Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy's struggles this season have been well-publicized, as the 22-year-old has thrown 11 interceptions across eight starts. However, McCarthy has shown signs of improvement since returning from a concussion that forced him to miss a game in late November. Over his last two starts, McCarthy has completed 66% of his pass attempts for 413 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception. He also remains a threat with his legs, rushing for 34 yards and a score on 10 attempts over that stretch. McCarthy has had favorable matchups over the past two weeks against the Washington Commanders and Dallas Cowboys. However, his schedule remains on the lighter side over Minnesota's next two games, as they will face the New York Giants in Week 16 and the Detroit Lions in Week 17. If McCarthy can hold some of the gains he's made since returning from the concussion, he profiles as a solid fantasy QB2.

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New York Giants second-year running back out of Purdue, Tyron Tracy Jr., piled up 97 total yards (70 rushing and 27 receiving) in Week 15 and punched in two touchdowns, good for 23.20 points in half PPR formats. Since the injury to Cam Skattebo (ankle) in Week 8, the backfield snaps have been relatively split between Tracy and Devin Singletary. However, in Week 15 we saw Tracy take a majority of the snaps for the first time since Skattebo's injury (76% compared to Singletary's 24%), and out touch him 19 to six, which is an excellent sign for Tracy fantasy managers as we head into the semi-finals of the fantasy football playoffs, as he now provides managers with the confidence to start him as an RB2/flex option against the Minnesota Vikings due to his projected opportunities. The Vikings have been middle-of-the-pack against opposing running backs, allowing the 15th fewest points to the position; however, given Tracy's projected volume after what he earned in Week 15, he can be started in most 12-team or larger formats.

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Since taking over as his team's starting quarterback in Week 9, New Orleans Saints signal-caller Tyler Shough has shown flashes of production upside. The 26-year-old is averaging 226 passing yards per start and is coming off a 272-yard performance in his team's Week 15 win over the Carolina Panthers. Shough has also shown a willingness to use his legs, as he's collected 127 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 28 attempts over his last four games. The Saints as a team have been far more competitive since he took over under center, posting a 3-3 record with Shough as the starter after opening the season by losing nine out of their first 10 games. New Orleans should have an opportunity to do more damage down the stretch of the season, as they will host the New York Jets in Week 16 before a trip to Tennessee to take on the Titans in Week 17. Shough profiles as a solid fantasy QB2 given the favorable matchups and his recent run of improved play.

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Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins has struggled for much of the 2025 season, completing 62.6% of his pass attempts for 1,218 yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions across seven games (five starts). However, the 37-year-old posted a monster performance in his team's Week 15 upset of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, throwing for 373 yards and three scores. At this point in his career, Cousins should not be expected to post big numbers every week. Still, his showing against Tampa Bay proves that the veteran still carries some production upside in the right matchups. The Falcons will face another favorable opponent in Week 16 against the Arizona Cardinals, followed by a far more difficult test in Week 17 against the Los Angeles Rams. For fantasy managers in two-quarterback formats, Cousins could be a solid streamer at the position, particularly in Week 16.

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San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy's season-long numbers don't jump off the page, as he's completed 67.9% of his pass attempts for 1,442 yards, 12 touchdowns, and seven interceptions across six starts. However, the 25-year-old is coming off one of his best performances of the season, throwing for 295 yards and three touchdowns in a Week 15 win over the Tennessee Titans. Purdy also rushed for a season-high 44 yards against Tennessee, which may be an indication he's finally regaining full health after missing nearly two full months in the middle of the year with a lingering toe injury. The 49ers travel to Indianapolis to face the Colts in Week 16 before returning home to host the Chicago Bears in Week 17. Purdy has solid fantasy QB1 upside for the final weeks of the season, particularly if he continues to weaponize his rushing ability.

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Across 11 starts this season, Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud has completed 65.3% of his pass attempts for 2,441 yards, 15 touchdowns, and six interceptions. Since returning from a concussion that forced him to miss three games from Week 10 through Week 12, the 24-year-old has played some of his best football. Over his last three outings, Stroud is averaging 246.3 passing yards per game and has thrown four touchdowns to just one interception. The Houston offense as a whole is coming off one of its best performances in Week 15 against the Arizona Cardinals, putting up close to 400 yards of total offense and 40 points. The Texans host the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 16 before a more challenging matchup in Week 17 against the Los Angeles Chargers. Stroud could have an opportunity to extend his recent run of solid play and profiles as a borderline fantasy QB1 down the stretch of the season.

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Chicago Bears wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus could be in line for an expanded role on Saturday as the Bears take on the Green Bay Packers in a pivotal NFC North showdown. The Bears have ruled out rookie Luther Burden III and Rome Odunze, leaving DJ Moore operating as the team's WR1 and Zaccheaus as the WR2. Over the past two weeks, Zaccheaus has played 80% of the team's snaps; however, had only earned six targets over those two games. Colston Loveland and Moore will likely be the two top pass-catching options for Caleb Williams in this contest, but Zaccheaus could be a look in deeper 14-team leagues if your team is in a bind for the fantasy football playoffs. Zaccheauss has had some decent fantasy production a few times this year, scoring five or more fantasy points in six of his 14 games played. This will also be the first time all season the Bears are without both Odunze and Burden, opening the door for Zaccheaus in this matchup.

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Green Bay Packers rookie wide receiver out of Texas, and first-round pick in 2025, Matthew Golden, earned four targets and caught three of them for 55 yards in Week 15's loss to the Denver Broncos. The four targets were the most that Golden has seen since Week 7, and with the injury to Christian Watson (chest, shoulder), Golden was thrust into duties and played more snaps than he has since the return of Watson's ACL injury and the return of Jayden Reed from the Injured Reserve. Although Golden's fantasy value is on the rise due to the injury situation, he is still hard to trust in any format this week against the Chicago Bears. On the season, he has 27 receptions for 341 yards and no touchdowns, for a total of 52 fantasy points in 11 games played.

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Dallas Cowboys running back Malik Davis played 53 percent of the snaps in Week 15 and earned 11 touches (eight rushes and three receptions) for 37 yards and a touchdown in the Cowboys' Loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday Night Football. As far as the 2025 season goes, that was season-highs for Davis in all categories: snaps, touches, yards, and fantasy points. The reason he played and got the volume is that Javonte Williams (neck) missed most of the second quarter, allowing Davis to see the majority of the work. Important to note that rookie running back out of Texas, Jaydon Blue, was a healthy scratch, so it's clear that the Cowboys view Davis as the top option behind Williams, which makes him a top handcuff option for the last few weeks of the fantasy football season. Davis does not have standalone fantasy value at this time, but if Williams were to miss time, he would immediately enter the rankings as a low-end RB2 based on projected volume.

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Seattle Seahawks WR Cooper Kupp had three receptions (on four targets) for 39 yards in Week 16 versus the Los Angeles Rams. Kupp also lost a fumble.

Fantasy Spin: Thursday night was the sixth straight game where Kupp failed to reach the 50-yard mark. Whatever contributions the veteran may be making to the Seahawks roster as a whole, he's done next to nothing for fantasy owners for most of 2025. He's end-of-the-bench WR5/WR6 depth, at best, in standard leagues.

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Seattle Seahawks QB Sam Darnold completed 22 of 34 passes for 270 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions in a Week 16 win over the Los Angeles Rams. Darnold, who was sacked four times, also ran for seven yards on three attempts.

Fantasy Spin: When Darnold's red-zone pass was intercepted midway through the fourth quarter, it seemed like another big-game meltdown had been completed. Instead, the Seahawks rallied, which included Darnold throwing for a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter and overtime. While it still wasn't the cleanest performance, and will not put the narrative surrounding him fully to rest, it spoke to his resolve that he was able to pull it out in the end. He carries borderline QB1/QB2 value into the season's final two weeks.

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Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold completed 22 of his 34 pass attempts for 270 passing yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions during Thursday's Week 16 comeback win over the Los Angeles Rams in overtime. He also rushed for seven yards and took four sacks in the victory. It wasn't exactly the cleanest game for Darnold, who has now been picked off by the Rams six times during two meetings in 2025. He was just 4-for-6 passing in the first half, but he cleaned things up in the second half and overtime, ultimately leading the Seahawks to a comeback victory that erased Los Angeles' 16-point lead. The 28-year-old is a borderline top-12 fantasy quarterback (with undeniable risk) heading into a Week 17 clash with his old team, the Carolina Panthers.

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Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet had nine carries for 32 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown during Thursday's Week 16 win over the Los Angeles Rams in overtime. He also caught all four of his targets for an additional 22 receiving yards. Charbonnet was outperformed by Kenneth Walker III in terms of touches, yards, and fantasy points, but he did still lead the backfield with his 56% snap share on Thursday night. Managers should expect the two backs to continue splitting work roughly 50/50 in this backfield from now on. That lowers the floor for both players, but if Seattle's offense plays well over the final two weeks, Charbonnet and Walker could each carve out standalone fantasy value as low-end RB2 or high-end RB3/flex options. Charbonnet should be a top-36 fantasy running back in Week 17, when he takes on a well-rounded Carolina Panthers squad.

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Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III had 11 carries for 100 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown during Thursday's Week 16 win over the Los Angeles Rams in overtime. He also caught all three of his targets for an additional 64 receiving yards. The highlight of Walker's game was a 55-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter that temporarily gave Seattle the lead. The 25-year-old bounced back in a huge way after posting fewer than 4.0 fantasy points in each of his last two games. Walker only played 44% of the snaps on Thursday night, while teammate Zach Charbonnet played 56%. However, Walker was more productive than his backfield-mate, and he also handled more total touches. Managers should expect the fourth-year back to remain in the low-end RB2 tier for fantasy football ahead of a favorable matchup against the Carolina Panthers in Week 17.

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Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught eight of his 13 targets for 96 yards and one touchdown during Thursday's Week 16 win over the Los Angeles Rams in overtime. Smith-Njigba didn't have a single catch during the entire first half, sending managers into a panic as the fantasy playoffs continue in most leagues. However, he was highly explosive throughout the second half and overtime, during which he scored the game-winning touchdown. The 23-year-old is the second-highest-scoring fantasy receiver (full-PPR) in 2025, trailing only Puka Nacua. He has been one of the biggest risers in the NFL this season, and he should continue to be started as an elite WR1 option in Week 17 against the Carolina Panthers.

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Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua caught 12 of his 16 targets for 225 yards and two touchdowns during Thursday's Week 16 loss against the Seattle Seahawks. He played 78.3% of the offensive snaps, which was his highest mark since Week 12. In the effort, he set new career-highs in receiving yards and fantasy points. He also surpassed Jaxon Smith-Njigba as the highest-scoring fantasy receiver in 2025, despite playing one fewer game than the Seahawks' superstar. All in all, Nacua gave his managers a huge early advantage as the second round of the fantasy playoffs kicked off in most leagues on Thursday night. If his big game ends up being enough to get managers into the championship, he'll look for an opportunity to stay hot during next week's favorable matchup against the Atlanta Falcons.

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Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford completed 29 of his 49 pass attempts for 457 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions during Thursday's Week 16 loss against the Seattle Seahawks. He also rushed for six yards and didn't take a sack. Although the Rams came up short, Stafford delivered a fantastic final stat line for his fantasy managers. Not only did he set a new season-high in fantasy points, but he also delivered his highest passing yards total since 2013, more than a dozen years ago. As a result, this was also his highest passing yards total as a Ram. The veteran quarterback managed to have such a spectacular performance despite being without Davante Adams (hamstring) against a strong Seahawks defense. Instead, he found Puka Nacua for 12 completions, 225 yards, and two touchdowns, while the rest of his pass-catchers accounted for the remaining volume. Stafford remains a high-end QB1 heading into a very favorable Week 17 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons.

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Los Angeles Rams QB Matthew Stafford completed 29 of 49 passes for a season-high 457 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions versus the Seattle Seahawks in Week 16. Stafford also ran twice for six yards.

Fantasy Spin: Even without the services of Davante Adams (hamstring), Stafford led LA's offense as it marched up and down the field on Thursday night. While there were some lulls that came back to bite the Rams in the end, it's hard to find much fault with Stafford's effort against a defense of Seattle's caliber. He belongs in your starting lineup the rest of the way.

From TheHuddle

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Van Jefferson (back) practiced in a limited capacity on Thursday ahead of Week 16 against the Kansas City Chiefs. Jefferson's status improved after he missed practice altogether on Wednesday. The veteran receiver played at least 73% of the snaps in every game from Week 6 through Week 14, but his snap share dropped to 58% when he injured his back in Week 15. In nine games since Week 6, Jefferson has 43 targets, 20 catches, 256 yards, and one touchdown. During that span, he ranks as the overall WR71 in PPR leagues. Even if he manages to suit up this week, Jefferson won't be a worthwhile fantasy option while operating behind Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor in the Titans' struggling offense.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton (knee) practiced in full on Thursday ahead of Week 16 against the Carolina Panthers. This was an upgraded status for Otton after he was limited on Wednesday. The 26-year-old missed last week's loss to the Atlanta Falcons, but barring a setback, he will return to action this upcoming Sunday. It's been an underwhelming year for Otton, who ranks as the overall TE26 in PPR leagues with 46 catches, 430 yards, and zero touchdowns. He typically struggles when Mike Evans and Chris Godwin Jr. are healthy, which should be the case this week. As a result, managers can bench Otton in their Week 16 matchups. He currently ranks as the TE24 in RotoBaller's latest fantasy rankings.

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