NFL Player News

Per Schefter, “Miami is allowing Fangio to leave to be closer to his family in Pennsylvania.” Though it’s possible the Dolphins were looking to make a change at defensive coordinator, the more likely scenario is that he had previously expressed interest in working for the Eagles and now their defensive coordinator gig is up for grabs. Given that the move brings him closer to his family, Miami respected his wishes and allowed him to take the job. Fangio only spent one year in Miami. Despite his defense being ravaged by injuries, he led the team to top-10 finishes in yards and takeaways while also ranking 15th in EPA per play allowed. Fangio is still one of the top minds on the defensive side of the ball and the Eagles are getting a gift from the Dolphins. He should help them rebound from a disastrous 2023 season that saw them rank bottom-five in EPA and points allowed. We expect Fangio to put pen to paper and officially sign with Philly in the coming days.

Kmet got loose on a Caleb Williams scramble drill in the third quarter. Williams bought time and threw a back-shoulder pass to Kmet, who reeled in the throw with a fantastic grab for a gain of 26 yards. He nearly flipped the matchup on Chicago’s final offensive play of the night. Williams scrambled to his left and had Kmet open in the end zone on fourth down. He threw a duck well short of Kmet that was snagged by Green Bay for a game-losing pick. Kmet is splitting reps with Colston Loveland and the rookie has shown far more juice this year. Kmet will remain off the fantasy radar for Week 15 versus the Browns.

Brissett was bruised and battered by the end of this one. He took three sacks and absorbed endless big hits against a hyper-aggressive Rams front seven that seemingly pressures Brissett on every drop back. He somehow got through the game and delivered for fantasy managers, targeting Michael Wilson 16 times and fueling another enormous fantasy outing for the wideout (142 yards and two TDs). Brissett connected with Wilson for a first quarter score, then again in the fourth quarter with the game out of hand. Brissett missed Trey McBride for a wide-open touchdown in the fourth quarter — his only truly errant throw on the day. Things will get tougher in Week 15 against Houston’s elite defense but Brissett should remain in lineups based on pure pass volume that has come to define the post-Kyler Arizona offense.

Loveland split reps with Cole Kmet. The Bears ran plenty of 12-personnel, meaning there were enough tight end routes for both players to take the field for more than half of Caleb Williams’ dropbacks, though only by a small margin. Loveland logged a 58 percent route rate. He made the most of his opportunities by coming up with a one-yard score via a play-action toss at the goal line. Loveland is still stuck in a committee on a team that wants to play run-first football, making him more of an exciting TE2 than a true TE1 heading into Week 15.

The Rams did whatever they wanted on the ground against the low-effort Cardinals defense. Williams averaged 6.5 yards per carry and Blake Corum went for 128 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries in an easy win for LA. Williams showed no ill effects from the ankle injury that cost him some practice time last week. He ran 19 routes to 12 routes for Corum. Williams’ weekly workload is firmly capped as long as Corum is healthy; he doesn’t have more than 14 carries in a game since early November. Williams will be a somewhat touchdown-reliant RB2 play in Week 15 against Detroit.

Zaccheaus had been phased out of the offense heading into this game. With Rome Odunze sidelined because of a foot injury, Zaccheaus made his way back into the starting rotation as Chicago’s No. 3 receiver. Zaccheaus didn’t do much with the extra routes, but he came up clutch on the Bears’ opening drive of the second half with a toe-tapping grab in the end zone to get Chicago back in the game. Zaccheaus should continue to see an uptick in work next week with Odunze likely out again. Assuming that happens, Zaccheaus will be a deep-cut FLEX option for 14-team leagues.

Rome Odunze was sidelined for Week 14 because of a stress fracture in his foot. In need of someone to step up, Moore was nowhere to be found. His only catch of the day was a touch pass that was blown up for a loss of four. He had another screen target that was so thoroughly sniffed out by Green Bay that he was actually hit a fraction of a second before the ball made it to his hands. Moore’s usage has devolved into primarily designed touches this year and that didn’t change with Odunze out. He will barely register as a WR6 for Week 15 against the Browns.

Burden also had one carry for three yards. Rome Odunze missed this contest with a stress fracture in his foot. Burden, in turn, led the team in catches, yards, and targets. He finished the day 25 yards clear of Cole Kmet, the team’s No. 2 receiver by yards. It wasn’t an elite showing from the rookie, but it’s good to see him stepping up as the team’s top wideout, even if the counting stats were underwhelming. Assuming Oduzne is out again next week, Burden will hold a spot in the WR3 ranks versus Cleveland.

Neither Chicago back scored and Swift operated as the team’s primary option on passing downs. His three catches propelled him ahead of Kyle Monangai in touches and fantasy points. Monangai ran 14 times for 57 yards and scored a two-point conversion on the ground. Swift has fallen behind the rookie in the pecking order for rush attempts, but the Bears are leaning on their ground game and Swift is at worst a 1B back. That will be more than enough to keep him in the RB3 mix when the Bears take on the Browns next week.

Stafford made quick work of a low-energy Arizona defense that was run over on the ground to the tune of 249 rushing yards. Stafford did whatever he wanted against the Cardinals, averaging 9.1 yards per attempt, taking no sacks, and facing only three pressures. It was Stafford’s 11th game of the season with multiple touchdown throws. He now has a league-leading 35 passing scores in a Rams offense that has remained pass-heavy in the red zone. Stafford will look to rack up a few more touchdowns in Week 15 against his former team, the Lions, who have struggled against the pass in recent weeks.

Monangai led the Bears in carries but was out-touched by D’Andre Swift 16-15. Swift caught three balls while operating as the team’s top option on passing downs. The rookie also added two points to his fantasy bottom line by punching in a two-point conversion in the second half. Monangai has now out-carried Swift in three straight and the Bears are running the ball enough to keep both backs involved. As home favorites over the Browns in Week 15, the Bears should be able to establish their run-first approach the next time we see them. Monangai will sit on the RB2/3 border.