NFL Player News

Willis will be active for backup duties against the Eagles this week. The Packers’ No. 2 QB practiced in full on both Thursday and Friday, assuaging concerns over his injured thumb.

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.

Patterson also made all four of his extra point attempts as the Dolphins trounced the Jets. He saw a lot of scoring opportunities and gave fantasy managers a productive day with two field goal kicks of 43 and 53 yards. Patterson will have less scoring opportunities against the Steelers in Week 15 but is productive enough for fantasy managers to keep him in lineups.

Over the last three weeks, “Bill” has seen 17, 12, and now 10 snaps, respectively. The rookie seventh-rounder has been outplayed by both Chris Rodriguez and Jeremy McNichols over the last month and a half, and saw most of his playing time come with the game well out of reach. There’s little reason for fantasy managers entering the playoffs to hold JCM at this time.

The Steelers finally pushed the ball downfield after a season full of constant check downs to everyone in the offense, including the big-bodied speedster Metcalf. Metcalf had a season high in air yards and receiving yards in this one, and came close to not one but two touchdowns from Aaron Rodgers. Metcalf took full advantage of single coverage against a Ravens secondary that was overmatched by Metcalf’s size-speed combination. Coming into Week 14, he had seen more than six targets just five times this year. If the Steelers continue being aggressive in Week 15 against Miami, Metcalf could push for top-15 status.

Dulcich out-snapped Darren Waller and tied him for targets as the Dolphins continue to utilize both in the passing game. He made a catch-and-run of over 20 yards into the red zone that was nullified by penalty and kept his yardage to 41 on the day. Dulcich is difficult to trust on a weekly basis and is on the TE2 borderline for Week 15.

Judkins appeared poised for a big day when he began the Browns’ third series with a 58-yard rumble to the Titans’ two-yard line following a short play-action dump-off from Shedeur Sanders, but he was stymied on the subsequent goal-line carry and Sanders finished the drive off two plays later with a short scoring strike to David Njoku. Judkins then took a backseat to fellow rookie Sanders despite snowy conditions that would typically call for a run-game commitment. Sanders played his best game as a pro, but the Browns still managed to cough up just the second Titans victory all year. Judkins’ pass-catching backups have gotten a bit more involved since Sanders replaced Dillon Gabriel, but Dylan Sampson lost a bad fumble this afternoon. Judkins still has an RB2 role on lock, while the Bears are an A+ Week 15 matchup on the ground.

Facing a third-and-fourteen on the Commanders’ opening possession, Deebo caught a screen pass and turned it upfield for a 15-yard gain — his biggest play of the day. His most notable play, however, was the dropped end zone target he had on a fourth-and-goal a few plays later that immediately ended the Commanders’ best shot at a touchdown all afternoon. Samuel’s six targets tied Terry McLaurin for the team lead in this one. He’ll have some upside as a FLEX play in Week 15’s game against the Giants.