Week 16 NFL Predictions: Fantasy Sleepers, Upsets, Bets & Stats
Table of Contents
- Week 16 NFL Predictions: Fantasy Sleepers, Upsets, Bets & Stats
- Mo
- Schefter to McAfee: Tua benching the first step in Miami moving on
- Maldonado: My favorite bet for Week 16
- NFL Quarterback Updates: Russell Wilson’s Resurgence and J.J. McCarthy’s Progress
- Russell Wilson Showing Signs of Advancement
- J.J.McCarthy Finding Confidence After Concussion
Week 16 of the 2025 NFL season is underway after an significant NFC West matchup that saw the seahawks ESPN leagues as of Saturday and could be started in a jam. That’s followed by NFL analyst Ben Solak’s three potential surprises, NFL analyst Matt Bowen’s key matchup to watch and sports betting analyst Pamela Maldonado’s favorite bet for Week 15. We also asked our NFL Nation reporters to answer questions about captivating QB situations around the league.
Can the Packers generate a pass rush without /id/4433970/jj-mccarthy”>J.J. McCarthy and Tyler Shough have big fantasy performances? will the Eagles get upset by the commanders? Can Bears rookie running back /id/5529/philip-rivers”>philip Rivers? We dig into all of it.
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## NFL Week 12: Key Matchups and What to Watch
Can the Steelers stop Detroit’s play-action?
The Lions,as usual,are one of the heaviest play-action teams. They run it on 30% of dropbacks, the fourth-highest rate in the league. And it makes sense as play-action is an offensive advantage that, on average, improves efficiency. But that might not be the case against the Steelers.
Pittsburgh is one of the rare teams with a defense that actually performs better against play-action (minus-0.10 EPA allowed per dropback, third best) than without it (plus-0.07, 20th). If Pittsburgh can derail one of Detroit’s favorite offensive levers, that would be a huge edge in a contest between two playoff hopefuls.
How will Titans quarterback Cam Ward fare against the Chiefs’ blitz?
The Titans face a suddenly winnable game against the Gardner Minshew-led Chiefs following Kansas City’s elimination from playoff contention and Patrick mahomes‘ torn left ACL. But the Chiefs present one issue for the titans that has nothing to do with who is playing quarterback.
Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s defense blitzes 35% of the time, the third-highest rate in the league. And that has been a particular weakness for Ward.While he currently ranks last in the NFL with a 31.2 QBR, that number drops to 13.7 when facing the blitz. Even with Ward’s subtle improvements over the past two weeks (a 46.9 QBR from Week 11 on), he still has just a 9.5 QBR against the blitz. If the Titans want to get the better of the down-and-out Chiefs, Ward might need to connect on plays when Kansas City brings extra heat.
Mo
Schefter to McAfee: Tua benching the first step in Miami moving on
Adam Schefter joins Pat McAfee to break down the Dolphins’ options after benching Tua Tagovailoa.
michael Carter RB, Arizona Cardinals (24.7% rostered)
Carter should be the Cardinals’ lead back against the Falcons with Bam Knight on injured reserve after an ankle injury in week 15. Carter stepped in once Knight left the game against Houston finishing with 18 touches and 13.4 fantasy points. It was an impressive outing.
## Solak: Don’t be surprised if…
Bears running back Kyle Monangai leads the league in rushing this week. D’andre Swift is questionable for Saturday’s gameand the Packers’ defense will not just be lacking Parsons, but also elite run defending safety Evan Williams. On top of that, Chicago has two receivers confirmed out for this game (Luther Burden III and Rome Odunze), so it will likely skew extremely run heavy. Monangai could get the lion’s share of the carries, putting the rookie in line for his third 100-yard game this season.
The Commanders upset the Eagles. Philadelphia’s offence looked healed against the Raiderswhile the Commanders’ passing defense is one of the worst in the league (29th in passing yards allowed per game).But Washington coordinator Kliff Kingsbury has had offensive success against Philly coordinator Vic Fangio’s defense.The Commanders have also continued to play hard in a lost season under coach Dan Quinn. Divisional upsets in December are always live, and the Eagles are not a trus## Week 16 NFL Picks: Experts Weigh In & Best Bets
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How important is a Bears victory vs. the Packers on Saturday?
Kimberley A. Martin,Louis Riddick,Peter Schrager and Domonique Foxworth discuss how important a Bears win would be over the Packers.
Maldonado: My favorite bet for Week 16
Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson appears to be finding his stride in the latter part of the 2023-2024 season.After a rocky start, Wilson has demonstrated improved performance in recent weeks.
According to Broncos reporter Jeff Legwold, wilson has thrown for at least 295 passing yards in three of his last four games, including a four-touchdown performance against the Green Bay Packers. J.J.McCarthy Finding Confidence After Concussion
Minnesota Vikings rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy is showing promising signs of growth after a concussion sidelined him in Week 13. McCarthy appears to be growing more comfortable and decisive with each game.
Vikings reporter Kevin Seifert notes that McCarthy’s last two games have been the best of his career, with a QBR of 82.1 ranking fifth in the NFL over that span. /gameId/401772899/commanders-vikings”>https://www.espn.com/nfl/game//gameId/401772899/commanders-vikings and Worth a look