PFF’s fantasy football recap focuses on player usage and stats, breaking down all the vital information you need to achieve fantasy success in 2025. NFL Week 16 Recap: Immediate fantasy football takeaways from Saturday’s games Saquon Barkley helps lead the Philadelphia Eagles to victory: The former All-Pro running back had his second-best game of the season as a runner but hasn’t been involved over the passing game in the past month. The Washington Commanders‘ wide receiver injuries continue: Washington lost Jaylin Lane early in the first quarter. They had dealt with wide receiver injuries all season, seemed to be getting healthy recently, but this was their second straight game losing a wide receiver in the first quarter. Get PFF+ for 30% off: Use promo code HOLIDAY30 to unlock the PFF Player Prop Tool, Premium Stats, fantasy dashboards, the PFF Mock Draft Simulator, industry-leading fantasy rankings and much more — everything you need to win your season. Estimated reading time: 7 minutes PFF’s fantasy football recap focuses on player usage and stats, breaking down all the vital information you need to achieve fantasy success in 2025. Chris Rodriguez Jr. returns to the Commanders: Washington’s starting running back had missed last week due to a groin injury. Rodriguez has spent the second half of the season as the Commanders’ starting running back when healthy, while Jacory Croskey-Merritt has been the backup, and Jeremy McNichols has been the third-down back. Rodriguez missed last week, leading Washington to condense to a two-man backfield. Croskey-Merritt has his most successful game in over two months with 18 carries for 96 yards and a touchdown. Rodriguez was a full participant in practice all week, so there was no question that he would play. Chase Edmonds had signed with the team a week ago as a fourth running back, but he was a healthy inactive this week. The running back rotation was largely back to normal this week, as Rodriguez took the early-down snaps on the first two drives. Croskey-Merritt took over on the third drive and played most of the rest of the first half. Neither running back was finding much success in the first half, outside of a Croskey-Merritt touchdown. Rodriguez started the third quarter and played the entire half. McNichols continued to be the third-down back throughout the entire game, regardless of who was the early-down back. Rodriguez has been a top waiver-wire option for the last two months, primarily because of the Commanders’ schedule during the fantasy playoffs. He missed last week, so Croskey-Merritt was able to take advantage of that matchup instead of Rodriguez. Their other favorable matchup is next week against the Dallas Cowboys, who have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to running backs this season. Unless there are several running back injuries on Sunday, Rodriguez will be a top-three waiver wire option at running back. Monitor Jaylin Lane’s health: The Commanders’ backup wide receiver suffered an ankle injury on a first-quarter special teams play and didn’t return. In Week 14 and the start of Week 15, the Commanders were the healthiest they had been at wide receiver since Week 2, as Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown were both back after missing most of the season. Brown, McLaurin and Deebo Samuel were the clear three starters, while Treylon Burks was the top backup. Lane had fallen to fifth on the depth chart. Brown suffered a back injury early last week, resulting in larger roles for both Burks and Lane. Brown landed on injured reserve on Tuesday, resulting in the team bringing Chris Moore back from the practice squad. Moore had played significantly this season when McLaurin was out, but the team released him once their other receivers were healthy. Lane started this week out of a four-wide receiver set. He didn’t play again on the first drive, and he was injured on special teams shortly thereafter. He was initially ruled questionable but was ruled out by halftime. This left the other four wide receivers all playing more than expected. Usually, the Commanders like to rotate their wide receivers more than most teams. Hence, an injury to a backup was much more noteworthy than if a backup wide receiver for the Eagles had been injured. Burks, in particular, had a larger role in the Commanders’ offense of the season. While the Commanders didn’t have much success in their passing game this week, they face the Cowboys next week. Dallas has allowed the most fantasy points to wide receivers this season. In Week 7, both Lane and Moore had over 50 receiving yards against Dallas while the Commanders’ top three wide receivers were injured. McLaurin and Samuel should have more success against them next week if Marcus Mariota is healthy. The Commanders’ wide receiver room will be a position to watch this offseason, as Samuel, Brown, Burks and Moore are all slated to be free agents, leaving McLaurin, Lane, and Luke McCaffrey as the only remaining wide receivers on the roster. Will Shipley takes on the third-down role: Saquon Barkley and Shipley had been sharing the third-down role since the bye week. Barkley was an every-down back over the first eight weeks of the season, as Barkley played 79.1% of the offensive snaps. That included playing at least 70% of the early-down snaps, third downs, two-minute drills, short-yardage and goal-line snaps. Philadelphia made a notable change after its Week 9 bye, getting Shipley more involved in passing situations. From Weeks 10-15, Barkley played 57.5% of the third downs and 60% of the two-minute-drill snaps, while Shipley played 32.9% of third downs and 40% of two-minute-drill snaps. The Eagles used that at an even larger extreme for this game, giving Shipley all of the third downs over the first 40 minutes, while the two split two-minute drill snaps. This could be a sign of things to come, or it could be related to Barkley’s health. He didn’t practice on Tuesday due to a stinger but was able to practice in full the following day.
NFL Week 16 Recap: Immediate fantasy football takeaways from Saturday’s games
Painful lessons are ideal for Las Vegas Raiders rookies
Growing pains from young NFL players are expected. And the painful lessons the Las Vegas Raiders rookies experience should be of no surprise. Adapting to the complexity, physicality, and speed of the pro game coming from the collegiate landscape takes time. The acclimation period can be quicker or longer by the prospect, as are the […] Growing pains from young NFL players are expected. And the painful lessons the Las Vegas Raiders rookies experience should be of no surprise. Adapting to the complexity, physicality, and speed of the pro game coming from the collegiate landscape takes time. The acclimation period can be quicker or longer by the prospect, as are the frequency of initial struggles. But they’re ideal for the Silver & Black — for both player and organization. For the player, experience is vital. Live snaps — even with mistakes — are invaluable opportunities where teach tape is compiled. Trial by fire can be frowned upon especially if a draft pick struggles mightily, but live action cannot be replicated by practice, scout team, or even film study. The ability to play against NFL speed, power, and physicality, learn from mistakes and successes, and grow is what player development is all about. For the organization — particularly the player personnel department — cataloging the development or lack thereof allows the group to plan further roster building. Either the GM and their scouts don’t need to worry about a particular position group or they need to drill deep to bolster areas of opportunity. Still, relying on rookies to grow is a foundation to building a core for any team. From sixth overall pick Ashton Jeanty down to 22nd overall pick Cody Lindenberg, the nine rookies of of the 2025 draft class on the 53-man roster have either been regulars or finally being phases into action. By The NumbersRaiders Rookie 2025 Snap Counts No. 6 RB Ashton Jeanty: 613 offense; 2 special teams No. 58 WR Jack Bech: 268 offense; 119 special teams No. 68 CB Darien Porter: 430 defense; 143 special teams No. 98 OL Caleb Rogers: 109 offense No. 99 OL Charles Grant: 6 offense; 7 special teams No. 108 WR Dont’e Thornton Jr.: 341 offense No. 135 DT Tonka Hemingway: 119 defense; 26 special teams No. 180 DT JJ Pegues: 79 defense; 17 special teams No. 222 LB Cody Lindenberg: 288 special teams Arguably, no Raiders rookie has gone through growing pains like Jeanty. The Boise State running back leads the draft class in total snaps as a 14-game starter for the 2-12 Silver & Black. The 22-year-old tailback has 700 yards and four touchdowns on 200 carries and 266 yards and four more end zone visits on 49 receptions. Although, the talented runner hasn’t’ broken the 50-yard rushing mark the last three games with 31, 30, 35 as his rushing totals. The naked eye can see that Jeanty doesn’t have much room to operate due to the Raiders offensive line. He’s swarmed by defenders either at or behind the line of scrimmage. But there are plays that could’ve been made, too. “Yeah, I think, I mean, just for me personally, I’ve missed some plays and just growing pains of being a rookie, getting used to the game speed and all that type of stuff,” Jeanty explained during his media availability on Wednesday. “But I don’t really even look at it that way. There might be more space one play, there might be less space. And did you take advantage of the opportunity?” Continued opportunities for Jeanty and his draft classmates are important as Las Vegas enters its final three-game stretch to close a downtrodden 2025 campaign. For Darien Porter, a tall and long corner expected to be able to smother and cover receivers, getting beat by a veteran Philadelphia Eagles wide receivers was baptism by fire. Ditto for offensive guard Caleb Rogers. Going head-to-head with a ferocious Eagles front four and other defenders is instrumental to development. And another tough test awaits the Raiders and the rookies this Sunday at the Houston Texans that boast the NFL’s top defensive unit in points and yards allowed. The growing pains shouldn’t dishearten Raider Nation. That’s a vital and challenging part of being an NFL neophyte. What will be disappointing though, is if head coach Pete Carroll and his coaching staff don’t give the rookies more snaps in the final stretch. Quotes of Note “The way I see the makeup of their team, they structured their acquisitions really towards putting together a defense that could really go, and that’s what jumps out at you about their team. They’re a good, solid offense, but they play to their defense. They’ve only turned the ball over 10 times in the season on offense, which is an incredibly good stat there, plus-14. So, to me, that’s playing to the strength of their defense. It’s not to take anything away from their big guys up front, running the football, because they’re huge up front on offense, but I see that that’s the makeup of this team. They’re very solid on special teams. They don’t make errors. They’re not turning the football over, and they’re playing great defense. That’s enough to win a ton of games.” —Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll on what stands out about what Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans has done on the turnaround of the Texans “Yeah, I mean losing, I never expect to lose anything. So, anytime you lose and lose this many games, it’s surprising to me. But just being here for one year, you can kind of feel, I would say, the anxiety of the entire organization, the fan base, everybody wants to win, and everybody’s like really urgent. So that’s what we’re pressing towards, is everyone being urgent and getting this thing turned around, and nothing happens in one day, one year. We would have loved to win the Super Bowl this year, that’s not our reality right now. The reality is we’ve got
Vikings Team Flight Experiences Mechanical Issues, Returns to MSP
UPDATE: According to cornerback Isaiah Rodgers, the Vikings have arrived safely in New Jersey. Our favorite football team is going to get to their destination for Sunday afternoon’s game a little later than they were planning. Approximately an hour after it took off from Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport on Saturday afternoon, the Minnesota Vikings’ team plane […] UPDATE: According to cornerback Isaiah Rodgers, the Vikings have arrived safely in New Jersey. Our favorite football team is going to get to their destination for Sunday afternoon’s game a little later than they were planning. Approximately an hour after it took off from Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport on Saturday afternoon, the Minnesota Vikings’ team plane was forced to turn around and come back because of mechanical issues. The team has finally gotten off the ground as of around 7:30 PM Central time and is on its way to Newark, New Jersey, where they will land before heading to the hotel prior to Sunday’s game against the New York Giants. According to Vikings’ sideline reporter Ben Leber (per a story from the Daily Mail), the landing gear hatch on the first plane did not close after the first plane took off, necessitating the plane coming back to Minneapolis. The Vikings aren’t the first NFL team to experience plane issues this week. The Los Angeles Rams also experienced a significant delay when problems with their plane delayed their flight to Seattle ahead of their Thursday Night Football matchup. The flight to the East Coast takes around three hours, which means that by the time the Vikings finally get off the plane in New Jersey, it’s going to be nearly midnight local time. Certainly not an ideal situation. Hopefully, the Vikings’ second flight to New Jersey will get to where it’s going without incident. See More:
DJ Turner added to Bengals Injury Report; 2 others elevated from practice squad
The Cincinnati Bengals are heading into their Week 16 clash against the Miami Dolphins a bit banged up. Trey Hendrickson and Kris Jenkins, Jr. recently landed on I.R., while Tee Higgins is questionable after being in concussion protocol once again. While Shemar Stewart is making his return, another valuable defensive player landed on the Saturday […] The Cincinnati Bengals are heading into their Week 16 clash against the Miami Dolphins a bit banged up. Trey Hendrickson and Kris Jenkins, Jr. recently landed on I.R., while Tee Higgins is questionable after being in concussion protocol once again. While Shemar Stewart is making his return, another valuable defensive player landed on the Saturday injury report. Amid a Pro Bowl-level season, cornerback DJ Turner showed up with an illness on the latest report. He is deemed questionable. As noted above by Mike Petraglia, defensive tackle Howard Cross III has been called up in the wake of the Jenkins injury, while cornerback Bralyn Lux may be a contingency plan for Turner’s potential absence. It’s a position group that has seen a myriad of issues, including Cam Taylor-Britt also landing on I.R. in mid-November. Cross III was a guy that many thought could have been selected sometime on Day 3 of the Draft, but ended up being a priority free agent. He was one of the centerpieces of Al Golden’s National Championship Game defense at Notre Dame. Cross III was called up in Week 3 against the Vikings and logged a tackle for the Bengals. Lux is a rookie who went to both Fresno State and Texas Tech. He signed in May with the Bengals as a free agent. He had an interception in each of his final three collegiate seasons with both the Bulldogs and the Red Raiders. As Petraglia noted, both players will automatically revert back to the practice squad after Sunday’s game. See More:
Vikings Make Handful of Roster Moves Ahead of Giants Game
As the Minnesota Vikings. . .eventually. . .make their way to New Jersey to face off against the New York Football Giants in their final road game of the 2025 NFL season, they’ve made a couple of roster moves to bolster themselves ahead of Sunday’s contest. The first move was signing cornerback Dwight McGlothern from […] As the Minnesota Vikings. . .eventually. . .make their way to New Jersey to face off against the New York Football Giants in their final road game of the 2025 NFL season, they’ve made a couple of roster moves to bolster themselves ahead of Sunday’s contest. The first move was signing cornerback Dwight McGlothern from the practice squad to the active roster. McGlothern had spent most of the season on the active roster before being released a few weeks ago and brought back to the practice squad. Now, with a couple of open spots on the main roster and a need at the cornerback position, McGlothern is back on the main roster. The Vikings have also elevated linebacker Sione Takitaki from the practice squad to the active roster. Takitaki was a third-round pick of the Cleveland Browns in the 2019 NFL Draft, and has appeared in 83 games in his NFL career with 40 starts. He played with the Browns from 2019 to 2023 and spent the 2024 season with the New England Patriots. He signed with the Vikings’ practice squad back in September, and this is his first elevation of the season. The Vikings also downgraded both running back Ty Chandler and tight end Gavin Bartholomew to “OUT” for Sunday’s game. Both players are currently in their 21-day window to return to the roster after being designated for return. Chandler was designated for return from injured reserve on 3 December, so the team has to make a decision on him by this coming Wednesday, 24 December, which is the day before they host the Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium. If they fail to do so, he will go back to injured reserve and his season will be over. The Vikings designated Bartholomew for return from the Physically Unable to Perform List earlier this week, so they still have some time to make a decision on him before the end of the season. Those are all the moves for the Vikings before Sunday’s game against the Giants, folks. We’ll keep you updated on anything else that happens between now and kickoff. See More:
Jackson County fires back with new proposal to keep Chiefs in Missouri
On Thursday and Friday, Kansas City news outlets (and sports talk programs) were filled with reports that the Kansas City Chiefs are on the verge of announcing that a new stadium would be built for the team in Kansas. But on Friday afternoon, the Kansas City Star’s Sam McDowell reported on X that interim Jackson […] On Thursday and Friday, Kansas City news outlets (and sports talk programs) were filled with reports that the Kansas City Chiefs are on the verge of announcing that a new stadium would be built for the team in Kansas. But on Friday afternoon, the Kansas City Star’s Sam McDowell reported on X that interim Jackson County executive Phil LeVota — who was appointed to the position in October after voters removed Frank White in a recall election — had told him “there is no done deal” for a Kansas stadium. According to the Star’s reporting, LeVota used a Friday news conference to pitch something he called “Operation Save Arrowhead.” “The Chiefs need to stay in Jackson County,” declared LeVota, per the Star. “I’m passionate about it. They don’t need to go to Kansas.” In his proposal, improvements to the existing stadium would be financed by the state of Missouri, the Chiefs and a 1/4-cent Jackson County sales tax that would replace the current 3/8-cent tax (which now pays for both the Chiefs’ and Royals’ stadiums) when it expires in 2031. Jackson County voters would need to approve the new tax — which would run for 25 years — in an April election. The county legislature could call for the vote as soon as its next scheduled meeting, which is set for Monday, January 12. Last April, a proposal to extend the 3/8-cent sales tax for 30 years — which would have paid for improvements that would have kept both the Chiefs and Kansas City Royals at the county’s Truman Sports Complex — was soundly defeated by voters. But this time, the Royals’ Kauffman Stadium would not be part of the deal. “[The Royals] have told us that they don’t want to be at Truman Sports Complex,” said LeVota, who said he speaks regularly with team owner John Sherman, “and we’ve gotta take them at their word on that.” He is convinced, though, that without the Royals on the ballot, voters will see it differently. “I believe they want the Chiefs to stay,” LeVota said of his constituents. “And I believe they will overwhelmingly pass a ballot initiative extending the tax — and even lowering it.” LeVota and his colleagues believe the team would also like to stay in its current home. “The Chiefs want to stay here in Jackson County,” said legislative chairman DaRon McGee during Friday’s news conference. “We wouldn’t be fighting for them if we didn’t believe that. And so we’re going to put an offer on the table.” LeVota — who noted that he speaks with Chiefs president Mark Donovan every week — revealed that the Chiefs have already verbally committed $400 million for Arrowhead renovations. He also said that if the deal is approved, the team would pay property and casualty insurance premiums for the whole facility. But LeVota declined to give additional details about how much money the state of Missouri might contribute to an Arrowhead renovation, or say whether renderings of the stadium upgrade — which he called “state-of-the-art” — now exist. He did say, however, that the project would not include any kind of roof for the stadium. Is LeVota’s proposal something that could keep the Chiefs in Missouri? Or is it simply a desperate effort to win at least one battle in the modern-day Border War that has erupted on the state line that bisects metropolitan Kansas City? The answer could be coming soon. See More: Kansas City Chiefs News
NFL playoff picture: How Packers’ meltdown impacts Detroit Lions
The Green Bay Packers let a huge game slip away from them against the Chicago Bears, and it has put a big damper on the Detroit Lions’ playoff odds. Had the Packers held onto their late, fourth-quarter 10-point lead, Detroit’s playoff odds would’ve jumped to 32%. Now, they sit at 22% (per NYT Playoff Simulator). […] The Green Bay Packers let a huge game slip away from them against the Chicago Bears, and it has put a big damper on the Detroit Lions’ playoff odds. Had the Packers held onto their late, fourth-quarter 10-point lead, Detroit’s playoff odds would’ve jumped to 32%. Now, they sit at 22% (per NYT Playoff Simulator). Let’s break down what it means for the Lions, and the playoff scenarios remaining for the Lions. NFC North standings: Bears: 11-4 Packers: 9-5-1 Lions: 8-6 Vikings: 6-8* *Eliminated from playoff contention The Bears now take a pretty significant lead in the NFC North and are in the driver’s seat. That said, there is still a path for the Lions to somehow win the division: Lions win the division if: Lions win out (Steelers, Vikings, Bears) AND Bears lose to 49ers next week AND Packers lose to either Ravens OR Vikings In that scenario, the Lions and Bears finish 11-6 while the Packers are no better than 10-6-1. Detroit would take the division with a season sweep of the Bears. NFC playoff picture: Division leaders: x – Seahawks: 12-3 Bears: 11-4 z – Eagles: 10-5 Buccaneers: 7-7 Wild Card race (top three advance) 5. x – Rams: 11-4 6. 49ers: 10-4 7. Packers: 9-5-1 8. Lions: 8-6 9. Panthers: 7-7 z = clinched divisionx = clinched playoff spot The Lions find themselves just a game behind the Packers, and with a win against the Steelers on Sunday, they would move to just a half-game behind Green Bay. Unfortunately, that means the Lions still won’t have their playoff destiny in their hands. They will need some help to get in. Here are Detroit’s four different playoff scenarios: Lions win out AND 49ers lose out (at Colts, vs. Bears, vs. Seahawks) Lions win out AND Packers lose to Ravens or Vikings Lions win out AND Bears lose to 49ers Lions go 2-1 in last three games AND Packers lose to both Ravens and Vikings So, technically, the Lions will not be eliminated if they lose to the Steelers on Sunday. However, in that instance, they will need the Packers to lose out, and Detroit will have to win their final two games. See More:
NFL Week 16 Recap: Chicago Bears 22, Green Bay Packers 16
The Bears survived a game they trailed for most of the night by capitalizing late, rallying for a 22-16 overtime win over the Packers to move to 11-4. A recovered onside kick, clutch execution from Caleb Williams and DJ Moore, and steady kicking from Cairo Santos flipped the game in the final minutes and sealed a critical division victory.
Dolphins offered Bengals 4 1st-Round picks prior to 2020 NFL Draft for Joe Burrow selection
This won’t be surprising for those who paid attention at the time of the 2020 NFL Draft. ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reports the Miami Dolphins offered the Cincinnati Bengals four first-round picks for the No. 1 overall pick, which was obviously quarterback Joe Burrow out of LSU. What might be surprising is that that […] This won’t be surprising for those who paid attention at the time of the 2020 NFL Draft. ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reports the Miami Dolphins offered the Cincinnati Bengals four first-round picks for the No. 1 overall pick, which was obviously quarterback Joe Burrow out of LSU. What might be surprising is that that is all they offered. The Dolphins had five first-round picks between the 2020 and 2021 NFL Drafts. Even that wouldn’t have done it, as the Bengals were not having any of these negotiations The Bengals declined to even engage in discussions and shut down the trade inquiry before it could gain any traction, according to sources. Again, none of this is surprising, given how many people were saying the Bengals should take whatever bounty the Dolphins offered, since they needed to fill so many holes outside of Burrow. Well, five seasons later, Burrow is a top quarterback who ended Cincinnati’s playoff drought, took them to a Super Bowl, and another AFC Championship game. Miami made the playoffs twice without a win and is benching Tua Tagovailoa ahead of Sunday’s game against the Bengals. Safe to say the Bengals made the right call in never even letting the Dolphins get past calling to inform them of what they were willing to offer initially. Also, Burrow got to avoid the quarterback graveyard that is Miami post-Dan Marino. Any chance to laugh again in the face of people who said Cincinnati should trade the pick away with any seriousness. And a lesson that stockpiling picks doesn’t always mean you can go get whatever pick you want. See More: Cincinnati Bengals News
Indianapolis Colts Injury Report: LT Raimann Listed As QUESTIONABLE
The Indianapolis Colts today released their Saturday injury report for Week 16 of the NFL season against the San Francisco 49ers for Monday night. Defensive tackle Deforest Buckner has been listed as QUESTIONABLE for Monday’s games against the 49ers with a neck injury. Buckner looks set to return from injured reserve this week and provide […] Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images The Indianapolis Colts today released their Saturday injury report for Week 16 of the NFL season against the San Francisco 49ers for Monday night. Defensive tackle Deforest Buckner has been listed as QUESTIONABLE for Monday’s games against the 49ers with a neck injury. Buckner looks set to return from injured reserve this week and provide a huge boost for the defense in the final few games of the year. Left tackle Bernhard Raimann has been listed as QUESTIONABLE for Mondays game against the 49ers with an elbow injury. Raimann left last week’s game due to injuring his elbow and did not return. Raimann had only managed a limited practice all week so his chances of being available are very slim. If he is unable to play, expect Luke Tenuta to start again in his place. Cornerback Sauce Gardner has been ruled OUT of Monday’s game against the 49ers with a calf injury. Gardner is will miss another game due to the calf injury. Shane Steichen did confirm today he expects Gardner to play again this year. With Gardner out, expect another week of Mekhi Blackmon and Jonathan Edwards at starting cornerback. Quarterback Anthony Richardson (eye) and aafety Daniel Scott (knee) have both been ruled OUT this week. Richardson and Scott had their practice windows opened in a bid to return back off of injured reserve. See More: Indianapolis Colts News