National Football League

2025 Week 16 FLEX Rankings: Fantasy Sleepers, Streamers, Busts

Published Dec. 16, 2025 11:09 a.m. ET

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We have flex rankings available for you, heading into Week 16 of the NFL campaign -- see below prior to locking in your fantasy lineup! De'Von Achane leads the way this week as the highest projected FLEX eligible player, projected for 23.5 points (PPR). See the rankings below for the top projected FLEX players in fantasy football this week.

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Who are the top FLEX to start for fantasy in Week 16 of the NFL season?

At running back, De’Von Achane is a premier flex option for the Dolphins against the Bengals. He delivered 12 carries for 60 yards and added 7 receptions for 67 yards in his last outing. Cincinnati has allowed steady production to opposing backs, which boosts his outlook. James Cook is another strong play for the Bills as they take on the Browns. He has been a consistent contributor and is projected for 15.2 fantasy points in Week 16. Cleveland has struggled against the run, giving Cook a clear path to production.

At wide receiver, Tyreek Hill remains one of the top flex plays in the league. He averages 8.4 targets per game and 1.4 receiving touchdowns, and he draws a vulnerable Bengals secondary. Amon-Ra St. Brown is another high-end option for the Lions against the Steelers. With 9.4 targets per game and 1.2 receiving touchdowns on average, he continues to be one of the most reliable receivers in fantasy.

At tight end, Trey McBride is a must-start for the Cardinals against the Falcons. He is projected for 17.30 fantasy points and has been steady in red-zone situations. George Kittle is another automatic lineup lock for the 49ers in their matchup with the Colts, carrying a projection of 12.90 points.

Which fantasy FLEX sleepers should I stream for Week 16?

Alexander Mattison is a strong FLEX option for the Vikings as they face the Panthers. His workload has increased in recent weeks, and Carolina has been vulnerable to opposing backs, allowing 432 rushing yards across its past five games.

Michael Carter is another running back to consider for the Cardinals in their matchup with the Falcons. He stepped in as Arizona’s lead back when Bam Knight exited with an ankle injury, finishing with 18 touches and 13.4 fantasy points against Houston. With James Conner and Trey Benson out for the season, Carter becomes a priority streaming option unless Knight is cleared to return.

At wide receiver, Courtland Sutton profiles as a top sleeper for the Broncos on Thursday night against the Chargers. He has averaged roughly 9 to 10 targets per game since Week 8 and remains one of the most reliable options on Denver’s offense, even as the unit has struggled overall.

Malik Nabers is another appealing FLEX play for the Giants as they take on the Falcons. He has earned 9 or more targets in seven straight games, caught at least six passes in six of those outings and reached 50 receiving yards in 11 of 12 contests. Atlanta’s defense has had difficulty containing wide receivers, which heightens Nabers’ value.

DeAndre Hopkins is also worth consideration for the Chiefs against the Texans. He has recorded at least four receptions in six of his past seven games. Houston has been tough on wideouts, but Hopkins’ steady involvement keeps him in the streaming conversation.

Which FLEX players rank as fantasy Week 16 busts?

At running back, Alvin Kamara is a fade against the Buccaneers. His production has been inconsistent, and Tampa Bay has held up well against opposing backs. Miles Sanders is another RB to avoid, facing a Giants defense that has been solid against the run. Joe Mixon also carries risk in a challenging matchup, making him a shaky FLEX play this week.

At wide receiver, Cooper Kupp is a tough start against the Seahawks. He has managed injuries throughout the season and has not matched the production expected from a top fantasy pick. Seattle’s defense has performed at a high level against wideouts, which further limits his appeal. George Pickens is another WR to approach cautiously as his recent involvement has dipped, creating uncertainty around his weekly reliability.

At tight end, Darren Waller is a sit candidate for the Dolphins as they take on the Bengals. Cincinnati has been strong against tight ends, and Waller’s production has fluctuated. Mike Gesicki is another TE to fade as the Bengals face the Dolphins. He has struggled to establish consistent fantasy value, and Miami has defended the position well.

Week 16 FLEX Fantasy Football Rankings

Player	Position Rank	Matchup	Proj. Fantasy Pts. (PPR)	Proj. Fantasy Pts. (Standard)
De'Von Achane	RB1	Dolphins vs. Bengals	23.5	18.3
Bijan Robinson	RB2	Falcons at Cardinals	22.2	18.2
Ja'Marr Chase	WR1	Bengals at Dolphins	21.8	14
Christian McCaffrey	RB3	49ers at Colts	21.4	16.6
Jahmyr Gibbs	RB4	Lions vs. Steelers	20.4	16.4
Amon-Ra St. Brown	WR2	Lions vs. Steelers	19.7	12.6
Jaxon Smith-Njigba	WR3	Seahawks vs. Rams	19.3	12.7
Puka Nacua	WR4	Rams at Seahawks	19.2	11.8
CeeDee Lamb	WR5	Cowboys vs. Chargers	18.5	11.9
Saquon Barkley	RB5	Eagles at Commanders	18.4	15.6
Jonathan Taylor	RB6	Colts vs. 49ers	18.2	15.3
Chase Brown	RB6	Bengals at Dolphins	18.2	14.2
James Cook	RB8	Bills at Browns	17.2	15.6
Trey McBride	TE1	Cardinals vs. Falcons	17.1	10.1
Josh Jacobs	RB9	Packers at Bears	16.5	13.7
Derrick Henry	RB10	Ravens vs. Patriots	16.2	14.5
George Pickens	WR6	Cowboys vs. Chargers	15.7	10.3
Chris Olave	WR7	Saints vs. Jets	15.5	9.3
Zay Flowers	WR8	Ravens vs. Patriots	15.2	10.2
A.J. Brown	WR9	Eagles at Commanders	15.1	9.8
Rashee Rice	WR10	Chiefs at Titans	15	9.3
Justin Jefferson	WR10	Vikings at Giants	15	9.5
Jaylen Waddle	WR12	Dolphins vs. Bengals	14.9	9.7
Nico Collins	WR13	Texans vs. Raiders	14.6	9.4
Quinshon Judkins	RB11	Browns vs. Bills	14.4	11.8
Tetairoa McMillan	WR14	Panthers vs. Buccaneers	14.4	9.2
Bucky Irving	RB12	Buccaneers at Panthers	14.1	11.9
Breece Hall	RB13	Jets at Saints	13.9	12.3
DeVonta Smith	WR15	Eagles at Commanders	13.7	8.6
TreVeyon Henderson	RB14	Patriots at Ravens	13.6	10.3
Davante Adams	WR16	Rams at Seahawks	13.6	8.9
Travis Etienne	RB14	Jaguars at Broncos	13.6	11.7
Emari Demercado	RB16	Cardinals vs. Falcons	13.5	9.8
Ashton Jeanty	RB17	Raiders at Texans	13.4	10.4
D.K. Metcalf	WR17	Steelers at Lions	13.1	8.9
Jameson Williams	WR18	Lions vs. Steelers	13	9
Stefon Diggs	WR18	Patriots at Ravens	13	8.2
Jaylen Warren	RB18	Steelers at Lions	12.8	10.3
Javonte Williams	RB18	Cowboys vs. Chargers	12.8	10.9
Rico Dowdle	RB20	Panthers vs. Buccaneers	12.7	10.8
David Montgomery	RB21	Lions vs. Steelers	12.5	10.3
RJ Harvey	RB22	Broncos vs. Jaguars	12.4	9.8
George Kittle	TE2	49ers at Colts	12.4	8.2
Kyle Pitts	TE3	Falcons at Cardinals	11.9	7.4
Tyrone Tracy Jr.	RB23	Giants vs. Vikings	11.9	9.8
Brandon Aiyuk	WR20	49ers at Colts	11.9	8.1
Kenneth Gainwell	RB24	Steelers at Lions	11.6	8
Romeo Doubs	WR21	Packers at Bears	11.5	7.5
Mike Evans	WR21	Buccaneers at Panthers	11.5	7.7
Jakobi Meyers	WR23	Jaguars at Broncos	11.4	7
Aaron Jones	RB25	Vikings at Giants	11.4	9.4
Courtland Sutton	WR24	Broncos vs. Jaguars	11.3	7.2
Troy Franklin	WR25	Broncos vs. Jaguars	11.2	7.1
Kyren Williams	RB26	Rams at Seahawks	11.2	9.6
D'Andre Swift	RB26	Bears vs. Packers	11.2	9.6
Juwan Johnson	TE4	Saints vs. Jets	11.1	6.7
Khalil Shakir	WR26	Bills at Browns	11.1	6.7
Deebo Samuel	WR26	Commanders vs. Eagles	11.1	6.6
Wan'Dale Robinson	WR28	Giants vs. Vikings	11	6.5
Brock Bowers	TE5	Raiders at Texans	11	6.4
Brian Thomas	WR29	Jaguars at Broncos	10.9	7.1
Kenneth Walker III	RB28	Seahawks vs. Rams	10.8	9.3
Terry McLaurin	WR30	Commanders vs. Eagles	10.8	6.8
Omarion Hampton	RB29	Chargers at Cowboys	10.6	9.3
Harold Fannin Jr.	TE6	Browns vs. Bills	10.6	6
Jayden Reed	WR31	Packers at Bears	10.6	7.2
Ladd McConkey	WR32	Chargers at Cowboys	10.5	6.8
Jordan Addison	WR33	Vikings at Giants	10.3	6.8
Tony Pollard	RB30	Titans vs. Chiefs	10.2	8.7
Michael Pittman Jr.	WR34	Colts vs. 49ers	10.1	5.6
Dallas Goedert	TE7	Eagles at Commanders	10.1	6.1
Mark Andrews	TE7	Ravens vs. Patriots	10.1	6.7
Brenton Strange	TE9	Jaguars at Broncos	9.9	6.1
Kimani Vidal	RB31	Chargers at Cowboys	9.7	8.5
Hunter Henry	TE10	Patriots at Ravens	9.7	6
Michael Wilson	WR35	Cardinals vs. Falcons	9.5	6
Devin Singletary	RB32	Giants vs. Vikings	9.5	8
Dalton Schultz	TE11	Texans vs. Raiders	9.4	5.5
Michael Carter	RB33	Cardinals vs. Falcons	9.4	6.8
Travis Kelce	TE11	Chiefs at Titans	9.4	5.4
Kareem Hunt	RB33	Chiefs at Titans	9.4	7.9
Xavier Worthy	WR36	Chiefs at Titans	9.3	6
Jauan Jennings	WR36	49ers at Colts	9.3	6
D.J. Moore	WR36	Bears vs. Packers	9.3	6
Emeka Egbuka	WR39	Buccaneers at Panthers	9.1	6
Tyler Warren	TE13	Colts vs. 49ers	9	5.3
Jayden Higgins	WR40	Texans vs. Raiders	9	5.5
Jacory Croskey-Merritt	RB35	Commanders vs. Eagles	8.8	8.1
Tyjae Spears	RB35	Titans vs. Chiefs	8.8	6.8
Kyle Monangai	RB35	Bears vs. Packers	8.8	7.6
Dalton Kincaid	TE14	Bills at Browns	8.8	5.4
Jake Ferguson	TE15	Cowboys vs. Chargers	8.7	4.7
Keenan Allen	WR41	Chargers at Cowboys	8.7	5.5
Jordan Mason	RB38	Vikings at Giants	8.6	7.8
Chuba Hubbard	RB38	Panthers vs. Buccaneers	8.6	6.8
Alec Pierce	WR42	Colts vs. 49ers	8.6	5.5
Mason Taylor	TE16	Jets at Saints	8.5	4.7
Darren Waller	TE17	Dolphins vs. Bengals	8.4	5.4
Drake London	WR43	Falcons at Cardinals	8.4	5.5
Kayshon Boutte	WR44	Patriots at Ravens	8.3	5.5