NFL Player News

The last thing that NC State needed heading into this matchup was to be without key starters on either side of the football. The Wolfpack will be down four defensive starters, a list that includes players who rank first (Wilson), fourth (Thomas) and ninth (Ingle) on the team in total tackles. Three of the four have started at least ten games this season, with Ingle (seven) being the exception.

Pocic was announced with a “calf” injury, but it appears Pocic has torn his achilles’ tendon. It’s the worst possible news for a 30-year-old center who has manned the pivot for the Browns since 2022. They will now have to mix and match along their interior line for the stretch run as they attempt to develop Shedeur Sanders. Pocic’s contract has no guaranteed money remaining, so he could spend 2026 rehabbing as a free agent.

Smith returns with the ring and pinky fingers on his right, throwing hand taped up. He is throwing the ball aggressively downfield, though his accuracy has been intermittently off the mark. Overall, Smith’s aggressiveness is promising. He was in a decent amount of pain when the fingers were being addressed on the sideline.

Taylor was the top pass-catcher for the Jets, becoming a security blanket for Brady Cook. He was on the receiving end of Tyrod Taylor’s interception, tipping a pass that was a bit behind him for the Dolphins to pick off. With Cook in the game, Taylor saw intermediate and short-area targets in an effort to create yards in a simplified offense. The high volume is encouraging for Taylor, though his ceiling is capped in a rough quarterback situation and low-scoring offense. He is in the TE2 range for Week 15 against the Jaguars.

Charbonnet operated as the clear RB2 for Seattle in this game, with most of his touches coming in or near garbage time. He picked up two carries and one reception on Sam Darnold’s final drive of the game. Then, when the team brought in Drew Lock for clean-up duties, Charbonnet opened the drive with a pair of carries. He then gave way to Velus Jones. The Seahawks should be able to establish their ground game versus the Colts, who will be without Daniel Jones, next week. That will keep Charbonnet in the RB4 mix as a touchdown-or-bust fantasy bet.

Walker was targeted three times but only brought in one of them for a one-yard loss. He continued to operate as the team’s top back this week, but a massive lead in the second half allowed Mike Macdonald to give his starters some rest down the stretch. Walker gave up two carries to Zach Charbonnet and four to Velus Jones on the Seahawks’ final drive. Drew Lock had taken over for Sam Darnold, marking this drive as a true garbage time scenario. Walker is the clear lead back for Seattle, but there are several ways for him to let fantasy managers down, given how much work he cedes to Charbonnet. With game script likely working in his favor next week, Walker will cling to an RB2 ranking versus the Colts in Week 15.

The first 100-yard game of Fannin’s career came as Shedeur Sanders erupted for 364 yards on 42 attempts in snowy Cleveland conditions. His touchdown was his second in as many weeks, and came even as David Njoku also found the end zone. Really cutting into Njoku’s playing time of late, Fannin got a further boost when Njoku tweaked his knee. The veteran did return to the game, but Fannin out-targeted him 11-1. Continuing to build his case as an elite Dynasty league asset, Fannin is also shoring up his TE1 value for the fantasy playoffs. Fannin will remain a lower-end option with Sanders’ play likely to be up and down, but the Bears are not a concerning Week 15 matchup.

Hall also failed to catch is only target of the day. In a pass-heavy game script with Brady Cook as the quarterback, Hall saw 14 carries in a limited offense. He did not see much red zone usage and ends up with a pedestrian 43-yard total as the run game had little impact against the Dolphins. His value will be tied to who the Jets’ quarterback is for Week 15, but Hall is in the RB2 range against the strong Jaguars run defense.

Broncos DL Zach Allen hit Smith early in the third quarter, resulting in visible abrasions on the ring and pinky fingers on Smith’s right, throwing hand. The broadcast announced Smith as questionable to return, as team trainers attempted to stop the bleeding on the sideline. Stay tuned.

Neal’s three-yard score to cap off the Saints’ opening drive was the first touchdown of his career. Excellent stuff for fantasy managers taking the FLEX plunge, but Neal then surprisingly lost two more rushing scores to not-exactly-dual threat Tyler Shough. Neal did out-touch backup Evan Hull 20-2, and he ground out some turf yards in obvious rushing conditions in rainy Tampa weather. Basically, he passed the RB3 assignment, though Alvin Kamara (knee, ankle) could be back for Week 15. If not, Neal will find himself hanging around the top 30 as New Orleans takes on Carolina’s middle-of-the-road run D.

With the Bucs struggling to pass without LT Tristan Wirfs and dialing up obvious runs in rainy Tampa conditions, none of their three backs could get anything going in the efficiency department. So fantasy managers breathed a sigh of relief when Irving contributed a 24-yard receiving score in the first quarter. Beyond that, there just wasn’t anything doing beyond a 32-yard, non-scoring run. Irving has now found the end zone twice in two games since returning, but his 32 rushes have produced just 116 yards (3.6 YPC). Hopefully he can maintain that volume but chew more meat off the bone in a plus Week 15 matchup with the Falcons.