Houston Texans tight end Cade Stover (illness) has been downgraded to out ahead of the Week 15 matchup against the Miami Dolphins. Stover underwent an emergency appendectomy surgery on Saturday. As a result, Stover will miss Sunday's game and his status should be updated at some point next week. Irv Smith was promoted from the practice squad and will operate as the No. 2 tight end behind Dalton Schultz on Sunday. Stover wasn't seeing a ton of action with only one game with over four targets this season. Smith won't be an ideal streaming option with Schultz healthy.

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New York Jets tight end Tyler Conklin (personal) has been downgraded to out ahead of the Week 15 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Conklin didn't travel with the team for this game while he deals with a personal matter. His absence means that Jeremy Ruckert will move into the No. 1 tight end role for this game. Ruckert doesn't offer much fantasy value considering he hasn't seen more than two targets in a game since Week 8. He might see a few more targets with Conklin unavailable, but it probably won't be enough to warrant streaming him in fantasy formats.

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Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt has fallen off the radar ever since teammate Isiah Pacheco returned to the mix in Week 13. Over his last two games, Hunt has just 12 rushes for 31 yards on the ground, plus three catches for an additional 13 yards through the air. The veteran filled in admirably when Pacheco missed time with a fibula injury earlier in the year, but he's back now and should continue to see his role get bigger while Hunt's gets smaller. Moving forward, the 29-year-old should be viewed as a mid-to-low fantasy RB4. That ranking holds true this week against the Browns, who have allowed the third-fewest catches and receiving yards to opposing running backs in 2024, as well as the ninth-fewest fantasy points.

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Kansas City Chiefs tight end Noah Gray has strung together an impressive stretch of games lately, putting him on the fantasy radar ahead of his Week 15 matchup against the Cleveland Browns. Gray has four catches in each of his last four contests, totaling 173 yards and four touchdowns along the way. The 25-year-old typically only sees the field in two-tight end sets, working in a complementary role alongside Travis Kelce. Despite being second on the depth chart, he has played at least half of the offensive snaps in every game this season. This week, he takes on the Browns, who have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to tight ends in 2024. Gray's position on the depth chart detracts from his fantasy value, but his recent stretch of games is hard to ignore. Fantasy managers should view him as a mid-range TE2 option this week.

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Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons, who is under contract through 2025, could be available for trade if the team does not want to add another massive extension to its payroll, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. As Rapoport explains, the Cowboys already have significant money tied up with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, so while Dallas wants to keep Parsons locked up long-term, it could be more productive to trade him and then sign free agents from a lower tier of linebackers. Parsons and executive Stephen Jones have both publicly expressed a desire to keep him in Dallas long-term, but privately, Rapoport believes he could be available for trade. A swap for Parsons would be historic and return compensation could exceed the 2018 Khalil Mack trade, which included a pair of first-round picks.

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Chicago Bears running back Travis Homer could be in line to start on Monday against the Minnesota Vikings, but he should remain on waiver wires for managers in the fantasy playoffs. D'Andre Swift (groin) is questionable and Roschon Johnson (concussion) has been ruled out, leaving the veteran as the would-be starter if Swift is unable to play. But against a Minnesota defense that ranks fourth against fantasy running backs, starting Homer, who has just three catches and three carries all year, is not advised. Managers almost certainly have a better play elsewhere on their roster, even if Swift doesn't play.

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Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Desmond Ridder is not a starting option in fantasy, even if in he ends up playing Monday against the Atlanta Falcons. Raiders starter Aidan O'Connell (knee) is questionable, and with Gardner Minshew (collarbone) on injured reserve, Ridder would start if O'Connell cannot. The former Cincinnati Bearcat is on his third team in a year and is now a backup option for a team in contention for the first overall pick. A manager who turns to Ridder in the fantasy playoffs is asking to start their offseason early.

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Detroit Lions wide receiver Tim Patrick is a desperation play on Sunday in the Lions' showdown with the Buffalo Bills. The veteran has played more than half of Detroit's snaps in seven of the past eight games and is coming off a two-touchdown performance against Green Bay last week. That level of production, however, has been an anomaly, as Patrick has only two games with more than three catches. With the Lions likely to reserve high-quality touches for receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, tight end Sam LaPorta, and the running back tandem of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, Patrick is a fringe option at best, even in deep leagues.

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The Washington Commanders elevated veteran kicker Greg Joseph from their practice squad with Zane Gonzalez (foot) questionable to play the New Orleans Saints in Week 15. It's likely a form of insurance for Washington, which put starter Austin Seibert (groin) on injured reserve earlier this year. Gonzalez was limited in practice earlier this week, but figures to still be the projected starter. Managers will have to consider if they want anything to do with Washington's kicking situation in the fantasy playoffs.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Sterling Shepard (foot) is expected to play Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers, according to Adam Schefter. The veteran has been a decent fill-in with wide receiver Chris Godwin out for the season, logging 13 catches in the past three games. Even though the Bucs received good news on Shepard, he's not likely to be a strong fantasy option in the matchup against L.A. Managers should reserve Shepard only for formats with more than two flex spots.

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The Los Angeles Chargers are optimistic that wide receiver Ladd McConkey (knee, shoulder) will be able to play Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, according to a report from NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The rookie is questionable, did not play last week against Kansas City, and was limited in practice all week, but the team hopes his pre-game workout will clear him to play. McConkey is a high-end flex/WR3 if he goes, but managers should keep updated and have a backup plan. Quentin Johnston and Joshua Palmer figure to be the team's two best options if McConkey doesn't play.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving (hip, back) is expected to play Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The rookie left last week's game after just five touches and did not practice until Friday, but is apparently well enough to give it a shot against the Chargers. Prior to the injury, Irving had three straight top-10 finishes among running backs, but the difficult matchup against L.A. and the injury should have managers mostly evaluating Irving as a flex option in Week 15.

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Las Vegas Raiders running back Alexander Mattison (ankle) practiced fully three days in a row leading up to his team's Week 15 game against the Atlanta Falcons. He will be the backup to lead RB Sincere McCormick, so he's probably not worth starting. He's averaged just 3.3 yards per carry so far this year, and while he's had some solid fantasy games, his projected lack of volume makes him a tough player to start this week. It's probably not a good idea to fire him up in any leagues. He should get at least a few carries and maybe 2-3 targets. Unless he vultures some goal-line work, which seems unlikely, he'll have a hard time even cracking 10 PPR fantasy points.

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According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (ankle) will undergo season-ending surgery, with the multi-time Pro Bowler also confirming the news in a heartfelt social media post. The Raiders season has been a disaster. But this could be the worst news of all, so the team will go the rest of the way without their defensive standout. Crosby wasn't as productive as he was last season. However, he still had a good year, totaling 45 tackles and 7.5 sacks. The question now is when he'll be ready to return, which IDP managers hope will be before the start of the 2025-26 campaign.

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Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku (hamstring) remains questionable for Sunday's game against the Chiefs. However, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the veteran "will work out pre-game to see if he is able to play." Njoku hasn't been terrible this season, compiling 56 catches for 439 yards. He also has five touchdowns, one away from his career-high. But fantasy managers should have a backup plan in case Njoku can't get out there, although No. 2 tight end Jordan Akins might not be the best choice for a replacement.

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Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs (shoulder) is anticipated to suit up for Sunday's contest versus the Denver Broncos. The wideout was battling a shoulder injury, keeping him off the field for the Week 13 meeting with the New England Patriots. Fortunately, the Colts were off in Week 14. But with Downs logging full practice sessions during the week, he's expected to be back, which is good news for fantasy managers. The 23-year-old has been productive in his 10 appearances this season, amassing 53 catches for 594 yards and four touchdowns, making him a starting fantasy option for the challenging matchup against the Broncos.

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Las Vegas Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson made two short field goals and an extra point attempt in Week 14 after a terrible day in Week 13 that saw him miss three long field goals. He's an accurate kicker below those long distances, but the misses lower his value ahead of a Week 15 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons. LV may be missing their starting quarterback, so we don't recommend you start Carlson. He would be a good option on a better offense. Atlanta's defense isn't great, so there's some room for a good amount of field goal attempts. That's great! Really awesome. But you should roll with someone else. Better to have a kicker on a good offense without so many question marks, because that makes it easier to project more volume.

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The Las Vegas Raiders D/ST is not worth starting in Week 15, nor have they been all season. They're the No. 31 rated defense on Sleeper, and outside of extremely deep or exotic leagues, there's no reason to put them in starting lineups for Monday, when they face the Atlanta Falcons. There are better options in free agency or on waivers in nearly all leagues. With star defensive end Maxx Crosby (ankle) likely to miss the rest of the season, and absolutely not playing in Monday night's game, there's even less reason to fire them up. They're a unit that's looking forward to next season, and they'll need to bolster their group at multiple positions to be more competitive in 2025. They'll hope to allow less than 27.8 points per game when that time comes.

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According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard (ankle) is expected to suit up for Sunday's matchup with the Bengals. The former Cowboy didn't practice on Wednesday or Thursday because of an ankle injury. He practiced on Friday, although he was limited, resulting in a questionable designation heading into Week 15. It's certainly good news for fantasy managers, with Pollard on the verge of his third-straight 1,000-yard rushing season. There's a good chance he'll hit that mark on Sunday, assuming he plays, against an unreliable Bengals defense. With Pollard's anticipated availability, Tyjae Spears will lose nearly all of his fantasy value. Still, fantasy managers should hold on to Spears until Pollard officially gets the green light.

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Las Vegas Raiders running back Sincere McCormick, who took the starting job from RB Alexander Mattison (ankle), who took Zamir White's (quad) starting job, who took over for Josh Jacobs, who left for greener fields (literally), is the guy you want to start in Week 15. McCormick. He's the guy. He's a lot more explosive than the other backs in his backfield. It's not necessarily a great matchup, so perhaps many fantasy managers have their hopes high. Teams prefer to pass against the Falcons since they have an awful secondary and aren't great at getting pressure on opposing quarterbacks. They've also had a productive offense for most of the season. McCormick's role is nice, though, and it necessitates consideration at RB2/RB3 slots for needy teams. He has a chance of being a key contributor down the stretch, and he's reasonably talented.

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