Week 16 of the 2025 NFL season continues on this afternoon with an NFC South battle for first place featuring the Tampa Bay Buccaneers visiting the Carolina Panthers at 1 p.m. ET on FOX.
The Panthers held on to the NFC South lead for less than 72 hours before squandering it in a 20-17 loss to the Saints last Sunday, falling back behind the Bucs due to the common opponent tiebreaker. They did get a productive outing out of Coker and they are going to need him to come through with another good performance in this crucial home showdown.
Below, we’ll go over Coker’s outlook in fantasy football for Week 16.
Fantasy Football analysis: Panthers WR Jalen Coker
Coker made an impact in last Sunday’s loss to the Saints, leading the team in receiving by catching all four of his targets for 60 yards and a touchdown. That trip to the end zone gave the Panthers a 10-point lead in the third quarter and that proved to be the end of their scoring for the afternoon as the Saints marched their way back into the contest and nailed a game-winning field goal with two second left.
This marked the second straight game with a touchdown for the second-year wideout from Holy Cross and he’s really coming on as a reliable weapon for Bryce Young in the last month. He’s been uber reliable with a 75.9% catch rate, ranking ninth among his peers in that category. We’ll see if he can step up yet again in this showdown.
Start or sit in Week 16?
Start. Given how the Bucs defense has been shredded through the air in recent weeks, I like the young receiver’s chances of finding the end zone again in today’s matchup. I’d give him a Flex nod in your lineup if you have him.