Week 16 is where fantasy seasons are defined. There’s no next week to plan for, no stashing upside plays or waiting on breakouts — it’s win or go home. Every lineup decision carries weight, every matchup gets magnified, and the margin for error is razor thin. Whether you’re chasing a championship berth or trying to keep a Cinderella run alive, this is the week where trust, risk, and opportunity collide. In this article, we’ll break down the players that can push you over the edge.
Trey McBride
Trey McBride has emerged as one of fantasy football’s elite tight‐end performers in 2025, blending high volume and consistent scoring into a standout season. Through the bulk of the year he’s been among the league leaders at his position with 93 receptions for 937 yards and 8 touchdowns, showcasing his reliability as a target magnet in the Cardinals’ passing game. What’s really elevated his fantasy value has been the chemistry with his quarterbacks; especially with veteran Jacoby Brissett under center this season, McBride has seen a surge in explosive performances and red-zone usage, rewarding fantasy managers with a weekly TE1 floor and several boom weeks.
In Week 15 against the Rams, McBride delivered a strong showing despite Arizona’s struggles, finishing with multiple catches and continuing his streak of being a focal point in the offense. While the Cardinals offense as a whole hasn’t lived up to expectations, McBride’s target share and routes run have remained elite, allowing him to post fantasy points even in tougher matchups.
Looking ahead into the fantasy playoffs, McBride’s outlook remains extremely positive. His volume in the passing game — one of the highest among all tight ends — coupled with his consistent red-zone involvement makes him a reliable set-and-forget start each week. As defenses key on Arizona’s wideouts, McBride’s role as a safety-valve and mismatch creator should continue, making him not only a solid floor play but also one with upside for big games in Weeks 16 and 17. While the Cardinals’ team success may be limited, from a fantasy standpoint McBride is poised to be a difference-maker in your playoff push and a leading TE option through the final stretch of the season.
Trevor Lawrence
Trevor Lawrence has delivered one of the more intriguing fantasy quarterback seasons in 2025, combining steady passing production with enough rushing upside to keep him in the QB1 conversation for many leagues. Going into Week 15, Lawrence had thrown for roughly 2,880 yards with 18 passing touchdowns and 11 interceptions, and chipped in over 250 rushing yards with five rushing scores, putting him around 16.6 fantasy points per game on the season — roughly a mid-range fantasy starter but with notable upside when the Jaguars click offensively.
In Week 15 against the New York Jets, Lawrence turned in a fantasy monster performance, arguably the best of his 2025 campaign. He finished with 330 passing yards, five passing touchdowns, and one rushing touchdown, added more than 50 rushing yards, and racked up over 44 fantasy points in standard scoring formats, making history as the first NFL player with that combination of stats in a single game. That outing not only helped fantasy managers win crucial playoff matchups but also earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors thanks to the efficiency and scoring explosion he displayed.
Looking ahead into the fantasy playoffs, Lawrence’s outlook is promising but a bit nuanced. On one hand, he’s shown since the mid-season stretch that he can be a weekly QB1, with multiple strong performances and an ability to post top-tier fantasy numbers, especially when the Jaguars lean into his dual-threat ability and he spreads the ball around to weapons like Parker Washington and Travis Etienne. On the other hand, matchup concerns loom — including tougher defenses like the Broncos in Week 16 — and his production can dip in less favorable conditions or when the Jaguars get ahead and run more. Overall, for fantasy playoffs he projects as a reliable starter with high ceiling weeks, especially if he continues to replicate the type of scoring output we saw in Week 15, making him a strong QB1 option down the stretch.
DJ Moore
DJ Moore’s 2025 fantasy season has been a roller-coaster of highs and lows, making him one of the more frustrating but occasionally rewarding WR plays this year. After coming to the Chicago Bears with big expectations, he’s seen his target share fluctuate and hasn’t produced the consistent weekly output fantasy managers hoped for — averaging middling fantasy points and ranking outside the top 30 WRs in many formats for much of the season. Moore has put up modest totals through Week 15, though he did deliver a notable fantasy performance that week with 4 receptions for about 69 yards and 2 scores, giving him a nice spike and showing he can still be explosive when the Bears dial it up for him.
The statistical story this year has been one of inconsistency: outside of a few good games like that Week 15 outburst, Moore has mostly battled for production in an offense with multiple pass-catching options and a developing young quarterback in Caleb Williams. His volume has been unpredictable, and many weeks he’s functioned more as a secondary option than a true WR1 despite his elite talent.
Looking ahead into the fantasy playoffs, Moore’s outlook is cautiously optimistic but far from secure. The Week 15 performance was a reminder that he still draws targets and can score, which is all you need for big fantasy weeks, but his role remains volatile. If Chicago continues to spread the ball around — and if defenses start keying on other playmakers — Moore might struggle for fantasy consistency. However, as long as he keeps finding the end zone sporadically and garners enough looks, he can be a flex option with upside rather than a start-every-week WR1. His playoff value will likely hinge on matchups and whether the Bears lean on him more in favorable games; in deeper leagues he could be especially valuable as a high-ceiling bench piece during Week 16 and beyond.
Overall, Moore’s 2025 has had moments of real fantasy relevance, but his long-term value this season is best viewed through the lens of volatility — capable of big games like Week 15, yet not always reliable enough to be a weekly anchor without matchup support.
Kyle Pitts
Kyle Pitts’ 2025 fantasy season has been one of the most unpredictable but ultimately memorable tight end campaigns of the year. Through most of the regular season, Pitts put up solid but unspectacular numbers — roughly 73 receptions for about 797 yards and 4 touchdowns, with a modest fantasy points per game average that kept him more in TE2 territory than elite TE1 status. Many fantasy managers grew frustrated as his usage and production fluctuated, and even as he earned a healthy target share, consistent scoring eluded him outside of a few decent games earlier in the year.
That narrative flipped dramatically in Week 15 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, when Pitts delivered the biggest fantasy performance of his life. On Thursday Night Football he caught 11 passes for 166 yards and three touchdowns, producing one of the most historic TE fantasy lines in decades and scoring around 40+ fantasy points — the highest total for a tight end all season and among the top five TE games in PPR history. With backup quarterback Kirk Cousins targeting him heavily and Falcons top receiver Drake London unavailable, Pitts exploded and reminded everyone of his immense talent and mismatch ability.
Looking forward into the fantasy playoffs, Pitts’s outlook post-Week 15 is much more encouraging than it was for most of the season. That Week 15 outburst proves he can dominate when circumstances align, and with the Falcons more likely to lean on him as a primary weapon and defenses forced to respect him after this game, his weekly fantasy floor has risen substantially. If he continues to see high target volume — especially in favorable matchups or games where Atlanta needs to throw — he’s firmly in TE1 consideration down the stretch, offering both a safe floor and boom-week upside. However, given his history of inconsistency, some managers may still view him as a high-ceiling flex rather than an auto-start every single week, but his monster Week 15 performance undeniably boosts his value for playoff lineups.
When the dust settles in Week 16, the box scores won’t care how you got here — only whether you advanced. Win or go home means trusting your process, leaning into the matchups, and having the courage to make the tough calls when it matters most. Some stars will deliver, some unlikely heroes will emerge, and one lineup decision could be the difference between a title shot and an offseason of what-ifs. Set your best lineup, embrace the chaos, and let the chips fall where they may — because this is why we play fantasy football.
