Week 16 Fantasy Football Updated Wide Receiver Rankings for PPR & Non-PPR Leagues

Welcome to Week 16, the penultimate matchup of the fantasy football season where bye weeks are a thing of the past. We are now in win-or-go-home mode and the margin for error has never been thinner.

Best Week 15 Wide Receivers

We all know that in fantasy football, volume is king. While quarterbacks and running backs typically handle heavier workloads than any other position, it’s wide receivers who often make the difference with their explosive plays, particularly in PPR formats. Just look at Amon-Ra St. Brown’s stat line in Week 15. The “Sun God” hauled in 13 receptions for 164 receiving yards and two touchdowns en route to a whopping 41.4 fantasy points.

Although he failed to find the end zone, it was the second consecutive week that Puka Nacua finished as the second-best receiver in fantasy. Nacua caught nine of 11 targets for 181 scoreless yards and added eight rushing yards on two carries. Rounding out the top five was Jameson Williams, Courtland Sutton, and Nico Collins. Ja’Marr Chase, DJ Moore, Troy Franklin, Chris Olave, and Jalen Nailor also finished among the top 10 wideouts in Week 16.

Many superstars balled out in the first week of the fantasy football playoffs, but we also witnessed some disappearing acts from some of the biggest names like Justin Jefferson (WR73), Stefon Diggs (WR66), and George Pickens (WR59).

Week 16 Wide Receiver Injury News

Injuries always swing the fantasy landscape, but for wide receivers, losing a quarterback can be even more devastating than losing the receiver himself. After Daniel Jones went down with a season-ending injury, hopefully you listened to our advice last week when we recommended sitting Michael Pittman Jr. He finished with just three catches for 26 yards, proving that quarterback downgrades can kill a player's value.

On the other side of the spectrum, Terry McLaurin continued to dominate with Marcus Mariota playing in relief for the injured Jayden Daniels. McLaurin finished as the WR19 and has now caught a touchdown in each of Mariota’s last two starts. In this case, McLaurin has developed a serious rapport with Mariota and should be considered a must-start as we enter Week 16, despite a tough matchup looming with the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles.

Fantasy managers who own any pass-catcher on the Las Vegas Raiders or the New York Jets may want to think twice before firing them up. Kenny Pickett and Brady Cook proved to be completely inadequate trying to move the chains in Week 15.

Davante Adams managers will want to monitor his injury closely. While he is deemed to be week-to-week, if he’s somehow available for Thursday Night Football, fantasy managers shouldn’t hesitate to start him against the Seattle Seahawks. But if he’s out, Tutu Atwell could make for a savvy waiver-wire replacement. And Nacua catapults past JSN as the WR1 overall with Adams sidelined.

#Rams WR Davante Adams, who left Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury, is considered week-to-week, sources say.

That almost certainly knock him out for TNF, but it is simply an aggravation of what he was previously dealing with, not a new injury. pic.twitter.com/W1RT91jhkv
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 16, 2025

Drake London fantasy managers could get good news this week. He is trending towards a potential return in Week 16 after sitting out last week despite Atlanta’s inability to make the postseason. But if he’s sidelined, no Atlanta Falcon pass catcher outside of Kyle Pitts seems to be reliable. There are other injuries to monitor across the NFL so keep an eye on the status of Tee Higgins, Rome Odunze, Christian Watson, and Quentin Johnston.

In PPR formats, dependable chain-movers are fantasy gold, and slot technicians like Puka Nacua, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Amon-Ra St. Brown continue to offer safe floors with immense upside. As we head into a season-defining Week 16 with a championship berth on the line, every wide receiver decision carries added weight. Lean on these rankings to fine-tune your lineup and give yourself the best shot at advancing.

The Best Wide Receivers In 2025 Fantasy Football Leagues

Through 15 weeks of NFL action, here are the top 12 wide receivers in PPR formats:

Jaxon Smith-Ngigba, Seattle Seahawks
Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams
Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
George Pickens, Dallas Cowboys
Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals
Davante Adams, Los Angeles Rams
Nico Collins, Houston Texans
Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints
Wan’Dale Robinson, New York Giants
A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles
Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos
Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions

With Week 16 kicking off on Thursday night as the Los Angeles Rams take on the Seattle Seahawks for sole possession of first place in the NFC West, let’s examine some of the most noteworthy wide receivers in our weekly rankings,

Rashee Rice Is Still A WR1 Despite Patrick Mahomes’ Absence

Patrick Mahomes being sidelined is enough to make any fantasy manager hesitate, especially when it comes to trusting a Chiefs wide receiver in the heart of the playoffs. That said, Rashee Rice remains firmly in my Week 16 plans. Kansas City simply doesn’t have another pass catcher who commands his level of usage, and that role becomes even more important with Gardner Minshew under center.

If the Chiefs want to keep this offense functional, the game plan almost writes itself. Expect a steady diet of quick hitters, slants, and manufactured touches designed to get the ball out of Minshew’s hands and into Rice’s as fast as possible. That’s where Rice thrives—breaking tackles, creating after the catch, and turning modest targets into meaningful fantasy production.

The Tennessee Titans have been one of the most generous defenses to opposing wide receivers all season, allowing the fifth-most fantasy points at the position. They’ve struggled to tackle in space and have consistently given up chunk plays on underneath routes, which lines up perfectly with how Kansas City is likely to deploy Rice in this spot.

This may not be the week Rice goes nuclear down the field, but volume and opportunity matter far more than aesthetics in December. Even without Mahomes, Rice projects as a reliable PPR option with a safe floor and sneaky upside, making him a player fantasy managers should feel comfortable rolling out in Week 16.

Trust Ladd McConkey Against The Dallas Cowboys

Week 16 Fantasy Football Must-Start Wide Receiver: Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Chargers — Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey (15) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second quarter of the game at SoFi Stadium. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers’ aerial attack has been underwhelming the last few weeks of the season. McConkey has topped double-digit fantasy points in just one of his previous four matchups, with just 10 catches, 84 receiving yards, and one touchdown over that span. The last two weeks were absolutely brutal matchups against the Eagles and Chiefs, as McConkey was an afterthought, catching just three balls for 32 scoreless yards in those two narrow victories.

Still, there are weeks when matchup trumps everything else—and this is one of them. Despite the inconsistent production, McConkey belongs in fantasy lineups against the Dallas Cowboys, full stop.

Dallas has been a get-right defense for opposing wide receivers all year, allowing more fantasy points to the position than any team in football. Corners are getting beat at every level, safeties have struggled to clean things up over the top, and game scripts routinely force opponents to keep throwing. That’s exactly the environment fantasy managers should be chasing in December. The Cowboys’ defense has struggled consistently this season, surrendering at least 24 points in every game, with three contests exceeding 40 points, including last week when J.J. McCarthy and the Vikings put up 34 points against them.

McConkey doesn’t need a perfectly played game from Herbert to pay off—volume and coverage breakdowns can do the heavy lifting here. This is the kind of matchup where a modest day can quickly turn into a difference-maker, especially if Quentin Johnston is unable to suit up.

You don’t have to love the Chargers’ offense to love this matchup. McConkey is a must-start in Week 16, checking in as the WR24 in PPR formats. He should be a solid WR2 in the fantasy football semi finals.

It’s Time To Give Up On Justin Jefferson

2025 Fantasy Football Bust: Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings — Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) practices before the game at U.S. Bank Stadium. | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Over the past two weeks, the Vikings have racked up 65 points, with J.J. McCarthy tossing five touchdowns. You would think Justin Jefferson would have exploded just looking at the final scores. However, Jetta has caught just four passes for 33 yards across those games. No matter the matchup or the hype, Jefferson simply can’t be trusted right now. Fantasy managers need to bench him until next season. He dropped an easy touchdown on Sunday, which could have saved his day.

Justin Jefferson managers LOOK AWAY

(the next play was a C.J. Ham touchdown...) pic.twitter.com/soJQgmnzcr
— NFL Fantasy Football (@NFLFantasy) December 15, 2025

This isn’t a matter of target share—Jefferson has plenty of looks—but efficiency. His catch rate has plummeted to 56.4%, and much of that falls on McCarthy, who’s been wildly inconsistent under center. Despite his recent uptick in production, the rookie’s struggles are glaring. Among 33 qualified quarterbacks, he ranks 31st in Total QBR, ahead of only Geno Smith and Cam Ward. In completion percentage, he’s 46th out of 48 qualified signal-callers, ahead of only Jameis Winston and Shedeur Sanders.

Even with a juicy Week 16 matchup against a New York Giants defense that has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers, Jefferson’s recent tape offers little reason for optimism. If he couldn’t carve up the Cowboys, expecting him to dominate in a semi-final championship week is a long shot. While McCarthy could have a solid game, banking on a Jefferson revival is quite risky at this point of the season.

Jefferson ranks just WR26 in PPR formats this season, averaging a career-low 11.5 PPR points per game. He hasn’t caught more than two balls in a single contest since Week 12, hasn’t reached the end zone since Week 9, and hasn’t topped 80 yards since Week 5. Jefferson’s talent is undeniable but fantasy managers should leave him on the bench in Week 16.

Let’s take a look at where the rest of the NFL’s wide receivers stack up in our Week 16 rankings.