2 for fantasy managers.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Charlotte Observer - Mike Kaye
December 18, 2025
Buffalo Bills tight end
Dalton Kincaid (knee) was not seen on the practice field in the portion open to the media on Thursday, according to Sal Capaccio of WGR 550. Two straight days of missed practice are a bad omen for Kincaid's chances of playing this Sunday in Cleveland against the Browns, although he still has one more day to return to practice. The 26-year-old missed Weeks 11-13 with a hamstring injury as well. In two games since his return, Kincaid has seven receptions on nine targets for 75 yards and a touchdown. If Kincaid returns to practice on Friday and plays on Sunday, he'll be a low-end TE1 for fantasy managers still playing for a trophy this year. If Kincaid isn't cleared to play,
Dawson Knox would bump up to a low-end TE1 option after scoring two touchdowns in last week's comeback victory over the Patriots.
--Keith HernandezSource: WGR 550 - Sal Capaccio
December 18, 2025
Houston Texans rookie running back
Woody Marks (ankle) was not seen at the media accessible portion of practice on Thursday, according to Shaun Bijani of Sports Radio 610. Marks aggravated a pre-existing ankle injury in the first half of Sunday's win over the Arizona Cardinals and did not return in the second half. Head coach DeMeco Ryans said on Monday that the 24-year-old could have re-entered the game if it had been closer. That suggests that Marks' injury isn't very serious, but back-to-back DNPs this week put his availability for Week 16 against the visiting Las Vegas Raiders in peril.
Nick Chubb (ribs) has returned to practice after being inactive last Sunday. With both Chubb and Marks banged up, second-year back
Jawhar Jordan is worth a look on the waiver wire after he had 15 carries for 101 yards in his NFL debut against Arizona.
--Keith HernandezSource: Sports Radio 610 - Shaun Bijani
December 18, 2025
Green Bay Packers wide receiver
Jayden Reed (personal) rejoined the team for practice on Thursday after missing Wednesday's session due to a personal matter, according to Weston Hodkiewicz of Packers.com. Reed will be available to play on Saturday night versus the division-rival Chicago Bears, and he could have a bigger role in the offense if fellow wideout
Christian Watson (chest) is limited or out after he was injured in Sunday's loss to the Denver Broncos. The 25-year-old had five grabs on six targets for a season-high 55 yards in Week 15 in his second game back from a broken foot and broken collarbone. Reed tied for the team lead in targets against Denver, and he should see his role grow down the stretch. He'll be on the WR2/3 borderline for fantasy managers in a crucial game this weekend in the Windy City.
--Keith HernandezSource: Packers.com - Weston Hodkiewicz
December 18, 2025
Cleveland Browns rookie running back
Dylan Sampson (calf, hand) is missing from the practice field again on Thursday, per Browns Zone's Scott Petrak. Unless Sampson can get back on the practice field in some capacity on Friday, he appears headed toward a second straight absence this Sunday versus the Buffalo Bills.
Jerome Ford (shoulder) is on Injured Reserve and out for the rest of the season, so if Sampson sits again in Week 16,
Trayveon Williams would once again serve as Cleveland's RB2 behind rookie
Quinshon Judkins. Williams played 33% of the offensive snaps in last week's blowout loss to the Chicago Bears in his first game with the Browns this year and had only one rushing attempt for three yards while catching both of his targets for four yards. If Sampson can't play against Buffalo, his next chance to take the field will come in Week 17 against the division-rival Steelers.
--Keith HernandezSource: Browns Zone - Scott Petrak
December 18, 2025
Cleveland Browns tight end
David Njoku (knee) is missing another day of practice due to his knee injury on Thursday, according to Scott Petrak of Browns Zone. Njoku didn't practice at all last week, either, and sat out of the loss to the Chicago Bears. The 29-year-old is trending toward missing another game in Week 16 against the Buffalo Bills unless he can return to practice on Friday. As of right now, fantasy managers shouldn't plan on rolling with him as a TE2 streamer this weekend, especially since rookie
Harold Fannin Jr. has been the better option in fantasy in 2025 as Cleveland's leading pass-catching tight end. Njoku enters Week 16 play with 33 receptions on 48 targets for 293 yards and four touchdowns, while Fannin has produced 66 catches for 667 yards and four scores on his 99 targets.
--Keith HernandezSource: Browns Zone - Scott Petrak
December 18, 2025
Denver Broncos wide receiver
Courtland Sutton heads into Week 16 action as the WR11 in half-PPR scoring with 63 catches on 100 targets for 886 yards and six touchdowns in 14 games. He has scored two of his six TDs in the last three weeks, and he's also had back-to-back 10-target games. In Sunday's 34-26 win over the Green Bay Packers, the 30-year-old had seven receptions for 113 yards and a touchdown. It was only the second time in 2025 that Sutton went over 100 yards receiving, and it happened to come with rookie wideout
Pat Bryant (hamstring) inactive. Quarterback
Bo Nix has spread the ball around pretty evenly this year, but he could start latching onto Sutton more down the stretch. Sutton could lose targets if Bryant makes his return this Sunday versus the visiting Jaguars, but fantasy managers should still consider Sutton a WR2 as Denver's best receiving option.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
December 18, 2025
Carolina Panthers running back
Rico Dowdle hasn't been as reliable for fantasy managers since
Chuba Hubbard returned from his injury, but that doesn't mean he cannot still be productive for those in the fantasy playoffs. The 27-year-old reclaimed lead-back duties from Hubbard in Sunday's loss to the New Orleans Saints, out-touching him 17 to nine. Dowdle had only 49 rushing yards on 16 carries (3.1 yards per tote), but he managed to find the end zone for the first time since Week 10. He continues to see plenty of volume -- Dowdle has had at least 17 touches in four of the last five games -- but he has been under 4.0 yards per carry in four of the last five contests as well. With Hubbard being more involved next to Dowdle in Carolina's backfield now that he's fully healthy, Dowdle must be more efficient with his touches to pay off for fantasy managers as an RB2. The good news is that Dowdle has plenty of upside in Week 16 against a Bucs defense that has been vulnerable to RBs this year.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
December 18, 2025
Arizona Cardinals running back
Emari Demercado missed three games with an ankle sprain but returned in the Week 15 loss to the Houston Texans to handle one carry for one yard while hauling in two of his three targets for no gain. The 26-year-old third-year back has only 32 carries on the year for 242 yards and no touchdowns, adding 10 receptions on 15 targets for 64 yards and one score in 10 games played. He hasn't really been worthy of rostering in 12-team fantasy football leagues. However, with
Bam Knight (ankle) now done for the final three games of the season with a bad ankle sprain, Demercado should at least become interesting in deep PPR leagues as Arizona's primary third-down option the rest of the way.
Michael Carter is expected to take over on early downs, but Demercado shouldn't be completely ignored in a pass-happy Cardinals offense that has been thinned out by injuries to the receiving corps. Demercado is rostered in only 10% of Yahoo leagues.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
December 18, 2025
Green Bay Packers running back
Josh Jacobs (knee) will not practice on Thursday, according to head coach Matt LaFleur. The Athletic's Matt Schneidman guesses that Jacobs will be listed as questionable on the final Week 16 injury report, but he will play on Saturday night against the division-rival Chicago Bears. Jacobs was also questionable with his nagging knee injury last week, but he managed to suit up in the Week 15 loss to the Denver Broncos, where he handled 12 carries for 73 yards and a touchdown and added two receptions for 19 yards and another score as a receiver. Jacobs has not practiced all week, and it's clear that his knee is bothering him, but he plans to tough it out and play in a big divisional game this weekend in Chicago. Expecting 20-plus carries from Jacobs probably isn't wise, but as long as he's active, fantasy managers shouldn't be benching a RB who has 14 total touchdowns in 13 games in 2025.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Matt Schneidman
December 18, 2025
When asked about tight end
Harold Fannin Jr.'s involvement in the game plan during the team's 31-3 loss to the Bears, Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Tommy Rees gave the rookie a vote of confidence. "The
Harold Fannin well is a good one to go to," Rees replied when asked about the 21-year-old's spike in targets. In fact, Fannin accounted for a whopping 40% of quarterback
Shedeur Sanders' looks in their Week 15 defeat and has commanded at least 11 in consecutive contests. The third-round pick of April's draft has been on the field for at least 90% of Cleveland's offensive snaps across the past four weeks, and is on the rise with an elevated opportunity share since teammate
David Njoku (knee) went down with injury.
--Alex CiullaSource: Scott Petrak
December 18, 2025
Houston Texans second-year running back
Jawhar Jordan could have a significant workload for the second straight week this Sunday in an excellent matchup against the visiting Las Vegas Raiders with Houston's backfield beat up at the moment.
Nick Chubb (ribs) missed the Week 15 win over the Arizona Cardinals, and rookie
Woody Marks (ankle) was forced from Sunday's game and never returned. In his NFL debut against Arizona after Marks left, Jordan carried the ball 15 times for 101 yards and also caught two passes for 17 yards as the lead back over
Dare Ogunbowale. Chubb has returned to practice this week and Marks apparently could have gone back into Sunday's game if it wasn't a blowout, but it's unclear if either back will be available in Week 16. That puts the 26-year-old Jordan on standby for potential lead-back duties for the Texans if Chubb and Marks cannot go. Jordan is still only rostered in 7% of Yahoo leagues.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pro Football Reference
December 18, 2025
According to head coach Shane Steichen, the Indianapolis Colts are opening the 21-day practice window for third-year quarterback
Anthony Richardson Sr. (orbital). Richardson has been sidelined since fracturing his orbital bone before Indianapolis' Week 6 win against Arizona, reportedly due to an accident with a training band. While it's unclear if the team will have him practice ahead of Week 16's home matchup with the San Francisco 49ers, it's excellent news for his potential to return to the field, particularly if the Colts make a playoff run. With veteran
Philip Rivers in the picture, the 23-year-old is unlikely to garner another chance at starting under center for the team in 2025. That said, fantasy managers should still stash him in dynasty formats.
--Alex CiullaSource: Adam Schefter
December 18, 2025
Despite having to deal with a new quarterback in Week 16, Miami Dolphins tight end
Darren Waller (knee, rest) is expected to maintain a critical role in the team's passing game when they line up with the Cincinnati Bengals at home. The 33-year-old is fresh off his best outing of the campaign, hauling in a season-high seven passes and two more touchdowns, giving him six scores in seven appearances. Unfortunately for Waller, any rapport he'd built up with quarterback
Tua Tagovailoa won't translate when rookie signal-caller
Quinn Ewers takes the field for his first NFL start. With the current state of Miami's offense, there's little reason to believe the veteran's role would shrink, although it's fair to expect diminished production. Favorably, Cincinnati's defense has allowed the most fantasy points per game to TEs (22.66), leaving Waller as a back-end TE1 for the outing.
--Alex CiullaSource: ESPN
December 18, 2025
Houston Texans tight end
Dalton Schultz has quietly had a solid season for the team, and figures to be productive again in Week 16's home matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders. Schultz is coming off one of his better games of the season last Sunday (8/76/1). Despite just two trips to pay dirt in 2025, the Stanford alum has not been short of opportunity. Since Week 3, Schultz has had at least six targets in all but three appearances, and eight or more in six of his last nine. Additionally, he leads Houston in receptions (70) and is well on his way to surpassing his personal best in that category (78). While the veteran doesn't offer much in the way of YAC, he's been a reliable target for quarterback
C.J. Stroud and should continue to work as the second option in the passing game behind wide receiver
Nico Collins. For what it's worth, Las Vegas has been tough against tight ends, but Schultz should be involved enough to matter for fantasy.
--Alex CiullaSource: ESPN
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