Gardner Minshew and 2 Other Week 16 Fantasy Football Replacements for Patrick Mahomes
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The Chiefs met new realities in Week 15 as they became eliminated from the playoffs, and they lost Pat Mahomes to a Torn ACL. These are new happenings in Kansas City, but nothing lasts forever. Surely, they will be back to their old ways in 2026 but for now, Mahomes is gone, and your Fantasy Football team may be suffering. Do not panic, though, I am here with three great replacements that can still lead you to a Championship.
Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals (vs Falcons) - 56% Available
Death, taxes, Jacoby Brissett putting up fantasy points pic.twitter.com/3hx8Isip0M
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) December 15, 2025
Brissett has been a revelation in Fantasy Football. He has not scored any less than (18) Fantasy Points in any start this season. He is averaging just over (20) Fantasy Points per Game and over (300) Yards per Game. Brissett has a TD:INT ratio of 18:6.
Brissett is literally a Top-5 Quarterback in Fantasy Football and he is on waivers. It is very rare that you find a gem like this. You MUST pick up Brissett is he is available.
Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons (@ Cardinals) - 96% Available
We want to play for upside rather than safe output. That is my opinion on the matter. You have to score many points to win in the playoffs. Cousins has tremendous upside, especially after his Week 15 performance.
Cousins threw for (373) Yards and (3) Touchdowns against the Buccaneers 27th ranked defense versus Quarterbacks. He now faces the Cardinals defense that is 14th versus Quarterbacks. They are better, but gettable.
If we exclude the Seahawks Top-5 defense faced in Week 13, Cousins is averaging (269) Yards per Game, and visually improving game-by-game. The Falcons are optimistic that they also will get back Drake London in Week 16. This would be a huge value-add.
Gardner Minshew, Kansas City Chiefs (@ Titans) - 100% Available
Patrick Mahomes suffered a torn ACL and is out for the season. pic.twitter.com/XQL44Rvn7G
— NFL (@NFL) December 15, 2025
Minshew is your obvious handcuff to Mahomes. However, will he be any good?
The Chiefs are 5th in Passing Yards per Game (244.0). With Minshew, it is very much a downtick. However, the skill still stands with his supporting cast. We may see up to a 30% decrease in efficiency but even then, Minshew has great 200+ Yard upside.
The Titans are 25th versus the Quarterback. The Chiefs may give up, but I think that they will still fight to destroy a Titans team out of frustration. Minshew is a safer pick towards 15+ Fantasy Points, but perhaps not your highest of upside options.
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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.