Puka Nacua-Matthew Stafford stack comes through for fantasy football managers in big spot to start Week 16
- - Puka Nacua-Matthew Stafford stack comes through for fantasy football managers in big spot to start Week 16
Yahoo Sports Fantasy Staff December 19, 2025 at 11:13 PM
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Puka Nacua-Matthew Stafford stack comes through for fantasy football managers in big spot to start Week 16
Not only did we get one of the best games of the season to start Week 16 but fantasy football managers who were lucky enough to roster one or more of the top players from Rams-Seahawks were rewarded handsomely. Seattle would go on to top L.A. in a wild OT thriller, 38-37.
Let's recap the action and how it impacted your fantasy playoff matchup.
Rams star Puka Nacua posted the highest fantasy output by a wide receiver all season, finishing with 12 catches for 225 yards and two TDs (40.5 fantasy points), one of those scores a 41-yard catch-and-run to nearly give the Rams the win in overtime. Over the past three weeks, Nacua has 28 catches for 573 yards and four touchdowns, a one-man wrecking crew that has likely helped you take care of opponents on your way to and through the fantasy playoffs. His best game came with teammate Davante Adams (hamstring) sidelined.
Throwing Nacua the ball must be fun for Matthew Stafford, who was pretty close to putting a stamp on booking his first NFL MVP award (though he still may take it home, even though the Rams lost). Stafford finished the shootout with a season-high 457 passing yards and three touchdowns, good for 30.88 fantasy points in the loss. That was Stafford's highest output of the season as he continues to lead the NFL in touchdown passes (40) and now passing yards (4,179).
If you had both players in half-PPR, starting your fantasy football semifinal matchup off with 70+ points is a decent way to begin Week 16.
You know who else may be doing the snoopy dance this morning? Kenneth Walker III managers.
Finally. Walker came through in the biggest spot of the season (hopefully you didn't decide to bench him on TNF). The Seahawks RB finished Thursday night with 164 yards on 14 touches with a touchdown, good for a season-high 23.9 fantasy points. A lot of his production came on chunk plays of 46 and 55 yards but we had been waiting for those types of explosives all season. If you didn't completely lose faith and bench Walker, he came through with a Christmas miracle.
What's great about both the Rams and Seahawks players if you end up advancing to your championship game is we shouldn't see either team take the foot off the gas. Seattle controls its destiny but needs to win in Week 17 to maintain the No. 1 seed in the NFC. L.A. is still alive for the 1-seed as well if the Seahawks falter. Plus, both teams have plus-matchups next week; Seattle faces Carolina and L.A. gets Atlanta. The good times should keep rolling into X-Mas week.
Let's hit a few other players real quick ...
-Jaxon Smith-Njigba made due with the OT TD to help the Seahawks come back and win. He finished with a solid 8-96-1 line (19.6 FPTS) that will have him in the top-12 WR conversation for Week 16.
-Colby Parkinson had scored at least 8.4 fantasy points in five of the past six games, finding the end zone six times in that span. He was the third-highest scoring TE on the Rams on Thursday, finishing with two catches for 21 yards, behind both Davis Allen and Terrance Ferguson.
-Kyren Williams outtouched Blake Corum 26-15 but it was Corum who found the end zone again. That gave him five TDs over the past four games, which is frustrating for Williams managers. Though, the Rams' lead back had 85 total yards and three catches to get to 10 fantasy points. Not a complete bust.
Source: “AOL Sports”
