This weekly piece looks at the trends and makes recommendations for players who might be worth rostering or starting in our fantasy lineups. We will look primarily at how roles changed over the first 16 weeks of the season for a player on each team, and if that is signal or noise for the rest of the season.
If you have interesting usage notes, feel free to reach out to me on Twitter/X (@CableBoxScore) and let me know. Let’s dive into the NFL Week 16 usage!
More Week 17 Fantasy Football Fun!: | Sneaky Starts | Fantasy Football Waiver Wire | Weekly Sleepers & Streamers | Starts & Sits | Skrip’s Week Winners | NFL DFS | NFL Player Props | IDP Analysis | Bold Predictions | Survivor Picks | NFL Injury Report | Dynasty Trade Targets | Weekly Rankings | Dynasty Risers and Fallers
NFL Week 16 Usage Trends
ARIZONA CARDINALS
Michael Carter Busts in Big Spot
Michael Carter rushed the ball 11 times on Sunday, but it was for a hollow 65 yards. He did not catch either of his two targets, nor did he score a touchdown. He seemingly had the backfield to himself, but got taken out for Corey Kiner on a couple of drives because of his inefficiency.
ATLANTA FALCONS
Wide Receivers? Who Needs Them?
The Atlanta Falcons gave 23 touches to Bijan Robinson, 17 touches to Tyler Allgeier, nine targets (seven touches) to Kyle Pitts, and only five total touches to their entire wide receiver corps. It’s clear Kirk Cousins wants to target Bijan Robinson and Kyle Pitts when he is throwing the ball this season.
BALTIMORE RAVENS
Huntley Has to Save Baltimore’s Season?
Lamar Jackson injured his back during the second quarter of the Sunday Night Football game against New England and did not return for the second half, giving way to Tyler Huntley to finish the contest. With the loss suffered by the Ravens, they must win out for a chance at the playoffs, and Jackson has stated he wants to play on Saturday. The Ravens hope so because Huntley had only 65 passing yards and two rushing yards.
BUFFALO BILLS
James Cook Picks Up Josh Allen’s Mess
Josh Allen missed part of the Week 16 game against the Cleveland Browns with a foot injury, which forced him into his first game under 10 fantasy points all season. He accounted for just 130 passing yards, 17 rushing yards, and no touchdowns. James Cook picked up the slack with 134 total yards and two scores, but Josh Allen’s fantasy managers who enjoyed a QB1 season are now facing an uphill climb to advance.
CAROLINA PANTHERS
Rico Dowdle Disappoints
Rico Dowdle finished the must-win game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with 15 total opportunities but only came away with 43 total yards and no scores to put up a dud with six fantasy points. It was his worst game since October 26, but that was a game where he only touched the ball eight times.
CHICAGO BEARS
DJ Moore Finally Returns
It took Rome Odunze and Luther Burden being out, but DJ Moore finally had a huge fantasy game again. He finished the unbelievable come-from-behind win against the Packers with seven targets, five receptions, 97 yards, and the walk-off touchdown to win the game. Those five receptions are only the second time he has caught that many balls since Week 2.
CINCINNATI BENGALS
Chase Brown Drowns the Dolphins
Chase Brown was an efficiency machine against the Miami Dolphins. He rushed for more than five yards per carry and had more than 10 yards per reception. That allowed him to total 109 yards on 16 touches and score three total touchdowns. Brown has double-digit fantasy points in nine straight games, but Sunday’s total was his highest of 2025.
CLEVELAND BROWNS
Harold Fannin Jr. Enters the Elite Tier
Harold Fannin is now officially a top 10 tight end this season after scoring 17.5 fantasy points, including two touchdowns – one receiving and one rushing. He and Shedeur Sanders seem to have developed real chemistry, and with no David Njoku on the roster next year, Fannin might be drafted as a top-five option.
DALLAS COWBOYS
George Pickens Continues to be the WR1
George Pickens continues to outplay CeeDee Lamb, and he had 130 yards and a touchdown in a losing effort against the Chargers on Sunday. After back-to-back games under 40 receiving yards, Pickens bounced back in a big way and was the only bright spot of the offense on Sunday.
DENVER BRONCOS
Pat Bryant Injury Opens Door for Troy Franklin
Pat Bryant was taken to the hospital after a scary hit after a reception in the Broncos game against Jacksonville on Sunday afternoon. He was immediately placed in concussion protocol, but there was fear for a period of time that Bryant did not have movement in his arms and legs. Troy Franklin got 64% of snaps in the game as a result, a number he had not reached since Week 11.
DETROIT LIONS
David Montgomery Can Be Dropped
David Montgomery has seen his usage dip four straight weeks, and it bottomed out with just four carries on Sunday against Pittsburgh. His 14 yards and 1.4 fantasy points were the low point of his season, and it’s clear he is now not part of an offense that is in desperate need of big playmakers. Against a tough front seven in Minnesota, I would not worry about starting Montgomery in championship week.
GREEN BAY PACKERS
Mailk Willis Would Do Just Fine as a Streamer
In just over a half of football, backup Malik Willis put up 121 passing yards, one passing touchdown, and 44 rushing yards. That was good for 15 fantasy points, and for someone who is desperate for a quarterback in the fantasy championship, you could do a lot worse than a matchup against the Ravens. Monitor both Willis and Jordan Love to see who gets healthy enough to play this week.
HOUSTON TEXANS
C.J Stroud Too Inconsistent
C.J. Stroud seemed to be turning a corner over the last couple of weeks, but in an ideal matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders, Stroud managed just 187 passing yards, one touchdown, and zero rushing yards. With a championship game on the line, Stroud going on the road to face the Los Angeles Chargers means there are likely better streaming options in your league’s waiver wire. He is too inconsistent to trust in a tough matchup.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
Alec Pierce Gets the Endzone Looks
While Tyler Warren and Josh Downs both saw nine targets from Philip Rivers, it was Alec Pierce who caught two of his four targets for touchdowns. He also led the Colts in receiving yards (86) despite less than half as many targets as the other two receivers.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
Parker Washington Storms Back
Parker Washington had several down weeks but bounced back in a big way with 145 yards and a touchdown against the Broncos on Sunday. His 10 targets were his second-most of the season, and the yards were a season-high. The Jaguars’ passing attack is tough to predict with so many weapons, but Trevor Lawrence is elevating many receivers right now.
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
Travis Kelce Looks Done
Travis Kelce might be at the end of the line, and if that’s the case, he goes out with a whimper instead of a bang. He caught just one pass for six yards on Sunday and now faces the prospect of a third-string quarterback in Weeks 17 and 18. He is unusable now in the championship game if his managers made it that far, and this likely closes the book on one of the best fantasy football tight ends ever.
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS
Ashton Jeanty Redemption
Ashton Jeanty rushed for over 100 yards for the first time since September 28 as he gashed the Houston Texans for 128 yards on the ground and another 60 through the air. He finished with two total touchdowns and 31.3 fantasy points for the top mark at the position through Sunday. His 26 opportunities were his second-most of the season.
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
Justin Herbert Dominates Cowboys
Justin Herbert contributed through the air and on the ground in a blowout win against the Dallas Cowboys. Herbert finished the game with 300 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, 42 rushing yards, and another score on the ground for his first 30-point fantasy game of 2025.
LOS ANGELES RAMS
Puka Nacua is the Week Winner
Puka Nacua posted 40.5 half-PPR fantasy points on Thursday night and now has the best wide receiver game of 2025 fantasy football. His 225 yards and two touchdowns were magnificent, and he put the icing on the cake with a long overtime touchdown. With that massive game, Nacua now sits one point behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba (who also dominated on Thursday night) for the most fantasy points by a wide receiver in 2025.
MIAMI DOLPHINS
Waller Wasn’t a Winner
Darren Waller had the best possible matchup for a tight end as he faced the Cincinnati Bengals. But the Dolphins only gave him 49% of snaps, and he responded with only three catches for 40 yards. With Quinn Ewers at quarterback, we have to manage our expectations for what the Dolphins’ receivers can do.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS
Jordan Addison Doesn’t See His Number Called
Jordan Addison had to trade in JJ McCarthy for Max Brosmer halfway through the game and finished with just two receptions for 26 yards on Sunday. It was also the product of the Vikings forcing eight targets to Justin Jefferson so their number one wide receiver wouldn’t completely bail on this team. But Addison disappointed when fantasy managers needed him most.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
Rhamondre Stevenson Gets the Work
TreVeyon Henderson was forced out of the Sunday night game against Baltimore with a head injury in the first half and was ruled out during halftime. He was unable to come back into the game, which allowed Rhamondre Stevenson to take over all the running back touches. Henderson now has a hard road ahead to play against the New York Jets in Week 17. Stevenson saw 84% of snaps in this game.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
Chris Olave Best Value of the Season?
Chris Olave is now one of just six wide receivers to have more than 240 points in PPR formats in 2025. He led all wide receivers in points on Sunday, putting up 31.8 thanks to 148 yards on 16 targets and two receiving touchdowns. Despite a wild ride at quarterback this season, Olave has been one of the best values of the entire season.
NEW YORK GIANTS
Darius Slayton Disappears
Darius Slayton has four or fewer targets in four of his last five games. And if Jaxson Dart is going to have any more games as he did in Week 16, Slayton should fall off our rosters for someone with more upside in Week 17. Slayton caught just one pass for eight yards in Week 16 and still has just one touchdown all season.
NEW YORK JETS
Stone Smartt: Desperation Tight End
One sneaky thing about the miserable New York Jets game on Sunday is what we saw from Brady Cook’s tendencies when he passed the ball. He heavily targeted tight end Stone Smartt as his security blanket. Smartt had six targets for five receptions and 34 yards in the game.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
The Complete Philadelphia Offense
Jalen Hurts started his interview with the media on Saturday by asking, “That what you guys wanted to see?” While I can’t speak for the media, it is certainly what fantasy managers wanted to see. All six fantasy-relevant Eagles scored at least 10 fantasy points, and even A.J. Brown, the one player without a touchdown, had nine catches for 96 yards.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS
Dynamic Duo at Running Back
Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell looked like the old-school tandem of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart (shoutout to those of us who have been playing fantasy football forever) as they rocked the Detroit Lions on Sunday afternoon. Warren finished with 151 total yards and two rushing touchdowns, while Gainwell had 128 total yards (including 78 receiving yards) and a receiving touchdown. Both were top-eight running backs heading into Monday Night Football.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
Brock Purdy Masterpiece
It only took Brock Purdy 34 pass attempts to gain 295 passing yards and throw five touchdowns. Four players had at least five targets, and four players caught at least one touchdown. Meanwhile, Christian McCaffrey, fantasy’s most divisive player in the preseason, finished with 148 total yards and two touchdowns, steamrolling his managers into the fantasy championship.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
Kenneth Walker Usage Baffling
In a game where Kenneth Walker got 164 total yards and a touchdown on 14 carries, the Seattle Seahawks played him on 44% of snaps. It’s a good thing they won, otherwise they would be answering questions about why he didn’t play the whole game.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
Cade Otton Fades Into Background
Cade Otton is becoming less involved as the wide receivers for Tampa Bay get healthier. He just finished his fourth straight game with fewer than 25 receiving yards, and he hasn’t had more than 10 fantasy points since November 9. For a position that is touchdown dependent, Otton can’t even be counted on there. He hasn’t scored this season.
Tennessee Titans
Chig Okonkwo Finally Shines
Chig Okonkwo had his best game of the year on Sunday, catching six passes for 44 yards and a touchdown. The Titans found a soft spot in the middle of the defense against the Chiefs and kept feeding Okonkwo over and over again. It was his first game with a touchdown this season.
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS
Bench Pass-Catchers in Week 17
With Josh Johnson taking over for Marcus Mariota in Week 16 after an injury, the pass-catchers for Washington were completely neutralized. Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel combined for six catches and 88 yards. All running backs and tight ends caught a total of four passes in the Week 16 loss.
Data Sources: Pro Football Focus, NFL Next Gen Stats, Football Guys Snap Summary, FTN Air Yards, Pro Football Reference, Team Rankings, Fantasy Points Data Suite
Make sure to check out all of our Week 17 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!
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