NFL fantasy football news and player signals for Tuesday, December 16, 2025

Gets Arizona in Week 16, which is a decent matchup; should see an okay amount of targets; Jvonte Williams advises to hold on to him if you want to.

Brian Robinson is getting surgery on his finger and will be out for a while, making him droppable in Week 16.

Darius Slayton is a solid receiver for the Giants offense, providing field-stretching value. He posted a 10-target game and has a very high average depth of target (aDOT), which explains why many targets are uncatchable but also gives him a high ceiling. Jvonte Williams expects him to continue receiving a decent target share.

Anthony Richardson was just cleared medically from his orbital fracture but will not play in Week 16; Philip Rivers has been named the starter for Monday Night Football against the 49ers. Richardson may return in Week 17 if the Colts are eliminated from playoff contention. In Superflex leagues, he could be a speculative add for Week 17 upside against Jacksonville, though he has been out for 10 weeks and his return to game shape remains uncertain.

Darren Waller is under 40% owned despite a monster performance against Pittsburgh: two touchdowns, seven catches on eight targets, 66 yards. He's the primary red zone target for the Titans and faces Cincinnati next week, a favorable matchup. Jvonte Williams plans to start Waller in his tight end spot in his most important league and strongly advises against dropping him.

Puka Nacua is the only Rams receiver Jvonte Williams is confident in for fantasy playoffs. The Rams' receiving core functions as a plug-and-play system where non-Puka receivers (Jordan Whittington, T2 Atwell, Mumfield) are unreliable; Whittington was expected to step into that role when Puka is out, but Williams advises against starting any non-Puka Rams receiver in Week 16 fantasy playoffs.

Jordan Whittington is part of an unreliable Rams receiving core outside of Puka Nacua. Jvonte Williams advises against starting non-Puka Rams receivers in Week 16 fantasy playoffs, though Whittington could be held as a speculative play for Week 17.

Carolina WR is returning to form with back-to-back strong weeks: 4 catches for 74 yards vs. Rams in Week 13, 4 catches for 60 yards and a TD vs. New Orleans in Week 15. He's moved into the number two receiving option behind Tee McMillan with emerging chemistry with Bryce Young. Faces a friendly matchup against Tampa Bay and projects to WR40-48 range in rankings per Jvonte Williams.

San Francisco WR reaggravated his knee injury and is likely to miss the upcoming game at Indianapolis on Monday Night Football. Jvonte Williams would be surprised if he ended up suiting up, noting that reaggravations typically extend recovery timelines.

Green Bay WR had a good game in Week 15 but ran only 41% of routes compared to 46% for Dontavian Wicks, indicating no meaningful role expansion. Jvonte Williams explicitly states he thinks you're insane if you're trying to throw Matthew Golden into your lineup in Week 16 of the fantasy playoffs right now. The good game was not indicative of a changing role.

Green Bay WR was very productive when Christian Watson was not playing previously. With Watson out for Week 16 due to chest injury, Doubs is expected to continue running 90% of routes. Jvonte Williams rates him as flex-worthy against the Chicago Bears, though he doesn't want him in his own lineup; the reasoning is that Jordan Love has to throw the ball somewhere with Tucker Craft and Christian Watson unavailable. Williams notes Doubs could definitely do worse as a fallback option in the receiver hierarchy.

Green Bay wide receiver is the primary beneficiary of Christian Watson's chest injury absence. Reed is running a lot of routes and seeing a decent amount of targets; Jvonte Williams hasn't seen his ceiling game yet but knows it's there on any given week. Williams rates Reed as a "really really solid wide receiver three" and prioritizes him as the top option in the Watson-less receiver room. Reed is still under 50% ownership; with Tucker Craft and Christian Watson unavailable, Jordan Love has to throw the ball somewhere.

Green Bay wide receiver suffered a chest injury in Week 15, requiring hospitalization. Jvonte Williams would be "blown away" if Watson played in Week 16, effectively ruling him out for the short-week Saturday game against Chicago.

New Orleans running back in committee with Aldrick Esme; Hull is more explosive and better suited to be the pass catcher than Esme, but Jvonte Williams explicitly states he doesn't feel Hull is a high-upside play and is not confident adding him to teams. Hull's role in the committee is unclear going forward, and Esme is prioritized over him for goal-line work.

High-end handcuff to Javvante Williams; actionable handcuff strategy play for depth and upside.

Jvonte Williams' number one waiver wire pickup of the week at running back after Zonovan Knight's ankle sprain; Carter is playing on nearly 80% of snaps and will fill the lead back role. Projected as a top 25-30 RB in PPR with versatile runner and pass-catcher skill set from UNCC; expected to score 1-2 TDs over the next two weeks against Atlanta and Cincinnati. Strong flex option in PPR leagues despite not being a must-start.

Darren Waller had a breakout Monday night performance with 25.6 PPR points, tilting many fantasy playoff matchups. He is the tight end 12 in points per game through last night's game. This week he faces Cincinnati, which is allowing the most fantasy points to opposing tight ends. Blake Corman rates him as a top 12 start this week.

Blake Corman targets Tua Tagovailoa this week despite poor prior performance against Pittsburgh. The Bengals allow the second-most fantasy points to quarterbacks; Miami is projected for the third-most points by Vegas with a 50.5 over-under (tied for highest of the week); and the warm Miami weather is favorable for Tua's play.

Darius Sllayton is available in waiver wire pools and is coming off a 10-target game. Blake Corman presents him as a dumpster-dive flex option hoping for a spike week, though the Giants face the Vikings this week—a very tough matchup.

Running routes alongside Legette and Tedo McMillan and has scored touchdowns in back-to-back games. Faces Tampa Bay this week in a neutral to negative matchup, but Blake Corman notes it's a do-or-die game for the Panthers. Presented as a deep flex option hoping for another long touchdown.

Injury in first half of game; context suggests this created backfield opportunity, though the transcript excerpt cuts off before details are provided.

Likely ruled out for the season, but worth monitoring as a speculative waiver wire option if the Texans make a playoff push. Ron Stewart notes Mixon was on the Bengals' Super Bowl team and may be motivated to rush back from injury if the Texans need a running back for their championship run; low probability but worth tracking.

Gets huge opportunity with Roma Dunes out with a broken foot (hairline/stress fracture), potentially becoming a number one or two receiver depending on DJ Moore's role. In his last game, Burden played 16 routes and posted season highs in targets (7) and receptions (6) for 84 yards and over 5 yards per route run. Only rostered in 15% of ESPN leagues, though his own injury status for the upcoming week is uncertain.

Return timeline uncertain; his potential unavailability alongside Woody Marks would elevate Jaward Jordan to RB3 status in the Texans backfield for Week 16.

Injury status uncertain heading into Week 16; his absence from the game created opportunity for Jaward Jordan to post 78% backfield carry share. Return timeline unclear, making Jordan a contingency waiver wire option in deeper leagues.

Evan Hull handled more carries than Audrey Esté but played fewer snaps; he's positioned as a passing-down back but did not record a target in the game. Blake Corman notes the Saints backfield is complicated by multiple dual-threat options, making Hull a speculative dumpster-dive option in 16-team leagues.

Injury in Week 16 game created immediate opportunity for Michael Carter, who took over with 78% backfield carry share and 10% target share, including the only carry inside the 10-yard line.

Available in nearly every league as a waiver wire target. When Bam Knight left with injury, Carter posted 78% backfield carry share and 10% target share, including the only carry inside the 10-yard line. Despite not being a great player historically (including his Jets tenure), this role makes him a startable option in fantasy playoffs. Week 16 matchup vs. Atlanta is neutral; Week 17 vs. Cincinnati. Blake Corman recommends emptying the waiver wire priority on Carter if he fits your lineup needs.

Only 29.6% owned on ESPN despite averaging 17.6 PPG over his last three games as RB9 over that span. Rams offense is so prolific that both Corum and Kairen Williams can produce simultaneously, similar to the Gibbs-Montgomery situation in Detroit. Week 16 matchup vs. Seahawks (tough defense) makes him a low-end RB3 for that week, but he's a top waiver wire add for playoff push.