Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins threw his first touchdown pass since Week 9 in Monday's 15-9 win over the Raiders, however, the team leaned heavily on the run game in this one, tallying 168 rush yards between Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier. Cousins completed only 11 passes but was asked to throw the ball just 17 times in the contest, racking up a paltry 112 yards passing. The 36-year-old threw the touchdown pass late in the first quarter, but also tossed an interception and looked out of sorts outside of the lone TD, which seemingly exacerbated the need to lean on the run and was the reason for so few pass attempts. Despite the win, it was not an encouraging performance if you're a Falcons fan hoping for a playoff run. The veteran will take on the Giants in Atlanta next Sunday, but for fantasy, hopefully managers have other options available at this point with fantasy championships on the line.

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The New York Jets interviewed former Atlanta Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff on Monday, according to a source. The Jets have already begun to look at candidate to replace former GM Joe Douglas at the end of the 2024 season. Dimitroff was the GM in Atlanta for 12 years and saw the team post a 113-95 record in his time at the helm. The team reached the playoffs six times, including when they went all the way to the Super Bowl before famously blowing a 28-3 lead to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in 2016. He has not been in the NFL since being fired by the Falcons in 2020, instead serving as president of football operations for SumerSports, a data-driven platform created to help front-office personnel in decision-making. Dimitroff has almost 30 years of NFL experience and could decide to return to the NFL next year.

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Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson brought in 5-of-7 targets for 52 yards in Monday night's home victory over the Chicago Bears. The 27-year-old couldn't recapture the magic he produced in the two teams' first meeting, but he still put together a fine fantasy performance. While it isn't anything to write home about, he was the third-leading receiver in all statistical categories. Hockenson alternated excellent and subpar performances for a few weeks but has fallen somewhere in the middle over the last two. Between him and wideouts Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, quarterback Sam Darnold is flush with weaponry. However, he has not supported a massive fantasy outing for all three and may never do so, with Minnesota garnering a pass percentage in the league's bottom half. Hockenson will line up against a beatable Seattle Seahawks secondary in Week 16.

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Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison corralled 7-of-9 targets for 63 yards in Monday's 30-12 victory against the Chicago Bears. The 22-year-old continued an excellent stretch of performances in Week 15, racking up his second-highest target and reception total of 2024. Addison has at least seven receptions in three of four contests and at least 61 receiving yards in four of five. After a slow start to the season, he's really come on over the second half and has been a fantastic complimentary option across from WR1 Justin Jefferson in the Vikings offense. He isn't as consistent as Jefferson -- but not many athletes are. The USC product will get a chance to build on his progress in Week 16 against an exploitable Seattle Seahawks defensive unit.

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New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft reportedly told associates last week that head coach Jerod Mayo will be back for another season in 2025 despite how poorly his first year as head coach in the NFL has gone this year. Mayo hasn't been given much help with one of the worst rosters in the league, but The Athletic's Chad Graff writes that it doesn't seem like Mayo is doing much to elevate the group. The Patriots appear to have hit on cornerback Christian Gonzalez and quarterback Drake Maye, but they seemingly have gotten worse at almost every other position on the roster. Going into the offseason in three weeks, expect the Patriots to take a cold, hard look at adding as much as they can in free agency to try and upgrade the offensive skill positions around Maye, primarily at receiver.

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Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is optimistic on pass-rusher T.J. Watt's (ankle) availability for their Week 16 game this Saturday against the division-rival Baltimore Ravens. Tomlin said Watt is walking around comfortably and that the "door is ajar" for him to play. Pittsburgh believes that the ankle sprain that the 30-year-old suffered late in the Week 15 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles is a minor one that might not even force him to miss any time. If that's true, it would be big for the Steelers, as Watt is one of the best all-around defensive players in the NFL. However, the Steelers also probably won't take any chances with Watt potentially making his injury worse if he plays through it and he's not completely ready. It all means that fantasy managers in IDP leagues should be prepared for a scenario in which they won't have Watt this weekend on a short week for Pittsburgh.

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Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson reeled in seven of 13 targets for 73 yards and a touchdown in his team's 30-12 win over the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football. The last time these two met, Chicago held the superstar wideout to 27 yards and two receptions on five targets. However, Jefferson got one over on the Bears in this one, scoring his third TD in the last two games. Jefferson was involved early, catching his touchdown -- a seven-yarder -- on the Vikings' second drive of the game. The LSU product has seven receptions in three straight outings and continues to torment defenses as one of the most dominant pass-catchers in football. He'll get a date with the Seattle Seahawks in the fantasy semi-finals next weekend and is a locked-in elite WR1.

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Dallas Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said on 105.3 The Fan on Monday that cornerback Trevon Diggs (knee) will have surgery to fix an issue in his articular cartilage, and his recovery could take up to eight months. The expectation is that Diggs won't be ready for the start of training camp, but there's a chance he could be ready for the start of the regular season. Diggs' injury is related to fluid in his knee and subsequent cartilage problems. The 26-year-old defensive back made back-to-back Pro Bowls in 2021 and 2022 and was an All-Pro in 2021, but he's had back-to-back injury-plagued years now and has played in a combined 13 games in that span. In 11 starts in 2024, he had 42 tackles (35 solo), two interceptions and 11 pass breakups. Diggs had a league-high 11 picks in 2021 but has six in three years since.

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Minnesota Vikings running back Cam Akers rushed 10 times for 24 yards and a touchdown in Monday night's 30-12 win over the Chicago Bears. He was not targeted in the passing game. The former Florida State Seminole didn't see his first touch until the second quarter -- garnering three on that drive -- and did most of his work with the game comfortably in hand. Akers' long run of the day was a gain of 11, and his TD was a one-yard plunge in the fourth quarter that gave the Vikings a 27-6 lead. The 25-year-old saw his most carries since Week 11, but his efficiency was way down (2.4 yards per carry) against a beatable Bears defense. With backfield mate Aaron Jones exhibiting a stranglehold on the lead-back job, Akers will retain his handcuff status for next weekend's road tilt with the Seattle Seahawks.

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New Orleans Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi said that it's too soon in the week to guess whether quarterback Derek Carr (concussion, hand) could play in Week 16 against the Green Bay Packers next Monday night. However, Rizzi also said it "wouldn't be a reach" to expect that Carr will be cleared to play at some point before the end of the season. The coach also said he will wait to decide which QB will take the first practice reps this week and potentially start if Carr cannot go. However, all signs point to rookie Spencer Rattler getting the nod after the team benched Jake Haener in the one-point loss to the Washington Commanders in Week 15. The 33-year-old Carr suffered a concussion and a fractured left (non-throwing) hand in the Week 14 win over the New York Giants. Fantasy managers shouldn't be expecting him to help them the rest of this year.

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Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said he thinks that running back Nick Chubb (foot) won't need surgery on the broken left foot that he suffered in the Week 15 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Chubb will still miss the rest of the regular season with only three weeks left, but the 28-year-old should be fully recovered in time for the start of the 2025 campaign. Still, it's been an injury-plagued last two years for Chubb, as he's played in only 10 combined games. He got a late start in 2024 while recovering from his gruesome knee injury and ended up playing in eight contests. Chubb looked sluggish, averaging a career-worst 3.3 yards per carry on 102 rushing attempts for 332 yards and three touchdowns. In addition to coming off another injury, Chubb will be a free agent and may not return to Cleveland, further clouding his fantasy value. Jerome Ford takes over the Browns the rest of the way at RB.

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Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan said on Monday that he's going to use the next few days to decide who his starting quarterback will be heading into Week 16 against the division-rival Indianapolis Colts. Levis threw three interceptions and lost a fumble in the Week 15 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals before being benched in favor of Mason Rudolph. The struggling Levis went 8-for-12 for 89 yards. Rudolph finished 21-for-26 for 209 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Levis has missed several games due to injury and has been inconsistent when on the field in his second year in the league, completing 63.7% of his 284 pass attempts for 1,916 yards, 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 11 starts. The 25-year-old has improved his accuracy, but it hasn't been enough, and turnovers and poor decision-making have been a problem.

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Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz (concussion) and defensive back Jeremy Chinn (concussion) are both in the league's concussion protocol after suffering head injuries in the team's Week 15 win over the New Orleans Saints, according to head coach Dan Quinn. It was a tough day for fantasy managers that started Ertz in the first round of the fantasy playoffs in most leagues, as he only caught two passes for 25 yards before getting hurt in the second quarter and not returning. He'll now be firmly up in the air to play in Week 16 against the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Dec. 22. If Ertz is forced to miss time, expect Ben Sinnott and John Bates to split reps at the tight end position for Washington. The two combined for two catches and 13 yards against the Saints, though, and there should be better TE options for fantasy managers.

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Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones piled up 86 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries in his team's 30-12 win against the Chicago Bears. The 30-year-old added 20 yards on 2-of-3 receiving. It was another strong performance from the veteran, who has been an excellent addition to the Vikings' squad in 2024. After sparse TD production earlier this season, he now has one score in four straight games and at least 73 rushing yards in four of his last six. Jones has been a solid RB2 this year and will be as such with upside in Week 16 when Minnesota squares off against the Seattle Seahawks on the road. Seattle has allowed 24.8 fantasy points per game to RBs -- the tenth-most in the league -- through 14 contests.

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Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold completed 24-of-40 passes for 231 yards, one touchdown, and one INT in Monday night's 30-12 win over the Chicago Bears. The Vikings started hot in this one, scoring on their first two possessions to take a quick 10-0 lead against their division rivals. However, they'd slow down from there but essentially controlled the game from start to finish. Darnold was solid, though it likely wasn't the performance fantasy managers who rolled with him were looking for. The 27-year-old's interception came on an early fourth-down heave where he had pressure in his face and was trying to make something out of nothing. Other than that, he played a pretty clean game. It was just his third appearance all season with one or fewer touchdowns, but his ninth in a row with at least 230 passing yards. He and the Vikings will take on the Seattle Seahawks next Sunday during the fantasy semi-finals.

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Denver Broncos running back Jaleel McLaughlin (quad) did not suit up for practice on Monday. It's worth noting that this was an estimated practice report, so fantasy managers shouldn't read too much into it. McLaughlin was forced to exit early during Sunday's game against the Indianapolis Colts. That being said, McLaughlin appears to be in danger of sitting out Thursday's game against the Los Angeles Chargers. If that happens, Javonte Williams and Audric Estime would see more snaps in the backfield. Between the two, Williams is the more appealing fantasy option. Williams has struggled recently, but had some decent performances earlier in the season.

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Las Vegas Raiders running back Sincere McCormick (ankle) is listed as questionable to return for Monday's game against the Atlanta Falcons. McCormick was forced to exit in the second quarter due to an ankle issue. The team will likely evaluate him at halftime to see if he'll be able to return for the second half. Before exiting, McCormick rushed for eight yards on seven carries and hauled in two receptions for 17 yards. The expectation is that Alexander Mattison will see the bulk of the carries until McCormick returns. Ameer Abdullah could also be in the mix for this Raiders rushing attack that has struggled all season long.

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Los Angeles Chargers tight end Will Dissly (shoulder) didn't suit up for Monday's practice session. It's worth noting that this just an estimated practice report, so it doesn't mean too much. Dissly suffered a shoulder injury in Week 14 and was expected to miss a few weeks. That being said, it's not shocking to see him missing practice time. There's a good chance that Dissly sits out in Week 16 considering it's a short week, so he'd need to get ready to play by Thursday. Stone Smartt started in place of Dissly during Sunday's loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Smartt hauled in five of his six targets for 50 yards in the blowout loss. He could have some TE2 appeal for Week 16 if Dissly misses Thursday's game.

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Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (ankle) was listed as a limited participant on Monday's estimated injury report. Herbert is dealing with an ankle issue, but was able to play through it during Sunday's loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He looked fine in the pocket, but the ankle issue clearly limited his running ability considering he had zero carries on Sunday. Nonetheless, Herbert figures to be fine for Thursday's Week 16 matchup against the Denver Broncos. The Chargers might limit Herbert in order to keep him fresh, but he should be out there unless he suffers a setback.

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Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston (ankle) was listed as a non-participant on Monday's estimated injury report. Fantasy managers shouldn't read too much into that because it basically means he didn't go through walkthrough. Johnston suffered an ankle injury during Sunday's loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That being said, it wouldn't be shocking to see Johnston sit or be limited early in the week. However, the Chargers do have a short week with a matchup against the Denver Broncos on Thursday. The absence of Johnston would mean more targets for Ladd McConkey and Joshua Palmer during Thursday's Week 16 contest.

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