NFL

After back-to-back disastrous outings by Joshua Dobbs, it’s hard to imagine O’Connell turning things back over to him without giving Nick Mullens or rookie Jaren Hall a shot. Mullens came on in relief of Dobbs in the fourth quarter and wound up throwing for 83 yards on 9-of-13 passing. The journeyman has bounced around the league since catching on with the 49ers as a UDFA in 2017, spending time with the Eagles, Browns, Raiders, and Vikings. A serviceable quarterback in a pinch, it’s hard to know how reliable Mullens can be for the Vikings, who are in the midst of a playoff push, but Dobbs isn’t instilling much confidence at this point.

Jefferson was sent to a local hospital for further evaluation after suffering his injury in Sunday’s win over the Raiders but was released in time to travel back to Minnesota with the team. His return from a hamstring injury was underwhelming, as he managed just two catches for 27 yards in his first game with Josh Dobbs under center. It didn’t help that the injury limited him to just one-half of football. The Vikings have a situation to figure out at quarterback, but Jefferson should still be on the WR1 radar in Week 15 if active.

Davis suffered the injury in the Commanders’ Week 13 loss to the Dolphins and will now be placed on injured reserve, ending his season. The third-year linebacker has put together one of his better seasons as a pro, totaling 89 tackles, three sacks, and one interception while totaling eight TFLs. The former first-round pick struggled out of the gates early as a pro but has looked serviceable at times this season. He continues to struggle in pass coverage, earning a PFF coverage grade of 56.5 while allowing 35 receptions for 422 yards and three touchdowns, but he’s shown marginal improvement there as well. With a new regime likely to be taking over in the coming months, it will be interesting to see if the Commanders exercise Davis’ fifth-year extension this offseason or if he’ll be forced to play for a new deal in 2024. It’s possible next season is his last in Washington.

Hamilton was diagnosed with a grade 1 MCL sprain after Sunday’s win over the Rams. According to Harbaugh, the second-year safety is “day-to-day,” giving him a chance to play on Sunday night against the Jaguars. We won’t put too much stock into this, as the team’s injury report could suggest something different throughout the week, but it doesn’t sound like Hamilton is at risk of missing much, if any time.

It’s only one game, but fantasy managers who thought Kelley was the running back in line for more work behind Austin Ekeler were left wondering what happened in Week 14. Second-year running back Isaiah Spiller was second behind Ekeler with 12 snaps, which was almost as meaningless as Kelley’s seven. Outside of being a potential handcuff to Ekeler, both Spiller and Kelley are off the fantasy radar as neither are particularly good to deploy in any kind of timeshare.

According to Browns GM Andrew Berry, Delpit’s “high energy, on-field personality is the perfect embodiment” of the characteristics the Browns hoped to see from their defense at the start of this season. Delpit entered 2023 in the final year of his contract but will now be under contract with the Browns through the 2026 season. A former second-round pick, Delpit has started 36 of the 45 games he’s appeared in since being drafted in 2020. He’s totaled 80 tackles, seven TFLs, and 1.5 sacks this season, along with one interception, and has been instrumental in helping to mold the Browns into one of the best defensive units in the league.

This is good news for Hamilton, who should miss little to no time with this injury. Hamilton attempted to play on his injury after exiting Week 14’s contest against the Rams but ultimately wound up missing the majority of the second half. The second-year safety has stepped into a big role for the Ravens this season, totaling 69 tackles, nine TFLs, and three sacks in 13 games. We’ll likely know more on his Week 15 status when the Ravens release their first injury report of the week on Wednesday.

Stroud exited Week 14 against the Jets after being thrown to the ground by Jets lineman Quinnen Williams in the fourth quarter. Stroud will need to clear concussion protocol if he hopes to suit up for Week 15 against the Titans in a pivotal matchup that will carry playoff implications for the Texans. If Stroud is unable to go, it will be backup Davis Mills making his first start of the season. Mill has thrown for 5,806 yards, 33 touchdowns, and 25 interceptions through his first three seasons in the league.

Pickett was expected to miss at least two games after undergoing ankle surgery following the Steelers’ Week 13 loss to the Cardinals, so this news doesn’t come as much of a surprise. The Steelers will once again lean on Mitch Trubisky, as he’ll draw the start in Week 15’s tilt with the Colts, which should be far more favorable than last week’s matchup against the Patriots. Still, Trubisky often looked off-target and unwilling to throw the ball downfield in his last outing, which proved detrimental to George Pickens’ fantasy stock. Diontae Johnson should be treated as a WR3 this week, while Pickens is more of a WR4/WR5.

Bonitto exited Sunday’s contest against the Chargers in the first quarter and did not return. He was spotted in a brace after the game and could be looking at missing some time, depending on the severity of the injury. We’ll likely know more about his injury in the coming days, but for now, the Broncos could be forced to play without their sack leader in Week 15 against the Lions.