NFL fantasy football news and player signals for Friday, December 5, 2025

Showed backend QB1 performance in recent action; has scored over 20 fantasy points in both games against Bills coach Sean McDermott; expected to have game juice with cold/snowy conditions returning.

Out for a stretch earlier in the season; expected back-half bounce-back possible but not as a WR1 in fantasy. Fits the Chris Godwin-esque role in Cohen's offense less effectively than Jacobe Meyers, who has taken over as the primary target in a more competitive game environment with expected full-game passing volume.

Brenton Strange is an elite tight end prospect installed as a featured weapon by the new Jaguars regime; back in full-time role with 81% route participation last week, 1.92 yards per route run (92nd percentile at TE), 88th percentile in open score; DFS value at $3,900 with high upside and not chalky; Colts' coverage weakness over the middle makes him intriguing, especially with expected more competitive game environment and full-game passing volume from Jacksonville.

Comparison point for declining role and volatility; referenced as archetype for players becoming unreliable despite past production; illustrates risk of inconsistent route participation and target share.

Alec Pierce is an intriguing deep threat option requiring less volume; 20.2 average depth of target; 2.15 yards per route run efficiency; 18% targets per route run; 46% air share (97th percentile at receiver); efficient season profile suggests big-play hunting off play action could work well vs. Jacksonville; stacking candidate with Tyler Warren in GPP builds.

Michael Pittman Jr. is a recommended play for Week 14; strong case for stacking in single-entry GPP builds with Tyler Warren; part of the Colts passing game upside if they lean into play-action scheme vs. Jacksonville's weak pass rush.

Well-positioned in Colts' play-action heavy game plan against Jaguars, who rank 14th in yards per pass attempt and 16th in completion rate against play-action (vs. 3rd and 8th against non-play-action); Jaguars' elite run defense (no RB over 63 yards) should force Colts to lean into passing game where Warren has strong role. Huge signal for Warren if Colts execute optimal game planning; strong case for stacking in single-entry GPP builds with either Alec Pierce or Michael Pittman Jr.

Jonathan Taylor ranked as elite RB1 for Week 14 despite earlier skepticism; at 100% of backfield touches, providing one clear path to production; five catches short of career high, positioned to easily clear that mark; Colts expected to establish the run early vs. Jaguars but success uncertain given Jacksonville's strong run defense (hasn't allowed more than 63 rushing yards to any RB this season); Taylor's value depends on whether Colts lean into play-action passing game or become more conservative; when Colts pass on first down in neutral situations, they use Taylor's run threat as leverage to create passing game efficiency; expensive in DFS but season-long value remains intact.

Despite fractured fibula injury, Daniel Jones remains efficient and well-positioned for Week 14 vs. Jacksonville; when kept clean against Houston last week, he was 8 of 12 for 9 yards per pass attempt with 2 touchdowns; EPA metrics show resilience (51st percentile vs. Chiefs, 58th percentile vs. elite Texans defense); Colts maintain 41% play-action rate and pre-snap motion even post-injury, suggesting they won't hide him in shotgun; expected to be better protected against Jaguars' worst-in-league pass defense; comparable QBs (Sam Darnold, Matthew Stafford) with similar play-action rates were QB1s against Jacksonville.

Kincaid is an interesting efficiency play if healthy. He only plays 50% of routes all season so limited snap recovery is not a major concern. He leads all tight ends in multiple efficiency metrics: 2.95 yards per route (leads all TEs), 24% targets per route run (98th percentile at TE), open score (leads all TEs), ESPN receiver rating (leads all TEs), and 9.7 aDOT (downfield threat). He's 15 yards per catch and has two 100-yard games against the Bengals defense, which has allowed 10 tight end one-scoring weeks and 14 100-yard games to the position. As a big-play receiver with a part-time role, even six targets could be effective, making him more efficient than Khalil Shakir.

James Cook is a primary play recommendation for this matchup. He's running back two in rush yards over expected per game and running back four in breakaway yards per game, and faces an excellent opportunity to get loaded up with volume against the Bengals' 31st-ranked run defense (31st in DVOA, EPA, and success rate). This makes him a no-brainer play and likely chalky in DFS but still a great play given the running back slate.

Shakir is the Bills' best passing-game option if the game becomes a shootout. He dropped to 50% route participation last week due to heavy personnel usage and Jackson Haw's increased snaps, but he maintains elite slot usage at 95th percentile (71% of snaps in slot). In competitive or trailing scripts, his route participation spikes significantly: 77% vs. Chiefs, 84% vs. Dolphins, 80% vs. Texans. The return of offensive linemen (Dawkins, Spencer Brown) may increase 11-personnel usage and boost his routes. However, the concern is that this Bills-Bengals matchup may not support high pass volume; the Bills are expected to build their game plan around the run game against the Bengals' 31st-ranked run defense, which could suppress Shakir's target opportunities despite the game's high-scoring potential.

Davis led all Bills receivers with 71% route participation last week but posted poor efficiency at 0.25 yards per route run. Despite high snap volume, his inefficiency and the Bills' likely run-heavy approach against the weak Bengals defense limit his fantasy appeal.

Coleman saw 46% route participation last week, placing him among the lower-usage Bills receivers. In a game where the Bills may lean on the run game against a weak Bengals run defense (31st in DVOA, EPA, and success rate), Coleman's limited route share makes him difficult to rely on for fantasy purposes.

Cooks posted only 36% route participation in his first week with the Bills after joining the team a week prior. Despite being added to the roster, his limited role suggests he is not yet a reliable fantasy option, especially in a game script that may not require heavy passing against the weak Bengals defense.

Shavers has demonstrated splash-play potential in the Bills' high-volume big-play offense, which leads the NFL in 20+ yard plays. Last week he posted 39% route participation, showing he can generate explosive plays despite limited overall snap share. The source notes he exemplifies the Bills' week-to-week unpredictability: "you'll get a game where like Tyrell Shavers has like a 40 yard catch."

Josh Allen has significant upside in this game despite suboptimal play calling from Joe Brady. The Bills are leaning heavily on the running game (38% pass rate vs. Steelers, 17% below expected, minus 29% on first and 10) and it's working, though the strategy doesn't align with Allen's skill set. Allen faces a favorable matchup against the Bengals defense, which ranks 31st in passing DVOA, EPA allowed per drop back, and success rate. This is a classic 'Josh Allen time' spot—a big AFC matchup where Allen typically elevates his play. The source draws a historical parallel to when Allen 'went nuts against the Bucks' under similar frustration with Brady's scheme, and emphasizes that 'it's still Josh Allen' who can 'absolutely wreck' defenses even with poor game planning, and the Bengals defense 'has no real hope of stopping him,' suggesting Superman-level upside if Allen decides to take over.

Ranked ahead of Chase Brown in current rankings despite the scary matchup context; positioned as an upside RB2 option with a couple of spots ahead of Brown in the rankings, suggesting better efficiency and matchup appeal than the Bengals committee back.

Perine returned in Week 13 with 40% snap share and 42% carry share, showing significant involvement. He ranks RB3 in success rate at 52%, suggesting he's being used as a short-yardage/power back in a Kareem Hunt-type role where the Bengals trust him to pick up crucial yards. His return directly displaced Chase Brown's usage across all metrics.

Chase Brown's box score from Week 13 is inflated due to the Bengals running 80 plays (caused by turnovers and unusual game flow). His actual snap share, route participation, and carry share all declined significantly with Samaje Perine's return: snap share dropped from 96/82/89 to 60%, route participation fell from 86/83/74 to 56%, and carry share declined from 73/82/83 to 45%. If the Bengals run a normal 65-play game, his 20 touches could realistically become 14-16 touches. Brown ranks RB42 in success rate (39%), RB21 in breakaway yards per game, RB27 in rush yards over expected; has been a much better fantasy player than real-life player. With Perine returning at 40% snaps and 42% carries, Brown will be treated as a 1A back in a committee rather than a workhorse, limiting upside to efficiency-driven matchup plays rather than volume-based production.

Just returning from injury but immediately productive; dropped back 49 times last week (second-highest in the league, 3% over expected); showed efficiency in second half (9 of 14, just under 7 yards per attempt) after rust in first half (15 of 32). Has scored over 20 fantasy points in both previous games against Bills coach Sean McDermott. Burrow is the engine of the Bengals offense and will be treated that way this week. Expected to attack through the pass given the Bills' weak run defense and the Bengals' identity built around passing. More likely to try and make plays given Bengals' weak offensive line (28th in pass block win rate, 24th in quick pressure prevention despite 7th in overall pressure prevention). Bosa's absence is a big deal for Burrow's upside.

Elite WR1 with strong setup against Bills. Chase has been really good this year with a strong bounceback game last week. He has double-digit targets in six of his past seven games across three different quarterbacks, with 14 targets last week. Chase can play multiple positions in the formation and benefits from Higgins' return, which allows him to move around rather than being locked into a deep-threat role. Cam Ward is excited about Chase in this matchup against the Bills' pass defense, which has allowed strong performances from multiple QBs (Lamar Jackson, Drake May, Tua Tagovailoa all very strong against this defense). Gets significant slot work and underneath targets in Bengals' pass-first scheme.

Confirmed to play in Bengals-Bills matchup and treated as a WR1 despite returning from injury. Higgins is part of Bengals' pass-first attack against Bills defense that is the biggest run funnel in the league, forcing opponents to 56% pass rate with minus 8% PROE and 5% shift to the run. Cam Ward explicitly treating Higgins as a wide receiver one coming off the injury. Burrow had massive splits last year with and without Higgins: 73% completion, 8.2 yards per attempt, 7.2% TD rate with Higgins on field (441 dropbacks) versus 66.9% completion, 6.5 yards per attempt, 5.6% TD rate without him (280 dropbacks). Higgins plays out wide with a deep dot, draws 30-40% double coverage consistently (52% against Patriots), and his presence allows Chase to move around the formation rather than being locked into a deep-threat role.