National Football League

2025 Week 16 Fantasy Football Rankings: Sleepers, Streamers, Must-Starts

Published Dec. 16, 2025 9:29 a.m. ET

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We have fantasy football rankings available for you, heading into Week 16 of the NFL season. Scroll down prior to setting your fantasy lineup! De'Von Achane leads the way this week as the highest projected fantasy football player, projected for 23.5 points (PPR). See the rankings below for the rest of the top projected players in fantasy football this week.

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Who are the must-starts in Week 16?

At quarterback, Josh Allen is an automatic start against the Browns. He has topped 300 passing yards in three straight games and is averaging 21.2 fantasy points. Joe Burrow is another strong play on the road against the Dolphins. He has been steady all season and is projected for 18.02 fantasy points in Week 16.

In the backfield, James Cook is a clear must-start for Buffalo. He has handled a heavy workload and is projected for 15.2 points against Cleveland. De’Von Achane is another top option, returning home to face the Bengals. He delivered 12 carries for 60 yards and added 7 catches for 67 yards in his last outing.

At wide receiver, Stefon Diggs remains a top target in Buffalo’s offense. His connection with Allen is still one of the league’s most reliable. Davante Adams is also a high-end option, although his hamstring issue puts his Week 16 status in question.

Who are the top sleepers and streamers in Week 16?

At quarterback, Gardner Minshew is a strong sleeper against the Buccaneers. He has scored at least 18.4 fantasy points in three of his past five starts, and Tampa Bay has struggled to slow down opposing quarterbacks. Cooper Rush is another streaming option with a favorable matchup, though he carries more risk and should be reserved for deeper leagues.

In the backfield, Alexander Mattison is a viable streamer against the Panthers. His touches have climbed in recent weeks and he fits as a flex play. Kenneth Gainwell is another option, facing the Lions on the road. He is coming off an outing with 80 rushing yards and 46 receiving yards and remains involved enough to warrant consideration.

At wide receiver, Jalen Tolbert qualifies as a sleeper against the Giants. New York’s secondary has allowed consistent production, and Tolbert’s usage has trended upward.

At tight end, Dalton Kincaid stands out as a quality streamer against the Broncos. He continues to earn targets in Buffalo’s offense, and Denver has struggled to defend the middle of the field.

Who are the busts or players to fade in Week 16?

Cooper Kupp is a tough start. His production has slipped, he has battled injuries, and he is no longer in the high-volume role that made him a fantasy star. With an ADP of 8.04, his current output does not match the investment.

Christian McCaffrey also carries risk at his ADP of 1.07. He remains elite when healthy, but recent seasons have included stretches of missed time, and fantasy managers selecting early cannot ignore that volatility.

Tyreek Hill lands on the fade list as well. Miami’s offensive line issues have limited the deep passing game, and Tua Tagovailoa’s health adds more uncertainty. Hill is still capable of splash plays, but a 3.10 ADP assumes a level of stability that has been harder to trust.

Alvin Kamara is another player to avoid at his current cost. His role has fluctuated this season, and an ADP of 4.11 is high for a player whose production has varied from week to week.

Week 16 Fantasy Football Rankings

Rank	Player	Position Rank	Matchup	Proj. Fantasy Pts. (PPR)	Proj. Fantasy Pts. (Standard)
1	De'Von Achane	RB1	Dolphins vs. Bengals	23.5	18.3
2	Bijan Robinson	RB2	Falcons at Cardinals	22.2	18.2
3	Ja'Marr Chase	WR1	Bengals at Dolphins	21.8	14
4	Christian McCaffrey	RB3	49ers at Colts	21.4	16.6
5	Jahmyr Gibbs	RB4	Lions vs. Steelers	20.4	16.4
6	Jalen Hurts	QB1	Eagles at Commanders	19.7	19.7
6	Amon-Ra St. Brown	WR2	Lions vs. Steelers	19.7	12.6
8	Josh Allen	QB2	Bills at Browns	19.5	19.5
9	Dak Prescott	QB3	Cowboys vs. Chargers	19.3	19.3
9	Jaxon Smith-Njigba	WR3	Seahawks vs. Rams	19.3	12.7
11	Puka Nacua	WR4	Rams at Seahawks	19.2	11.8
12	Drake Maye	QB4	Patriots at Ravens	18.8	18.8
13	CeeDee Lamb	WR5	Cowboys vs. Chargers	18.5	11.9
14	Lamar Jackson	QB5	Ravens vs. Patriots	18.4	18.4
14	Saquon Barkley	RB5	Eagles at Commanders	18.4	15.6
16	Chase Brown	RB6	Bengals at Dolphins	18.2	14.2
16	Brock Purdy	QB6	49ers at Colts	18.2	18.2
16	Jonathan Taylor	RB6	Colts vs. 49ers	18.2	15.3
19	Joe Burrow	QB7	Bengals at Dolphins	18	18
20	Justin Herbert	QB8	Chargers at Cowboys	17.4	17.4
21	Jared Goff	QB9	Lions vs. Steelers	17.2	17.2
21	James Cook	RB8	Bills at Browns	17.2	15.6
21	Jacoby Brissett	QB9	Cardinals vs. Falcons	17.2	17.2
24	Trey McBride	TE1	Cardinals vs. Falcons	17.1	10.1
25	Patrick Mahomes	QB11	Chiefs at Titans	16.9	16.9
26	C.J. Stroud	QB12	Texans vs. Raiders	16.6	16.6
27	Josh Jacobs	RB9	Packers at Bears	16.5	13.7
27	Bo Nix	QB13	Broncos vs. Jaguars	16.5	16.5
29	Caleb Williams	QB14	Bears vs. Packers	16.3	16.1
30	Derrick Henry	RB10	Ravens vs. Patriots	16.2	14.5
30	Matthew Stafford	QB15	Rams at Seahawks	16.2	16.2
32	Baker Mayfield	QB16	Buccaneers at Panthers	16.1	16.1
33	Jordan Love	QB17	Packers at Bears	15.9	15.9
34	Tyler Shough	QB18	Saints vs. Jets	15.7	15.7
34	George Pickens	WR6	Cowboys vs. Chargers	15.7	10.3
36	Chris Olave	WR7	Saints vs. Jets	15.5	9.3
37	Gardner Minshew	QB19	Chiefs at Titans	15.3	15.3
38	Zay Flowers	WR8	Ravens vs. Patriots	15.2	10.2
38	J.J. McCarthy	QB20	Vikings at Giants	15.2	15.2
40	A.J. Brown	WR9	Eagles at Commanders	15.1	9.8
40	Aaron Rodgers	QB21	Steelers at Lions	15.1	15.1
42	Marcus Mariota	QB22	Commanders vs. Eagles	15	15
42	Justin Jefferson	WR10	Vikings at Giants	15	9.5
42	Rashee Rice	WR10	Chiefs at Titans	15	9.3
45	Jaylen Waddle	WR12	Dolphins vs. Bengals	14.9	9.7
46	Kirk Cousins	QB23	Falcons at Cardinals	14.7	14.7
47	Nico Collins	WR13	Texans vs. Raiders	14.6	9.4
48	Jaxson Dart	QB24	Giants vs. Vikings	14.5	14.5
49	Tetairoa McMillan	WR14	Panthers vs. Buccaneers	14.4	9.2
49	Trevor Lawrence	QB25	Jaguars at Broncos	14.4	14.4
49	Quinshon Judkins	RB11	Browns vs. Bills	14.4	11.8
52	Sam Darnold	QB26	Seahawks vs. Rams	14.2	14.2
53	Bucky Irving	RB12	Buccaneers at Panthers	14.1	11.9
53	Tua Tagovailoa	QB27	Dolphins vs. Bengals	14.1	14.1
55	Breece Hall	RB13	Jets at Saints	13.9	12.3
56	DeVonta Smith	WR15	Eagles at Commanders	13.7	8.6
57	TreVeyon Henderson	RB14	Patriots at Ravens	13.6	10.3
57	Davante Adams	WR16	Rams at Seahawks	13.6	8.9
57	Travis Etienne	RB14	Jaguars at Broncos	13.6	11.7
60	Emari Demercado	RB16	Cardinals vs. Falcons	13.5	9.8
61	Ashton Jeanty	RB17	Raiders at Texans	13.4	10.4
62	Bryce Young	QB28	Panthers vs. Buccaneers	13.3	13.3
63	Brady Cook	QB29	Jets at Saints	13.2	13.2
64	D.K. Metcalf	WR17	Steelers at Lions	13.1	8.9
65	Stefon Diggs	WR18	Patriots at Ravens	13	8.2
65	Jameson Williams	WR18	Lions vs. Steelers	13	9
67	Javonte Williams	RB18	Cowboys vs. Chargers	12.8	10.9
67	Jaylen Warren	RB18	Steelers at Lions	12.8	10.3
69	Rico Dowdle	RB20	Panthers vs. Buccaneers	12.7	10.8
70	David Montgomery	RB21	Lions vs. Steelers	12.5	10.3
71	George Kittle	TE2	49ers at Colts	12.4	8.2
71	RJ Harvey	RB22	Broncos vs. Jaguars	12.4	9.8
73	Tyrone Tracy Jr.	RB23	Giants vs. Vikings	11.9	9.8
73	Kyle Pitts	TE3	Falcons at Cardinals	11.9	7.4
73	Brandon Aiyuk	WR20	49ers at Colts	11.9	8.1
76	Cameron Ward	QB30	Titans vs. Chiefs	11.6	11.6
76	Kenneth Gainwell	RB24	Steelers at Lions	11.6	8
78	Mike Evans	WR21	Buccaneers at Panthers	11.5	7.7
78	Romeo Doubs	WR21	Packers at Bears	11.5	7.5
80	Aaron Jones	RB25	Vikings at Giants	11.4	9.4
80	Jakobi Meyers	WR23	Jaguars at Broncos	11.4	7
82	Courtland Sutton	WR24	Broncos vs. Jaguars	11.3	7.2
83	Kyren Williams	RB26	Rams at Seahawks	11.2	9.6
83	D'Andre Swift	RB26	Bears vs. Packers	11.2	9.6
83	Troy Franklin	WR25	Broncos vs. Jaguars	11.2	7.1
86	Khalil Shakir	WR26	Bills at Browns	11.1	6.7
86	Juwan Johnson	TE4	Saints vs. Jets	11.1	6.7
86	Deebo Samuel	WR26	Commanders vs. Eagles	11.1	6.6
89	Wan'Dale Robinson	WR28	Giants vs. Vikings	11	6.5
89	Brock Bowers	TE5	Raiders at Texans	11	6.4
89	Shedeur Sanders	QB31	Browns vs. Bills	11	11
92	Brian Thomas	WR29	Jaguars at Broncos	10.9	7.1
93	Terry McLaurin	WR30	Commanders vs. Eagles	10.8	6.8
93	Kenneth Walker III	RB28	Seahawks vs. Rams	10.8	9.3
95	Jayden Reed	WR31	Packers at Bears	10.6	7.2
95	Harold Fannin Jr.	TE6	Browns vs. Bills	10.6	6
95	Omarion Hampton	RB29	Chargers at Cowboys	10.6	9.3
98	Ladd McConkey	WR32	Chargers at Cowboys	10.5	6.8
99	Geno Smith	QB32	Raiders at Texans	10.4	10.4
100	Jordan Addison	WR33	Vikings at Giants	10.3	6.8