What an incredible week in the NFL and fantasy football! We saw some of the highest fantasy outputs in years, and scores in leagues everywhere reflected it. When the final whistle blew on Monday night in Pittsburgh, I hope you survived to be on the winning side of your matchups.
This week gave us chaos, injuries, and box-score whiplash, but we’re on to Week 16 and the stress of win-or-go-home season. The playoff bracket in the Dynasty Nerds App League is down to a Final Four who earned every victory along the way: Garret Price, Doc Mitchell, Pete Monahan, and Rich Dotson.
Meanwhile, the league drama isn’t confined to the playoff bracket. We’ve entered the final week of voting to save one of our league mates, with Matt Cooper, Taylor Christianson, and John Hammersmith on the chopping block. Three men can exit, only one man can stay.
Click here for the Bottom 3 Save Vote and you could win a free t-shirt!
NFL Week 15 Recaps
Falcons 29, Buccaneers 28
Kirk Cousins played hero and spoiler, completing 30 of 44 passes for 373 yards and three touchdowns as Atlanta erased a two-score deficit. This game had fantasy points galore, including Kyle Pitts delivering a league-tilting performance with 11 catches for 166 yards and 3 touchdowns, single-handedly swinging fantasy playoff matchups. Tampa Bay’s offense produced early behind Baker Mayfield, but again couldn’t close. The loss tightens the race for Tampa in the NFC South.
Bears 31, Browns 3
Chicago turned this into a clinic, with Caleb Williams throwing for 242 yards and 2 touchdowns while D’Andre Swift finished with 98 yards and two touchdowns. Cleveland’s offense stalled repeatedly, coming back to Earth while failing to reach the end zone. The Bears strengthened their NFC standing as the current 2 seed behind the Rams.
Ravens 24, Bengals 0
Even as Ja’Marr Chase lit up the stat sheet with 10 catches for 132 yards, Baltimore blanked Cincinnati behind a suffocating defensive effort. Derrick Henry controlled the tone, ripping off chunk runs on his way to 100 yards while Lamar Jackson managed another sub-par output without needing to force anything. The shutout ends Cincinnati’s playoff hopes while Baltimore keeps theirs alive at 7-7.
Chargers 16, Chiefs 13
The Chiefs lost both the battle and the war in their loss to the Chargers. In a storyline that will dominate headlines throughout the offseason, Patrick Mahomes suffered a season-ending ACL injury, abruptly ending Kansas City’s playoff streak. Justin Herbert threw for 210 yards and a touchdown in a game that came down to field position and late execution. Travis Kelce racked up some late garbage-time points, catching 7 passes for 70 yards in defeat.
Bills 35, Patriots 31
In what turned out to be one of the best games of the 2025 NFL Season, Josh Allen engineered a signature comeback over Drake Maye and the Patriots. Allen threw 3 touchdowns after Buffalo trailed by 21 points, and James Cook chipped in 94 total yards and a score. On the other side, TreVeyon Henderson continued his late-season breakout with 148 yards and 2 long touchdown runs. The result tightened the AFC East race and keeps the Bills firmly in the postseason hunt.
Commanders 29, Giants 21
Washington leaned on the ground game to end their 8-game losing streak, with Jacory Croskey–Merritt posting 96 yards and a touchdown. Terry McLaurin returned and complemented the effort with 69 receiving yards and a touchdown. For the G-Men, Jaxson Dart threw for 246 yards and 2 scores, his last to Wan’Dale Robinson in the game’s waning minutes. However, it wasn’t enough as the Giants fell to 2-12 and firmly in play for the first pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Eagles 31, Raiders 0
While the Bills-Patriots game was one of the most exciting games of the season, this game was on the complete other end of the spectrum. Jalen Hurts was efficient, completing 12 of 15 passes for 175 yards and three touchdowns in a dominant shutout. Dallas Goedert led the scoring with 6 catches for 70 yards and 2 touchdowns. Saquon Barkley ground out enough fantasy output to keep managers content with 78 yards and a score. The game took only 2 hours and 31 minutes to complete, which was the best Christmas present a Raiders fan could hope for.
Jaguars 48, Jets 20
Speaking of Just End the Season, Trevor Lawrence gave the Jets nothing but coal in their stockings to the tune of 330 passing yards and 5 touchdowns, delivering one of the biggest fantasy performances of the season. Travis Etienne added an absurd receiving line with 3 catches for 73 yards and 3 touchdowns. Don’t look now, but Jacksonville is 10-4 and has tightened its grip on the AFC South over the Texans and the Colts.
Texans 40, Cardinals 20
C.J. Stroud stayed red-hot, throwing for 260 yards and 3 touchdowns in Houston’s sixth straight win. Nico Collins finished with 121 receiving yards while Jawhar Jordan turned in a breakout performance, rushing for over 100 yards. Trey McBride was once again Arizona’s fantasy savior, hauling in 12 passes for 134 yards and 2 touchdowns despite the loss. The AFC is wide open this year, and the Texans appear to be peaking at the right time.
Broncos 34, Packers 26
In perhaps his biggest and best game as a professional, Bo Nix played like a franchise cornerstone, finishing with 302 passing yards and 4 touchdowns as Denver clinched a playoff berth. Courtland Sutton caught 7 balls for 113 yards and a score. Green Bay was in the game until the end behind Josh Jacobs, but they just couldn’t match Denver’s pace. The Packers loss was compounded by a season-ending ACL injury to Micah Parsons, a massive defensive blow.
Rams 41, Lions 34
In a high-scoring battle starring each team’s former quarterback, Matthew Stafford uncorked a classic, throwing for 368 yards and 2 touchdowns in a playoff-clinching shootout. Puka Nacua torched Detroit for 181 receiving yards while Kyren Williams added 2 rushing touchdowns. Detroit did its best to keep pace offensively, but even Amon-Ra St. Brown (13-164-2) and Jameson Williams’ (7-134-1) massive games weren’t enough to save the victory.
Saints 20, Panthers 17
Rookie Tyler Shough delivered his best performance to date, throwing for 272 yards and a touchdown while engineering a late comeback. Carolina leaned on Rico Dowdle (49 rushing yards, TD), but their passing game just couldn’t get things going. The Saints completed a season sweep of the Panthers and kept the fate of the NFC South muddled.
49ers 37, Titans 24
Brock Purdy threw for 295 yards and 3 touchdowns in a game that was never in much doubt. Ricky Pearsall led San Francisco’s receivers with 96 yards, while the offense spread the ball around. George Kittle scored a touchdown, and Jauan Jennings added two more. Tony Pollard kept Tennessee competitive with 104 rushing yards and a score. Cam Ward continues to show growth, but it is clear the Titans have work to do at receiver to build up their passing attack.
Seahawks 18, Colts 16
Kicker Jason Myers drilled six field goals to account for every point in the Seattle victory. Sam Darnold threw for 271 yards while Jaxon Smith-Njigba led all receivers with 113 yards. With 44-year-old grandfather Philip Rivers at the helm, Jonathan Taylor did his best to carry the Colts’ offense with 25 rushes for 87 yards. In the end, Indy couldn’t finish drives, and their season continues to spiral. The Seahawks enter Week 16 at 11-3 and face a huge matchup on Thursday Night against their 11-3 rivals, the Los Angeles Rams.
Vikings 34, Cowboys 26
Dak Prescott threw for 294 yards, but the Cowboys couldn’t sustain momentum, losing to the Vikings and all but ending their playoff hopes. J.J. McCarthy made just enough plays to win the day, including 2 passing touchdowns and another where he called his own number. Neither Justin Jefferson nor George Pickens was a factor in this game, continuing the bizarre season for both teams.
Steelers 28, Dolphins 15
Can anyone figure out the week-to-week enigma that is the Miami Dolphins? Tua Tagovailoa finished with 253 yards and 2 touchdowns, but nearly all of that production came late in garbage time to Darren Waller. The loss officially eliminated the Dolphins, while the Steelers kept their AFC hopes alive behind 80 yards from Kenneth Gainwell and 2 touchdowns from Aaron Rodgers.
Dynasty Nerds App League Playoff Recap – Week 15
Rich Dotson (229.5) vs Jared Wackerly (169.87)
Even if Jared’s team hadn’t finally come back down to Earth, it would have mattered little in the final outcome. Rich’s lineup dominated the scoring from the start and never let up. Despite a few dud games from last-minute substitutes like Marvin Mims and Dontayvion Wicks, Rich’s team scored the third-most points in league history on the way to victory. Trevor Lawrence and Kyle Pitts scored over 100 points combined. As Rich goes into his next playoff matchup, can he expect continued success from historically volatile players?
Peter Monahan (215.89) vs. Mychal Warno (175.27)
In another matchup that wasn’t ever really in doubt, Peter took down Mychal behind steady scoring from fantasy lineup anchors like Matthew Stafford, Josh Allen, and Bijan Robinson. Despite big games from some of his best (Puka Nacua and Jalen Hurts), Mychal’s scoring just couldn’t keep pace with Peter’s.
Keith’s Patented Bi-Weekly Rant
If you’ve been a regular reader of this column this season, then you’ll know how frustrating an experience this roller coaster of a roster has been for me. Well, just to twist the knife a little bit deeper, guess which team had the most points this week? That’s right—my lineup, (in my opinion) the best roster not in the playoffs, decided to score 233.50 points, good enough for the second-highest score in league history behind Garret Price scoring 256.27 in Week 12.
Bo Nix! James Cook! Travis Etienne! Amon-Ra St. Brown! TreVeyon Henderson!
And none of it mattered.
All of this is to say, friends, readers, fantasy players everywhere, let this rant be of solace to you. If you’ve played this game for any length of time, you know how humbling it can be. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been playing, it doesn’t matter if you write for a dynasty website or play casually with family or coworkers. The cruel karmic lords of fantasy football come for us all.
Thanks for reading and being a part of our league. We couldn’t do what we do without your support.
Week 16 Playoff Preview
Doc Mitchell vs. Peter Monahan
On one side of the bracket, we have Doc Mitchell matched up with Peter Monahan. These two teams have been at the top of the standings all season long, and although Doc earned the first-round bye with 20 victories, it’s Peter’s team who finished with more points scored. Peter is on a four-game winning streak, but he now faces Doc’s juggernaut lineup led by Jaxon Smith-Njigba. That said, Doc’s team has also been anchored by Jonathan Taylor and Michael Pittman, and with the Colts offense in disarray, maybe Peter can catch him on a soft week.
For Peter, the week begins on Thursday Night Football with Matthew Stafford and Kenneth Walker. Walker has been a dud lately, but Peter’s roster is thin. His only possible reasonable substitute would be David Montgomery. However, this matchup will likely be decided by the output of the big hitters, Josh Allen and Bijan Robinson. Robinson has a gift of a matchup against the Cardinals, but Allen may not have an easy go of it this week in a matchup playing away at Cleveland.
Rich Dotson vs. Garret Price
The long-awaited, all-but-fated matchup is here. Ladies and gentlemen, this one isn’t just a matchup. It’s a main event, steel cage match with no referees to save everyone. Rich Dotson stomps to the ring like the champion he is while Garret Price struts down to ringside like he owns the place. You had better believe there will be trash talk, and the winner will have bragging rights forever and ever.
Garret’s squad enters the matchup in (mostly) good health and firing on all cylinders. Sam Darnold faces a tough matchup this week in the rival Los Angeles Rams, but he only has two startable quarterbacks between Darnold and Dak Prescott. While Jahmyr Gibbs has a soft matchup against the Steelers, Ashton Jeanty and the Raiders face the onslaught of the Houston Texans’ stout defense.
On the other side of the podcast microphone, while Rich’s team is coming off a huge week, he has been trending downward overall in the past month. I’m not sure he can count on Trevor Lawrence and Kyle Pitts each scoring over 40 points this week. What about George Pickens? After two straight subpar games, he now draws the tough Chargers pass defense.
What’s interesting about Rich’s roster is that while it’s generally weak at wide receiver (in fairness, he’s unable to start Marvin Harrison or Drake London right now due to injury), he has a multitude of startable tight ends – Kyle Pitts, Dallas Goedert, Juwon Johnson, Dalton Schultz, Colby Parkinson, and Dawson Knox. Is that the route to Rich’s ultimate road to the title game?
Stay tuned!
What Do The Fans Say? Who Stays And Who Doesn’t?
Go to last week’s article to read the final pleas from out GMs to be saved. Requires a valid email. Two voters will be chosen to win Dynasty Nerds t-shirts! Voting Ends Monday, December 22nd at 11:59pm EST.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FINAL INTERVIEW
*Editor’s Note: We will be releasing the name of the incoming legendary coach for 2026 in next week’s recap preview!
Final Thoughts
This inaugural season of the Dynasty Nerds App League has been full of twists, turns, and surprises. Each manager has done his best to shepherd his squad through the tumultuous 2025 NFL regular season. We here at Dynasty Nerds hope that you have enjoyed our coverage of the regular season as much as we have enjoyed playing it. It will be truly interesting to see how the playoffs go forward. Who will you save from the three bottom squads, and who will no longer belong in the league? The choice is yours.
