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
December 18, 2025
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Chicago Bears wide receiver
Rome Odunze (foot) is expected to miss this Saturday night's clash with the visiting Green Bay Packers. Odunze has been shelved for a few weeks now. Unfortunately, he was scheduled to suit up for the Week 15 win against the Browns, but he aggravated his stress fracture during pre-game warmups and seems to be trending toward being inactive again, considering he's yet to log even a limited practice session since. It's an unideal situation for the Bears' offense, particularly with rookie
Luther Burden III (ankle) also in danger of missing with an injury of his own. As it stands,
DJ Moore,
Olamide Zaccheaus,
Devin Duvernay, and
Jahdae Walker are the only wideouts heading into this weekend sans a designation.
--Alex CiullaSource: Ian Rapoport
December 18, 2025
Green Bay Packers running back
Josh Jacobs (knee) is expected to play in Week 16, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Jacobs has been fighting through a knee injury since Week 11, when he slammed his knee onto the turf against the New York Giants. While he may be fighting through an injury, his production hasn't changed, putting up 92 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns on 14 attempts against the strong Denver Broncos defense. He faces the Chicago Bears in Week 16, who have been middle-of-the-pack against the run this season. While Jacobs will likely be limited in practice this week, he should be able to play and be an RB1 for fantasy managers this week.
--Nathan HarveySource: Ian Rapoport - NFL Network
December 18, 2025
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver
Rashid Shaheed had the most productive game of his Seahawks career in Week 15, hauling in five of seven targets for 74 yards in the 18-16 win over the Indianapolis Colts. Shaheed was traded from the New Orleans Saints to the Seahawks at the trade deadline, but hasn't quite seen his former production until recent weeks. In Week 14, Shaheed had 67 yards and a huge kick return for a touchdown that changed the game against the Atlanta Falcons, and his best receiving output in Week 15. Shaheed faces the Los Angeles Rams in Week 16, which should be one of the biggest games of the regular season in 2025. The Rams have allowed he fifth-most fantasy points to wide receivers this season, so watch for Shaheed to make an impact on this game.
--Nathan HarveySource: Pro Football Reference
December 18, 2025
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver
Mike Evans exploded in his first game back from injury, hauling in six of 12 targets for 132 yards in the 29-28 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Against the defense that has allowed the most fantasy points to outside receivers this season, Evans took advantage, putting up his best stat line of the 2025 season. While his 1,000-yard streak is likely to come to an end this season, that doesn't mean he can't win fantasy managers' championships. Despite being limited to just 51% of the snaps in Week 15, Evans produced as the WR1 in this offense. He faces a Carolina Panthers defense in Week 16, which he has decimated in recent seasons. Evans has tallied over 90 receiving yards in eight of his last ten games against Carolina and has scored 10 touchdowns during that span. The Buccaneers are in must-win mode, so expect Evans to play a ton this week and beyond.
--Nathan HarveySource: Pro Football Reference
December 18, 2025
Washington Commanders running back
Chris Rodriguez Jr. (hip) was a full participant in both Tuesday's and Wednesday's practice sessions and is expected to return in Week 16 against the Philadelphia Eagles. Rodriguez missed Week 15's game against the New York Giants with a hip injury but was reportedly close to playing last week. Even if the third-year back is fully healthy entering Week 16, rookie
Jacory Croskey-Merritt had a big game on the ground in Week 15 and may have cut into Rodriguez's workload. Rodriguez has played only 30% of the snaps this season, and with Washington's offensive struggles with quarterback
Jayden Daniels, it's hard to trust any back on this team. Assuming he's good to go for their divisional showdown against the Eagles, Rodriguez offers low-end FLEX value in Week 16.
--Nathan HarveySource: Pro Football Reference
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