Josh Johnson, Malik Davis are Last Minute Sleepers for Christmas Day Fantasy Football
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Do you want to attack a DFS slate today? How about finding some sleepers in Fantasy Football. Both will apply to today's information that I hand out. The Christmas Day slate has suffered a great deal of injuries, and that leads us to discuss some last-minute sleepers that may be playable in the face of adversity. These are some options to consider.
Josh Johnson, QB
Sorry family, dad is busy watching Josh Johnson, Max Brosmer and Chris Oladokun play football today.
— Joe Osborne (@JTFOz) December 25, 2025
Johnson is a long-time veteran in the NFL. He is not elite at all, but he may be relied upon to run a solid Commanders offense with some competence. Johnson adds a RPO flair that both Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota played well within. This playbook should be seamless to allow for Johnson to have a very solid game against a very bad Cowboys defense.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB
Chris Rodriguez (illness) inactive for Week 17.
— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) December 25, 2025
In a surprise of news this morning, Chris Rodriguez Jr. was placed on the injury report and quickly then ruled out with an illness. It will be Croskey-Merritt in a familiar role as the RB1. The Cowboys happen to be 26th versus Running Backs, so the upside is actually quite big as a very solid RB2 in Fantasy Football this week.
Malik Davis, RB
The Cowboys have very clearly made sure to save Javonte Williams given that he is dealing with a neck injury. This has put Davis into an increased role with (16) Touches over his last two games, in total. Davis should only continue to see more work in a lost Cowboys season. It is very likely that Davis marks double-digit touches against the Commanders today. They are just 28th versus Running Backs.
Jeremy McNichols, RB
Everyone slides up in this backfield with Rodriguez Jr. out. Croskey-Merritt is RB1 and McNichols is the dynamic RB2. When Croskey-Merritt and/or Rodriguez Jr. have been hurt, McNichols has consistently touched the ball 7-10 times. That is what we can expect, and being a great pass-catcher, the Yards per Touch should be elevated to work McNichols well past 1.0x salary in DFS, and considerable in a Fantasy Football desperation pickup.
Marvin Mims Jr., WR
Pat Bryant is out today and that brings Mims up to WR3 status. The Broncos will surely play risk-free against the Chiefs tonight. Mims has (9) Total Targets over his past two games and I would bet that he will have no less than (4) Targets tonight. He is as big of a deep ball threat that there is in the NFL. This is a great boom-or-bust spot to try to exploit.
Jalen Nailor, WR
Nailor has worked better connected with JJ McCarthy, but he is still playable in this spot. The Lions are 31st versus Wide Receivers, and quite bad versus the slot position. The Vikings are very likely to be in a passing script, with 40+ Attempt upside. Nailor only has a 12% Target Share, but the volume could feed him 5+ Targets, resulting in good results by default.
Josh Oliver, TE
TJ Hockenson goes out and Josh Oliver goes in. He is a better DFS pick than in Fantasy Football. Nonetheless, Oliver may have 4+ Targets that is well-used in a thin DFS slate of lacking Tight Ends. I will use Oliver to say salary.
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.