Quarterback
Biggest Winner: Brock Purdy (49ers)
Purdy provided an early Christmas gift to his fantasy owners by absolutely erupting against the Colts last night, throwing for 295 YDS and 5 TD's while adding another 11 YDS on the ground-which wiped away the damage from the pick he threw late in the 4th quarter when the game was already in hand. This was easily the best game Purdy has played during his tough, injury-shortened 2025 campaign and a reminder of just how good he can be when he's firing on all cylinders. His fantasy finale comes in a huge matchup against the Bears on Sunday night.
Honorable Mentions: Trevor Lawrence (Jaguars), Justin Herbert (Chargers), Matthew Stafford (Rams)
Biggest Loser: Josh Allen (Bills)
On the other end of the spectrum, there were a lot of Josh Allen owners hanging their heads in shame on Sunday afternoon as the Bills star QB played the role of game manager (130 passing YDS, 17 Rushing YDS, 0 TD's or turnovers) in an ugly win over the Browns. At the bare minimum, Allen won't be playing it safe in Week 17 as the Bills take on the Eagles in a game that they need to win to order to keep their hopes of winning the AFC East alive.
Dishonorable Mentions: Jaxson Dart (Giants), Baker Mayfield (Buccaneers), Jacoby Brissett (Cardinals)
Running Back
Biggest Winner: Ashton Jeanty (Raiders)
In one of the more shocking developments of this wacky 2025 NFL season, Jeanty had just the second dominant showing of his rookie season against the best defense in the league. The Raiders offense leaned heavily on Jeanty in what turned out to be a rock fight against the Texans and he delivered, turning his 24 carries into 128 YDS and a TD and taking his lone reception to the house on an incredible splash play (60 YDS!) that gave the Raiders their only lead of this surprisingly close game in the 3rd quarter. While this type of performance didn't mean much for the majority of the people that drafted Jeanty and won't change his fate of being one of the most disappointing high draft picks of 2025, it's encouraging to see him deliver with his back against the wall against a top-tier opponent that's still playing for something. Jeanty will look to close out his underwhelming rookie campaign on a high note against a Giants defense that has been waving the white flag for over a month now.
Honorable Mentions: Chase Brown (Bengals), Jaylen Warren (Steelers), Christian McCaffery (49ers)
Biggest Loser: Josh Jacobs (Packers)
Things couldn't have gone much worse for the people who were brave enough to start Jacobs in Week 16. Not only did Jacobs split time with Emmanuel Wilson due to the knee/ankle injuries he's currently nursing that made him a game-time decision for Saturday's night contest with the Bears, but he also lost a fumble in the redzone in the 3rd quarter that helped open the door for the Bears to pull off their miraculous comeback win. That fumble also got him glued to the bench for the remainder of the game, which left him with a statline of 48 scrimmage YDS and a lost fumble on 14 touches (12 carries, 2 receptions). If Jacobs is healthy enough to go in Week 17, he'll have a solid chance to return to fantasy glory in a plus matchup against the Ravens.
Dishonorable Mentions: Javonte Williams (Cowboys), David Montgomery (Lions), Breece Hall (Jets)
Wide Receiver
Biggest Winner: Puka Nacua (Rams)
There was a lot of concern from the civilian population that Nacua's uh, eventful week away from the field would hurt him on it. That didn't prove to be the case in the slightest as Nacua came up huge in an instant classic NFC West shootout with the Seahawks, racking up a ridiculous 225 YDS and 2 TD's on 12 receptions. Davante Adams is expected to remain out with the hamstring injury he re-aggravated against the Lions in Week 15, so another monster outing for Nacua could be in the cards as they take on the pass defense-challenged Falcons on MNF.
Honorable Mentions: Chris Olave (Saints), George Pickens (Cowboys), D.J. Moore (Bears)
Biggest Loser: Marvin Harrison Jr. (Cardinals)
MHJ's return to the lineup was a huge letdown as the embattled second year pro caught just 1 pass for 14 YDS against the Falcons. Despite having another great matchup against the Bengals horrendous secondary, Harrison Jr. will remain a risky WR3 play in Week 17.
Dishonorable Mentions: Wan'Dale Robinson (Giants), Christian Watson (Packers), Jordan Addison (Vikings)
Tight End
Biggest Winner: George Kittle (49ers)
The top beneficiary of Purdy's big night in Indy was Kittle, who reeled in 7 catches for 115 YDS and a TD. Unfortunately, Kittle exited the game with an ankle injury in the third quarter-putting his status for Week 17 in serious doubt.
Honorable Mentions: Harold Fannin Jr. (Browns), Kyle Pitts (Falcons), Hunter Henry (Patriots)
Biggest Loser: Travis Kelce (Chiefs)
The tragic final chapter of Kelce's nightmarish 2025 campaign reached a new low in Week 16 when Gardner Minshew exited with a knee injury early in the 2nd quarter and third stringer/career practice squad player Chris Oladokun was forced into the action against the Titans. The results were as painful as you'd expect as Oladokun barely threw the ball (11/16 for 111 YDS, 0 TD's or INT's, 4 sacks taken) and Kelce ended up catching just 1 pass for 6 YDS as the Chiefs got run over by Cam Ward and co at Arrowhead. Don't bother starting Kelce for their Week 17 game against a Broncos team that will be eager to beat up on the undermanned Chiefs following a shocking blowout loss at home to the Jaguars this past Sunday.
Dishonorable Mentions: Jake Ferguson (Cowboys), Trey McBride (Cardinals), Tyler Warren (Colts)
Defense/Special Teams
Biggest Winner: Saints
We love to see a late season streaming D/ST success story, don't we folks? The Saints quietly decent defense (14th in scoring, 5th against the pass, 4th on 3rd down, 11th in the redzone) teed off against the Brady Cook-led Jets, logging 8 sacks, an INT and a fumble recovery in a 29-6 victory in their home finale. They'll be a viable starting option again this week when they take on the Titans.
Honorable Mentions: Texans, Vikings, Bills
Biggest Loser: Seahawks
While the Seahawks had a tough job in trying to contain the Rams high-flying offense, they were ranked #2 in the league in scoring defense heading into Week 16 and should've done better than allowing 37 points and mustering 0 sacks or takeaways in their remarkable comeback OT victory. They should send a thank you to Rasheed Shaheed for returning a punt for a TD in the 4th quarter because without that, they would've logged negative points this week. It would be a shock if they didn't fare much better this week against the Panthers generally poor offense.
Dishonorable Mentions: Chiefs, Packers, Broncos
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