NFL Player News

It only took 25 games for Raiders owner Mark Davis to decide another ride on the coaching carousel would be more fun than watching McDaniels coach another game for the Silver and Black. McDaniels’ time with the team ended overnight, as Davis dismissed the Belichick disciple hours after the trade deadline and a day after an embarrassing 26-14 loss to the Lions. A loss to the Bears and rookie UDFA Tyson Bagent in Week 7 probably didn’t help his case, either. There’s also that whole “only coach to lose to Jeff Saturday” thing. A 6-11 season in his first year with the team led to Derek Carr being the scapegoat at the end of the season, with Jimmy Garoppolo — another Patriots connection, being tabbed as the man to lead the Raiders to the promised land. That’s gone about as well as expected. Through eight games, the Raiders are 31st in yards per game and 30th in points per game, with Garoppolo throwing for 1205-7-9. The defense isn’t much better, ranking 22nd in points allowed while getting thrashed on the ground to the tune of 140.6 yards per game. McDaniels was eight games into the second year of a six-year contract, and is still owed what’s left on that deal. In addition to McDaniels, the Raiders also fired GM Dave Ziegler, who joined the team in January 2022. Linebackers coach Antonio Pierce has been promoted to interim head coach and will get his first test in Week 9 against the Giants.

Mostert’s seven touches are his highest total since Week 9. He only saw two fewer carries than De’Von Achane, though the latter was targeted nine times to Mostert’s three. Rookie Jaylen Wright, who appeared to be pushing Mostert for the RB2 role heading into this game, did not touch the ball on Thanksgiving. Even if Mostert has reclaimed the No. 2 gig in Miami, he isn’t seeing the ball enough to warrant FLEX consideration for Week 14.

Per usual, Miami’s passing attack, which features one of the league’s best receiving duos in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, revolved around easy completions to Achane and Jonnu Smith. Achane’s nine targets tied Hill for second-most on the team and Smith led the way with 11 looks. Achane notched his sixth receiving touchdown of the year on a well-designed screen in the red zone late in the third quarter. Achane hasn’t been awfully efficient on the ground but his involvement in the receiving game makes his hit-or-miss rushing lines almost irrelevant. He posted his fifth game with at least 50 receiving yards this week and will look to stay hot through the air versus the Jets next week. Achane’s all-purpose role will keep him near the top of the RB1 ranks for Week 14.

Waddle was never likely to give fantasy managers an encore to his 144-yard outing from Week 12, but this can undoubtedly be chalked up as a bust for the young receiver. He has posted worse lines than 53 scoreless yards this season, but his nonexistent role was the bigger concern. Waddle finished a distant fourth on the team in targets and earned a measly nine percent target share. He has caught more than four passes one time since Week 1 and his Week 12 breakout looks like an aberration, not something fantasy players should expect to see a repeat of anytime soon. Waddle remains buried in the WR4 ranks for Week 14 versus the Jets.

Smith earned new season-highs in receptions and yards this week while tying the high-water mark in targets he set less than a week ago. Unsurprisingly, Smith led the Dolphins with a 24 percent target share. It was the third game in a row that Smith tied or outright led Miami in targets. The Dolphins have fully abandoned their explosive passing game and are instead relying on underneath looks that generate YAC to move the ball. That has been a disastrous development for Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle but is pushing Smith to the top of weekly tight end ranks. He will slot in as a top-five fantasy tight end for his Week 14 date with the Jets.

Washington Thanksgiving got off to a rocky start with a muffed punt in the blustery condition of Lambeau Field. It was the first of many plays that brought up Miami’s struggles when the temperature dropped below an arbitrary threshold. Fumbled punt aside, it was a quiet night for the rookie. He out-targeted Odell Beckham 4-2, though neither player is seeing the ball enough to be on the fantasy radar for Week 14.

Kraft paced the Packers in all receiving categories outside of touchdowns. He tied his season-high in receptions and posted his second-best yardage total. With Romeo Doubs out because of a concussion, Kraft stepped up as an easy outlet option for Jordan Love and made sure to add plenty of YAC for good measure. His role will take a hit if Doubs is back in action next week, likely keeping Kraft just outside of the TE1 ranks for his upcoming date with the Lions.

Wicks’ drop issues continued with a near-catastrophic play in the first quarter. Jordan Love hit him for an easy completion over the middle, but the ball split Wicks’ hands and ricocheted into Dolphins corner Kader Kohou’s arms. Luckily for Wicks, Christian Watson delivered a brutal hit to Kohou and jarred the ball loose for an incompletion. It was Wicks’ only drop of the night, but it was the latest in a long line of hands issues for the second-year wideout. Romeo Doubs missed this game with a concussion but should be able to clear the league’s protocol ahead of Week 14, keeping Wicks off the fantasy radar for Green Bay’s upcoming matchup with the Lions.

The bulk of Watson’s receiving output came on a 49-yard shot from Jordan Love on Green Bay’s opening drive of the second half. Love saw a one-on-one opportunity along the sideline and gave his explosive receiver a chance to make a play on the ball. Watson returned the favor with a diving grab and even stumbled to his feet after the grab for a few yards after the catch. Watson’s role didn’t change with Romeo Doubs out for this game, making it hard to trust him as anything more than a WR4 for his Week 14 matchup with the Lions.

As Jacobs noted after the game, Miami made it a point to keep Green Bay’s ground game in check. They largely succeeded in their efforts concerning Jacobs, who averaged a dismal 2.3 yards per carry. His backups, however, managed 48 yards on five attempts. Not to be outdone, Jacobs was electric as a pass-catcher with a season-high in receiving yards. His 74 yards through the air were seven short of his career-high, set in 2023 with the Raiders. Jacobs has topped 100 yards from scrimmage in five straight games and will look to keep the ball rolling versus Detroit next week. His role as a receiver out of the backfield will lock him in as an RB1 for Week 14.

Love picked apart a normally stout Miami pass defense, logging his second-highest completion rate of the year and his second game without an interception. His other game without a pick was last week and he has taken just three sacks over his past five appearances including zero on Thanksgiving. Love has made a frustrating number of mistakes this year but is starting to turn the corner just in time for the playoff push. A date with Detroit’s ironclad defense next week will be a true test for Love and the young Green Bay offense. His performance against Miami should be enough for fantasy managers to keep him in their lineups for a potential shootout with the Lions.