Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie running back Bucky Irving (back, hip) wasn't seen at the portion of practice open to the media on Thursday, so it's looking like he'll open up Week 15 preparation with two DNPs. Irving missed the first two practices last week as well before being limited on Friday. The 22-year-old was questionable but was active for the Week 14 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, but he left the contest after playing only 10 snaps on offense. It led to a big day for Rachaad White, who would be in line for another bigger workload as Tampa's primary backfield option if Irving is limited again or out entirely this weekend versus the Los Angeles Chargers. Irving has been Tampa's most productive and efficient RB this year and is averaging 12.1 half-PPR points per game, but he's shaping up as a pretty risky RB3/flex in the first round of the fantasy playoffs.

From RotoBaller

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (hamstring) was not seen on the field for the portion of practice open to the media on Thursday. Evans is shaping up to be a DNP for the second straight day this week, which is exactly what transpired last week before he returned to practice on Friday and played in the Week 14 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. The 31-year-old future Hall of Famer ended up playing 85 percent of the team's offensive snaps last Sunday while catching four of his five targets for 69 yards. This week's matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers' stingy defense is certainly less appealing from a fantasy perspective, but Evans should be active as long as he gets some practice in on Friday. Evans is averaging 12.3 half-PPR points in 10 games this year (tied for 16th among wideouts), so fantasy managers will want him in their starting lineups this weekend if he's active.

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Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell (knee) took part in the team's walkthrough practice on Wednesday and is still holding out hope that he can play in Week 15 against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night. O'Connell suffered a knee injury in the Week 14 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Raiders initially feared it could end his season, but O'Connell was diagnosed with just a bone bruise. "Yeah, I'm hoping to get there," O'Connell said. "Obviously, we've got a longer week this week, which helps, and so just really taking it day by day. Obviously, not something I've been through with this particular injury. So, trying to get there." While the 26-year-old won't miss the rest of the season now, he's not a lock to play on Monday night. A decision on his status for Monday night probably won't be made until this weekend. If he can't go, Desmond Ridder will make his first start of 2024.

From RotoBaller

When asked at the NFL league meetings on Wednesday about the future of head coach Antonio Pierce, owner Mark Davis declined to commit to bringing him back in 2025. It really shouldn't come as a surprise with the Raiders riding a nine-game losing streak. They are currently sitting at 2-11 on the year and are tied for the league's worst record. "I'm very disappointed, obviously. I want to see progress," Davis said. It's not looking good for Pierce sticking around, but Davis reiterated that no final decision has been made, and Pierce still has four games left to try and turn it around. Davis' tone has changed in the last couple of months regarding Pierce and is no longer giving him a vote of confidence. When it comes to general manager Tom Telesco, Davis said he'll be evaluated separately from Pierce. Pierce had a nine-game stint as the interim head coach in 2023, while this is Telesco's first year on the job.

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The San Francisco 49ers plan to activate standout linebacker Dre Greenlaw (Achilles) from the Physically Unable to Perform list ahead of the team's Thursday night game against the division-rival Los Angeles Rams, according to sources. Greenlaw tore his Achilles in the Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs and has been working his way back. Although the 27-year-old will be active for the first time in Week 15, the 49ers also plan to ease him back, so he won't be immediately viable in fantasy IDP leagues. Still, the return of Greenlaw is big news for San Fran's defense, which could be without All-Pro pass-rusher Nick Bosa (oblique) for a fourth straight game. Once Greenlaw is ready to return to his starting role, he should settle back in as an every-down linebacker next to Fred Warner, but it remains to be seen if that will happen in the final four games of the regular season.

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Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku (hamstring) is now unlikely to play in Week 15 on Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs. Offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey said that if Njoku cannot play, the Browns will go with a committee approach at tight end. Njoku suffered a hamstring injury in the Week 14 loss to the division-rival Pittsburgh Steelers and was unable to practice on Wednesday. He'll likely miss another practice on Thursday, and fantasy managers should move him to their bench and hope he can return for Week 16 against the division-rival Cincinnati Bengals. Fantasy managers that made the playoffs have to be pretty bummed, as Njoku has caught 16 passes for 94 yards and three touchdowns in the last two games. Fantasy managers will want to avoid Cleveland's TE committee this week. Instead, receivers Jerry Jeudy and Elijah Moore will be more exciting lineup options.

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Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said that wide receiver Noah Brown (ribs) will miss several weeks and potentially the rest of the season after sustaining an internal injury in the Week 13 win over the Tennessee Titans. The Commanders had a bye in Week 14, but Brown's injury is serious enough that he won't be ready to go for the Week 15 contest this Sunday in New Orleans against the Saints. With Brown hurt, the Commanders claimed receiver K.J. Osborn off waivers from the New England Patriots earlier this week. Osborn will give Washington more depth at the position, but Dyami Brown, Olamide Zaccheaus and rookie Luke McCaffrey will get be the ones that will battle for WR2 duties with Brown injured behind Terry McLaurin. Tight end Zach Ertz might actually benefit the most from a target perspective in fantasy.

From RotoBaller

San Francisco 49ers running back Isaac Guerendo (foot) "plans to play" in Thursday night's game against the Los Angeles Rams. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, despite being listed as questionable, Guerendo "feels good" and "plans to play" on Thursday night. The 24-year-old suffered a foot sprain in last Sunday's win over the Chicago Bears. He was a limited participant in Wednesday's walkthrough and has a chance of playing on Thursday. Guerendo rushed for 78 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries while catching two passes for 50 yards in the Week 14 win over the Bears. With the short week and Christian McCaffrey (knee) and Jordan Mason (ankle) on injured reserve, the 49ers might play it safe with Guerendo and rest him. If Guerendo can't suit up, Patrick Taylor Jr. is expected to handle most of the carries, while Israel Abanikanda and Ke'Shawn Vaughn will back him up. Fantasy managers will have to check back an hour before the 8:15 p.m. (ET) kickoff to ensure Guerendo is active before setting their lineups for the first week of the fantasy playoffs.

From RotoBaller

The San Francisco 49ers defense/special teams unit will clash with the division-rival Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night in Santa Clara. Last week, the 49ers posted their second-highest point total of the season in Yahoo default scoring by holding the Chicago Bears to 13 points while sacking quarterback Caleb Williams seven times and recovering a fumble. The sack total was a season-high for San Francisco despite missing edge Nick Bosa (hip/oblique). However, it's probably safe to chalk up the sacks to a mediocre Chicago offensive line and Williams' propensity for holding the ball for too long. On the plus side, Bosa has a chance to return after a three-game absence. Regardless of the momentum and possible power-up, the Niners are facing a healthy Rams offense that just dropped 37 offensive points on a competent Buffalo Bills defense. San Francisco is Rotoballer's 19th-ranked D/ST in Week 15, and there's not much of a reason to hold on to them for the rest of the fantasy playoffs as they go to Miami and host Detroit in Weeks 16 and 17, respectively.

From RotoBaller

San Francisco 49ers kicker Jake Moody will kick off the NFL's Week 15 when the Los Angeles Rams come to town for Thursday Night Football. Last week in a 38-13 home victory over the Chicago Bears, Moody made his only field goal attempt, a 23-yarder in the second quarter. He made all five of his extra-point attempts. Los Angeles' defense hasn't been good, allowing the sixth-most yards in the NFL, but they are nearly equally bad at preventing touchdowns in the red zone. Even if San Francisco's offense is humming like last week, it could be another extra-point game for Moody. In addition, Moody has struggled with accuracy, posting a field goal percentage of 76.9, compared to a league-wide average of 83.5%. Moody is Rotoballer's 18th-ranked kicker in Week 15.

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New Orleans Saints wide receiver Bub Means (ankle) was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday. Means is currently in his 21-day practice window, which means he can practice with the team but would need to be activated from injured reserve before he can play in a game. Typically, teams are hesitant to activate players until they log multiple full practices in a row, but Means could potentially be an exception given how shorthanded the Saints are at wide receiver. If activated this week, Means would slot in as a starting receiver alongside Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Both pass-catchers lack fantasy appeal given significant uncertainty at the quarterback position.

From RotoBaller

Buffalo Bills DL Dawuane Smoot (wrist) and LB Baylon Spector (calf) were designated to return from the Reserve/Injured list on Wednesday, Dec. 11.

From TheHuddle

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle will face the Los Angeles Rams at home in a Week 15 divisional matchup on Thursday night. Last week, Kittle rebounded from his worst performance of the season -; a one-catch night in Buffalo -; to a six-reception, 151-yard game at home in Week 14 versus Chicago. The gregarious University of Iowa product is having one of the best years of his career in 2024, ranking just behind Las Vegas rookie Brock Bowers in total fantasy points despite missing two games. Kittle has done a lot this year to shake his boom/bust reputation, as he's only failed to reach 10 half-PPR points twice this season. The Rams' pass defense hasn't been good overall, which holds true when isolating the tight end position. They have been the 12th-easiest matchup in the NFL to opposing tight ends despite not having to face Kittle in Week 3 when he was out with injury. Fantasy managers should lock Kittle into their lineups for the duration of the fantasy playoffs. In Week 15, he's a top-2 option.

From RotoBaller

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel gets his next chance to break out of a brutal slump when the team hosts the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night. The former First-team All-Pro has averaged 3.3 half-PPR points per game over his last four contests. Samuel Sr. created drama early in the week, expressing dissatisfaction with a perceived decrease in the team getting him the ball. There is some truth to the complaint. Samuel Sr.'s career-high was 8.5 touches per game in 2021, and he averaged 6.5 touches per game last year compared to 6.0 touches this year. Of course, he didn't mention his season total of four broken tackles on social media, nor his 13.8 yards per reception (down almost a full yard from 2023), or his 2.9 yards per carry. The squeaky wheel may get the grease in this situation, but head coach Kyle Shanahan and quarterback Brock Purdy don't seem like the type to force-feed a complaining wideout based on their reactions this week. The Rams are a top-10 matchup to opposing wideouts, but it will be hard to trust Samuel Sr. in fantasy playoff lineups. He's a back-end WR3 at best in Week 15.

From RotoBaller

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings will line up against division-rival Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night in Santa Clara. The former Tennessee Volunteer is coming off his second-best fantasy performance of the year, having caught seven of eight targets for 90 yards and two touchdowns at home against Chicago. The Rams are a good matchup for Jennings on paper, tied with Cleveland as the seventh-most-generous defense to fantasy wideout production. As the fantasy playoffs begin, Jennings is the overall WR14 in half-PPR scoring, including the games before Brandon Aiyuk was injured. Jennings should considered a WR2 with a solid target floor in Week 15.

From RotoBaller

San Francisco 49ers running back Patrick Taylor Jr. could get his first career start on Thursday night in Week 15 against the Los Angeles Rams at Levi's Stadium. Last week, Taylor Jr. took seven carries for 25 yards and sealed the blowout of the Chicago Bears with a touchdown in the fourth quarter after starter Isaac Guerendo left with a foot injury. It's common fantasy wisdom to point out that head coach Kyle Shanahan always eschews a committee approach, leaning almost exclusively on his starting running back. If Guerendo were to be ruled out -- and if you count Elijah Mitchell who was deemed out for the year during the preseason -- Taylor Jr. represents San Francisco's fifth-string running back. This may be the one situation where Shanahan decides to mix it up with his backfield snap distribution. The Rams are middle-of-the-pack in stopping the run and it's hard to argue for benching any RB starting for the 49ers. Still, Israel Abanikanda and Ke'Shawn Vaughn could eat into Taylor Jr.'s volume, as all three are basically replacement-level players. If Guerendo suits up, Taylor Jr. should be on fantasy benches, but if Guerendo can't go, the former Packer is a high-ceiling/low-floor play on the RB2/3 border.

From RotoBaller

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman (knee) was a full participant in the team's first practice of the week on Wednesday. Bateman injured his knee in the Week 13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles and had last week's bye to get his knee some extra treatment. After the week of rest and recovery, the 25-year-old pass-catcher looks good to return this weekend when the Ravens head to New York to face the Giants. The former 27th overall pick in 2021 out of Minnesota has seen more involvement this year and has 35 catches for a career-high 574 yards and a career-high five touchdowns on 55 targets in 13 games in 2024 as Baltimore's WR2 behind Zay Flowers. In a plus matchup against the Giants, Bateman should be on the fantasy map in Week 15 as a WR4/flex. Bateman enters the week as the WR42 in PPR formats.

From RotoBaller

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said on Wednesday that wide receiver Marquise Brown (shoulder) is nearing a return to the practice field. Brown suffered a sternoclavicular joint dislocation back in the preseason and hasn't played at all in 2024 for KC, but he was projected to return to practice in mid-December. "He's getting close," said Reid. "He's champing at the bit to get back out there, but he's got to visit with the doctors and make sure that he gets clearance there, but I'd probably say he's getting close. [I] can't give you a date. I don't know a date on it, but he says he feels great." Hollywood won't play in Week 15 against the Cleveland Browns, but a return in the final three games of the regular season isn't out of the question. Expecting the 27-year-old to contribute for fantasy managers in the playoffs could be another thing entirely.

From RotoBaller

New Orleans Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi said on Wednesday that the team won't name a starting quarterback for Sunday's game against the Washington Commanders until the end of the week. The Saints aren't ruling out Derek Carr (concussion, hand), and he won't be placed on Injured Reserve despite fracturing his left (non-throwing hand) in the Week 14 win over the New York Giants. Rizzi said that Jake Haener and rookie Spencer Rattler both took repetitions at Wednesday's practice and will likely do the same on Thursday. Carr is a long hot to be active this weekend, and it's anyone's guess as to whether it will be Haener or Rattler under center this Sunday. Haener, 25, has more experience, but Rattler has more upside. Either way, the Saints' QB in Week 15 will be a desperation low-end QB2 in superflex fantasy leagues.

From RotoBaller

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy will face the Los Angeles Rams in Week 15 at home on Thursday Night Football. Last week versus Chicago, Purdy moved the ball nearly at will -- especially in the first half. He finished 20-for-25 with 325 yards, two touchdowns, and no turnovers while adding 11 yards on the ground. The successful day was a welcome development after Purdy was held to 2.16 Yahoo default fantasy points in snowy Buffalo the week before. The Rams' air defense has been vulnerable, tied with Las Vegas for eighth in generosity to opposing fantasy quarterbacks. Most recently, Los Angeles was shredded by Bills QB Josh Allen to the tune of 50-plus fantasy points during a Week 14 win. The Rams defense will be without starting cornerback Cobie Durant (chest). San Francisco's offense is still hurting, with left tackle Trent Williams (ankle) set to miss his fourth-straight game and rookie running back Isaac Guerendo (foot) questionable, though left guard Aaron Banks (concussion) has been cleared to play after missing two games. Purdy is pretty well set up to have a solid night, making him a low-end QB1 with upside.

From RotoBaller