Jalen Hurts (QB - PHI) vs Washington Commanders Hurts finds himself in a great matchup against the Commanders this week. The Commanders' defense is allowing the 5th most fantasy points per game to the QB position. The Eagles still have a chance at the 1st round bye but need to win out, so I expect Hurts to have a big game here against a reeling Commanders team.
Joe Burrow (QB - CIN) vs Miami Dolphins Joe Burrow stated that “no team in the NFL would have won with me as QB,” in regards to his performance this past week against the Ravens. The Dolphins have allowed the 11th-most points per game to opposing QBs and are at the point where their season is over, hence the benching of Tua in favor of rookie Quinn Ewers. Expect Burrow to bounce back in a big way.
Jacoby Brissett (QB - ARI) vs Atlanta Falcons Jacoby Brissett has been an absolute stud in 2025. He can always be depended on to get you roughly 20 points at the QB position, even against the Houston Texans' top-tier defense last week. They play the Atlanta Falcons this week, and it could turn into a shootout.
Justin Herbert (QB - LAC) vs Dallas Cowboys Since Week 10, Justin Herbert is the 27th overall QB in fantasy football, averaging 11.4 fantasy points. Yikes. The good news is that he plays against the Dallas Cowboys this week, who have allowed 27.6 points to the QB position this season, easily the most in the NFL. I like Herbert to return to form in this matchup.
Tyler Shough (QB - NO) vs Miami Dolphins Tyler Shough has been the most surprising rookie of the 2025 draft class. Shough is a 2nd round pick who was ridiculed for his age, long college tenure, and a single throw at the combine. Despite the haters, Shough has shown that he can be a good quarterback both in real life and in fantasy football. He’s also got a decent rushing floor. Shough is your streamer QB of the week.
Sit 'Em
Lamar Jackson (QB - BAL) vs New England Patriots Okay, I’ll say it. Lamar has just been flat-out bad this year. I think the hamstring injury he suffered earlier in the year has hindered him much more than is being reported. On top of that, his offensive line play has been atrocious, limiting Lamar’s ability to make clean reads. He is not a must-start; however, there may be better options for you in your semi-final matchup.
Matthew Stafford (QB - LAR) vs Seattle Seahawks I have both Matt Stafford and Sam Darnold as avoids this week. Both teams’ defenses have been good against opposing quarterbacks. On top of that, my biggest concern is the current weather forecast for this game: high winds and a chance of rain throughout. Obviously, the weather is subject to change, but I do think both of these guys will perform slightly worse than expected.
Sam Darnold (QB - SEA) vs Los Angeles Rams I have both Matt Stafford and Sam Darnold as avoids this week. Both teams’ defenses have been good against opposing quarterbacks. On top of that, my biggest concern is the current weather forecast for this game: high winds and a chance of rain throughout. Obviously, the weather is subject to change, but I do think both of these guys will perform slightly worse than expected.
Baker Mayfield (QB - TB) vs Carolina Panthers Oh, how the mighty have fallen! Baker was once in MVP talks early on in the 2025 season. However, he has been quite inconsistent over the back half of this season. Baker draws a matchup against the Carolina Panthers, who are a top-10 defense against opposing QBs this season. Even with all of his weapons returning to the lineup, I would shy away from Baker this week if you have similar options. I would start Tyler Shough over Baker this week.
Shedeur Sanders (QB - CLE) vs Buffalo Bills Shedeur has been one of the biggest storylines of 2025. He has been exciting in relief of Dillon Gabriel mainly due to his willingness to push the ball downfield. He’s also made some pretty impressive throws. However, outside of the Titans game, he has been a real disappointment in fantasy football. The Browns will take on the Bills, who have been the 6th-best defense against quarterbacks in 2025. Shedeur is one of the worst quarterbacks to start in week 16.
By Dominic Orrico
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Aaron Jones (RB - MIN) vs New York Giants Jones has averaged double digits in the past two games and leads this backfield in touches. The Giants let “Bill” Croskey Merritt go off for 96 yards and 5.6 yards per carry. The Giants have allowed 13 touchdowns to running backs.
Omarion Hampton (RB - LAC) vs Dallas Cowboys Hampton was not eased back in; he’s full throttle. He busted last week, but his targets were minimal as well. This Cowboys defense is allowing 19.14 points per game. With Hampton averaging 4.2 yards per carry and Herbert not 100%, we’ll see Hampton get a ton of work.
Tyrone Tracy Jr. (RB - NYG) vs Minnesota Vikings Tracy Jr. proved me wrong, completely stole the show, and made the best of his opportunity in this backfield. While Devin Singletary is still in the mix, Tracy Jr. has taken over this backfield. In his last four games, in three of them, he’s had more than 27 yards receiving and three or more receptions. He has fantastic upside with touchdown opportunities.
Kenneth Gainwell (RB - PHI) vs Detroit Lions Gainwell has been the more fantasy productive running back in this offense, especially in PPR formats. He’s acted as the primary receiving back. He’s had a whopping 14 targets in his last two games. This makes the matchup a little less of a concern as he can be active in both parts of the field.
Audric Estime (RB - NO) vs New York Jets Let me preface before you start Estime, this is ONLY if Alvin Kamara and Devin Neal are out. We don’t have a significant sample of data on Estime, but we do on the Jets. The Jets are allowing an average of 107.93 yards on the ground per game, 22.86 points per game, and 15 touchdowns on the year. Estime will have a chance for massive production if he’s named the starter.
Sit 'Em
Trey Benson/Bam Knight (RB - ARI) vs Jacksonville Jaguars Whoever starts for this Cardinals team won’t do well. The Jaguars are allowing only 12.60 fantasy points to running backs, and neither is good enough to be matchup-proof. I would avoid this backfield if you could.
Bucky Irving (RB - TB) vs Los Angeles Rams Irving is projected to come back from injury on the worst possible week. Despite the lousy showing last week against the Seahawks' running backs, the Rams have been dominant. Against the run, they are allowing only 11.15 fantasy points to running backs on average per game.
Tyrone Tracy Jr. (RB - NYG) vs Detroit Lions This is an absolute must-bench in all formats. Not only is Tracy Jr. going against the Lions, who rank 1st in run defense, but he’s also losing touchdowns to Devin Singletary.
Tony Pollard (RB - TEN) vs Seattle Seahawks Regardless of the matchup, there’s little upside for Pollard in any format. Tyjae Spears is taking snaps, and this Seahawks team is stingy against the run.
Ashton Jeanty (RB - LV) vs Cleveland Browns Now, before we get hate messages for this, I think that Jeanty is still good and startable. However, with a tough matchup and less than ideal volume in the passing game, I see him as a flex/RB3 play this week against one of the most formidable run defenses.
By Dominic Orrico
Start 'Em
Rome Odunze (WR - CHI) vs Pittsburgh Steelers Despite having some rough weeks, Odunze still leads the team in targets. Along with that, the Steelers surrender an average of 23 points to wide receivers.
Christian Watson (WR - GB) vs Minnesota Vikings Not an ideal matchup with the Vikings, but Watson is scoring touchdowns and being targeted in the end zone. In a must-win game for Green Bay, he’ll be utilized as a top option, especially in the red zone, giving him a Devante Adams-type role.
Michael Wilson (WR - ARI) vs Jacksonville Jaguars Even if Marvin Harrison Jr. is playing, Wilson is still a strong flex play. Being targeted 15 times last game, he gets the luxury of playing with Jacoby Brissett, which gives him ample volume as a flex play, and if Harrison Jr. is out, he’s a WR2 with fantastic upside.
Devonta Smith (WR - PHI) vs Dallas Cowboys Though playing for the worst passing team, if a receiver is playing the Cowboys, I want them in my lineup. After a lackluster Week 11, Smith will bounce back against the Cowboys, who surrender the second-most fantasy points to wide receivers. He’s been targeted 12 times in the past two weeks, putting him in a good place to perform this week.
Jameson Williams (WR - DET) vs New York Giants If there’s any week where he performs, it will be this week. I’m not usually high on deep threat receivers, but against a terrible Giants secondary, I love Williams this week.
Sit 'Em
Ricky Pearsall (WR - SF) vs Carolina Panthers The 49ers get a tough test with the Panthers, who only allow 15.46 points to wide receivers on average. With Pearsall still working back to form and Jauan Jennings with top receiver work, it’s best to look elsewhere.
Michael Pittman Jr. (WR - IND) vs Kansas City Chiefs The two targets last week concern me as well as Alec Pierce beginning to take over the WR1 role in Indianapolis. Also, the Chiefs are only allowing receivers to score 15 fantasy points per contest on average.
Wan’dale Robinson (WR - NYG) vs Detroit Lions Robinson has the unfortunate task of playing Detroit, who are stingy against WRs, and playing James Winston doesn’t help his case with missed balls.
Khalil Shakir (WR - BUF) vs Houston Texans Buffalo’s receiving core is in complete disarray with Terrel Shavers in a WR1 role last week; tell me if you have ever heard of him. Most likely, Derek Stingley will be on Shakir, which will shut him down for most of the game.
Xavier Worthy (WR - KC) vs Indianapolis Colts Despite an easy matchup for Worthy, he’s been downgraded to the third option in the receiving room behind Rice and Kelce. He won’t get much volume or opportunity in this game.
By Alex Percey
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Darren Waller (TE - MIA) vs Cincinnati Bengals One of my main beliefs when it comes to tight ends in fantasy football is that rookie quarterbacks LOVE them. Quinn Ewers makes his first NFL start this week, and I believe Waller is the perfect security blanket for him. Plus, the Bengals allow five points per game more than any other defense to tight ends.
Oronde Gadsden II (TE - LAC) vs Dallas Cowboys I love Oronde Gadsden, and this matchup against Dallas could be his best game in weeks. His biggest competition for targets, Quentin Johnston, might be out for the game. If so, plug Orande into your lineups against the poor Dallas secondary.
Harold Fannin Jr. (TE - CLE) vs Buffalo Bills Last week, Fannin was targeted 14 times. He quickly became Shedeur’s favorite target and has had a 29% target share since his new quarterback took the field. I love Fannin going forward, even if Njoku is healthy enough to play.
Dallas Goedert (TE - DAL) vs Washington Commanders Dallas Goedert has been a top 5 tight end in both of his last two games, both against tough defenses. This week, he gets to play the banged-up Commanders and should put on a masterclass.
Colby Parkinson (TE - LAR) vs Seattle Seahawks Parkinson’s workload should only increase with the departure of Davonte Adams from the Rams’ passing attack, as he steps into the role of the top red zone option. If the Seahawks defense has a weakness, it's covering tight ends.
Sit 'Em
Dalton Schultz (TE - HOU) vs Las Vegas Raiders Schultz is coming off his best game of the season, where he raked in eight catches for 76 yards. The Cardinals cannot cover tight ends, so the performance was expected. However, this week he faces the Raiders, who specialize in taking away big pass catchers, and there are many mouths to feed in the Houston offense.
Travis Kelce (TE - KC) vs Tennessee Titans While many see Kelce as matchup-proof, I think much of his production comes from his chemistry with Mahomes. They know what the other is thinking all of the time. That connection doesn’t exist with Gardner Minshew at the helm of the offense, and I expect Kelce’s numbers to reflect the loss.
Hunter Henry (TE - NE) vs Baltimore Ravens The Ravens defense has been a disaster for opposing tight ends for the majority of the season, allowing just 8,6 points per game to the position. Henry’s target share has steadily declined all season, and I don’t think it spikes this week.
A.J. Barner (TE - SEA) vs Los Angeles Rams This game will be another rainy one in Seattle, which isn’t good for the passing game. While I trust Parkinson to garner enough targets to stay relevant, I can’t say the same about A.J. Barner.
Tyler Warren (TE - IND) vs San Francisco 49ers I love Tyler Warren and the matchup. However, while Rivers played well for a 44-year-old, it didn’t go well for his receivers’ fantasy outputs. Warren just won’t get enough chances in the game to be fantasy relevant.
