NFL Player News

Irving has now missed two straight practices and is trending on the wrong side of playing in Week 15 against the Chargers. Head coach Todd Bowles said Irving needs his back “to loosen up” if he hopes to have a shot at playing this week, so we’ll see if any progress is made on that front come Friday. If he’s unable to play, Rachaad White would profile as a RB2, while Sean Tucker could have some upside as a streamer in deeper leagues.

Several Cowboys are playing on questionable tags, including LB Nick Vigil (foot), DB C.J. Goodwin (hamstring), CB Jourdan Lewis (hamstring), and LB Buddy Johnson (illness). Known outs before today were C Cooper Beebe (concussion), DB Juanyeh Thomas (knee), and CB Trevon Diggs (knee). Joining them are: RB Deuce Vaughn, WR Ryan Flournoy, and DE Tyrus Wheat.

The Bengals’ inactives are headlined by LT Orlando Brown Jr., who will miss another game due to a fibula injury. Cody Ford has been starting in Brown’s place, but he will also miss this game due to an illness. Meanwhile, DT Sheldon Rankins is set to miss his fourth straight game due to an illness. The Bengals’ depth in the trenches will be tested Week 15 against the Titans.

Carolina signed Mike Boone off their own practice squad and Boone will backup Chuba Hubbard today. Velus Jones Jr. is also on the depth chart, but will likely replace Blackshear on special teams. Jadeveon Clowney (knee), Josey Jewell (hamstring), and Jaycee Horn (groin) are playing on questionable tags. Also inactive for Carolina are: S Nick Scott, CB Shemar Bartholomew, CB Akayleb Evans, LB Trevin Wallace, OL Jarrett Kingston, and DT Sam Roberts.

Scruggs (foot) and Stover (emergency appendectomy) will likely miss multiple weeks. Everyone else on Houston’s questionable line: Kenyon Green (shoulder), Jamal Hill (knee), Nick Broeker (hand), and Christian Harris (calf) will play. Sims, Hughes, and Hinish are healthy scratches.

Humphries continues to struggle with hamstring problems, and with back-to-back short-week games on tap for the two-time defending champions, resting Humphries today is probably the best course of action in hopes he is ready for Saturday against the Texans. Patrick Mahomes’ protection will remain a glaring issue vs. Myles Garrett and company.

With RB Tony Pollard (ankle) active, the Titans’ main inactive concerns lie on the defensive side of the ball. Roger McCreary (shoulder) was downgraded to a limited practice on Friday and will miss his second straight game. Jerome Baker (neck) returned to practice this week, but will also miss another game. The Titans defense has a tall task against the super-powered Bengals offense for Week 15.

Carr was officially ruled out on Saturday, paving the way for Jake Haener to make his first career start. A second-year pro out of Fresno State, Haener has attempted 29 passes in his career while throwing for 177-1-0 on a 48.3 completion percentage. He’ll have his work cut out for him with top receiver Chris Olave (concussion) still out.

Lock is dealing with a heel injury and will be sidelined for Week 15 and perhaps for the rest of the regular season as the Giants turn back to Tommy DeVito. In his lone 2024 start, DeVito completed 21-of-31 pass attempts for 189 scoreless yards and was sacked four times against the Bucs. He’s nothing more than a desperation superflex play in Week 15.

Hopkins has missed three field goals in the past two weeks, but the Browns evidently are not ready to release the 34-year-old veteran. Fantasy managers should obviously move on. Patterson is probably a fine option, but you should be able to do better on the waiver wire.

Johnson remains a healthy scratch, leaving a one-two punch of Tank Bigsby and Travis Etienne in the backfield. Bigsby ran 18 times last week and is in line for an RB2 workload once again.