Who Should I Start? Josh Jacobs or Kyren Williams

Thursday, December 18, 12:18 PM

Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs (knee) will not practice on Thursday, according to head coach Matt LaFleur. The Athletic's Matt Schneidman guesses that Jacobs will be listed as questionable on the final Week 16 injury report, but he will play on Saturday night against the division-rival Chicago Bears. Jacobs was also questionable with his nagging knee injury last week, but he managed to suit up in the Week 15 loss to the Denver Broncos, where he handled 12 carries for 73 yards and a touchdown and added two receptions for 19 yards and another score as a receiver. Jacobs has not practiced all week, and it's clear that his knee is bothering him, but he plans to tough it out and play in a big divisional game this weekend in Chicago. Expecting 20-plus carries from Jacobs probably isn't wise, but as long as he's active, fantasy managers shouldn't be benching a RB who has 14 total touchdowns in 13 games in 2025.

Thursday, December 18, 1:36 AM

Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams has been terrific lately, and he'll look to extend his bout of success (as well as his three-game touchdown streak) during Thursday's Week 16 contest against the Seattle Seahawks. The Rams have made a significant effort to reduce Williams' workload so that he stays fresh for the playoffs, but even so, he has continued to operate as a mid-to-low RB1 in fantasy football. Over his last three games, he has 234 rushing yards, 23 receiving yards, and four total touchdowns. He owns a phenomenal average of 5.7 yards per carry during that span, and he's the overall RB9 in PPR leagues through 14 games this season. If Williams keeps up this pace, he'll be a top-10 fantasy running back for the third consecutive year. The 25-year-old's ability to produce on a slightly reduced workload has been terrific for fantasy managers, and that trend should continue in Week 16. While the Seahawks have allowed the third-fewest fantasy points to running backs in 2025, Williams has shown that he is matchup-proof. In fact, when he faced the Seahawks just five weeks ago, he had 91 rushing yards and a touchdown. He ranks as the overall RB16 in RotoBaller's latest fantasy rankings, but there's no doubt that he has top-12 upside. He should be started in all leagues ahead of Thursday Night Football in Week 16.